Chapter Seven
ZANDER
“Idon’t know about anyone else, but I think it’s fair to say the first party of the term was a success,” Lucien says, as I walk into the lounge and join the other three guys.
“You’re only saying that because you hooked up,” Shawn says.
“I hook up every night,” Lucien laughs. “And don’t tell me you didn’t think last night went well.”
“No, you’re right, it did,” Shawn says.
In my opinion, last night was very much a success. My mind goes back to Leona’s low moan of pleasure when I bit her lip. To the eager way she sucked my cock and the way she spoke to me while she was doing it.
There is something about her that I feel I recognize.
She’s beautiful, obviously, but every girl I hook up with is gorgeous.
Leona, though, is a contradiction. She looks so fragile with her blonde curls.
She is petite and her elfin features come together to create what should be a delicate little thing.
But she is far from delicate. Just the fact that she went so far in her chosen sport says that.
But, in that interview room during the challenge I saw steel in her; in the way she handled herself and in the way she spoke.
I also like that she obviously assessed me quickly, so she knew what psychological line to take to trick me.
I feel my cock twitch as I think of her. The way her pert little breasts sit there begging to be bitten. The way her hips curve in just the right way for my hand to grab them. The way her throat looks made to be marked by my mouth.
My depraved desire for her makes my heart race even more when I imagine her tight little pussy clenching around my cock, slick and wet from the cum and blood taking her virginity.
The second I saw her I knew I had to have her. Have her in all the ways my own little virgin didn’t even know she wanted yet.
And I tried last night, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
Her attempt at resisting…
She isn’t as innocent as she looks – not by a long fucking shot. No, last night proved that, and…
It twists in me, this itch that shouldn’t be there: I want to see her again.
Now, that is unusual. Usually all it takes is one time to fuck a particular woman out of my system. But this time…
“Zan! Did you know?” Damien asks.
I had almost forgotten I wasn’t alone, but I switch back on to the conversation and focus on Damien.
“Know what?”
“Last night was The Hawks’ initiation and pledge night. The turnout was so bad that they canceled it,” Damien laughs.
“That explains why they ended up here,” Lucien says.
“I didn’t know, but I wished I could’ve seen the look on Matthew’s face when he swept the door open — all full of himself — and there was no one there,” I say.
“It really couldn’t have gone better even if we’d known it was their big night,” Shawn says.
We all laugh and then we spend some time taking the piss out of Matthew; doing impressions of how he would have looked when he saw the poor turn out, and discussing how he would have felt when he realized The Hawks were done.
He must’ve felt worse when he realized that everyone he had made the effort to recruit was at our party instead.
Partway through our celebration, there is a light tap on the lounge door.
“Yeah,” Damien shouts.
Alex, one of last year’s recruits comes in. He looks at me. “Tilly is here for you,” he says.
“Tell her to go away,” I say. I have no regrets with life in general and I certainly don’t feel the need to look back at my past and mope.
However, suddenly I realize that I do regret sleeping with Tilly.
She is so damned hard to shake off, and more so when I know she wants to hook up with me, so my movie connections can make her a star.
“Umm,” Alex says, as if he has something to add.
“Don’t be shy,” I say. “Cough it up?”
“Well, she said you would say that. And she said I should tell you that she knows something important, something you will definitely want to know,” he says.
I’m sure she said that just to get under my skin, hoping I won’t rest until I know what she’s on about. The bitch is trying to manipulate me. Does she really think she can play a player? Despite that, I decide to let her think I’ve fallen for her game. Only because I do want to know what she knows.
I sigh. “Send her in,” I say.
A couple of moments pass, and Tilly comes into the room.
She makes a beeline for me, and I stand up.
She gives me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
I push her away, but she acts as if I haven’t, although I see a flash of hurt in her eyes.
What the fuck does she want from me? It’s not as if I have given her any indication that I want her, even before our hook up the other day.
I definitely don’t want her now. I’ve seen what’s out there and Tilly doesn’t even come close.
“Hi Zander, hi boys,” she says.
I sit down and she actually makes it as if she is going to sit on my lap, so I scoot along quickly leaving her a seat beside me.
“Well?” I say, “Alex said you have something to tell me.”
“All in good time Zander,” Tilly says. She smiles and runs her fingernails along my bare arm. She reaches the sleeve of my t-shirt and runs her fingers back down my arm again. “You haven’t even offered me a drink, yet.”
I snatch my arm away.
“You want a drink? Go to a bar. Either tell me what you think I need to know or leave,” I say.
“There’s no need to be like that, is there?” Tilly says with a pout. “I thought we were friends, Zan. Can’t I visit my friends when I want?”
“Friends don’t drag things out like this. If they know something they think their friend should know, they tell them,” I point out.
“OK, you got me,” Tilly smiles. “So, that girl you disappeared with last night. Leona. She’s not exactly Miss Faithful is she?”
“Well, she and I are not exactly married, are we,” I say in the same tone, playing it cool, but seething inside.
What the fuck is Tilly talking about? I can’t stand the thought of someone else touching Leona. I mustn’t let anyone see that I am bothered though, especially not Tilly. Hell hath no fury and all that.
“Ah, good,” Tilly positively purrs, “So you won’t mind knowing that she’s over at a party at Matthew’s place, then?” she smiles like the cat that got the cream.
“Those damned Hawks,” I say, “they just asked everyone who was at our party over to theirs, when they were here last night. Pretty fucking unoriginal.” Although I think Matthew must be really crazy to mess with anything that’s mine.
“It really grinds my gears that they leech off us like this,” I say. “I am so sick of it. They deserve a lesson.” I stand up.
“Let it go, Zan,” Shawn says. “We don’t need a full-on war with The Hawks.”
“Wake up!” I snap. “We’re already in one.”
“Are you sure about that?” Tilly says to Shawn at the same time. “Because your sister is over there, too.”
His face darkens.
“Now can we go?” I ask.
Shawn has the decency not to say any more. He just gets up and follows me. The twins are only a step behind us, and I hear Damien telling Tilly to move — she’s not staying in the house alone. She can either come with us or go home.
***
The second we enter Hawk House, I spot Leona.
She’s sitting on a small couch chatting to Matthew.
The two of them are laughing and I feel a surge of red-hot anger come over me.
I bite it back. I need to be coherent and keep my wits about me here, otherwise I will do something that I, or Valens, might end up regretting.
I suppose the advantage of spending years forcing myself not to let my emotions control me helps with self-control. Yes, I want to rip Matthew’s head off and fuck Leona in his still warm blood. But I won’t. It’s just not the right thing to do in polite society.
We walk through the crowd and head towards the kitchen to get a drink.
This is Damien’s idea — he rightfully points out that if we just come in and kick off because of the girls being there, it will make Matthew think he has got one over on us.
I pretend not to notice that people are surprised by our presence and are staring and nudging each other.
We pick up some drinks and head back to the main party, where Matthew comes to meet us. He smiles — a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Good evening gentlemen,” he says. “And what brings you here tonight?”
“Well, after you extended the hand of friendship by coming to our party last night, and by obviously wanting everyone to come to yours, we thought we would join them,” I say carefully. “Is that a problem?”
“Of course not. Welcome to our humble abode,” Matthew says.
I nod at him, and he moves away. We move towards the area Matthew has vacated where Leona, Erin and Laurel are still sitting. Before I even get the chance to speak, Shawn glares at Erin and lets rip.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he snaps.
He keeps his voice low enough that no one around us would realize there is a scene unfolding, but I can hear the anger bubbling away beneath the surface.
It’s an anger that would scare anyone on campus — except me and Erin, of course, and she just rolls her eyes at him.
“Well, until about two minutes ago, I was having a good time,” she says.
Shawn takes a breath and then shakes his head. “And you really couldn’t find anywhere better to do that than here?” he says. “You should know better Erin. And you.”
The second part is aimed at Laurel, who shrinks back in her seat. Leona looks at Laurel and then frowns at Shawn. OK, maybe there’s someone else who isn’t afraid of Shawn’s temper, but I have to assume that’s because she’s never seen him kick off.
“It was my idea to come here,” Leona says. “Obviously my friends weren’t going to let me come alone. What’s the big deal, anyway?”