FOUR
DAKOTA
It was the day of the car wash fundraiser, and I was beyond nervous.
The cheerleaders and I always held various fundraisers to help organizations we supported, for example, helping single mothers, getting women their necessary hygiene products, feeding homeless children, et cetera.
“You ready?” Daisy asked in a sing-song manner as she appeared at my side. Her long blonde hair glistened in the sunlight, as she strode alongside me with her bright smile reaching her soft green eyes.
“Yeah,” I breathlessly said, each of us carrying a heavy box.
All the cheerleaders—and some of our friends—were helping set up for the car wash.
As soon as Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics boomed through the speakers, everyone froze, immediately shifting their eyes to Darnell. He was sitting next to the speaker with his phone in his hand.
He awkwardly smiled before jumping up on a chair to start singing, using his phone as a microphone, and performed for us. A few people, including myself, chuckled before continuing with what we were doing.
“No, Agatha. That’s all wrong!” Celeste—looking like the epitome of a cheer captain with her pitch black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, accessorised with a huge red bow—groaned in annoyance. “Do you want us to be the laughing stock of the school?” she rhetorically seethed.
“My name is Amy,” the girl corrected Celeste, who didn’t pay her any mind and proceeded to fix the sign herself.
Amy stepped back, and I shot her an apologetic look.
“Just go ruin something else,” Celeste waved Amy away, heavily exhaling.
I watched Amy wrap her arms around her stomach as she hurried away in embarrassment.
“Oh! Girls! What do you think?” Celeste beamed at Daisy and me, doing jazz hands in front of the sign.
“I think you need to be nicer to people who voluntarily decide to help you,” I stated, and she dramatically dropped her hands, the smile vanishing off her face in an instant.
“Oh, come on, Daffodil,” she rolled her eyes, jumping off the chair.
She calls me that because I remind her of one.
“The girl was doing everything wrong. She painted the cars brown when I specifically said blue, black, red, and or leave them white. Then she added glitter to the water on the posters and as much as I love glitter, even I know it doesn’t belong in the water for a car wash poster,” she rested her hands on her hips, utterly agitated. “She was a mess.”
“I’m sure she was trying.”
“Not hard enough,” Celeste mumbled, and Daisy and I shared a knowing look. “Okay, okay!” she defensively threw her hands up before crossing her arms over her chest. “Stop giving each other that look that says you’re silently judging me,” she wiggled her finger between the two of us.
“Promise me you’ll be nicer,” I pinned her with a look.
“Fine,” she murmured. “I’ll be nicer,” she averted my gaze.
“Thank you,” I sighed, turning to drop my box on top of Daisy’s.
Celeste had her good days, but you didn’t want to be her enemy. She was as vile as they got, and unfortunately for some girls—and guys—on campus, they’ve fallen victim to her.
“Genevieve!” Celeste forced through her teeth as she clenched her fists at her side.
The girl’s name was Jenna. Celeste couldn’t be bothered to learn the real names of people. Unless they were her friends, she simply didn’t care.
I stood upright, noticing that Jenna was on the receiving end of Celeste’s glare.
Carefully, I slipped my arm around Celeste’s waist, and she immediately tensed, looking at me.
“Isn’t Jenna just working so hard and doing her best?” I asked, and she opened her mouth to protest but simply stared at me.
“Uh-huh,” was all she could get out, and I smiled.
“You should probably tell her,” I leaned in to whisper.
Celeste smiled, looking at me, and I nodded encouragingly.
“Good job, Janine,” she forced through her teeth, trying her best to have the nicest, most convincing smile. Good enough.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Celeste, shifting my attention to Daisy. “Has Solace arrived yet?” I asked as her and I headed towards the booth we set up for payment.
“I think I saw her dragging Asher towards the back by his ear,” she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. Okay, that’s weird. Maybe he just made her mad again.
I brushed it off, and Daisy and I continued doing our part, even getting distracted now and then.
“I swear I have the bladder of an eighty year old woman,” she groaned, dropping her can of soda on the table. “I’ll be right back,” she sped through her words, rushing away from me with her thighs squeezed together and pain etched on her face.
I shook my head at her before looking around, seeing how perfectly everything was coming together. Excitement stirred in my chest.
After a few hours of setting up, cars started pulling in, and the girls and I got to work.
I rounded one of the cars I was washing and immediately got sprayed with cold water. I gasped, looking up to see Solace maniacally chuckling.
My white t-shirt and mini denim shorts were soaked. “Now, you’re wet enough,” she winked at me, blowing the tip of the garden hose pipe.
“Oh yeah?” I scoffed, inching towards her, and she backed up. I ran after her, trying to grab the garden hose, but she was too fast for me.
She laughed, walking backwards, and I flipped her off. She walked into Asher’s chest and whipped around in shock to look up at him.
I turned my back on them, walking over to the extra supplies table. I grabbed some dry rags, as well as a bottle of water before making my way back to the car.
“Do you—” My steps came to an immediate halt. I glanced around. And they’re gone. Again. Where to and why are they disappearing so much? I’m going to kill them. Both of them.
Finding myself back at the shiny red car I was washing, water splashed at my ankles as I bent over the hood, soap suds clinging to my soaked white t-shirt.
My shorts were already riding high on my thighs, skin glistening from the water and sunscreen clinging to my body. I could feel the bottom of my ass cheeks peeking out but no amount of adjusting the material would fix that.
Music blasted from a speaker nearby, laughter echoed, and somewhere behind me, someone whistled. I didn’t pay it any mind… until I saw him. Professor Hale.
Standing tall with his hands in the pockets of his black pants—like sin wrapped in slacks and smug restraint. Sunglasses covered his eyes, but the sharp line of his jaw, the slight tick in it, told me he was watching me. Closely.
One of the cheerleaders approached him and he tipped his chin, acknowledging her. They exchanged a few words before he subtly shook his head. His heated gaze pierced through the lenses, flying straight over her head to meet mine in a moment of intensity—curiosity.
I’d smack him upside his head if he looked at another girl while speaking to me.
Eventually, of what felt like a decade, she finally walked away and I couldn’t resist the smug smile tugging at the corner of my lips as I strutted over.
“Please, tell me you brought a car and didn’t just come to watch wet, half naked college girls,” I mused, knowing full well he came with his car.
He didn’t smile. Not fully. But that didn’t stop his voice from lowering. “That’s inappropriate, Miss King,” his deep voice forced ripples of desire down my spine.
My arms folded across my chest, unintentionally emphasising my cleavage.
“You’re inappropriate.” When he only quirked an eyebrow, I continued.
“Last week. You watching me from the VIP mezzanine.” I didn’t mention our tutoring session a few days ago, because part of me believed that I only imagined the tension.
That seemed to jog his memory, making his chin tip lower. Unfortunately, the slight upward tilt of the corner of his lips appeared almost as soon as it disappeared.
“I hadn’t realised that was you.” Bullshit. “We were quite high up and with how crowded the dance floor was, paired with the low lighting…” he trailed off as though I’d finish his sentence for him.
The dark lenses were still shielding his penetrating gaze, but I’d bet so much goddamn money that an undeniable smugness was lighting them up right about now.
When I couldn’t put together a snarky remark, he took one step closer and pulled his sunglasses off. “To answer your question, Miss King, I simply figured my car could use a wash.”
I almost snorted. “From who? One of the many college girls who flaunt themselves at you?” I teased. “Or, is it too difficult to choose?” I whispered before faking a gasp.
“You’re jealous,” his voice almost softened as though he was amused, and I scoffed at his audacity.
“And you’re full of yourself,” I shot back. “And I’m not jealous. I simply asked a question.”
“Ask me again, Miss King, but rephrase your question.”
“How?” my brows furrowed, and it was like his inhumanly powerful presence wrapped around me, slowly tugging me to him.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” his tone scratched just the right spot in my brain and I could squirm. “Now, ask me again.” His voice dropped almost completely, and something about it stirred unfamiliar feelings inside of me. It was like I wanted to do what he asked of me, no questions asked.
“Did you bring your car, or did you come to watch me be half naked and soaking wet?”
My obedience seemed to please him with the way he straightened up and eased back. “The latter, of course.”
My heart skipped a beat. The thought itself made my stomach twist in anxiety—a pinch of forbidden curiosity growing in my core. Oh?
“Creep,” my eyes narrowed, and he brushed his tongue on the inside of his cheek.
A deep pulsing unraveled between my thighs at the thought and when his scent drifted into my nose, it intensified.
His hand lifted and he pulled something from my hair, showing me three attached flower petals. He stepped back with his free hand behind his back and nodded toward his car. “Go on.”
With my heart raging in my chest, I suppressed a groan. Well, Professor Hale… two can play that game. I plastered the most polite smile on my face.
“Yes, sir.” My reply was smooth—igniting the unmissable spark of hunger behind his eyes.
I headed over and let the sponge fall into the bucket, water splashing on my carves. Slowly bending over to retrieve it, I made sure to arch my ass just enough.
I moved around to his side of the car, dragging the soapy sponge over the windshield, then along the window—pausing just as I reached his driver-side mirror.
Our eyes met in the reflection of the window, and I smiled. Innocently. Dangerously.
“You always look like you’re trying not to say something,” I murmured, dragging the sponge in a slow circle over the glass.
“I’m trying not to do something,” he murmured, almost too low for me to catch it but I was already staring at his lips. The muscle in his jaw ticked— his circulating eyes not leaving me. Not when I walked around the car and slid the sponge over the hood like a caress, eyes locked on his.
Not even when the water sprayed, drenching me—hair damp, shirt soaked through, nipples hard and visible beneath the thin fabric.
I was playing a game. And from the fire in his eyes, he was one breath away from losing it. And maybe… I wanted him to.
“Excuse me,” he said, taking a step back but before he turned, he looked at me again. “Be careful when tempting me with something next time, Miss King. You might not be entirely ready when you get what you want.”
I watched him walk away from me and suddenly, my chest sank with a relieving exhale. My brain nearly brushed over his words until I paused. That sounded like a challenge.
* * *
As the day filled with washing multiple cars and having fun, it seemed like everything was going extremely well.
There were way more cars than we had anticipated, but to be fair that wasn’t surprising. A bunch of college cheerleaders offering a car washing service? It’s every college boy’s fantasy.
I was able to catch a few glimpses of Professor Hale here and there. Otherwise, he was nowhere to be seen. The last time I saw him, I caught his gaze lingering on my legs as I bent over the hood of a car, trying to clean the windshield. I liked it.
“Hey, I’m going to get something to eat. You two want anything?” Asher asked Solace and I—snapping me back to reality.
“No, thank you,” we smiled in unison and he nodded, leaving us. Solace let out a long, exasperated sigh and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“My fingers are already pruning,” she whined.
“It’s for a good cause,” I reminded her.
We started setting up at around 9 a.m. and at 12 p.m. we were officially ready to start washing cars. It was almost 5 p.m. so I completely understood her exhaustion.
I spotted Professor Hale standing close by, arms crossed over his crisp button-up, his usual unreadable expression in place. He was speaking to another male professor, and I couldn’t help but stare at his drool worthy physique.
“You might want to be a little less obvious,” Solace whispered, dunking a rag into the bucket of soapy water.
Feigning innocence, I tucked a damp strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She simply scoffed, smiled, and turned away, but I couldn’t help but smile too. I adjusted the hem of my tank top, just enough to be casual but flattering before picking up the garden hose.
Holding it out, I twisted the nozzle experimentally, aiming at the car in front of me.
The stream of water veered wildly off course and my eyes widened, until it hit something. Snapping my eyes up, my heart sank. Dead centre of Professor Hale’s chest. Fuck.