Chapter 9
Stretching, I wake with a moan. My body is stiff, and parts of me pulse with both pain and pleasure. Rolling over, I notice James isn’t in my bed. I kind of figured we would at least show each other who we were after such a fantastic night together.
Looking at the clock on the wall, I laugh. It’s one in the afternoon. Of course, James is gone. Still, it would have been nice to wake up in his arms and get one last kiss before he left for the day.
Sighing, I should have known better. It’s ridiculous to think that a guy I just met would stick around. Blushing, I push the covers off my body and whimper as I stand up.
Biting my lip, I walk into the bathroom and gasp as I turn on the light and see myself in the mirror.
My neck has fingerprints on it, and my breasts are covered in hickeys. I laugh as I look at my body. Last night wasn’t a dream. No, it was real and my body is the proof of it.
Touching the fingerprints along my neck, a shiver runs through my spine. He knew my deepest fantasy like he had been reading my journal. I’ve always wanted someone to stake their claim and dominate me. James did it perfectly last night.
Turning, I am almost sad to wash the lasting effect he has on me, but I need to get cleaned. Also, a run to the store is needed. I can’t walk around with the marks on my neck. There’s no way I would be able to explain they are there because of pleasure.
Oh, the pleasure.I whimper and lean against the shower. God, I want his hands and mouth back on me. Maybe now that he knows where my dorm is, he’ll show back up.
Once I’m cleaned and dressed in yoga pants and a mock turtle neck tunic, I walk out of the room, knowing that I’ll always have that special night and nothing can make me regret it.
Boy, if I had known how wrong I was, I would have never thought those words.
* * *
Two weekslater I’m still walking around, moping. James has not come to my dorm room, and I should honestly just forget about him. I know I should. I pour myself into my studies and work, trying to exhaust myself to the point I pass out at night. It’s not working. Every time I lay down in my bed, I feel him.
Grabbing my phone, I send a message to Kaylee.
Me
How did you forget about Jackson when he disappeared?
Wow, I haven’t talked to Kaylee in two weeks, and this is my first text? I can’t take it back now, but I should have at least asked her how she was doing.
K
Hello to you too!
She sends me an emoji with a middle finger, but the bubbles keep dancing around, so I know she’s responding to me.
Me
I’m sorry, I should have asked how things are going.
K
I went out with friends and got busy dealing with mom. Why, what’s up?
Girl, don’t even worry about it. I can tell you must be dealing with boy issues. Are you alright?
How do I tell her I had sex with a masked man and don’t know who he is other than his name is James, and he knows how to play with my body?
Me
Yeah, just…
I hit send before I can finish and roll my eyes. Screw it. I call her, and Kaylee picks up on the first ring.
“Dang girl, that was a fast pickup.” We laugh, and it feels like old times.
“You are going to spill some tea, and I haven’t had a juicy story since Maybelle, our cow, tried to skip the fence for the stud in the next pasture.”
My laughter is uncontrollable as we talk for what seems like hours. Finally, I sigh and tell her what happened.
“You know how you sent me the masquerade ball gown and demanded I go to the darn thing?”
I can hear the eye roll from here. “Yes, I remember.”
“Well, I met a guy that night, and he rocked my world. He disappeared during the night, but I didn’t have any idea that he would stay. It’s just… Kaylee, I can’t stop thinking about how he touched me. I’m horny all the time, and I…”
Kaylee’s laughter is so loud she’s hurting my ear. “Girl, you are hot for a guy, and you don’t know who he is. It’s alright. I promise we have probably all been through this. Go find another dick to get on.”
A gasp leaves me at her thought. “I…I could never. You… I…” I’m sputtering so much that I can’t even form words properly.
“I’m kidding, Julie.” She sobers, and I tremble at the idea of another person touching me. I don’t think I could handle it. What if they didn’t measure up to James?
“Why don’t you come home during Thanksgiving, and we can have movie nights like we used to? Spend the entire week enjoying doing girly shit and forget everything. I think you just need a change of scenery for now.”
She has a good point. I’ve not been home in two years. Last year, Kaylee came here for my Christmas break because I was working full-time during the three weeks I was off.
“Sounds like a plan. Are you sure you’ll have time for me? I don’t want to cause you any problems with your mom or dad, for that matter.”
A snort comes from her, and she sarcastically replies to me. “Get your ass home for Thanksgiving, and we will have a good time. Now stop moping around like a love-sick fool.”
She hangs up on me before I can retort and I’m glad for it. It’s just like Kaylee telling someone what to do or insult them while she’s doing it.
My phone dings at me and I gasp. Dang it, I’m going to be late for work. I picked up a job for the weekend shifts at a local cafe. As I rush out of my room, I think about running into Aaron during Thanksgiving, but I push that thought out of my mind. He’s most likely not going to come home. Kaylee said he hasn’t been back in over a year.
* * *
Hours later,I turn off the light at the cafe, yawning. It’s been a long day of hard work, but I’m happy about it.
“Hello, Ms. Julie.”
I jump and crash into the side of the building as I yelp. Looking up, I see Mr. Lawerence standing there with a silly look on his face.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He steps closer to me, and I rearrange my purse from my shoulder to the front of my body.
“No worries, Mr. Lawerence. I should have been looking over my shoulder while I closed up shop.”
Ever since he caught me in the closet with James, he’s been acting weird and harsh toward me. I used to look forward to the lab work but now, he forces me to do my labs with him.
“I’d like to speak to you about your grade.”
My brow furrows. “My grade? I’ve already turned in all the required assignments. Was there a problem with them?”
“No. They were perfect as per usual, but this is about you not wanting to fail my class.”
My eyes widen, and I swear my eyebrows touch my hairline. “Fail? I’m making an A. How could I possibly fail, Mr. Lawerence?”
“Because if you don’t do what I want, I’m going to fail you. I saw you in that closet acting like a cheap whore. And since I know you are that type of girl, you doing extracurricular activities for me shouldn’t be an issue.”
My vision blurs as tears threaten to fall. The audacity of this man. “Mr. Lawerence, you can’t possibly think it’s alright to talk to me like this. I…I got caught up in the moment of the ball. I’m not going to do what you want.”
He chuckles and crowds me into the side of the building. “You little whore, you are going to do everything I fucking want, or I’m going to go to the academic committee and let them know you were having sex during a school-sponsored event.”
“Please, don’t. I… This is wrong. Blackmailing is wrong.” I’m not a law major, and I’ve never been good at defending myself, but I know I need to do something.
“Meet me after the lab tomorrow at my office. We will discuss it more.”
With that, he leaves me reeling and wondering what in the world I am going to do. There’s no way I will give in to him, but if I don’t, is my academic career over?
Driving home is a blur of tears and frantic thoughts. I could turn him in but I have to expose that I’m in the wrong too. Either way, I’m screwed. As I get to the dorm, I notice my door ajar, and I sigh.
How could anything else go wrong today? Turning on the light, I see nothing amiss, but there’s a note taped to the wall.
Taking it down, I close my eyes, give myself a pep talk, and open the note. In bold red lettering, the words FILTHY GIRL are written over a picture of me leaving the ball with James.
Another piece of paper behind that is a grainy picture of us kissing in the courtyard. Every step we took that night was watched. Dear God. Is this my professor? Why would he come to the cafe if he did this?
Someone took multiple pictures of me. As the piece of paper flutters to the ground, I feel the world tilting and my mind shutting down. I have a professor that wants to do bad things to me. A man that I wanted but has completely ghosted me. And now it seems someone else is watching me.
What else could go wrong?