Caroline
I stare dumbly at the computer.
“Go get jobs.” Is he fucking serious? My heart is thumping in my chest, ricocheting inside of me like a tennis ball during an intense match. What the hell? Is this really happening right now? I take in the email before me one more time.
No.
Just no.
I grit my teeth and frantically begin to type out my own response back.
Dear Jerk.
I will have you know that this is a legitimate cause, with the intention of raising enough money that we can cancel the auction. If you would get your head out of your ass for a minute and let me explain, you would know that. Instead, you’re sitting high in your ivory tower, looking down your nose on a house of girls who have big hearts and would do anything to help a sister in need. We are trying to raise funds to help the victim pay medical bills, but you are too much of an asshole to care.
Punch-Drunk Kids is a poor excuse for an indie band. Good luck with your life full of county fair concerts. Dick.
Done. Take that, you pompous asshole. Just as I’m about to hit send, I don’t. If I send this to him, I’m out of options. This is my one chance to raise enough money to buy my freedom from being some guy’s plaything for an evening. Virgin or no, I pride myself on at least being choosy about whom I sleep with. The first one was a solid choice...until he wasn’t.
No. I can’t throw in the towel yet on PDK. I need them. They are the only way I can raise enough money to stop the auction. I’m going to have to go find him.
It’s the only solution, find him, and beg if I have to. God, I hope I don’t have to. This ass already thinks he’s better than all of us. How am I going to change his mind?
I take a deep, calming breath. I have class in an hour and being this pissed and up in the air is certainly not a good idea. I’m going to have to settle this with him now.
Regardless of the joy the idea of telling him what a shithead he is brings me, I’m still very much in need of his assistance. No matter how many times I inhale and exhale, it does nothing to calm my nerves. I’m a walking live wire; one false move and I’m certain to explode. Throwing my laptop in my bag, I storm out the door, down the hall and head across campus to where Sarah—who is obsessed—says he practices.
Apparently breathing is in fact not a good calming technique for me, because by the time I enter the building and march my ass to the stage, I’m fuming. I’ve reread the email over and over again in my head and I keep getting stuck on one part. I assure you, no guy worth anything will ever take you or your lack of morals seriously.
Although he meant it as a slam to the idea, I can’t help but take it personally. I will my hands to stop shaking. I’ll never reason with him if I come across as a bitch, but at the same time, I don’t want him to confuse me with someone who gives a shit about Punch-Drunk Kids. To me, they are a means to an end. Nothing more.
I’m standing right in front of a dark-haired Greek god fidgeting with a microphone on the stage, and I decide this must be Matt, the dickhead singer. When he looks up at me, his dark eyes roam over my body and he smirks, probably assuming I’ll fall to his feet and worship him. I don’t.
But his flirtatious demeanor does disarm me. My anger dissipates and in its place is uncertainty. I need to get my head in the game. I can’t look weak. This concert is too important for me to blow. Hands on hips, I narrow my eyes.
“Where can I find Matt James?” I lift my chin, meeting his gaze head-on.
“Whoa there, tiger. It’s obvious you’re pissed off. I assume it’s because of one of us.” He quirks a brow. “Did I sleep with you or something? Never call you after we fucked?” The glint in his eyes tells me this is a distinct possibility with more than one woman. I want to smack him upside the face. Instead, my nose scrunches in disgust.
“No. God, no. I didn’t sleep with you.”
“You want to?”
“What? I... Uh...”
“Is that a yes?”
“No. God. Stop.”
“So, what’s the problem, love?”
“I came to clear up the misunderstanding of what Beta Kappa Nu is trying to accomplish with our auction. It seems we got off on the wrong foot, and I’d like to set things straight.”
“And you think you can do that by barging in on our practice?” I hear from behind me and turn to see Mathewson from class.
What is he doing here?
A small dimple forms on his cheek. God, is he cute.
Stop daydreaming about him. He’s the enemy.
“I might.” I huff and he smirks.
My eyes widen as I take him in. He looks nothing like he does in class. His hair is all disheveled, long and unruly, like he just fucked someone. My face warms at the notion. I will myself to stop gawking but I can’t. He can’t be the infamous Matt James. Can he? I internally berate myself for not doing my homework. How could I not know that Mathewson and Matt James are one and the same?
Simple. I don’t go to parties and I definitely don’t go to their concerts. It’s part of my reformed life. While all the girls go out, drink and fawn over the band in front of me, I stay in and study. I want to graduate early, like I did high school. My goals surpass catching the eye of the hottest guy on campus, getting knocked up and being a stay-at-home mom. Nope. Not going to happen to me. Which is only one more reason why the auction is not happening.
When my mind stops wandering at a hundred miles an hour, I look up to see Mathewson’s gaze, intensely focused on me.
I’m completely entranced by the way he stares at me, by the way my body reacts to him. My nipples pebble beneath my blouse just watching him breathe, just watching his pupils dilate and take me in. Like he wants to devour me. As if I’d let him.
Why can’t he be the one?
Why can’t he be the person to bid on me? I would gladly hand over my body to him. Hell, I’d place myself on a platter, spread out for him to consume as he pleases.
Now more than ever, I know I can’t give myself to some no-name man that I have no feelings for. Not when with one small touch I feel this way about this guy. How can I allow myself to be so callous with my body? It’s not right, and it’s not fair. I have to find a way out of the auction, and that way is through Punch-Drunk Kids. I need to plead my case to Mathewson; I need to convince him to do the concert. And if that’s not enough...maybe I can ask him to bid on me.
“Earth to Caroline,” he teases, and I pull myself out of my dirty thoughts and straighten my back. “Is your head always in the clouds?” He smirks, recalling class and effectively making me feel like an idiot.
I know he’s poking fun at me, but it’s embarrassing. I freaking moaned. Out loud. In class. If he only knew the source of my near orgasm, I would never be able to face him again.
“I’m thinking. You caught me off guard. I didn’t realize you’d be here,” I fire back.
“You caught me off guard. I would’ve never taken you for a sorority girl.”
My hackles are up, and a wall has been erected around my heart. He might be Mathewson, the guy I’ve dreamed about, but Matt James is a different story. We all have two sides and I can safely say I despise one of his.
“You’re an ass, Matt,” I spit venomously. He can make generalizations all he wants, but I’m far from a slut. No matter how hot I think he is, I won’t allow him to talk to me like that.
“What did I say?” His voice rises an octave and his eyes are large as if he really doesn’t know what he said to piss me off.
“I’m not a slut.”
His hands come up in surrender. “I didn’t say you were. I simply said I didn’t see you being in a sorority.” He moves toward me and I take a step back.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Caroline.”
I take a deep breath, knowing I need to calm down. I’m off-kilter and losing my shit for no reason other than his proximity to my body. I came here for a reason and I need to get back on track.
I bite my lip. Here goes nothing. “I need you to play the Beta Kappa Nu concert.”
“Do you now?” He smirks.
“Yes,” I hiss, then I suck my cheeks in and try desperately not to say something that will hinder the results I seek.
“And what would you do to get me to play?” Innuendo drips off his words. I’d like to say it isn’t affecting me, but I’d be lying. My panties grow uncomfortably wet at the husky tone of his voice. I squirm, and he chuckles. He knows I’m affected by him.
“Tell you what. You go out with me tomorrow night, I’ll do it.”
“No way.”
“Only way I’m doing it is if you say yes.”
After the email, I’m not sure I know who the man standing in front of me really is. Will Mathewson show up or will it be the douchebag from the email, Matt? The truth is, I don’t care. I want him so bad I can taste it. Like I said, we all have two sides and I haven’t exactly shown him all of mine.
This is a bad idea.
It’s my only idea.
I erase the distance between us, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him out of earshot of the other band members.
“Why should I?”
“Because you need me,” he says, managing to spin me around, pinning me up against the wall. He’s invading my space, stealing my air. Driving me mad. He leans in so our lips are a breath apart. “Tell me you need me, Caroline.”
“I need you.” My words are barely a whisper.
“I’m all yours. If you say yes.”
I can’t resist him.
“Yes.”