Chapter 7

I didn't wait for Atlas to finish his call. I got dressed as fast as I could while my hands shook. The mood from a few minutes ago was completely dead. Atlas sat on the edge of the bed with the phone to his ear and just watched me. He didn't say a word, but his eyes followed every move I made. I didn't say goodbye. I just ran out the door.

I stood in front Maya’s door, my heart pounding like I already knew whatever she was about to say was going to piss me off.

I knocked once but she didn’t answer.

I knocked again. “Maya, I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

There was a pause. Then I heard the lock click.

She opened it slowly, like she was scared to even look at me.

That alone irritated me.

“What?” I snapped, pushing past her into the apartment. “You said you messed up. Start talking.”

She shut the door behind me, quiet, dragging her hand through her hair like she didn’t know where to begin.

“Les… just don’t get mad, okay?”

I let out a dry laugh. “That’s usually a bad sign.”

She didn’t laugh.

And that’s when I knew.

"Last year," Maya said, her voice barely a whisper. "I was failing my classes…”

I frowned. “What about it? Say it.”

She hesitated first her eyes finally met mine.

“I slept with Marcus.”

For a second, I didn’t react.

I felt like I had been hit in the chest. My best friend had been fucking my boyfriend the whole time.

"You and him?" I asked. I couldn't even look at her.

"I am so sorry, Leslie! I was going to tell you, but then you broke up with him and I thought it was over." She grabbed my hands. “I didn’t want to hurt you.

“Well you did.” The words came out colder than expected. I pulled out of her arms and she flinched.

“Is that it?” I asked. “You called me here just to confess that you fucked my boyfriend?”

“No,” she said quickly. “There’s more.”

I raised a brow giving her the go ahead.

Her hands were shaking now. “He has videos, Les.”

She paused for a bit. “He recorded it. I didn’t know at the time, I swear. I only found out after. And now… now everything with the school… with his dad…”

She wiped at her eyes. “He said if he goes down, he’s not going alone.”

"Both of us?" I questioned. "What does that mean?"

"He said he has more videos. He told me he’s going to upload them to the school server. My dad is a priest, Leslie. If he sees this, I’m done. My parents will disown me… I’ll get expelled and lose everything."

She started crying harder, leaning her head against my leg. "Please. You have to ask Atlas. He can stop it. He has enough power to make this go away."

I backed away from her. "Ask Atlas? I’m staying with a man who treats me like a stranger half the time, and my best friend just told me she betrayed me for a year. You want me to go to him for this?"

"He is using me to get to you!" Maya yelled. "He knows Atlas got him fired. And now his dad has disowned him. He wants you to crawl back. Please help me."

"I can't deal with this right now," I told her. "I need to think."

I walked out and ignored her as she called my name.

Once I was in my car, I just sat there. Marcus hadn't messaged me yet, but he didn't have to. He was using Maya to show me how easily he could ruin someone. Then it hit me. If he had videos of Maya, he probably had videos of me too. Every night I spent at his place came rushing back. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't go to Atlas. I don’t know him for that long. And Marcus isn’t stupid to not know I would ask Atlas for help.

Right now,all I need is someone I can fully trust with this.

My chest tightened.

I pulled out my phone before I could think twice and dialed Theo.

He picked up almost immediately.

"Leslie?"

Theo sounded surprised but he was listening.

"Theo," I said, and my voice finally broke. "I’m in trouble. I really need help."

There was a pause. “With what?”

“Marcus.”

That was all I said.

Then, he questioned. “Where are you?”

“I just left Maya’s place.”

“Go home,” he said.

“You’re not even going to ask—”

“I said go home, Leslie.”

His tone wasn’t harsh. It was more of a command.

I swallowed. “Are you coming?”

He didn’t say anything but I knew the answer already.

“Fine,” I muttered, ending the call then drove off immediately.

When I got back home, I fell on the mattress with my clothes still on and stared at the ceiling. I had totally forgotten that I’d left Atlas in this room. I was too tired to care about our “just sex” deal.

The sound of my door opening made me sit up fast.

Atlas stood there in his pajamas looking annoyed.

He stayed in the doorway with his arms crossed and just watched me.

"You left," Atlas said. His voice was flat but I could tell he was bothered. "You didn't say anything. And you left without finishing what we started."

I swallowed hard unable to tell him what happened. Seeing Atlas in the dim light made a different kind of feeling take over me.

He was focused on me like he was trying to figure out where I had been.

I wasn’t going to tell him the truth, especially since he already said I was just a body to him. I needed to forget about it. I needed something to stop me from panicking.

Atlas was the only person who could do that.

"I didn’t know I needed permission," I said as I sat up.

Atlas didn't believe me. He walked over to the edge of the bed and stood over me.

His lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile.

“You don’t,” he said. “But you don’t get to walk away from me like that either.”

There it was. That controlling tone of his voice. And somehow instead of pushing him away I wanted it. I hated that I wanted it.

My mind was still racing, still trying to process everything with Marcus, but being this close to Atlas… it blurred everything else out.

“Now…” he said quietly, stopping at the edge of the bed.

His eyes dragged over me slowly.

“How do I punish you for that?”

My breath hitched. I couldn’t answer.

His gaze lifted back to mine,dark and intense.

“Strip.”

For a second, I just stared at him.

Then I swallowed… and moved.

I reached for the hem of my dress, pulling it over my head without breaking eye contact. I let the fabric slide down my body until it hit the floor, leaving me completely naked under his gaze.

His eyes dragged over my body slowly, deliberately, like he was taking his time memorizing every inch. The way he looked at me made my skin feel hot.

Slowly, he took off his shirt, then his pants. My eyes were fixed on him as he stripped them away, revealing his hard, protruding cock. He was thick and fully aroused, and the sight of him made the ache between my thighs sharpen instantly.

He crawled onto the bed, but I didn’t wait for him to reach me.

“Come here,” he said quietly.

I moved down, settling between his legs. I wrapped my hand around his cock,my thoughts completely gone. He let out a low, rough groan as my hand moved up and down his thick length. Then slowly I leaned in, eyes fixed on his as I took him into my mouth.

"Fuck, Leslie," he rasped, his fingers tangling in my hair.

I swirled my tongue around the head, taking as much of him as I could. I used my hand to stroke the base while I focused on the tip, sucking hard until his hips began to twitch. He pushed deeper into my throat, his breathing becoming heavy and jagged.

He tilted my chin slightly, watching me as he groans and cussed out.

I knew I shouldn’t be here. Not after everything that just happened. But the moment he looked at me like that… nothing else mattered. And that scared me more than anything.