by L. L Hunter
His tongue forced my lips open and pushed inside. My hands pulled his body closer to mine. I needed him close to me. He was like a drug.
“Frankie,” I panted. He kissed me once more, tracing his thumb across my cheek and took my hand in his.
“Come on. Let’s go back.” I nodded and walked back to the campus with him. Where was my conscience in all this? My heart was a rebel, and my conscience, a traitor.
Chapter Eleven
Nathan
As soon as I opened my door, my phone rang.
“Officer Wright,” I said out of habit.
“Nathan, how’s the case going?”
“Oh, hey, Mark. Yeah, it’s good. I’ve gotten closer to my subject.”
“This totally sucks, dude. How come you get to be out in the field seducing hot chicks, while I get to be stuck behind a desk all day?”
“Oh, cheer up, Buddy. You’ll get your turn.”
“Yeah, in my dreams.”
“Why’d you call?”
“Oh, right. I got a hit on that name you told me to look up.”
“Yeah? Tell me.” I sat at my kitchen counter, taking off my cap. After seeing Charli this morning, I had to go for a walk to ‘cool off’.
“Your suspect, he’s on campus.”
My eyes widened and I almost dropped the phone.
“Nath? You still there?”
“Yeah. Yeah, Mark. I’m still here. He’s on campus?”
“Yeah. He’s been posing as a number of different students on the student chat room.”
“Different aliases?”
“Yeah.”
“What are they?”
“Is your line secure?”
“Yeah, I got the card.” It may sound stupid, but that was our code word for securing the line here on campus. I thought it might sound like I was talking to a relative.
“Okay, they are A.D. Walker, and F. J. Scott.” I mentally imprinted them in my brain for later.
“They don’t sound familiar. Any Christian names?”
“Nope, sorry man. That’s all I have for now. Sydney University values their student’s privacy.”
“Okay. Keep me posted.”
“Will do.” I hung up and saw my laptop poking out of my backpack. An idea struck me. Perhaps it was time to do a little research.
Charli
Frankie led me through an archway I hadn’t been through before. I knew it was an older part of the campus, but it was rather beautiful. Each building was painted a different colour. It looked like it could have been an alleyway in Tuscany or Buenos Aires. After walking halfway down the sloped alley, we stopped outside an emerald green door. The paint on the door was chipped in some places giving it a rustic look.
“Is this your apartment?” I asked, looking back over my shoulder. I hadn’t been down this way before.
“Yeah. Don’t worry. We’re still on campus.” He unlocked the door and when we stepped inside, we were greeted by darkness.
Nathan
I booted up my laptop and waited. The AFP was generous enough to give me a brand new MacBook computer, again, to give the illusion of being a college student. The Internet connected itself, and I logged onto the chat room using the username the AFP had set up for me. I rubbed my hands together and waited. As an undercover officer on the fraud squad, I was normally given two aliases—a female and a male, depending on the suspect. But since I was working for the Jayne’s I had only been given one. My own: N. Wright. So I had asked my partner, Mark to make me another one. A female, since I was after a male suspect. I logged on as A. Deveroux.
I had a hit.
“Are you new?” The user was male by the looks of things. In order to distinguish between the genders, all students were required to check a box stating what gender they were to make the chat window turn blue or pink.
“Yeah just started.” I typed.
“How are you liking things?”
“Very good. I love the campus.”
“Listen, my friends and I have this tradition where we welcome new students.”
“I’m listening.” I had a break.
“Come over to the North dorms tonight for an initiation party.”
I thought for second. What should I do? I couldn’t go. Annika was a girl. I was clearly not. Plus, I didn’t actually know if this person was the suspect. Then an idea struck me. “Is this a plus one invitation?”
“We don’t usually take plus one’s, but I’ll make an exception for you. You’ve got pretty eyes.”
“Um… thanks.” I added a blushing emoticon. For my profile picture, Mark had used a picture of one of our female colleagues. “Thank you. I don’t usually go out without my boyfriend.”
“No problems. See you at 9.” The user, M. Blake signed off promptly after that, and so did I. I had a party to plan for, but first, I had to check in on Charli.
I tried calling her, but all I was getting was her voicemail. Damn.
Charli
I felt nothing, but his body against mine in the darkness.
“Why is it so dark?” I asked, my voice an echo.
“We don’t need light.” Again, his voice made me shudder and my body melted into his. He pushed me back against the wall, and his lips came crashing down on mine, stealing my breath and my soul.
“You’re so beautiful, Charli,” he growled.
“How do you know? You can’t see me.” Okay as soon as it came out of my mouth, I knew it had sounded stupid.
“I don’t have to see you to know you’re beautiful.” I reached out to find his face. His lips met my fingers.
“Frankie. I want to see you,” My breath came out shaky.
“Come on.” He took my hand, and he began pulling me along. A light flickered above us and, in each flicker, I saw snapshots of his face. I couldn’t pick his expression. My conscience was trying to break through, but I wouldn’t let it. I felt like I needed Frankie the same as I needed air. I didn’t understand it, but hey, that’s how I felt. We climbed a flight of stairs to the next floor and up there it was brighter. The lights weren’t broken. We stopped outside a door mid-way down the corridor, and Frankie pulled a key out of his pocket. He turned to look at me before opening the door, and my heart faltered. I couldn’t believe I was here. I was in his room.
Chapter Twelve
Nathan
When I went to Charli’s room a few hours later she still wasn’t there. I was beginning to worry. What if the suspect had already lured her into his trap? I shook my head. No, I couldn’t let myself go there. Part of me didn’t want to admit the possibility, but the cop side of me had to go there. Charli was my responsibility. I couldn’t live with myself if she had been caught due to my selfishness. I had let my personal feelings get in the way of my job. How stupid could I be?
I checked my watch. It was 5pm. I still had four hours to kill before the party. Time for plan B.
When I reached Mia’s door, a voice startled me.
“Looking for me?” I turned and saw Mia coming down the hall towards me, coffee cup in one hand and shopping bags in the other.
“Yes, actually.”
“Ain’t this a nice surprise? Come in.” Juggling her shopping bags and coffee in one hand, she jiggled her keys in the lock and pushed the door open with her foot.
“I’d love to, but I can’t stay. Have you heard from Charli recently?”
“She’s not in her room?”
“No. I’ve tried calling, too, but there’s no answer.”
“Hmm. Then she’s probably with Frankie.”
I shifted my weight and stared at my feet. “Right. Thanks.” Of course, she was with Frankie. I felt my blood begin to boil. I walked away before my distaste started to show.
“They really are meant to be,” Mia said, calling after me.
“What?” I turned back to look at her. She was half in, half out of her door.
“Frankie and Charli. I set them up. They’re the perfect couple. So you should let her go, Na
than.”
But I can’t. I wanted to say that, but kept it inside my head. Before I turned the corner, I heard Mia say one last thing.
“See you at the party tonight.”
Charli
Frankie’s apartment was not what I was expecting. It was light and open and all of the furniture looked new and expensive.
“Wow.”
“What?” he smirked. I turned to see him watching me.
“Nothing. I just didn’t expect your room to look…”
“Like a rich boy’s bachelor pad?”
“Yes.”
I took him in. “There is much I’d like to know about you, Frankie Scott.”
“Like? Let me know, and I might just tell you.” He walked towards his kitchen and reached up to open the cupboard above the stove. His shirt rode up to give me the perfect view of his lower back and just a hint of his underwear poking out above the waist of his jeans. When he caught me looking, he smirked, making me blush bright red.
“Like where you grew up, your hobbies. If you want to date me, I should know these things. For all I know, you could be a serial killer.”
He chuckled at that. “I’m not a serial killer, trust me.” He pulled down two wine glasses from the top cupboard and closed it. “Wine?”
“Sure.”
Before I could stop my tongue, I blurted, “You seem kind of experienced.” Oh My God. Why did I just say that? Luckily, Frankie didn’t seem to mind, but his tone turned serious.
“There’s something you should know about me. When I said I haven’t had a girlfriend before, that wasn’t exactly the truth.”
“Oh? And what’s the truth?” I asked, perching myself at the kitchen counter.
“The truth is… I’ve dated before, many times. But what I meant was, I’ve never had a real, serious girlfriend.”
My heart sunk into my gut. I glanced down at my hands and fiddled with my silver thumb ring.
“But Charli…” his hands joined mine and I glanced up to meet his seemingly sincere hazel eyes. “I’m not a cheater, if that’s what you’re thinking. I am strictly a one-woman man.”
I let out the breath I hadn’t known I was holding. “That’s good.” I gave him a genuine smile, feeling a bit better about the situation. “Can I trust you?”
“Of course.” He leaned across the table to kiss me. My lips parted, and I returned the favour. He pulled me closer so that our bodies were touching. His hands found my hair and automatically my thoughts went to this morning, and my steamy moment with Nathan. I pulled away.
“Charli? What’s wrong? If you want to go slow, that’s okay.”
“No, I don’t want to go slow. I just…” I noticed the wine glasses and decided to change the subject— anything to detour my thoughts from Nathan. Especially when I wasn’t kissing Nathan. “I really feel like that wine. Where’s the bottle?” I asked, stepping around Frankie into the kitchen.
Frankie sighed, thankfully not noticing my subject change. “In the wine rack.” If he did notice it, he was an excellent actor.
Chapter Thirteen
Nathan
What did Mia mean about seeing me at the party? Was she referring to the same party as I was thinking of? Her actions were certainly beginning to make me question things. And Charli… Was Mia lying to me about Charli’s whereabouts? As much as I wanted to be a normal, civilian guy, I had to be a cop. I had a job to do. If Charli’s parents called me, I had to have an answer.
Once back at my apartment, I tried calling Charli once more, but there was still no answer.
But there was a text.
My heart raced as I opened the message.
“What do you want, Nathan? I’m busy.” It was Charli. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t missing, or worse.
“Just checking to see if you’re okay,” I texted back. “Call me when you can.”
I wanted to ask her where she was, but an incoming text stopped me. “I’m fine. I’m with Frankie. It’s none of your business what I do.”
I flinched. She was mad at me. What did I do? I couldn’t help but feel anger and little bit of jealousy towards Frankie. Only this morning Charli and I had made out in her kitchen, and now she was with Frankie? I know we weren’t together, but still. I felt it was my right to protect her. It was my job, after all.
Suddenly, feeling the urge to question her about what had happened this morning, I threw my phone onto my bed before I could do anything stupid.
“Act professional, Nathan. Professional. You must not let your feelings get in the way of your job,” I told myself as I headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I often gave myself pep talks before heading out on a job, and tonight would be just that, a job. I had to find the suspect. But as I slipped under the steaming water of the shower, my mind slipped into thoughts of Charli. Charli pressed against my body. Charli on the kitchen counter, her legs around my waist… No, I couldn’t let myself have these types of thoughts. She was my assignment. I had to turn it off.
Twenty minutes later, as I was heading out, I told myself that I was doing this tonight for Charli. That thought I allowed my brain to keep.
* * * *
I arrived at the North side Dormitories at approximately 8.45pm. I was early, so I lingered outside to try and better formulate my plan. My cover story was that my girlfriend, Annika, had taken ill, and I was coming in her place, offering apologies. I hoped it would work. When I headed inside, I was sure I had found the correct floor, the door was open, and other students were mingling in the hallway. I slipped inside.
There was already music playing inside the dorm, and I edged my way through the growing crowd. All the bodies inside the small dorm made the temperature inside rise by several degrees. I was already beginning to sweat, despite the cool night.
“Hi, do I know you?” a girl asked from behind me. I turned, and I was met by a familiar face. “Nathan, nice of you to come.” It was Mia.
“Mia…” I had no idea what to say. Had she known all along that we were going to the same party? It must have been what she had meant earlier.
“Still can’t find Charli?”
“I spoke to her. You’re right, she is with Frankie.”
“Knew it. I’m sorry, Bud. Why don’t you relax and grab a drink. The party’s about to start.” She winked at me and walked away. When she was gone, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled about her. Something was off about that girl.
Charli
I poured wine into two glasses and handed Frankie one before returning the bottle to the rack.
“Thanks. Come and join me on the couch.” He said, sitting down. I picked up my glass and followed him. I sat down at the edge of his mustard yellow couch, leaving much space between us. After what he had told me, I couldn’t help but be cautious now. I smirked when thoughts drifted to my Mum. I wondered what she would think if she saw me now, kissing two boys in one day. She would probably blame Mia again.
“What are you smiling about?” Frankie asked, moving closer. He reached over and wiped the edge of my upper lip with his thumb. “You had a bit of wine there,” he admitted when I gave him a questioning look.
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about what my mother would say about us.”
He laughed. “I’m getting the impression she wouldn’t approve.”
“You’re right, she wouldn’t.” All the more reason to do it, I said to myself as I leaned over to kiss him. His lips were warm and tasted of red wine, making them even more addictive. Frankie sensed what I wanted and stopped the kiss to take our glasses and put them on the coffee table. He then took my face between his hands and kissed me more passionately. I sighed and we sank back into the couch.
Nathan
I didn’t normally drink while on the job, but I knew if I didn’t, I wouldn’t fit in. I grabbed a light beer and walked around the small apartment. Thoughts of Mia and her words kept annoying me. Could she somehow be involved? If she were involved with my main suspect, it meant Cha
rli was in an even bigger danger than I first thought. The throbbing bass died and someone tapped a microphone, causing everyone in the room to go quiet.
“Listen up, everyone. Tonight, we have a new member to initiate.” I looked around for the source of the voice, and found Mia standing by the DJ table holding a microphone. A wave of cheering commenced, and it almost deafens me. I covered one ear. Being partially deaf in that ear from a gun accident probably didn’t help.
“We all know how fun it is to be initiated, right? Well, let’s show Nathan a good time.”
I suddenly felt naked as everyone in the room turned to look at me. I swallowed and faked a smile.
“Bring out the goods,” Mia shouted.
As all the students formed a circle around me, making me piggy in the middle. One side of the circle parted and two semi-naked girls walked through into the centre of the circle and stopped in front of me. What the hell was going on?
“Now, Nathan, I’m assuming you’re not gay?” Mia snickered.
I didn’t answer. All I did was look straight past the two scantily clad girls.
“Come with us, Nathan.” one of the girls said, taking my hand.
“Where… where are we going?”
“Somewhere more private.” She winked at me and led me out of the circle.
I swallowed hard and followed. This was going to end really, really bad.
Chapter Fourteen
Charli
Frankie’s hands found their way underneath my shirt, pushing it up. His hands were warm but rough. While his lips were at my ear, his fingers found the beginning of my bra, and they didn’t stop there. They crept up and over my bra where they encountered the soft mounds of flesh that were my breasts. Oh God, I hadn’t wanted anyone, or anything more badly than I wanted this—him—right now. I moved a little to make myself more comfortable.
