Frat House Fling

10. Hailey

10

HAILEY

Despite the late night, I got an early start the next day. I’d found that being an early riser was the best way to avoid a line at the restroom. It still startled the hell out of me when someone knocked or tried to open the door when I was in there. But there were five of us on this floor, so I couldn’t expect all the guys to use the one at the other end of the hall. They’d be late to class.

After a quick breakfast, I spent another hour in the kitchen. I’d been too tired to finish everything last night. If Bennett had seen that, he would’ve gotten angry, but he didn’t go in the kitchen much unless it was to bark orders at me.

When I deemed that everyone was awake, I started with the rooms on the second floor. Matt was out, presumably staying with his girlfriend for the weekend. Theo wasn’t in his room, either, so I took my time in there. It was such a peaceful, relaxing space. It made me feel better to be in there, much like when I was in Professor Whitmore’s condo when I stopped by to take care of her dog during the day.

At Nelson’s room, I stopped to listen by the door. There weren’t any video game noises, but there was still the persistent smell of weed. I knocked several times. Finally, a muffled voice told me to go away. I smiled to myself as I did so. His room was always an easy one to check off the list. So far, I hadn’t even set foot in there.

At Ian’s room, I paused. Faint music met my ears, and I listened hard, wondering what kind of songs the future doctor liked. The music sounded… odd, and kind of dated. There was a quick tempo, but also the unmistakable sounds of a synthesizer.

The music shut off and he opened the door. His hair was sticking up ad odd angles, and his eyes were a little bloodshot. Had he studied late into the night? He looked tired and not particularly happy to see me.

Someone wasn’t a morning person.

“I’m here to clean your room.”

“It’s fine.”

“All right,” I said, and then curiosity got the better of me. “Were you listening to 80s music?” It was an amusing thought, and I had to fight off a smile.

He looked irritated. “It must’ve gotten on the wrong playlist. I was studying, so I didn’t notice.”

I could see past him, and it was obvious he’d been working hard. There was an open laptop on his desk, as well as some thick textbooks and a pile of papers. A desk lamp illuminated it all.

“I could come back,” I offered. But he shook his head.

He stepped back, indicating the sparsely furnished room, and said, “There’s not much to clean.”

“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.”

“I will,” he said, already closing the door, but I wasn’t offended. He obviously had a lot of work to do for his classes. I could understand; I was only taking one class this summer. I wondered how many he was taking. Unfortunately, since he didn’t need his room cleaned, it was time to go upstairs to work on Bennett’s and Grant’s suites. The third floor was definitely not my favorite.

I knocked on Grant’s door first, and there was no answer. He was probably down in the gym. I often saw him heading down there in the mornings. His room didn’t take too long. He’d thrown some clothes on a chair, so I put them in a hamper and cleared away some of the bottles of that special beer he drank. I didn’t know much about beer, but I wondered why he liked it so much. I’d tried to look it up online, but since I couldn’t remember what exactly the label looked like, it was rather hard to do. I found something that looked similar from a brewery in Luxembourg, where he’d said it was from, but all I had found was a non-alcoholic kind.

My grandpa had always bought the cheap beer that came in a can. Most years for Christmas, I’d get my neighbor to buy a six-pack of his favorite ale for me to give to him. He was always thrilled to get it. And now I was living in a house where entitled young men had an entire storeroom full of bottled beer. And wine and kegs. It was a wonder this entire household didn’t have to attend AA meetings.

It took longer to clean Grant’s bathroom. It was larger than the ones on the second floor, but not as big as the one in Bennett’s suite. That one was approximately the size of our living room back home.

Back when it was my home.

When I knocked on Bennett’s door, I heard a voice call out for me to come in, and my heart sank. I really didn’t want to work on his suite while he was right there. It always made me feel self-conscious when he watched me work, which he frequently did. I couldn’t figure out if it was because he liked seeing someone be subservient to him, or just because he liked watching women. It was hard to tell with a pompous man like him.

I dragged the vacuum cleaner and bucket full of cleaning supplies, sponges, and gloves inside through the entryway of his suite. I couldn’t help but take a quick peek over my shoulder when the door shut behind me. Thankfully, the French maid costume wasn’t hanging on the door like it had been before.

But my luck ran out when I entered the living room. Bennett called out to me from his bedroom, so I had no choice but to go in there.

My gasp was audible as I stopped dead. He was in his king-size bed, with only a sheet pulled over him. His chest and arms were bare. “Sorry, I can come back,” I said, already beginning to back out of there.

He dismissed that suggestion with a lazy hand wave of his hand. “Don’t be ridiculous.” He sat up, leaning his back against the headboard, and I was pretty sure, judging by the way the sheet draped over his legs, that he wasn’t wearing anything. My heart beat faster, but not in a good way. He was objectively handsome, but this wasn’t about looks. No, it was a power play. He wanted me to feel uncomfortable, and I did.

Bennett gave me a rundown of what he wanted me to clean in his suite, acting as if it were perfectly normal to order a woman around while he lounged naked in bed. I listened and nodded, but all the while I couldn’t help sneaking nervous peeks at his bare skin above the sheet. Even after living here five days, I still wasn’t used to seeing men’s bodies. Especially partially clothed ones.

It was hard to concentrate on anything else, which Bennett no doubt knew because he kept talking. Why was he doing this to me? He hired a broke, down-on-her luck girl to be his maid for the summer. That alone should have appeased him and made him feel superior, but he seemed intent on reminding me of my place every chance he got.

It was a relief when he dismissed me. I made a beeline for the living room and started vacuuming. That way I wouldn’t have to see him in bed any longer. No way was I going to clean in there with him lounging around like royalty, watching my every move. But I didn’t know exactly how I could get out of going back in. Luckily, there were still plenty of things to do out here. I dusted after I vacuumed, which was the wrong order, but he had made me flustered.

It was almost a relief to reach his bathroom. Yes, it was my least favorite room to clean, but anything that kept me out of his bedroom was good in my book. I took my time, cleaning the double sink, the toilet, and the huge shower. I even dusted the light fixtures. I had half a mind to scrub the tiles on the floor with his fancy electric toothbrush, but then there was a knock at the front door.

Bennett ordered me to get it, so I went and found Theo there. I was so glad to see him that I almost gave him a hug, but he wouldn’t have understood that, and he probably wouldn’t have appreciated someone wearing rubber cleaning gloves wrapping their arms around him.

“Good morning, Hailey.”

“Hi, Theo.”

He scanned an eye over me. I was sure I looked disheveled from all the hard work I’d done.

“You sure know how to have a fun time on a Sunday.”

I smiled. After being sequestered here with Bennett, I would’ve welcomed a visit from any member of the frat, but I was glad it was him.

“Bennett’s still in bed,” I told him. I was sure the fraternity president wouldn’t like me sharing that with Theo, but hey, it was the truth.

Theo’s eyebrow rose at this news, but then a voice came from behind me.

“I’m here, actually.”

Bennett strolled through the living room, and it turned out he was capable of wearing pants. Sure, he wore them when Theo stopped by, but when the apprehensive maid was in the room, he was fine with being nude.

“You can go, Hailey,” Bennett said, and I couldn’t believe my ears. I gathered my things and got out of there in record time. I felt like a kid who had been let out of school early.

I was about to turn right to get to the far stairwell by walking past Grant’s room, but I didn’t want to take the chance of running into any more Forsythe cousins. So I went the other way, heading down the hallway. There was a heavy double door, and then I entered an area that looked very much like the hallway on the second floor, only it wasn’t as long. There were three doors on each side and then an exit to the stairwell at the end.

This was interesting. I guessed during the school year, when all the fraternity members were here, some of them lived up here too. But right now, it was completely silent, and I was sure I was alone. I tapped lightly on a door to the right and opened it when there was no response. Someone definitely lived there—there was bedding on the mattress and personal items on the dresser—but it was dusty, and it seemed like no one had been there for a while. I checked another room, and it was the same.

And then I found it.

The best thing I could’ve possibly found in this entire house.

It was a bathroom. A clean, empty, unused bathroom. As far as I could tell, it was directly over the one I’d been using downstairs but so much better. It had a shower stall instead of a bathtub, but otherwise it looked very much the same—except clean. With no cans of shaving cream on the counter. And no globs of toothpaste in the sink.

Could I use this? I didn’t see why not. Nobody else was.

I couldn’t help grinning. This almost made up for having to deal with Bennett and his state of undress. Almost. But I was almost giddy with excitement at having a private bathroom. It wasn’t just here that I had to share—I’d had to the whole time I’d stayed at Tori’s apartment, too. I’d gotten up super early there so I wouldn’t prevent any of Tori’s roommates from using the bathroom when they wanted to.

After ditching the cleaning supplies, I went back to my room. As always, it was cold in there, so I left the door open, hoping that warmer air would come in from the hallway. Then I sat on the edge of the bed, just thinking about things. Was this my life now? A life where the things that made me happy were finding a bathroom and not having to tidy up the bedroom of a man who still made me clean the rest of the suite and generally considered it his mission in life to make me miserable?

Yes, apparently so.

As I looked around, it occurred to me that I actually had a little time to myself during the day for once. At least until Bennett or Grant located me and gave me a chore. I was tired of cleaning, but it would probably be a pretty good idea to do laundry—except I hadn’t seen the area yet. Presumably it was in the basement, but that was a big place.

Since I didn’t have a hamper or basket, I piled my dirty clothes into my duffel bag. Just when I was about to head out, I saw someone walk past the door.

I poked my head out into the hall. It was Ian.

“Can you tell me where the laundry room is, please?”

He turned back, not looking quite as irritable as he had earlier.

“It’s in the basement. Take the kitchen stairs down and hang a left.”

“Thank you.” I hesitated. “It’s okay for me to use it, right?” I sounded pathetic asking, but I’d been staying with other people so long that it was second nature to ask permission for those kinds of things.

“Of course.”

“Thanks,” I said again. Then I looked at him for a moment. He still looked tired. “Are you all right? This morning you seemed kind of… tense.”

He raked his hand through his hair, and I could see why it was so tousled before.

“Yes. Just be glad you don’t have to deal with a full course load of classes.”

Even though he couldn’t know I was a student, his words stung. He seemed to realize that, and his expression softened.

“Not that working multiple jobs isn’t hard, too.”

It hurt that he assumed I couldn’t handle classes—even though I wasn’t actually handling the one that I was taking this summer very well. But he hadn’t meant anything bad. And I knew what it was like to be tired and crabby after studying hard.

“Well, good luck with those classes,” I said.

“Thanks.”

He headed down the hallway. I picked up my duffel bag and hoped that there was detergent downstairs. Surely there was. I didn’t expect the frat to have a coin-operated laundry. But then I jumped as Ian reappeared and stuck his head in my doorway.

“And Hailey? When you go downstairs, stick to the left. The washers and dryers are all the way at the end of the hallway.”

“Okay, thanks,” I said as I watched him leave. Now I was really curious about what else was on that side of the basement.

I was good and followed Ian’s instructions. I carried my clothes straight down the hallway, even though I was curious about some of the rooms leading off to the right. But then I reached the laundry room and was pleased to find it both empty and clean. There were two large-capacity washers and dryers in a well-lit space with sturdy counters for folding clothes. Not bad, especially since I’d been using the laundromat while I was staying with Tori and her roommates.

After putting my clothes in the washer, I looked around some more. One side of the room—the side behind the door—led to some kind of utility closet. Probably water heaters and whatever. And somewhere around here, I could only assume there was an air conditioner the size of a bus that kept this place so cold all summer.

There were some hooks on the wall, and one of them held a hanger with a white button-down shirt on it. I plucked it off the wall, examining it. It was just a plain dress shirt, but the material was a nice quality. Guess that wasn’t too hard to believe, knowing the kind of wealth the men who lived here had.

What was surprising was that it was pretty small. There was no way it would fit any of the men who lived upstairs. It likely had been left by someone who lived here during the spring semester.

Which meant they probably wouldn’t miss it.

It was the perfect accessory for my new plan to act like professional kitchen staff to keep Bennett off my back at dinnertime. I added it to the washer and smiled to myself. For once, I’d found something good hanging on a hook instead of that stupid French maid costume that kept popping up.

There was no point in hanging out down here, listening to the washing machine go through its cycles, though I had to admit it was rather peaceful with no one telling me what to do, but I could better use this time studying in my room.

When I walked back toward the stairs, however, I heard another mechanical sound and a rhythmic thumping. Someone was using the treadmills. I paused and peeked around the corner—and nearly groaned out loud. Both Bennett and Grant were there. They had their shirts off, because apparently men weren’t allowed to wear them in this house, and they were running on adjacent treadmills.

Great. Just what I needed. I had half a mind to go back to the laundry room and hide in a dryer until they left.

I huffed out an exasperated breath as I weighed my options. The pounding of their feet as they ran was drilling into my brain. If only I could get to the kitchen steps without going past them.

I slid down to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest, but then I sprang up just as fast. Ian had specified that I should use the kitchen stairs. Did that mean there was another set? Now that I thought about it, there was no way that could be the only way down here. When they had those huge parties with hundreds of people, they couldn’t all tromp into the kitchen and then go single file up and down those stairs.

Slowly, I walked back toward the laundry room, opening doors as I went. One held dozens of folding chairs stacked against each other. The next one was a bathroom. This house sure had a lot of those—and unfortunately, I was in charge of cleaning every single one.

The third door off to the right was made of heavy wood. It wasn’t painted white like the others. The handle was a silver lever instead of a round knob.

Cautiously, I pushed the handle down. At first, I thought the door was locked, but as I pulled, it began to move toward me. When it was open just far enough, I slipped inside a dark hallway. The only reason I could see anything at all was because of the glowing red exit sign at the opposite end of the hallway. So I was right, there had to be another set of stairs.

I pointed the flashlight from my phone ahead of me as I ventured down the hallway. Large double doors were open on the left, and it looked like there was a big space beyond it.

Panning the light in front of me, I crept forward. The room was cavernous. The carpet was thick and plush under my feet as I shined the light all over.

There had to be a light switch somewhere, but I didn’t even look. It was clear I wasn’t supposed to be here. Ian had hinted as much.

Was this some kind of room for their fraternity rituals? There were only a few guys here in the summer, but during the regular school year, they had to have meetings and ceremonies and such, didn’t they? At least that’s how it was in the movies.

I stubbed my toe on something and looked down to see a row of seats, the kind where you had to push the bottom of the seat down, like at a theater.

There were other rows of seats, too. And in the middle of the room was… well, I wouldn’t say an altar. It was a fraternity, not a satanic cult. But the table was massive and heavy. Did Bennett conduct meetings from there?

I knew I needed to get out of here, but I couldn’t resist pointing my light at all corners of the large room. A flash of silver caught my eye, and I panned the light back, trying to see what it was.

In the corner of the room, there was a clear area without any seating. And in the middle of that was a silver pole.

A pole? There were a few large columns around the room, presumably for structural reasons. This was a very large house, after all. But the thin little pole couldn’t have held up anything.

I padded toward it, my footsteps silent on the thick carpet. I could see it better when I was a few feet away. It was shiny and smooth. Tentatively, I touched it. The metal was cold, and to my surprise, it shifted a little as I withdrew my hand. I gasped, afraid I’d knocked it over. But no, it had just rotated slightly.

Almost as if it was a?—

Light flooded the room and I blinked, shielding my eyes. After all the exploration in the dark, I couldn’t see a thing, and my heart rate spiked, knowing there was someone else in the room.

“Want to go for a spin?”

The deep voice triggered a spike of nervous adrenaline. My body was in fight or flight mode. Bennett had caught me wandering around an area that was clearly off limits. He moved closer, and apprehension filled me. He looked taller than usual, and I took a step back.

And then I blinked rapidly, my vision finally clearing.

That’s when I realized it wasn’t Bennett. It was Grant.

I let out the breath I’d been holding as he closed the distance between us. He was still a big man. And I was still where I shouldn’t be. But somehow, the fight or flight feeling I’d had a moment ago was no longer there.

“Hi, Hailey.” He sounded as casual as if we’d just run into each other in the hallway upstairs. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m sorry,” I said automatically. “I just—” I paused. I couldn’t really tell him that I hadn’t wanted to walk past him and his cousin. “I didn’t know what was in here.”

He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. The hard muscles in his bare chest flexed as he did so. “Well, now you do.”

Except I didn’t. “Is this—is this for fraternity meetings?”

He nodded. “This is where we do our secret stuff.” His voice gave no clue as to whether he was being serious or not.

“Like what?”

He turned, his eyes surveying the room. Then he gestured to the massive table in the middle. “That’s where we sacrifice the virgins.”

He was kidding, but just hearing a large, powerful, half-naked man say that sent shivers down my spine. But I kept my voice steady. “That’s a bit cliche, don’t you think?”

Grant grinned down at me. “Okay, you got me. The virgins aren’t brave enough to come to this frat house.” His eyes swept up and down my body. “Or at least most of them aren’t.”

“Maybe they’re not stupid enough to come here.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps. But they’re missing out. We throw good parties.”

I looked away from him, uncomfortable with this conversation. But on the other hand, it felt very… adult. I didn’t usually talk with men about these kinds of things. Well, maybe I hadn’t ever. For some reason, it was important to me not to blush and stammer like a little girl. He seemed to have a good guess about my experience level, but I didn’t have to confirm it for him. “Is that why you have the party favors upstairs?”

“What?“ He looked confused.

“Up in the study on the second floor,” I said. “There’s a bowl of condoms on the table.” I felt brave just for using that word.

His face cleared and he chuckled. “It’s better to have them around than not. Otherwise, there would be a rash of pregnancies nine months after the blowout bash at the end of hell week.”

“Hell week?”

He laughed again. “How can you know nothing about Greek life when you live in a frat house? Then again, I forgot, you’re a townie.” He said it like it was a dirty word.

In truth, I’d almost forgotten myself, too. I’d almost said that I was too busy studying and taking classes to worry about what happens on frat row.

“I’ve never spent much time thinking about it,” I said stiffly. “I’ve only seen frat parties in movies.”

He smirked. “Then you’re in for a real education Friday night.”

That part was probably true. “So what is this room actually used for?”

“Meetings. Rituals. Secret stuff.”

I tapped the silver pole with my fingernail, making it ding. “What kind of ritual is this for?”

“The fun ones.” He cocked an arrogant eyebrow at me. “You never answered my question before. Do you want to give it a whirl?” He grasped the pole, his long fingers closing around it. His hand looked twice as big as mine as he spun the pole a few times.

“No thank you.” He was so close. I could see each separate ab and the tight skin over his pecs. His scent washed over me. Sweat, yes, but something else. Something unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. It made the hair on my arms stand up. He was a big, strong man, and it was overwhelming standing so close to him.

I forced myself to meet his eyes, and he looked smug, having noticed where my gaze had gone. “Tell me, Hailey, do you ever do anything for fun?”

“I don’t have time to.”

He tilted his head to the side, staring at me for a while longer. “That’s a shame.”

“No, it’s not.” I’d never really known anything else, so it was normal to me. “I should get back to my work.”

“Go out the door and to the left. There’s another set of stairs that will take you up. “

“Thanks.” I circled around him and headed for the door. He spoke up again, just about to walk through it.

“And Hailey?” I paused and looked back at him. “It’s probably best not to go exploring down here again.”

I nodded and then fled the room.