by Nora Cobb
“Hey, guys.” Ms. Petrenko smiles as she opens the door to her apartment and welcomes us in. She takes the cardboard box filled with her things from Jacob and sets it on a table in a small kitchen. Ms. Petrenko looks inside and laughs. She pulls out a dry-erase marker and holds it up.
“Wow, you guys took everything.” She tosses it back in the box. “Can I get you something to drink?”
We sit by the patio with glasses of iced tea, and a breeze blows into the room, lifting the curtains away from the window. The living room is painted the standard rental beige. But there are beautiful paintings on almost every wall of the places she’s traveled around the world. Breathtaking images of foreign landscapes created with bright dabs of paint. To the left of a scene in Paris is a collection of family photos, including one of Ms. Petrenko on holiday on a beach.
“You have nice legs, Ms. Petrenko.” Jacob says.
“Jacob!” I’m so embarrassed. “Behave.”
He shrugs his shoulders like I’m in the wrong, but Ms. Petrenko laughs. “I’m going to miss you both. Most of the kids at Montlake, I won’t remember in a year, but you two ... I’ll always smile when I think of you both.”
I swallow with hesitation but I have to speak. “I’m so sorry. I know that you were let go partially because of me.”
“Natalie, don’t,” she shakes her head. “This had nothing to do with you. I never got along with Cromwell, and eventually, I would’ve left. Though I wish I had chosen my exit, but this is life.”
“You have a lawyer?” asks Jacob.
“That I do,” she nods as she leans back in her chair. “There are quite a few people in that school that have an axe to grind, and they’d like a piece of Cromwell too.”
“Be careful,” says Jacob. “You don’t want to be the pawn.”
Ms. Petrenko smiles but her eyes reflect waiting tears. “Hey. Don’t look so sad. Okay? I don’t want to cry. Be happy for me. I’m moving on.”
Her soft brown eyes sparkle as she encourages us. Her hair is in loose waves around her shoulders, and she has on a silly T-shirt that reads Good Vibes. She looks perfectly relaxed and untroubled by the future, but I can’t help but feel bad. Unfortunately, it shows.
“Natalie, you know what would make me happy?” I meet her kind smile as she takes my hand. “Make it to the end for me ... and for you. Have you figured out how the game is played yet?”
I smile with eagerness. “I have a series of moves I can make.” I look at Jacob. “I have an idea.”
“Good.” Ms. Petrenko lets go of my hand. “Whatever moves you plan, hold them close to your heart. There’s strength in secrets. Trusting yourself is a way of knowing your worth.”
Jacob holds out his glass, and Ms. Petrenko taps it with hers. I follow their lead, and we tap our glasses together.
“To the code,” I say.
“To the code,” they repeat.
CHAPTER 22
Arielle
“You still owe me,” Anthony says with a wide grin on his stupid silly face. “We made a deal, partner.”
He leans against the driver side door of my silver BMW coupe, looking me up and down, like he owns me. Nobody owns me, least of all the school fool. I cross my arms as I stare him down with a steady gaze. For a minute, he was interesting with his edgy rebel look, the torn black jeans, and the dark hair with those piercing green eyes. But the charm is gone as Anthony keeps pestering me every day to put out like I promised.
“I’m still waiting for the results,” I reply coldly.
He grabs my wrist and pulls me against his wiry body. It’s a little chilly today, barely past fifty degrees, but his body is burning up as Anthony leans into me. I tug my wrist out of his tight grasp. The aroma of neediness is clinging to him, and I neither want or need it.
Anthony’s brow creases. “I want everything you promised.”
“I’ve given you enough.” I eye the expensive backpack and Nikes I purchased for him online. “You did all right by my bank account.”
He holds my chin in his rough hands. “That’s not why I did it. You know what I really want.”
Damn. I feel a tingle that makes me squirm as I meet his green gaze. I yank my chin out of his grasp. I can’t be seen with Anthony. Not by Lucas or anyone else. It would be social suicide to be seen with Natalie’s cast-offs after I made a big scene about her stealing mine. Lucas is worth taking back, but Anthony will do nothing for my status. No matter how tempting his lean body may look.
I unlock my car, and motion toward the door. Anthony dashes around the car and gets in the passenger seat as I climb into the driver’s side. I start my Beamer, and his eyes look confused like I’m going to kidnap his silly ass for a pound of weed.
“Relax,” I say, “I’m not doing anything with you here.”
My heart is pounding as we pull out of the parking deck, and in a few minutes, through the gates of Montlake. While I drive down the main road, I pray that no one saw us leaving together. I don’t want to have to explain what Anthony is doing in my car, but who would question me? Who would dare say a word to me now that I’ve put them back in their places? That puffed-up teacher was the first, and now, I’m on a roll.
“You okay?” Anthony asks. “You’re holding that steering wheel awfully tight.”
I nod. “Why don’t you turn on some music?”
He starts scanning through the channel, and stops on some obnoxious metal song. A discordant scream blares through the speakers and vibrates the windows in the car. I start to regret my decision to ride off with Anthony. I’m tempted to pull over and dump him on the side of the road.
“Seriously, is that noise going to help the mood?”
I glance over, and Anthony looks startled by my observation. He’s not realizing that it’s sarcasm.
“I thought this was a transaction,” he mutters, “But if you want something more ...”
At the next stoplight, I look him full in the face and glare at his doofus expression. “It’s a one-off, Anthony. No matter how much you enjoy it. One. Time. Only.”
He laughs. Anthony actually laughs as if it’s a joke. “Are you sure, Arielle? Because you might be the one changing your mind.”
My eyes narrow into slits as I pull off the main road and onto the service road that leads deep into the woods. “You have a bad-boy appeal, my friend, but it will never last.”
“Once you have me,” Anthony grins, “you’ll have a hard time going back.”
“Fuck you,” I scowl.
“I’d rather fuck you.”
He lurches forward as I slam on the brakes without warning. Anthony reaches out to the dashboard to avoid hitting his forehead on the windshield. I glare at him, and he glares back with a wicked look, but he still wants me. The expression of passion in his eyes makes me catch my breath and I look away. It’s intense, that mix of hurt and need. Love can cross the line over to hate, but this has nothing to do with love. It’s total lust and that hungry look is the look I wish Lucas would give me.
I switch the channel to my playlist on my phone. The one I created for my honeymoon night with Lucas. Every song has a sexy beat starting with a fast tempo and slowing down until completion.
Anthony pulls a huge joint out of his bag. The thing is oversized and leaking specks of leaves into my car. “You want to smoke?” he asks. “It will calm you down.”
I press my lips together into a tight line. “I don’t want that smell in my car,” I huff. “Let’s go find a place in the woods.”
Though the woods are a go-to hangout, they could be relatively secluded depending on the time of day and the weather. It’s late on a weekday and unseasonably chilly. The likelihood of being discovered with Anthony by someone from Montlake is none. The worst that could happen is that some old couple hiking with their dog sees me. People that I hang out with don’t spend their free time hiking in nature when they can spend the evening at home in comfort.
Anthony grabs his backpack out of the car and slings it
onto his back.
“What do you need that for?” I ask.
“Weed, tissues, condoms.” He shrugs. “You know, the basics.”
I roll my eyes, and we start trudging up a hill along an overgrown trail. I can’t help but notice the new leaves on the surrounding trees pushing the winter gloom out of the way for spring. Unfortunately, I’m so busy looking at nature that my foot slips on a patch of mud. Anthony grabs my arm to prevent me from tumbling downward. I let him hold my arm as we navigate up the hill and over random rocks that would send me flying in my heels. These are definitely not the right shoes for hiking, but I wouldn’t be caught dead in ugly lace-up boots.
We find a huge flat boulder in an alcove of trees, which offers some privacy off the trail. The sun is starting to set and the sunlight though the trees scatters a dappled pattern on the mossy ground. Anthony dumps his bag on top of the boulder, and he’s tall enough to easily sit on top of its flat surface. Folding my arms across my chest, I watch as he lights up the joint and takes a drag. His eyes close as he breathes in deeply. Anthony’s obviously hooked on the crap, and then he passes it to me.
“Try it. This is good shit.” His eyelids flutter. “Premium stuff. I have a friend who gets seeds from Colorado and grows it here in his greenhouse.”
“Okay,” I reach out my hand. “Just to take the edge off.”
“You know,” he frowns with concerned eyes, “I don’t want to beg for sex. It’s demeaning. But we had a deal.”
Inhaling deep, I hold in the smoke, feeling the burn in my nostrils as my eyes water. I open my mouth, letting out a halo of smoke that drifts around my head.
“Show me your cock, Anthony.”
Anthony leaps off the boulder, and yanks his zipper open. His ratty jeans drop to the ground. Anthony isn’t wearing underwear, and oh crap, the boy is equipped. I knew he was big when I pressed against him in Miami, but here’s the evidence, plain to see. Without thinking, I lick my dry lips. I can’t help but gawk at his thick tool. I’ve gone without for way too long.
Anthony smiles wickedly. “Is it still a hardship?”
I swallow hard, trying to recover my composure, but unable to look away. “No sex,” I warn him. “I don’t care if you have a condom. But I’ll keep my promise. It’s the least I can do for you.”
“Would you mind taking off your top?”
I glare at his puppy-dog eyes. Needy bastard.
“It would help,” Anthony explains sheepishly.
He’s probably right. I don’t want to be on my knees all night no matter how tempting his package might look. My pussy gives me a wicked jab—pissed off for being kept away from a man. My panties are soaking, but Anthony doesn’t need to know that. I need to wear him out, so that there’s no temptation later. His breathing is deafening in the quiet as I unbutton my silk blouse. Anthony’s jaw goes slack as he takes in the sight of my bare breasts. My nipples are harder than the rock he’s leaning against, and my pussy gives another pang.
Anthony takes a step forward, his cock bobbing up and down.
“That’s far enough,” I scowl. “You can look at me until your beady little eyes fall out of your big head, but that’s it.”
He doesn’t listen. Anthony grabs me, pulling my willing body against his heated one. His lips crash down on mine, and I open my mouth, swiping my tongue against his lips. He opens his mouth and we suck each other’s mouths—loudly. I’m clawing at the hem of his long T-shirt. That half-naked selfie of him flashes into my mind as I rub my breasts against his naked chest.
Before common sense can pull me off him, Anthony yanks me back. His tangled T-shirt is wrapped around his neck.
“You’re a slut,” he says coldly.
“How dare you?” I snap.
He tugs down his shirt, almost covering up. “Admit it, Arielle.”
“You’re disgusting,” I hiss. Instinctively, my arms cross over my bare chest.
Anthony’s smile twists into a sneer as he takes a step into my space. “I bet if I put my fingers up your skirt I’ll get a different answer.”
I stumble over the rough ground as he tugs me back toward him, and I sigh into his mouth as he kisses me again. My tongue tangles against his as his hand touches my warm thigh. The sensations are clouding my reason. It’s been too long since a man has taken me. I teeter dangerously close to choosing temptation over self-preservation. I step back, and Anthony lets me. Holding my chest, I’m breathing harder than him now.
Anthony hoists himself up onto the boulder with his long, pale legs dangling toward the ground. “You’re not what you seem,” he says.
I shake my head, but my inner thighs are damp with my own arousal. My breathing is noisy as it fills the still air. Submitting to desire, I go down on my knees in front of him.
Quickly, Anthony places his hand on my forehead and holds me back. “Just say it once,” he whispers. “Admit that you are a slut who’s hungry for cock.”
“I’m a slut who’s hungry for cock.” He lets me go, and I slip him into my eager mouth. My eyes shut, and I see Lucas’ face. I hate Lucas down to my bones until they turn to dust. I hate him for what he’s making me do with another man.
“Arielle, baby,” whispers Anthony. “You want my cock?”
He tugs my hair hard, and I’m forced back, gasping for air. My chin is wet with spit. I reach for Anthony, but he won’t let me have him until I admit it. My hands tremble with anger at what Lucas is making me do. My mouth should be on Lucas, but he won’t let me please him. If only he would let me, then Lucas would want only me again.
“I want your cock,” I gasp.
“Whose cock, baby?”
I almost explode with frustration as I stare at it—hard and shining with my spit. “Your cock!” I nearly scream.
“No,” he scoffs. “You’ve got to say my name, and then I’ll let you have it.”
“Anthony!” I shout. “I want your cock, Anthony.”
He places the tip against my pouting lips, and furiously, I suck him into my mouth. I hold the base tight with my hand as he moans and tilts his narrow hips. I squeeze my eyes shut, and swear I’ll punish Anthony with my hands and my mouth. He’ll beg for it but he’ll never have me again. I know I’m damn good in bed. I’m better than good. Every sane man wants me, and I can have any smart man. They all beg for me. They beg for my mouth. Listen to him begging now.
“That’s right,” Anthony gasps. “Arielle, baby, you’re so hot.”
It takes him longer than I expect. It’s probably the damn weed, but I take Anthony. I take all of him, not losing a fucking drop. I sit back on my haunches and look up proudly, expecting his worship and praise. That motherfucker has his phone in his hands.
He smiles like the scumbag that he is. “Thanks, babe. That was great.”
Wild-eyed, I jump up and lunge at him, trying to grab his phone out of his hands. But Anthony is too agile and quick. He leans back and puts his phone in his bag.
“You asshole!” I screech. “Did you record it?”
“Don’t worry,” he shrugs. “It’s just for me.”
“The hell it is.” My body freezes as my eyes widen with awareness. “Oh my God, you kept saying my name. I said your name. I said I wanted your cock.”
Anthony slides off the boulder, careful to keep his backpack securely on his shoulders. He doesn’t speak as he pulls up his jeans. Swiftly, I fasten my shirt, feeling ice cold and alert to a serious threat. A threat I never counted on—one that I never figured into my equation. I watch him with alert eyes. I’ve become his prey.
“Give me that now.” I hold out a shaky hand. “You have to delete it, right now.”
“You’re not the only one who can set conditions now.” Anthony folds his arm over his chest as a jagged lock of his hair falls into his intense eyes. He knows I’m losing control. He kicks a small stone with his foot. We watch it roll and bounce down the hill, gaining speed. My status is going to plunge just like that because of him.
He cle
ars his throat. “And I might need you again in the future.”
“You’re an asshole!” I shout in his face. “This is vile. Why would you do this to me?”
“Who do you think I learned it from?”
I make my own way down the steep hillside. I slip and slide in my heels as my feet struggle inside my shoes to find traction. I don’t bother to wait for Anthony as I drive off. I don’t care what happens to him. Let a bear in the woods eat his fucking ass.
