Fair Play (9 page)

I’m surprised and even a little hurt when he shakes his head. “I told you we’re doing this my way.”

“But—” I don’t know what else to say. Evan has actually rendered me speechless.

“I told you I’d take care of you and I meant it.” Evan looks resolved
. I know not to argue once he’s made up his mind about something.

“Thank you,” I say as I get up from the bed and place a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Are you sure you don’t want a cup of coffee before you go?” he asks.

“Do you have to-go mugs?” I ask and that makes him laugh.

Four

There's nothing in this world
so sweet as love.

And next to love the sweetest thing is hate.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Because Dr. Clark is a hundred years old and he assigned us a “classic” textbook that doesn’t come in eBook format, I have to make a trip to the university bookstore. Even with so many texts available as eBooks, the place is still packed with students eager to get their goods for the new term.

As I make my way to the graduate business books, I
spot Aaron and Rainy, hand in hand, looking at the texts.

I saunter right up next to Aaron and say, “Hey, good loo
king.”

Rainy’s
eyes go as wide as pie plates and I assume that Aaron has not yet mentioned the fact that I’m in his graduate program.

Surprise!

Aaron’s face quickly turns a shade of dark red and I can see little beads of sweat starting to form on his temples.

I like to think if Aaron didn’t care about me, he wouldn’t be having a reaction like that. I hope it’s not just wishful thinking on my part.

“What are you doing here?” Aaron manages to say, although the words seem to get caught in his throat.

“The same thing you are, silly.” I gave Aaron a playful smack on the arm and leave it there a bit longer than necessary for
Rainy’s benefit. “Getting the book for Dr. Clark’s class.”     

Rainy shoots Aaron a look which seems to say:
why didn’t you tell me about Keira being in class with you
and I can’t help but smile at the trouble I am already causing between the love birds.

Maybe breaking
them up will be easier than I initially thought. I decide to go for a full court press.

“Aaron didn’t mention that we’re in grad school together?” I give Rainy the most convincing look of astonishment I can muster.

She’s blinking back tears as she shakes her head and Aaron has turned pure white. I go in for the kill.

“Aaron and I will be seeing a lot of each other this semester. Dr. Clark assigned us to the same study group.”

Rainy’s head snaps to Aaron and his eyes are now wide. He’s fucked. But it’s not my fault he didn’t tell her about me. A lie of omission is still a lie. I would have thought he’d have learned that lesson by now. Just another weapon I can use to my advantage.

If only I could be a fly on the wall an hour from now when they fight about this.
Rainy looks both hurt and angry and Aaron looks like he just got kicked in the stomach.

I decide it’s time to throw them all completely off balance. “Rainy, since my condo is right next to Aaron’s you should stop by sometime and hang out. Maybe we can do a girl’s night.”

As Rainy looks between me and Aaron I can see she’s processing what I just said. I have a condo next to Aaron, which probably pisses her off and makes her even more insecure yet I’ve just invited her over to be my girlfriend.

In psychology, they call that cognitive dissonance: a feeling of distress that arises when one holds two conflicting beliefs at the same time.

“There’s a girl, Roxie, in our study group. She’s a real hoot. Maybe we can go out with her sometime. And you can invite your roommate. What’s her name?”

“Olivia,” Rainy mutters. Her face is twisted as if she’s still perplexed.

I remove my cell phone from my Gucci bag and hold it out to her. “Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll let you know when Roxie’s free?”

She stares at my phone for a few seconds as if she’s afraid to touch it. When I glace over at Aaron, sweat is now pouring down his face. If I was a nicer person, I’d almost feel sorry for him. 

The tension in the air between the three of us is almost unbearable. Rainy is still staring at my phone like it’s going to bite her.

“Rainy,” I say. “I don’t think the two of us have really gotten a chance to know each other. Now that you and Aaron are engaged, I’d like for the two of us to be friends.”

She glances up at me and I try to give her my most sincere smile, which is difficult because I’m not sure I actually have a sincere bone in my body.

When she finally takes the phone from my hand, I can hear Aaron let out a sigh as if he’s been holding his breath since I ran into them.

She puts her contact information into my phone and hands it back to me.

“It’ll be fun to hang out,” I say. “It’s been a while since I’ve had girlfriends.”

Truth be told, I’ve never actually had any true friends who were female but I can’t say I’ve actually had true friends who were male either. I’ve had a lot of
acquaintances
and
associates
and the occasional
fuck buddies
but I can’t say I’ve had any true friends.

How sad is that?

But that’s the way it is in my social circle. Girls will kiss you on the cheek one minute and stab you in the back the next. They’ll do whatever they want to get what they want and to get ahead. The only person, besides my parents, who I believe might care about me, is Evan. 

Aaron grabs the book we need for class from the shelf. He still hasn’t let go of
Rainy’s hand, and if anything he’s holding it tighter. A little twinge of disappointment hits me as I notice about how inseparable they seem to be.

It should be
my
hand he’s holding like that. It should be
me
that he adores. Not Rainy Dey.

I want to be cherished by someone as perfect as Aaron D
onovan.

***

When I get back to my condo, I feel anxious and bored. I glance at the twenty-pound textbook I’ve just purchased and a little bit of nausea washes over me as the reality of my situation sinks in.

I’m actually in graduate school.

I’m in one of the most prestigious MBA programs in the country. Thousands of people apply for coveted spots in the incoming class and I’ve got one of them.

And the only thing I care about is getting a guy.

But not just
any
guy—Aaron Donovan. The hottest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. The guy who could have any woman on the planet on command.

The guy I’ve wanted all my life—
but who doesn’t want me.

At least not yet anyway.

It’s time to put my devious plans in action. My first step is to befriend Rainy and get her to trust me.

I text her and ask her if she’s free on Wednesday night. I already know Roxie is ready, willing and able to be there. She’s nearly as excited about my plan to get Aaron as I am.

It takes a while for Rainy to respond and I’m surprised when she agrees to go out. I text Roxie with two words:
It’s on
.

***

An hour later, I find myself standing in front of Evan’s condo door. I couldn’t bear to be alone in my condo with that damn textbook any longer. The thing made me feel guilty every time I walked by and didn’t open it.

Evan is always my go-to guy when I want to relieve some stress or alleviate boredom.

I knock on his door and wait. It doesn’t occur to me until now that he might not be available.

I saw his prize car parked out front, so I assume he’s home. I ring the doorbell a few times until I hear stirring inside.

Evan seems surprised when he opens the door. “Keira? What are you doing here?”

I try not to let my face show any disappointment with his less than enthusiastic greeting.

As he wipes some sleep from his eyes, I glance at my watch. It’s still early. Why was he sleeping? “Tired?” I ask.

He yawns. “The new job is beating the shit out of me.”

“It’s not easy going from college student to career man.”

He smirks. “And how would you know? You’re still in school.”

“Graduate school is hard work,” I lie.

“I bet it is,” he teases clearly unconvinced. “And how’s
    Aaron?”

There’s a little bit of tension in his voice when he says
      Aaron’s name. Is he jealous? I’ve never made my feelings for Aaron a secret with Evan.

“Can I come in?” I look up at him seductively through my lashes.

“It’s late,” he says but I can see he’s considering the idea.

“It
is not,” I counter.

“Some of us have to get up early for work
.”

I place my hands on his rock hard chest and he takes in a breath. “I can make it worth your while,” I whisper.

“I bet you can.” Evan opens the door wider and steps back for me to enter.

I think this will be a go until I turn to face Evan and he has his arms crossed over his chest and he’s looking right through me.

That look in his eyes, like he’s judging me, sends a wave of uncertainty through me. And for me, uncertainty is unusual. I’m usually certain about everything and I rarely have to work at convincing Evan about having a good time

“So, what’s this all about,
Keira?” Evan asks. He’s clearly going to make me work for this.

I bat my long eyelashes like I have no idea what he’s talking about.

He continues. “I thought you were on this quest to get Aaron.”

“I am. But it’s going to take some time. And I still have
desires that need to be fulfilled.”

“So I’m the guy who’s supposed to fulfill your desires until you get Aaron. Then what happens? I get kicked to the curb? Why am I good enough to fuck around with but not good enough to be with?”

This is a side of Evan I have never seen before and one I’m not used to seeing. I’m not sure if I like it or not. But if he wants to play hard, I can play hard right back. 

“So you’re not going to fuck me? The guy who has fucked over 50 random freshmen just to win a car suddenly has morals?”

When Evan’s jaw grows tense, I know I’ve hit a nerve. I wonder what could have possibly happened in the last six months to make Evan suddenly think about more than just his dick and where he’s going to stick it next.

I narrow my eyes and look at him. “Does this have something to do with Aaron?”

He scoffs. “No, you’re the one who lives for Aaron. Not me.”

“I think this has everything to do with Aaron and him getting engaged. The two of you have always been competitive since you were kids. Do you think you have to find a wife now that he’s popped the question to Little Miss
Priss?”

“This has nothing to do with Aaron or wanting to find a wife. Believe me that’s the last thing on my mind. Maybe I just want something more than just hooking up.”

“I like hooking up,” I retort.

“Maybe it’s time to grow up. Don’t you ever look into the mirror and despise what you see?”

All the time
, I think but I just nod in response.

Evan looks so serious it makes me nervous. “I want som
ething more.”

“With me?”
I can’t help but laugh at the thought of Evan and I being anything other than fuck buddies.

Evan
looks so pained, I stop laughing.

“Why is that so funny?” he asks.

“Why in the world would you want to be with me? Especially when I want to be with your best friend?”

“I wouldn’t exactly characterize Aaron as my best friend
   anymore,” he states. “I made a few mistakes as far as his fiancé was concerned. But I honestly never thought that Aaron would settle down so fast and I definitely didn’t think it would be with Rainy.”

“Neither did
I. That’s why this is so hard. I never considered the possibility he would be with anyone but me. I always assumed the two of us with end up together.”

Evan takes a step toward me. “Why is it so hard for you to consider being with me?” He closes the distance between us and I can feel the heat radiating from his body. “We’re so good together.”

That we are
. When it comes to sexual chemistry, Evan and I have it. That’s what keeps me coming back for more.

I know I shouldn’t string Evan along or make promises I can’t keep but I’m horny as hell and I know he’s a fantastic lover. When I gaze into his sexy green eyes, I come completely undone. The only thing I want at the moment is to feel Evan inside me.

I place my arms around his neck and lick my lips, hoping that he’ll take the cue and kiss me.

It seems like an internal debate is going on inside him as the two of us continue to look at each other.

Then, without warning, he grabs my ass and pulls me against him. “So, you want to get fucked?” he demands. “Is that what you came here for?”

My heart start
s to race as the yearning deep within my core increases to epic proportions. If Evan doesn’t take me soon, I feel like I could explode from all of the pent up desire raging through my body.

When I nod, he lifts me up so I’m straddling his hips and he carries me into his bedroom.