by S. E. Rose
Endeavor
A Driven World Novel
S.E. Rose
Contents
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
Keep Up With The Kb World
Also Written By S.E. Rose
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also Written By K. Bromberg
COPYRIGHT PAGE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are
either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.
© 2020 KB WORLDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
express written permission of the publisher.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given
away to other people.
Published by KB Worlds LLC.
Cover Design by: Vanilla Lilly Designs
Editing by: Judy Zweifel, Judy’s Proofreading
Published in the United States of America
Created with Vellum
Introduction
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the Driven World!
I’m so excited you’ve picked up this book! Endeavor is a book based on the world I created in my New York Times bestselling Driven Series. While I may be finished writing this series (for now), various authors have signed on to keep them going. They will be bringing you all-new stories in the world you know while allowing you to revisit the characters you love.
This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I allowed them to use the world I created and may have assisted in some of the plotting, I took no part in the writing or editing of the story. All praise can be directed their way.
I truly hope you enjoy Endeavor. If you’re interested in finding more authors who have written in the KB Worlds, you can visit www.kbworlds.com .
Thank you for supporting the writers in this project and me.
Happy Reading,
K. Bromberg
To everyone who ever dared to dream big and to follow those dreams no matter what.
Prologue
I watch as his car flies past me. The jealousy rages in the pit of my stomach. He has it all, everything he ever wanted and more, and he doesn’t even know how fucking lucky he is.
Last week, I watched him play guitar with his friends at some local coffee shop. He’s just as good at music as he is at racing. It’s as though the universe gifted him with everything, the looks, the talent, the intelligence, while it stole everything from me. But then, it gave me this one little gift, this one little nugget of information. And now, he’s all I can think about, day and night. Some might call it a sick fixation, but I call it a rational end to an irrational story. I’m meant to change the future, that has to be why I’m here. I don’t know how long it will take me, but I will finish this, whether it takes a year or ten years or even my whole life.
As the car crosses the finish line, the crowd roars with enthusiasm. Between the noise of the other cars finishing their laps, the cheers of the fans, and clicks of the cameras, I can’t hear anything. But all of that sound vanishes as my eyes lock on his face, his happy, fucking face.
His dad greets him with a giant bear hug, and it takes all of my self-control to stay put and not jump the fence and end it all right now.
He doesn’t know me from Adam, but he will. When the time is right, he will know who ruined his life, right before I take it.
Chapter One
Eight years later…
Emma
Fuck my life. I groan as I read the text again. It’s from my advisor, Dr. Carla Stevens. Apparently, I’m needed to TA a seminar for Dr. Elliott. I’m already a TA for one of Dr. Stevens’s courses this semester, plus I was hoping to spend more time working on my thesis project. So much for a great start to my second semester of grad school at USC.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my studies here. I love this university! I just really want to have time to work on my documentary.
My phone pings with another text.
Kate: How’s school? Any hot prospects this semester?
Kate’s text brings a smile to my face. Kate has been my bestie since we met in college when I sat next to her in a class. And that’s how I became best friends with the first daughter. Did I mention she just married a prince? Yeah, a real fucking political fairy tale.
Me: FML! They want me to TA a second course.
Kate: But is the professor hot?
Me: Fuck you! I’m not sleeping with a professor.
Kate: I mean…
Me: (middle-finger emoji)
Kate: Le sigh. Don’t lose your sense of humor on the first day of the semester!
Me: I gotta go. Duty calls.
Kate: Duty before self.
Me: Yeah, yeah. Go do something royal.
Kate: (princess emoji)
I put my phone back in my pocket and head to the TA office. It’s literally a cubby hole in the department’s offices where the grad students who work as TAs can hang out in between classes.
I didn’t TA my first semester, so Dr. Stevens asked a former student, Quinlan Westin, to mentor me. I haven’t met her before, but I already know who she is. Besides knowing her for her own burgeoning film career, I know her dad is a famous director and her brother is a famous former race car driver.
Quinlan is already sitting at a cubicle typing away at her laptop.
“Hey,” I say as I drop my bag on the cubicle table next to hers.
She glances up and gives me a warm smile. “Hey there. How’s your first day back going? It’s your second semester, right?” Fourteen more weeks and I’ll be halfway through my two-year grad program.
“Yep.”
“Well, Dr. Stevens said to show you the ropes. It’s all pretty easy. I can show you how everything works. And I’m happy to offer my advice on any classes you’re taking.”
“That’d be great,” I reply. I admit I haven’t made a ton of friends yet. There are a few classmates that I know from first semester. And Will Peterson, who was my TA for my Introduction to Cinematography. I suppose I’ve been sort of a recluse since moving here from Berkley, but I’ve been preoccupied.
“Cool. When’s your next class?” she asks.
I whip my phone out to check my schedule. “I have almost three hours before my next class.”
“Great. I’ll have time to walk you through a fe
w things afterward.”
She picks up her bag, and I follow her through the building. “So, what do you think of the program after completing your first semester?”
I shrug. “I’d love more time to start working on my thesis project,” I admit.
She grins. “You’ll get it. Trust me, the second year of the program gives you more time to work on your project.”
“I hope so,” I mutter.
“You probably can figure this all out on your own, but I’ll go over how to work all the electronics real quick and then I can show you some other stuff you might not know,” she says as she opens the classroom door and shows me to a closet with all kinds of audiovisual equipment. I feel a little guilty because Quinlan surely has better things to do than show a grad student this stuff. I’m hoping I can pick her brain later on some class selections I need to make for next semester. She explains everything I need to know and patiently answers my questions. After she finishes, she turns to me and smiles.
“You got this. Both professors are great, as you already know, so it shouldn’t be too hard, and feel free to ask me or the other TAs if you have any questions. We should make a time to sit down and talk more about your project and your classes.”
I nod. “That’d be great!” I suddenly feel silly because that came out way too enthusiastically.
“Great. I’ll text you.”
“Cool. I should probably go and get ready for class. I really appreciate you taking the time to show me the ropes. That’s above and beyond what a mentor should need to do,” I say as I readjust my bag over my shoulder.
“It’s not a problem. I was actually here talking with an old professor and Dr. Stevens asked if I could help you today. She thought it would be a good introduction for us. And honestly, it’s sort of fun to be back here. I’m excited to be your mentor, Emma. I look forward to seeing you again soon.” I nod and she waves at me as I walk out of the classroom.
I head over to Dr. Elliott’s classroom and get it set up for him per Quinlan’s directions.
Students slowly trickle in, and at three minutes before the hour, Dr. Elliott strolls into the classroom. He’s a little older than my parents. He’s a handsome and somewhat imposing figure.
“Miss Baldwin, is everything ready?” he asks me.
“Yes, Professor.”
“Good, we have a guest speaker on Thursday, so I’ll need you to meet her and show her to the classroom. I’ll email you the information,” he states as he sets his briefcase down on a long table to the right of the podium.
I nod and take a seat as he begins the lecture. My mind wanders to the million other things I have to do. I make little side notes in my notebook as they pop into my head.
A few times I must not be paying enough attention because the professor gives me a pointed look after clearing his throat. I want to say something snarky like, “you’re lucky you have a TA at all,” but I refrain.
The thoughts of a large glass of wine later are the only thing that gets me through the rest of the day.
Chapter Two
Grady
“Fuck yeah!” I cry out as I force my cock farther down some groupie’s throat, making her gag. I should really know her name. She told me in the hallway while we were kissing, but I can’t fucking remember it. I don’t really give a shit because right now, I just want to blow my load. I need this release and this girl is willing to give it to me. I feel my balls tighten, and I thrust into her throat as I come.
I lean back against the tiled wall of the bathroom, catching my breath. She shakily gets up, and I put out a hand to help her, as she wipes her mouth and tear-stained cheeks.
“Thanks, baby, that was great,” I say to her as I pull out my phone and check my texts. “Listen, I’d love to stay but I’m late for soundcheck.”
“Oh…uh…OK, right,” she says, forcing a smile. I feel a tinge of guilt, but we’re two consenting adults and she had to know this wasn’t going any further than a quickie in the bathroom. I pull some paper towels out of the dispenser on the wall and hand it to her. I kiss her cheek and she touches it after I pull back.
“You were amazing. Sorry, I have to run, but Silas will get you back to your friends,” I tell her as I walk to the door. “I hope you enjoy the show, and I’ll have Silas get some backstage passes for your friends so you can come hang out afterward,” I add as I open it and walk into the hallway backstage.
“Thanks, Grady!” she calls out as the door slams shut. My brief moment of guilt ends when I hear her squeal and start talking to someone on the phone. I roll my eyes. Hell, she’ll probably use this as a defining moment in her life for all of eternity.
I find Silas standing a few doors down and he gives me a disapproving look.
“Girl in the bathroom needs…uh…three backstage passes and make sure she gets back to her seat,” I say to him.
“Whatever,” he mutters as he starts down the hall.
I ignore his comment and head off to find the rest of the band. Max Harris and Rhett Hudson are my best friends and members of Monumental Mistake. We formed the band shortly after meeting in college. And then two years later, we all dropped out when our band’s single made the charts. We got an agent, a record deal, and the rest is history.
I hear Max’s laughter from down the hall and I follow it. The door’s propped open and Max is lying on a sofa strumming his guitar while Rhett and our manager, Calvin Kratz, sit in chairs.
“She sucked my cock so good,
I fucked her on my car’s hood,
It was far from great,
But I was late for my date.
Her tits were bouncing—”
“Seriously, Max?” I ask as I interrupt his pathetic song. I can tell he’s already partaken in his normal pre-show toking. His pupils are dilated and there’s a half-eaten bag of chips next to him.
He crams a few chips in his mouth. “What? Like you can talk, Mr. Groupie-Fucker.”
I flick him off and grab a beer. It’s my pre-show treat. Rhett sighs and takes another sip of whatever green tea concoction his girlfriend, Jackie, has made him. Jackie’s cool, but Rhett’s totally pussy-whipped. They are annoyingly affectionate in front of us. And if on cue, Jackie walks into the room.
“Hey, Grads, how’s it going?” she asks as she punches my arm lightly.
“Oh, Grady is feeling really good,” Max says from the couch with a wink.
Jackie rolls her eyes. “Seriously? Another groupie? You’re gonna end up with kids at every port. Slow down there, sperm donor.”
I run a hand through my hair. “I didn’t fuck her, OK?”
Jackie visibly cringes. “Shit, that might even be worse. You need to re-evaluate your life.” She walks over to Rhett and plops down on his lap. He wraps his arms around her middle and kisses her shoulder. I groan and take a sip of my beer.
“You guys good with the set lineup?” I ask them as I glance down at the sheet of paper Calvin has set out for us to review. All the lineups have already been set in stone, so I don’t know why I bother asking them. I miss the days when we could be impromptu. Now when I pull a song out of the lineup or even add one in, everyone freaks the fuck out on me.
“We aren’t fucking making changes,” Calvin mutters. Calvin sees the death stare that I give him. “Look, it’s a pain in the ass to change up lights and everything. Just stick with the set lineup, OK?”
The guys grunt their agreement and I sit down and slurp my beer while checking my social media feeds.
My phone pings with a text.
Mom: Have a great show, my love!
My mother. What can I say about the great Blythe Daniels? My mom is a famous actress. This basically means that between her and my race car driving dad, I had anything but a normal childhood. I always had a nanny. Occasionally, I got to travel with my mom as she filmed. She means well, but as an only child, she dotes on me, especially since my dad died.
Me: Thanks, Mom.
I hit send as a crew member steps in
to tell us that we’re on in ten.
Emma
Me: Day four of the semester.
I feel like I might sound a bit as if I’m a hostage or prisoner, but this semester is dragging already. I’ve had zero time to start on my documentary. All my new grad school friends are telling me it’ll get better, but I’m in a definite funk today.
Kate: Cheer up!! If it helps, I’ll fly you out here for spring break!!
Me: In a private jet?
Kate: Duh
Me: OK, that is making me feel a little better.
Kate: See? Things are already looking up!
Me: LOL! Love ya!
Kate: (kissy emoji face)
I put my phone in my pocket as I check my emails in the TA office. I get another text and smile when I see it’s Quinlan.
Quinlan: How’s your first week going?
Me: It’s been busy! Thanks for checking in!
Quinlan: Sure! I have some time later today if you want to grab a drink and chat about classes.
Me: YES!!
Quinlan: OK, then. I’ll send you a link to this cute little bar near campus.
Me: Perfect! I’m super stressed and could use a drink. I have to go meet Blythe Daniels. She’s talking in Dr. Elliott’s class today.
Quinlan: Of course you are, you’re in grad school. LOL! And I love Blythe! She’s great. Dad is friends with her. Tell her I said hello.
