Page 10 of Merciless Prince
The next ten minutes provided more of the same as we made our way across campus. Four more guys recognized Cori, and each of them was sleazier than the last. One demanded her phone number as if she owed it to him, and another two who approached us together asked her to prove she didn’t have implants—as if that really mattered—and acted like it was a big joke when she made it clear she was uncomfortable. The last one actually groped her after asking me to take a photo of the two of them together. He had his arm around her shoulders one second, like a normal fan, and then his hand suddenly slid all the way down to her ass and squeezed.
Cori almost slapped the guy, but she gritted her teeth and restrained herself because she didn’t want to end up with a reputation as a diva who abused fans. Of course, none of the online gossipers and trolls would care that her fans were mostly assholes and abusers themselves. On top of that, a lot of them would refuse to take her side if she ever tried to complain, for the simple reason that she chose to take the beer commercial job. Typical victim blamers.
“I was right,” she grumbled as we headed past the soaring clock tower that marked the central point of the campus. “Today fucking blows, and this place is crawling with assholes.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, offering her a sad smile. “I didn’t think there’d be so many guys like that here.”
“They’re everywhere,” she said with a scowl. “You know, before I booked the beer ad, I actually thought the world was getting better, but it’s not. So many guys out there still think that women’s bodies exist solely for their viewing pleasure.”
“Yeah, I know. It sucks. Just try to block them out and concentrate on the good stuff. Like that,” I said, pointing toward the library. “You’ve been looking forward to seeing it, right? Should we go in and check it out?”
The library was one of the most magnificent buildings on campus. It had been designed to resemble a large Gothic church with turrets and stained glass windows that portrayed scenes from ancient myths. I’d seen photos of the interior, and it was stunning. Colored light poured in through the stained glass when the sun was at the right place in the sky, and once you stepped past the foyer, the building was open, so you could see up five stories to all the bookshelves that lined the walls.
Cori gave me a little half-smile. “Let’s check it out later. I don’t think the librarians want us dragging our muddy suitcases all through the place.”
“True. At least you’d be safe from the sleazy assholes, though. None of them looked like they’ve ever cracked open a book, let alone set foot in a library.”
She snickered. “No shit. I bet they were all legacies. Only here thanks to a few smart ancestors and mommy and daddy’s bank account.”
“Exactly.”
She let out an irritated huff. “Honestly, though, I’m so done with this shit. I swear, if one more guy comes up to us today and asks—”
Her sentence was interrupted by a masculine voice cutting through the crisp fall air. “Excuse me, ladies.”
We whirled around to see a tall man standing behind us. He was probably in his early twenties, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. When he realized we’d heard him, he moved even closer. “Hey, I was just wondering if—”
Cori put her hands on her hips and cut him off. “Yes, it’s me, yes, they’re real, andno,you can’t touch them,” she said, practically spitting out the words.
The man looked bewildered. “Uh… sorry, I don’t know what you mean,” he said, taking a step back. “I’m looking for the Morrison building, but I have no idea where to go. I thought I’d come over and ask you two because you look like you know your way around, but, uh… never mind. You’re obviously busy.”
He turned and started to walk away.
“Hey, wait!” I called out. “She didn’t mean that!”
“I’m so sorry!” Cori added, cheeks flushing pink. “I thought you were someone else.”
“Oh.” The guy stepped back over to us, thick brows raised high on his forehead. “Who did you think I was?”
“She was in a beer ad where she had to wear a bikini and dance around on a beach,” I explained, gesturing to Cori. “A lot of guys see it as an open invitation to come up and say really gross stuff to her.”
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my shit like that,” Cori cut in, words tumbling out a mile a minute. “Someone just groped me a few minutes ago, and I thought you were another—”
The guy lifted a hand to cut her off. “It’s fine, I get it. But I promise, I just wanted directions from you,” he said. His lips turned up in a friendly smile. “I don’t watch much TV, and I don’t like beer, so I guess that’s why I didn’t recognize you.”
“Right.” Cori’s cheeks were bright red now. “Where did you say you needed to go?”
“The Morrison building. I’m trying to figure out where all my classes are before Monday,” the guy replied. He extended a hand. “I’m Cooper, by the way.”
“Cori. And this is Shay. She’s memorized the whole campus map, so she can probably help you.”
I nodded and pointed down the path. “See that fountain there? Go past that, turn left, and walk for about thirty seconds. You’ll see another path on your right that goes between two huge buildings. Turn onto that path and head down it until you reach the big statue on the lawn near the end. The Morrison building is on the other side of that lawn.”
Cooper nodded slowly. “So… go left at the fountain, take the first right after that, then find a statue on some lawn at the end of the path?”
“Yup.”
He grinned. “Sounds easy enough. Thanks a lot,” he said. He lifted his left hand in a casual wave. “Anyway, it was nice to meet you. Hope your day gets better.”
