3. Wes
CHAPTER 3
WES
Looks like I picked the right time to swing by the Registrar’s office to drop my advanced calculus class. Had I arrived ten minutes later, I might’ve missed out on meeting the doe-eyed little transfer student that made my dick hard the second I laid eyes on her.
Ava.
I snuck a peek at her class schedule when Ms. Karrington slid it across the desk because I hadn’t had a chance to ask her for her name yet, and I need to know what to call her when I’m buried between her thighs– because that’s definitely happening at some point. The girl is a knockout. Big brown eyes and full, plump lips that would look so damn pretty wrapped around my shaft. Her chestnut hair is lighter at the ends, as if kissed by the sun, and her name suits her, rolling off my tongue like velvet the first time I speak it aloud.
“You got here at the right time, Ava. Your last Thursday class just let out,” I comment, tapping a finger against the print-out of her schedule. “Guess you’ve got the rest of the day off to settle in and get acquainted with the campus.”
Or get acquainted with something else , I muse, reaching down to discreetly adjust myself in my jeans.
She snatches the paper up in one hand, looking flustered as she turns to me and smooths her hair with the other. “Yeah, I… I’ll probably just head to my dorm, then.”
“Oh, honey, let Wes give you the tour,” Ms. Karrington urges helpfully. She swings her gaze on me and bats her spindly eyelashes, beaming a gap-toothed smile. “He’s one of our star students, top of his class.”
I flash the old bat a charming grin, then turn my attention back to Ava. “You heard her,” I say, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly.
Ava rolls her eyes at me, turning on a heel and heading for the door to exit the Registrar’s office. I pause for a beat to watch her walk away, raising a fist to my mouth and biting down on my knuckles to stifle a groan.
She’s fucking sexy . Dangerous curves, soft in all the right places. She’s wearing a little plaid schoolgirl skirt, the hem floating around her suntanned thighs as she struts off, rebuffing my advance once again.
Too bad I’m not so easily deterred.
I toss a wink to old Ms. Karrington over my shoulder as I take off in pursuit of my prey, easily catching up to Ava in a few long strides.
“So, where to first?” I ask, carding my fingers through my hair. “The cafeteria? The gym?” I lick my lips as my gaze wanders her form unabashedly. “You look like you work out.”
She doesn’t take the bait. In fact, she doesn’t so much as glance my way as she reaches the top of the staircase and starts to descend.
“You really don’t have to show me around,” she mumbles as I keep pace alongside her.
Women are typically throwing themselves at me, not running away, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this one undermine the status quo. I’ve worked hard to cultivate my image. My body is ripped and toned to perfection; I’m at the top of my class academically. I’m a charismatic people person, revered by the entire student body. I’m a fucking catch , dammit.
Ava’s evidently put off by something about me, though, because she can’t seem to get away fast enough. Her luscious tits bounce as she hustles down the stairs, eyes intently focused ahead and never straying to me. As soon as we reach the bottom, I use my long stride to my advantage, stepping around to block her path and snatching the schedule from her hands.
“What’s your dorm assignment?” I ask, eyes scanning the paper quickly as she tries to steal it back from me with an annoyed huff. I just turn at the waist to block her attempts, skimming the text. “Four-fourteen,” I read off, handing the schedule back to her with a grin. “And here I thought it’d take longer to get you underneath me.”
“Excuse me?” Ava balks.
My grin widens. “I’m on the fifth floor.”
She rolls her eyes again, snapping up her schedule and shouldering past me to get to the exit.
I chuckle to myself as I watch her storm off, then jog to catch up again as she pushes the heavy door open. “Are you always this friendly?” I ask, following her outside.
“Are you always this persistent?” she fires back.
“Hey, I’m just trying to be a nice guy here, do my part by helping out a new student,” I drawl as I keep in step with her. She comes to an abrupt halt at the intersection of the sidewalk, her head snapping left, then right.
She clearly has no idea where she’s going.
“Just let me show you to the dorms,” I coax, stepping around to plant myself in front of her again. “Since you’re new around here, I’m betting you could use a friend.”
Her gaze darts up to meet mine, delicate throat bobbing with a hard swallow. Indecision flickers in her expression as she sinks her teeth into her pouty lower lip, eyes darting side to side, then returning to my own with a look of resignation. “Fine,” she breathes, her shoulders slumping.
My lips spread into a victorious grin. Seems like she responds better to the gentle, nice guy shit. I suppose I can work with that.
“C’mon,” I urge, tipping my head in the direction of Sutton Hall. “I’m headed that way anyways.”
She blows out a breath and nods, taking my lead as I start down the sidewalk.
“So, what’s your story, Ava?” I ask as I steer her to a fork in the path that weaves between the main building and the rest of campus.
She shrugs, gaze fixed on the ground as we walk. “There’s not much to it.”
“C’mon,” I probe. “Where’d you transfer from?”
“Just a small community college in the city.”
“New York?”
“Mhmm.”
I glance over at her with renewed interest, searching my mind for some flicker of recognition. Everyone who goes to school here is from some prominent family or other, and if she’s from NYC, we would’ve run in the same circles growing up. Odd, because I swear I’ve never laid eyes on this girl before today. She’s hot as fuck– if we’d met previously, I definitely would’ve remembered. Though I suppose she could’ve slid by under my radar if she had a recent glow-up.
“How’d you wind up here?” I question, fishing for information to fill in the blanks.
“My new stepdad.”
Ah, there it is. Her mom must’ve married into money. A lot of money, if she was able to buy her way into this place, or a family name that’s worth even more.
“Let me guess, he dumped you here so he’d have your mom all to himself?” I snort.
Ava grinds to an abrupt halt, pivoting in my direction and cutting me a glare. “It’s not like that,” she snaps defensively.
Shit, guess that struck a nerve.
I hold up my hands in surrender. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. Bad joke.”
Ava heaves a sigh, scrubbing a hand over her face. “Sorry, I’m just…” she trails off, kicking a toe against the cement walkway underfoot. “I’m having a really weird day. This whole thing was just sprung on me this morning, and I’m not a fan of change.” A pretty blush paints her cheeks as she peeks up at me through her eyelashes. “I swear I’m not always such an uptight bitch.”
“You’re not being a bitch,” I reassure, intercepting her as she brings her hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear for what seems like the tenth fucking time. My fingertips graze the soft skin of her cheek as I sweep the strands back for her, letting my fingers linger just a little longer than necessary. “I get it. Change is hard. But this place isn’t so bad, you’ll see.”
She nods, her cheeks reddening to a deeper hue. “Can we just… start over?”
The corner of my mouth ticks up as I shift closer. Got her . “Sure.”
She takes a miniscule step back as if she’s flustered by my proximity, which tells me she’s on the hook. Now I’ve just gotta reel her in.
The two of us start walking again, coming upon the back entrance of Sutton Hall, the co-ed dormitory that the entire student body of Corvus College calls home.
“This is it,” I say, gesturing to the door.
As she gazes up at the tall building, I move to the keypad panel beside it and type in my four-digit code to gain access. “Your code should be listed somewhere on your schedule,” I provide as the light flashes green and the lock disengages with a click. I grab for the handle, pulling the door wide and holding it open for her. “Everyone’s got their own, but I don’t really see the point with all the security around the perimeter of this place.”
“Yeah, what’s with that, anyways?” Ava asks, scrunching her nose.
Cute .
I shrug. “Order and protection, right? Gotta uphold the pact.” I toss her a wink, gesturing for her to go in ahead of me.
She just stands there frozen, brows knitting together in confusion. Her lips part, mouth opening like she’s going to ask a follow-up question, but then she snaps it closed again and steps past me into the building, evidently thinking better of it.
The rear stairwell is adjacent to this entrance, and Ava heads straight for it, gripping the banister as she begins her ascent. I follow, quickly ascertaining that I was wrong to assume she works out. Her breathing is labored by the third flight of stairs, her steps slowing with fatigue.
“I think I’ve got it from here,” she pants when we reach the landing of the fourth floor, offering me the first real smile I’ve seen on her. “Thanks for walking me. And… sorry, again. You seem like a nice guy, and I could use a friend. I’m just a little out of sorts right now.”
“Don’t sweat it,” I quip. “I’m right upstairs if you need anything.” Tilting my head with a smirk, I edge a little closer. “ Anything at all .”
She nods and starts to back away, getting so flustered again that the blush returns to her cheeks. It’s cute as hell– her whole sweet and innocent vibe is really doing it for me.
“See you around,” Ava mumbles, twirling away and dashing off down the hall.
“Definitely,” I murmur to myself as I watch her retreat. Her little schoolgirl skirt sways with every step, holding me captive until she disappears around the corner and out of sight.
Blowing out a breath, I turn away and take the stairs up one more level to the fifth floor. There’s only a single door at the top of the stairwell, and it leads directly to the apartment I share with my best friends, Ford and Raf. While the other students are tucked downstairs in their tiny dorm rooms, the three of us have the entire top level of Sutton Hall all to ourselves, configured into a lavish penthouse. Perks of being the reigning Kings of this place.
The triad of Kings is a time-honored tradition at Corvus College, an institution founded by the country’s oldest secret society. Every student here is connected to the Invictus through bloodlines, born into the kind of wealth and influence that most can only ever dream of. There’s a distinct hierarchy within the society, and in turn, the social order on campus is set long before any of us actually set foot upon it. My friends and I were chosen for rule; selected in infancy and groomed to take the mantle in adulthood. While we’re here, we’re Kings, and upon passing our final trials, we’ll be so much more.
Not every triad of Kings that passes through this place successfully ascends to the upper ranks of the Invictus, but I have no doubt that my friends and I will. Ford, Raf, and I are so bonded that we’re practically brothers, raised at each other’s sides and meticulously trained to fulfill our orders. We live together, eat together, fight together, and– if a girl is up for it– sometimes we fuck together. The three of us are a unit. A well-oiled machine.
I shrug my backpack off my shoulders as I step into our apartment, slinging it down on the bench just inside the door. As expected, Ford and Raf are already here, sprawled out on the sleek black leather low-back sofa with gaming controllers in their hands, their gazes locked on the massive flatscreen on the wall.
“Hey, degenerates,” I greet cheerfully, striding past them to head for the kitchen.
Neither responds, too absorbed in the video game they’re playing.
“Fuck, man, you were supposed to have my back!” Ford groans as he tosses his controller down with a huff.
“Not my fault you ran out where I couldn’t cover you,” Raf scoffs. He bites his lip in concentration as he mashes the buttons on his controller, still entangled in battle with the enemy soldiers on screen.
Entering the kitchen, I’m greeted with shiny marble counters, black cabinetry, and gleaming stainless-steel appliances, the top-of-the-line finishes clashing with the rustic exposed brickwork of the walls. Whoever renovated this place last evidently wanted to preserve the original architecture while modernizing the amenities, resulting in an odd patchwork of old and new. Pulling open the cabinet beside the fridge, I pilfer a bag of veggie chips from inside, tearing into it like a heathen. They taste like garbage, but at least they curb my snack cravings while providing some semblance of nutrition.
“Hey bro, where you been?” Ford asks, glancing my way at the crinkle of the chip bag like he’s just realized I’m home.
“Had to drop a class,” I say, popping a chip into my mouth and crunching down. “Met a cute new transfer student at the Registrar’s office, too.”
That piques Ford’s interest. “Who is she?” he asks, sitting up straighter.
I grin, sliding my tongue along my upper teeth. “ Ava .”
Ford whistles as he eases back on the leather sofa, linking his hands and cracking his tattooed knuckles. “Sexy name. What’s she like?”
I tilt my head in contemplation as I crunch down on another chip. “Sweet as pie. A little standoffish, though.” I swallow, grinning again. “But fuck , man, she was wearing this little schoolgirl skirt…” I trail off as I picture the hem of it brushing against those smooth thighs with every step. New kink fucking unlocked.
Ford’s lips turn up in a devious smirk. “Bet I can get in her pants first.”
I frown at him, tossing the chip bag down on the counter and shaking my head. “Fuck you, bro, I saw her first. I’ve got dibs.”
“You can’t call dibs when I haven’t even seen her yet,” he challenges.
“I’ll fuck her before either of you get the chance if you don’t shut up about it,” Raf chimes in, tossing his controller down on the coffee table as ‘ game over ’ flashes across the TV screen.
“Yeah, and what would Chelsea say about that?” I ask, arching a brow in his direction.
“Chels wouldn’t say shit,” Raf snaps. “She knows the deal.”
“ Sure she does,” Ford teases.
Raf leans over and jabs out a fist, landing a hard punch on Ford’s bicep.
“Ah, what the fuck, man!” he laughs, rubbing his arm.
Raf rolls his eyes, pushing up to stand and striding my way. “Hey, payment came in for that last run we did for Gideon,” he remarks, fishing a rolled-up stack of bills from his pocket and tossing it in my direction.
I snatch it out of the air, glancing down at the cash critically. “This feels like more than my cut,” I mumble, noticing the thickness of the roll as I test the weight of it in my hand.
Raf shrugs noncommittally. “Keep it. No big deal.”
I frown, winding up and slinging the roll of cash back toward him. “I don’t need your charity,” I growl as it smacks against his chest, then drops to the floor.
Raf, wisely, doesn’t respond. He just clenches his jaw tight as he stoops to pick up the money, heaving an annoyed sigh as he slips it back into his pocket.
I grab the chip bag off the counter and pop another in my mouth, cutting Raf a glare as I turn and head for my room, stopping off to scoop up my backpack along the way.
“It’s not charity if you earned it!” Ford calls after me.
I ignore him as I stomp down the hall, stepping into my bedroom and kicking the door closed behind me. The slam rattles the walls and moments later, I hear the faint murmur of a hushed conversation between my friends.
It’s not like I don’t know the guys mean well. The problem is, when they do shit like that, it only calls attention to my family’s shame. It puts me in a bad mood every fucking time.
I cross the room and slump down in my desk chair, glancing at the family photo pinned to the bulletin board above it as I angrily crunch down on another chip. I can hardly stand to look at the well-tailored suits, designer gowns, and easy smiles– all a cleverly crafted ruse.
If only I’d known at the time it was all a fucking lie.