SINFUL DESIRES

BENJAMIN’S POVThe moment the final school bell rang, we found ourselves outside. Correct me if I’m wrong, but no one gives a f*ck about school, but it’s the sweet chaos around it that makes it worth showing up for —the girls, the games, the parties, and not to mention the amazing high school friends.Speaking of friends, my best friend was leaning on his car, kissing his girlfriend. That’s right, it was totally normal in Easton. At a point, I was starting to wonder if the school was turning into an experimental place for horny young adults because, no joke, everyone was hooking up like rabbits in heat. Hallways, lockers, stairwells, you name it.And no, I’m not gonna omit myself, because I might actually be leading the chart when it comes to that. Well, it isn’t my fault that I’m so hot and every girl wants a piece of me, and Daddy is ever so generous.“I’ll see you guys later tonight?” Anthony asked, leaning on his car and sucking Beatrice’s lips.“Shit!”I muttered, “I totally lost

BENJAMIN’S POVIt’s been two whole weeks. Fourteen straight days of silence.No texts, no accidental touches, no side glances, nothing.It’s like nothing ever happened between Beatrice and me. Like her mouth hadn’t devoured mine, and she didn’t fill me with the need to want her desperately. I haven’t been able to think straight, my mind has been a jumbled mess of catastrophe.Now, she acted like I was invisible.Sure, I saw her alone around campus. Once by her locker, once at the vending machine, once walking alone in the parking lot. But every time I got the courage to approach her, she’d remember she needed to be somewhere else. It was always, “Oh! I left my book,” or “Sh*t, I’m late for class,” or she’d just fake a phone call and dip.Each time, I stood there like a f*cking idiot, left holding my guilt and my hard-on memories.And don’t even get me started on Anthony. Every time he called me “bro” or slapped my back or laughed at one of my lame jokes, it felt like being stabbed wit

BENJAMIN’S POV What the actual fuck was Clara thinking bringing Anna here? I mean, seriously, where the hell did Clara even find her? Can’t a man have one goddamn weekend without a full-blown emotional ambush? My fingers curled so tightly around the steering wheel that I nearly punched a hole through it. My knuckles were bone-white, my jaw, locked. I was this close to either driving the hell out of there or pulling over somewhere to meditate on a hilltop like some bald monk. Hell, even downward dog sounded more appealing than enduring the weekend in Anna’s presence. I parked, shoved my door open, and erupted from the car like a man on fire. “Finally, the king is here! Let’s move out, people!” Anthony shouted, his arms flailing. I forced a smirk and shot him a middle finger without slowing down, my eyes locked on the traitor herself—Clara. She was standing there, pretending to be all innocent, twirling her hair around her finger. Without delay, I stormed up to her, dragging her

BENJAMIN’S POV Clara and I had already decided that we were done playing fair, and it was time to bend the game our way. This time, I was going to lose, come what may. I desperately needed this. It took a full minute for Cindy and Freddie to finally finish their heated little session, and the moment the next round was about to start, I shifted my attention back to the table, my pulse steadying as my plan began to take shape. Under the table, I tapped Clara’s foot lightly. This was our moment to twist the game. The trick was simple: make it look natural and effortless, like it was pure chance. To cover my tracks, I reached for the bottle of wine resting on the table and tilted it toward my cup, pretending to pour, keeping my movements deliberately slow, my expression relaxed. The instant the game began, I set my cup down with a reluctant clink, stretching my arm lazily toward the spoons, moving with calculated hesitation. My eyes darted across the table, quick and precise, making s

BENJAMIN’S POV I stayed by the poolside for what felt like forever, sprawled out on one of the lounge beds, staring at the stars but not really seeing them, my head spinning with flashes of everything that had happened, every moan, every touch, the way April’s lips tasted, her arousal, the way Anna’s eyes burned into mine, the way I wanted all of it at once and still wanted more, and, I didn’t even realize how much time had gone by until I checked my phone. As I dragged myself back inside the mansion, the house had fallen into a hush, every laugh and clink of glasses were long gone, swallowed by the quiet of bedrooms and soft snores drifting through the walls. Everyone had retired to their rooms, so I turned off the lights downstairs, lifting my legs up the stairs one at a time, feeling my own body heavy and restless, until I pushed into the room. **** The house was dead quiet when I opened my eyes. The kind that makes you think twice about breathing too loud. I reached for my pho