I was on cloud freaking nine as I strolled across campus. It’d been two weeks since the night by the pool, and life had turned into something unlike anything I could have ever imagined. If you’d told me a year ago, or even a few weeks ago that I’d be living with three older men, all of whom adored me, and treated me like this princess, and all who shared me in bed, I’d have said you were dreaming. Or possibly reading too many romance books.

But then, that was my life now. That was my reality. I’d still worried about being the catalyst to hurting a lifetime of friendship between the three of them after that night. But since then, I’d seen more and more how wrong I’d been. They made sure to tell me all the time how much I didn’t need to worry about it too. No, I wasn’t going to be reason the three best friends stopped being friends.

…It seems I was the glue that was going to pull them even more together.

Living with the three of them was like something out of a dream. And it wasn’t just this big thing of sexual debauchery, though there was a lot of sex — I mean a lot of sex. After all, there were three of them, with this seemingly endless desire to have me. But it was more than that. I felt fulfilled in ways I’d never felt before. I felt emotionally in tune in a way I’d forgotten I could be. I felt like I was part of something bigger than just me, and all of that and more was the reason I was floating across the quad that day.

I was on my way home. Max and I were making dinner that night — seared scallops with risotto and an asparagus salad with a lemon cream dressing. Garret had sworn he was going to sit me down and make me watch Casablanca for the first time. Nolan wanted to go over some of the paperwork from Grams’s house with me.

The glow warmed through me, glowing brighter and brighter the closer I got to the house. So much so, that I never saw the shadow until the voice spat out from behind me.

“Well well, look who it is.”

I froze, Matt’s voice hitting me like a slap from behind and shaking me from the glowy, mooning thoughts I was having on life with my three guys. I turned, shivering and scowling at his smug, asshole face.

“What do you want, Matt?”

He just grinned.

“So, you’re staying at Professor Nolan’s house, huh?”

A cold chill crept through me. But I’d prepared for this. I mean, I wasn’t exactly sneaking in and out through a secret door, but I also wasn’t exactly advertising that I was living with my professor.

I shrugged and shook my head. “No I’m not.”

“Bullshit.”

Like I said, I’d prepared for this.

“I took a job with Professor Jameson as an office assistant. You know, grading papers, doing lesson plans, and—”

“And sucking his cock.”

I blinked, startled by Matt’s crude words.

“Can I help you with something, Matt?”

“Oh, yeah,” he grinned wider. “Yeah, you sure can.”

I glared at him, remembering how fucking sleazy he’d been when I was out of places to stay.

“You like movies, Cora?”

“I’m really not in the mood for games, Matt. What do you want, or are you just trying to be a gross asshole like usual?”

Matt chuckled, shaking his head. “You know, you’re really going to wish you’d been nicer to me in about five seconds.”

A cold chill teased down my back. “And why is that?”

“Because I saw you, Cora.” His look turned cold and calculating. “I fucking saw you, the other night in Professor Jameson’s backyard.”

I started to open my mouth when suddenly, it hit me like a punch to the gut. I blinked, cold dread sinking through me as Matt just grinned.

“Nice pool he’s got back there. And it was so nice of him to let you use it.”

“I— what are you—”

“I mean, you fucking him and both his friends like a total fucking slut was a nice way to repay him, I gotta say.”

My entire world cracked in half. It felt like the ground was swaying under my feet, like the air itself was getting too heavy to breathe.

…Like I was falling.

“I—”

“Oh, please come up with some shitty lie, Cora. Cause I got the whole thing on video.” He held his phone up, grinning horribly at me as he waved it in front of my face.

Something spiked through my heart, tearing through me and making me want to cry. I gasped for air, shaking my head as hot tears burned at the corners of my eyes.

“What do you want?” I whispered hoarsely.

Matt smiled triumphantly.

“I’m going to fuckin’ ruin them, that’s what I want. And then, I’m going to ruin you too.”

“Please,” I whispered, backing away from him, my face ashen. And here we went again. More of the world pushing me around. First my mom, always putting me after her own drinking habit, or telling me to “stop being a brat” when my dad got rough. My father, literally pushing me around, and telling me I’d never amount to anything. The bank, taking my home out from under me when I needed it the most.

And now Matt — Matt with the bullet that could destroy the happiness I’d finally found.

“What do you want?” I whispered out, my voice choked with tears.

Matt smiled sickeningly. “You know what I want, Cora.”

I felt the bile rise in my throat as I slowly shook my head. “You’re disgusting.”

“Come to my place, tonight after my last class.”

“No fucking way.”

He grinned. “Fine. Then this hits every free porn video site on the web. You’ll be the talk of the entire campus tomorrow. And your professors will be fucking out of here, or fucking jailed.” His eyes narrowed at me, his sickening smile making me want to throw up. “And that football asshole? Fuck him. I’m going to wait until he’s disgraced from this little porno of yours, and then I’ll sue his ass for hittin—”

“Okay!”

The word felt like poison as it left my lips, my entire body deflating.

“Okay,” I whispered this time.

Matt grinned widely. “That a yes?”

“Yes,” I whispered, looking at my feet as the knife sliced through my heart. “I’ll be there.”

“Good, babe, good.” He snickered. “Hey, wear something nice for me, huh?”

I shivered. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to run until I crashed into something. But I knew what I had to do. I knew what had to be done to keep this all okay, and to protect the men I’d fallen completely in love with.

I knew what I had to do. I knew what the necessary move was here. I just didn’t want to think about it until I had to.