Page 27 of The Trophy

I push against his chest and when he doesn’t budge, I stomp on his foot, forcing him to let go of my chin.

“Bullshit!” I snarl. “I know Luca got the entire team and every Gamma brother to sign NDAs. He would sue you.”

Topher shrugs, his smirk back in full force. “Maybe. But first off, he would have to prove where the rumor came from. Besides, I come from a family of lawyers, and believe me, no NDA is ironclad. Even if he did sue me and he won in court, the damage to his father’s political plans would be irreversible. Luca isn’t the only one who would be ruined if those rumors came out. A lot of NHL teams would think twice before drafting a player surrounded by too much drama. They already have to keep their players in line, they wouldn’t want to pick a rookie who’s already tangled in all kinds of scandals.”

The knot in the pit of my stomach tightens when Topher puts the finishing touch on his plan to ruin me and the guys.

“Finally, we have you and Cash. Excellent grades aren’t the only requirement to keep your scholarships. There’s a standard clause in every scholarship that stipulates that the beneficiary of the scholarship, needs to keep an exemplary conduct at all times. What would the Dean say if he learned what you and three of my teammates are up to? You and Cash would lose your scholarships and Coach would have no choice but to kick them all out of the team.”

I hate that Topher might be right, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his words hit the intended target. “You speak as if you and all the other players were nuns. The Gamma parties are notorious for being wild, you all engage in all kinds of inappropriate behavior, from hooking up in public to drinking and none of you is even twenty-one yet. It’s the worst kept secret on campus.”

Topher’s smile widens, like the proverbial cat that got the canary. “That’s true, Lake. But one thing is knowing what we’re up to in theory, one thing is to have all those wild antics out in the open, discussed by every gossip outlet in the country. It would attract the attention of the NCAA and put the school’s entire hockey program in jeopardy. And all because you and I couldn’t come to an understanding about a harmless little dare.”

His smile makes me sick to my stomach and for a second I think I might be physically sick.

Maybe I should puke all over Topher, it’s not like he doesn’t deserve that and more.

He sees my resolve weakening and pounces on me again, grabbing my arm this time. “So?” he hisses through gritted teeth. “Do we have an understanding?”

I hate him. “Yeah,” I bite out, swallowing the bile that coats my tongue.

“Good.” He says, pulling me even closer. “Think about it, you have the power of choosing the hockey team’s new captain. Not bad for a dirty little book mouse who a month ago couldn’t tell a puck from a basketball, huh?”

“Let go of me, Topher,” I cry out, struggling against his hold.

“Or what, little slut?” he chuckles darkly.

The bastard might have me and the guys right where he wants us for now, but I’m not going to let him get away with this.

I can’t tell Bay about the dare until I have a plan to protect the guys and that’s the hardest part. Just the idea that my sister is dating this sociopath is killing me.

“I asked you a question, slut. Answer me.”

His grip on my arm is tighter than a vise and struggling to get him to let go of me has proved fruitless so far. So I have only one choice to put some distance between me and the douche.

“Ouch! You fucking whore!”

It’s my turn to smile as Topher lets me go to cup his crotch with both hands.

His face is red and his voice shrill and a little higher in pitch than usual as he contorts in pain.

Kneeing a guy in the balls might be a cheap shot, but it was the only way to get someone who towers over me in height and has over fifty pounds on me to back off.

“What’s going on here?” Bay’s voice reaches us from the kitchen’s threshold.

If I have any doubt about how Topher has managed to keep Bay under his spell so far, I see the evidence with my own eyes. Like every respectable sociopath, Topher’s personality totally changes when he’s around his girlfriend. Gone is the arrogant douche, Topher is still a lot cocky, but when Bay is around, he acts like no one else matters. He’s a pro at keeping his sleazy behavior under wraps from his girlfriend.

As soon as he hears my sister’s voice, the Gamma president rightens himself. “Nothing,” he pants, still struggling with pain. “I just caught my finger in the cutlery drawer. It hurts like a bitch.”

Good save, asshole.

I watch powerless as Bay runs to her boyfriend’s side and he shows her one of his index fingers.

“You’re such a baby,” Bay smiles. “It looks fine, it isn’t even red.”

God knows I hope his balls are even a tiny bit bruised, I think with perverse satisfaction.

“But it really hurts, sexy. I need you to kiss all my pain away.”

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