2

Vickerry’s POV

"That stupid bitch is not even on the level of the girls I fuck!"

I kicked the living room coffee table, sending a stack of magazines flying. My chest heaved with anger, hot flashes of humiliation from the lecture hall still burning like acid in my throat. "What gave her the bloody audacity to take a piss on my face? In front of everyone? Use me as a case study?!"

I grabbed the decanter from the bar, poured a drink, and gulped it down in one burning swallow.

"Take it easy with the alcohol, mate," Marcus said, leaning back on the sofa. "You should have been over any hard feelings by now. It’s only the first day. Maybe over time, when she gets to know who you are, she won't dare insult you again."

"I don't know what rubbish Marcus is talking about," Desmond chimed in, tossing his car keys onto the counter. "But I'm all for Vickerry getting his pound of flesh. The stupid bitch didn't just disrespect you, Vick. She publicly brandished our entire circle as a bunch of failures."

"I’m going to ruin her," I snarled, pouring another drink. My hands were shaking with rage. "I swear on my late mother's soul, You see Professor Samirah? I will fuck her up."

Marcus let out a sinister giggle. "Speaking of fucking... let’s be honest, Vick. You can’t fuck this one. Did you see her aura? The confidence? Fuck, she is sexy."

Desmond smacked Marcus hard on the back of the head. "Shut up, Marcus. Now is not the time for your stupid jokes."

"I'm serious!" Marcus laughed, rubbing his head. "She is definitely way out of your league, bro. Just accept you’ve been dogwalked and let’s move on. Probably best if we just never attend her classes until the exams."

I slammed my glass down, glaring at Marcus. "Don't make this any worse than it already feels. You know damn well I never back down from a dare."

Marcus’s eyes gleamed. He leaned forward. "Alright then. Prove it. I dare you to get her into your bed. Make a recording of you fucking the shit out of her, and make her beg for disrespecting you."

Desmond burst into loud laughter, clapping his hands. "Marcus, you are a cold-hearted motherfucker!"

I sneered, a dark satisfaction washing over my anger. "A recording? That’s a walk in the park. I'm going to make her moan like a sexually starved whore. Girls like that play hard to get only to be the most submissive in bed. I am going to get a pound of her pussy."

Marcus held out his hand. "Deal or no deal?"

Desmond and I grabbed his hand at the same time.

"Deal," we chorused.

Samirah’s POV

"No, no, no! That’s the last portion left and I am absolutely famished!"

I dropped my bag by the door, glaring playfully at my best friend, Nancy, who was sitting on my sofa, watching television and shoving a forkful of food into her mouth.

"Relax, girl," Nancy laughed, talking around her food. "I bought this on my way here. There's plenty."

I took a deep breath, kicking off my heels. "Wait a minute. How did you even get in?"

"The spare key, of course," Nancy said, gesturing with her fork. "Now, come sit down and tell me how your first day went."

A triumphant smile spread across my face as I sank into the cushions beside her. "I dealt with a bully today. Honestly, Nancy, it brought me so much joy watching him leave the lecture hall with his tail between his legs." I altered my voice, mimicking his arrogant swagger. "'Big V with the biggest D, yada yada yada.' He is such an absolute irritant."

Nancy sighed, shaking her head. "I've always known you have zero tolerance for bullying, Samirah."

"The guy is completely uncultured," I said, taking a deep breath as the adrenaline finally faded. "But because I'm a psychologist, I could tell his behaviour is a result of something deeper. An internal wound, most likely."

Nancy rolled her eyes. "You typically want to see the good in everyone, don't you? But today, we will both have to agree that this bully is a jerk, and a jerk is a jerk. I just hope you don’t develop feelings for him like you did with Alpha Clarence, your high school bully."

I let out a loud gasp. "I would grovel over Clarence before I ever thinking of having anything to do with that moron! Moreover, I don’t cultivate romantic or sexual relationships with my students. So, it is never happening."

Nancy laughed, reaching over to hand me a fresh container of food. "Alright, alright. I got this for you."

I opened the box, the smell of fresh food making my mouth water, and burst into laughter. "I’m just happy I put that terrible human in his place, Nancy. You should have seen his face when he was leaving. It was priceless. I showed him I didn't bag a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology just to be a bloody pushover!"

My laughter was cut short when my mobile phone rang. I glanced at the screen.

"It’s Niriam," I told Nancy, setting my food container down and clicking answer. "Hey, Niri, everything alright?"

"Samirah..." Niriam’s voice trembled on the other end, choked with emotion. "It's Mum. Her health is worsening. The doctor just left. They need to start her treatments immediately, or... or she won't make it through the month."

My heart plummeted into my stomach. "Oh god. How much, Niri? How much do they need?"

Niriam choked out a figure.

I gagged, a piece of food catching in my throat. I coughed violently, my eyes watering as I gripped the edge of the sofa. That figure—it was a lot of money. It was my entire savings. Every single penny I had put away.

"Samirah? Are you there?" Niriam whimpered.

I forced myself to swallow, my voice shaking. "I'm here. I... I have it. I’ll send the money through right now. Just tell the doctors to start the treatment. I love you."

I hung up the phone, my hands trembling so violently I nearly dropped it.

Nancy stared at me, her eyes wide with concern, her fork suspended in mid-air. "Samirah, what is it? What’s happened?"

"It’s my mum," I whispered, staring blankly at the wall as the reality of the situation crashed down on me. "Her condition is getting worse. I just had to send Niriam everything I have to cover the medical bills."

"Oh, sweetie..." Nancy reached out, but I shrank back, laughter escaping my lips.

"That was my savings, Nancy," I said, my voice cracking with sheer panic. "My rent deposit. My emergency fund. Everything. I am officially broke, and I'm about to be bloody homeless with no money to get a new place."