Chapter 13
“I don’t get it,” Christian said a week later, looking at him from across the table in the campus cafeteria. “Why is he such an asshole to you? I mean, he’s always an asshole, but lately he’s been a super asshole when it comes to you.”
Shawn suppressed a sigh. Christian was right, of course. Rutledge had been treating him like shit the entire week. Not that it came as a complete surprise.
“Seriously, did you kill his cat? Or—or leave a bloody chicken on his doorstep or something?” Christian shook his head. “There has to be some explanation. It’s getting ridiculous. People are starting to talk.”
Shawn’s coffee cup paused halfway to his mouth. “Talk?”
“Never mind.” Christian grimaced, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Just some stupid rumors.”
“What rumors, Chris?”
Christian took a sip from his coffee. “Some think it’s suspicious that Rutledge didn’t give you a failing midterm grade.”
Shawn stopped breathing. “What?”
“Some say you blackmailed him into giving you a passing grade. I told you it’s stupid.”
Shawn relaxed, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah. Stupid.”
“Actually, it is a bit strange, don’t you think? I thought he’d fail you for sure. But he didn’t, and now he’s a total asshole to you. The whole thing is weird.” Christian gave him a probing look. “You sure you aren’t hiding something from me?”
Shawn felt a pang of guilt. He took a gulp of his coffee and looked at his cup. “Maybe.”
“All right, spill,” Christian said, training his eyes on him.
Shawn began tracing the rim of the cup with his finger, following its shape. “I… remember the advice you gave me? On Rutledge?”
Christian chuckled. “You mean flirting?”
“Rutledge didn’t give me a passing grade because he took pity on me, Chris.”
Christian’s eyebrows furrowed; then his jaw dropped. “No way. You actually followed my advice?”
Shawn grimaced. “Not exactly.” He looked down at the sandwich on his plate and pulled at the cheese sticking out at the edges. “I did more than flirting.”
A clang made him look up. Christian had dropped his fork and was now looking at him with wide eyes. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish.”
Christian glanced around and then moved his chair closer. “So what did he make you do?”
“What do you think? Not a hand-job for sure.”
“Holy shit. You sucked him off?”
Shawn nodded curtly.
Christian let out a short laugh. “Wow, I never thought you’d actually flirt with him, much less... So, what was it like? I mean, were you grossed out?” He sipped his coffee.
Shawn was tempted to say yes. It would have made everything simpler. But he couldn’t bring himself to lie.
“No,” Shawn said. “It was okay. Even the first time.”
Christian choked on his coffee and started coughing.
“The first time?” he said when the coughing finally subsided. “You mean you did it more than once? Is he still forcing you to do it for a grade?”
Shawn wondered whether whoring himself out for a grade was better than whoring himself out for money. He wasn’t sure.
“Look…” Shawn ran a hand over his eyes. “I don’t really want to talk about it. Yeah, it’d been going on for a few weeks, but the important thing is, it’s over now. I ended the deal.”
“But did you, you know… did you fuck him?”
“Yeah,” Shawn said, struggling to keep his voice casual. “I fucked him. Well, he fucked me.”
Christian grinned, brown eyes dancing with mischief. “How was he? Any good?”
Smiling crookedly, Shawn shook his head. “Come on, do we have to talk about it?”
“Of course we have to talk about it! You had sex with Rutledge! Rutledge!”
“Hush,” Shawn hissed, glancing around. “I don’t want to talk about it. Nothing to talk about. It didn’t—it didn’t suck, but obviously I’m glad the whole thing is over.”
He felt Christian’s eyes on him, unusually serious and assessing.
Shawn fidgeted under his scrutiny. “What?”
“Then why is he so pissed at you if it’s over?” Christian said, drumming his fingers on the table.
Shawn had an idea why, but it wasn’t something he wanted to think about. “No idea.”
Christian gave him a skeptical look, but didn’t press any further and looked down at his cup. He fell silent, a distant, thoughtful expression on his face.
Shawn eyed his friend. Come to think of it, Christian had been a bit distracted all day. “Something wrong?”
Christian looked up. “Not really. Just… you know Mila?”
“Mila?”
“The girl in Rutledge’s class? Very pretty, curvy, dark hair?”
Shawn shrugged. “It’s a big class. Can’t say I remember her. So what about her?”
“She invited me for a threesome.”
Shawn raised his eyebrows. “And what’s the problem?
It’s not like you’ve never done threesomes before.
” There was very little Christian hadn’t done, actually.
His friend got so many lewd offers sometimes it got silly.
The guy didn’t even have to try. If Christian wasn’t so damn likable, all guys would hate him.
“The problem is her boyfriend,” Christian said.
“What about him? You know him?”
Christian hesitated. “Not exactly. But I’ve seen him around. He always picks her up after school.”
Shawn snorted a laugh, finally realizing who his friend was talking about. “The straight guy you’ve been crushing on for ages?”
“Come on, I don’t have a crush on him,” Christian said with a lopsided smile. “I don’t even know his name.”
Shawn gave him a look that said, Please. “Yup, you don’t have a crush on him. You just stare and drool whenever you see him.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
Christian laughed. “Fine. Maybe. Just a tiny one. But come on, who doesn’t? All girls stare at him and drool whenever he comes. The guy is ridiculously good-looking.”
“So what’s the problem?” Shawn said. “Shouldn’t you be happy you’ll get to have sex with him?”
Christian looked at him like he was an idiot.
“He’s straight. It’s not going to be that kind of threesome.
We’ll just share his girlfriend; that’s all.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I got the feeling the threesome is entirely Mila’s idea—she always flirts with me, and I don’t think he even knows I exist. I don’t think the guy is all too happy about her inviting me to join them.
I don’t know… I get the impression he’s the possessive type. ”
“A tiny crush, yup,” Shawn teased. “Very tiny.”
Christian’s ears turned red. “Oh, shut it. Anyway, that’s the problem: I’m not sure this threesome is a good idea. The guy will probably hate my guts for touching his girl.”
“Then tell her you can’t do it.”
“I already told her I would.” Christian gave him a sheepish look. “Couldn’t resist the chance to see him naked.”
Shawn shook his head. “You’re hopeless, man.”
Christian grinned. “At least I’m not fucking Professor Asshole. Come on, tell me he has a tiny dick! It would make my day!”
Shawn rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “He doesn’t have a tiny dick. And I’m not fucking him anymore. We’re done.”
He lifted his cup and brought it to his lips, avoiding Christian’s eyes.
He thought about the way Rutledge had looked at him back in class: angry and so damn intense it made him instantly hard.
He thought about how he’d spent half of the class fantasizing about dropping to his knees before Rutledge and sucking his dick, right there, in front of all other students.
He thought about his other fantasies: how he wanted to climb into Rutledge’s lap, shut him up with kisses and then get Rutledge’s cock inside of him—
“You all right?” Christian said. “You look flushed.”
Shawn forced out a smile. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
Just peachy.