I stared at my phone in disbelief. I lefted New York six weeks ago and now, only now, has my brother, Patrick, remembered me. This text message was the first time we've spoken since I came to Berkeley. Well, the first time he's spoken. I sent a text message when I got here to let him know I was safe, and then that was it. Until today.I looked again at my phone. I didn't know why I expected any different from him. He would only get in contact if and when he wanted something. And like usual, it was money. I didn't want to know what he wanted it for, but judging by the fact he was asked for eight hundred dollars, I'd say it was rent. All because his arrogant, selfish ass couldn't hold down a job long enough to support our suicidal father.I rubbed my forehead and tried to block out the memories, telling Patrick I'll call up the bank and wire the money to Dad's account. Not that it made a difference. he will use it on what he wants anyway, thinking of Dad second.A wave of guilt crashed
Sandra reached up and tugged her hair from its holder. Her fiery red curls fanned out around her shoulders, settling with one last bounce down her back. The end of her hair was inches from her ass – the ass I got to touch earlier, per winning conditions.She won, but I did get to touch that pert little butt, so I'd call that a win-win situation.“So,” I begun as we walked across the sand. “You never answered my question earlier.”“What question?” She looked at me with those big green eyes of hers.“Do you speak to your family much?”“My dad and I talk about once a week, usually on Sunday. It's become kind of a habit. My brother? Not so much.” She shrugged a shoulder.“Aren't you close?”She snorted, shaking her head. “About as close as two opposite poles.”“What about your mom? Do you ever speak?”She stopped by the edge of the water, drawing a line in the sand with her toe. Her eyes mist over a little, and I moved next to her. She looked up, and there was pure, raw pain in her eyes.
We entered the house, and music pounded against us. Jack reacheed for my hand, linking his fingers through mine. I let him, squeezing his hand lightly, and he pulled me through the packed house. We surfaced in the kitchen where Kayle, Maggie, and Leila were sitting by the bar.“I'm gonna go find Josh.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “Wait for me by the bar?”I nodded and stepped forward, releasing his hand. I smiled at him over my shoulder, and he winked. Jesus. It had been twenty minutes and already, I was tired of pretending I gave a shit about any of it. Although, I was questioning why I opened up to him earlier. Maybe it was because I didn't care and I knew it was vital to him falling for me. Pity, right? Poor little Sandra. I scoffed at myself.Maggie slid her arm through mine the second I reached her. “Well?”“Game on,” I whispered, smirking at Leila and Kayle.“Whooooooop!” Kayle yelled and waved to Carl. “Eight shots, two each, one two bam!”“You got it!” Carl winked
I woke up and shook my head at myself. Yesterday ran through my mind on fast-forward, and I remembered – I had a girlfriend. Fuck. That was weird.And then there was Carl. The guy had a real stick up his ass about me being with Sandra – and not that I blame him, if I was him, I probably would too. I know what half the people at the party last night were thinking. They were wondering why Sandra is so different from the others and what was so special about her. The girls were cursing her for taking what they wanted, and the guys were slinking back into their dark corners, their chances at seducing her shot to hell.Well, fuck them all.“Well?” Josh opened my door.“Don't bother knocking,” I said sarcastically, putting my phone down. “I love it when assholes barge in on me.”“Uh, yeah.” He raised an eyebrow and shut the door, sitting on my desk chair. “What was that shit about?”“I was about to kiss her. Seal the deal on this challenge then you fuckin' called me.”“Shit, man. Sorry. If I
“See this?” I waggled my little finger around the room. “He's wrapped right round it.”“I don't doubt it,” Maggie smirked. “I saw him go mental on Carl, remember?”Kayle leaned back on her bed, crossing her arms behind her head and sighing happily. “This shit is entertaining. And so fuckin' satisfying.”“Satisfying?” Leila looked at her.“Yeah. Jack Cole, Mr. Playboy himself is wrapped around little old Sandra's baby finger. He's like a fly in a spider's web.”“Except I'm not gonna eat him for dinner,” I reminded her. “I'm no cannibal.”“Well.” She rolled over slightly and waggled her eyebrows. “You could always-”“Stop,” Maggie ordered. She held her hand up. “No further, Kayle. That is quite enough.”“Filthy mind.” Leila giggled. I grinned, and Maggie pulled out the OPTP plan.“So, we're a day ahead of schedule.” She ran a finger down it. “Good going, Sands. What's happening today? Are you seeing each other?”“Uh, I'm not sure.” I smiled sheepishly. “But I finally gave him my number.
I heard Maggie's laugh before I saw her and Sandra round the corner. Company. Brilliant. I knew what she was doing here. Maggie will give me the creepy silent 411 with her eyes-thing she does.Ignoring my best friend of a lifetime, I focused on Sandra. If I was going to fake date someone, then fuck me, I choose a gem with her. Her figure was obvious even in a denim skirt and simple shirt - she was not skinny and she was not overly curvy. She had a perfect mixture of toned muscle and curve that had me itching to run my hands across every inch of her bare skin. That kiss last night didn't help matters. I felt that damn body against me.Shaking off my x-rated thoughts, I grinned at her when she stopped in front of me. She smiled at me, and I bent down slowly, cupping her head and capturing her soft lips with mine. One of her hands rested on my waist to steady her, and the other gripped the arm holding her. She responded to the kiss almost eagerly, and I was in no hurry to pull away.This
“The whole 'do you always ignore the girls you sleep with?' line was magic, Sandra. Pure freakin' magic.” Maggie laughed across the room. I paused, my mascara wand suspended in mid-air and smiled at her through the mirror. I was glad she was thinking about the plan, because I was not.I was too preoccupied with how I felt when he was touching me.When he did the hand on thigh move earlier I wanted to castrate him. Really, I wanted to rip off his gentlemanly parts and rub them against a cheese grater. Repeatedly. When he started rubbing my leg, I wanted to punch him, yet when he took his hand away I wanted to grab it and demand he left it there.That thought made me feel slightly ill. I wanted Jack to touch me, and when he did I enjoyed it. I damn well enjoyed that innocently sexy move he did with the pad of his thumb against the inside of my leg. This plan was getting dangerous.It was a week in and already I could feel a little crack against my attraction to him. Yeah, the same attra
I learned three things last night.One, Sandra fit in my arms perfectly. Two, I wanted to fuck her, badly. Like, really fuckin' badly. And three, her hair smelled like apples.It had been nine days since Josh and Austin challenged me to make Sandra fall in love with me, giving the limit of a month to do it. I wouldn't need a damn month at this rate. She was falling – and she was falling hard and fast. I gave it ten days, and I'll prove to them I can do it and then I'll walk away from her.Because, let's face it, if I was a falling in love kinda guy, I'd fall in love with someone like her. Under that curvy body, fiery hair, and behind those pretty green eyes was a girl unlike anyone I knew. I was also pretty damn sure I wouldn't meet anyone like her either.And that was the problem. When she smiled at me, really smiled, I could see her turning me into a falling in love kinda guy. That made her dangerous, too fuckin' dangerous, and I gotta get her in bed and walk away before it's too la