Page 1 of Power Play

Chapter 1

I Saw Her First

CLAY

8 years ago, August

Today is not a good day.

Dealing with a hangover is the worst—especially when someone decided to blast the heat. The throbbing in my temples is unbearable. I keep massaging them with my fingers as I walk away from my best friend Colton Thompson’s car.

I reach for the door of Dot, the coffee shop close to our campus, open it, and walk inside. A strong aroma of coffee mixed with cinnamon hits me right in the face, and I’m ready to backtrack. I had way too many drinks last night, and now it feels like they’re looking for a way out.

“Move, Rodgers.” Colton pushes me forward, and I begrudgingly do as he says.

Instead of going to the counter to place an order, I trudge to the farthest corner of the shop and slump into a chair. Stretching my legs in front of me, I relax into the seat. The air conditioner is right above me, and the cool air blowing down on me feels heavenly. I cover my eyes with my hand and just sit here. The chatter of other customers, the music playing in thebackground…all that quickly turns into white noise, and I start drifting off to sleep.

“Your coffee.”

I bolt up in my seat, looking around, disoriented. A cup of coffee is on the table, but it’s not what I’m focused on. It’s the smirk on Thompson’s face that grates on my nerves as he sits down across from me.

Fucker.

“Why are you so loud?” I grind out, grasping the cup in my hand.

He lifts his cup to his mouth. “Because you were snoring.”

“How could I snore if I wasn’t sleeping?”

“You were.” He shrugs.

“And I didn’t notice it?” I ask incredulously.

“I knew a guy whose oldest brother was in the military. He told us once that one of the soldiers was sleepwalking during a drill.” Colton shrugs. “So sit-sleeping in your case is fully possible.”

I flip him off and take a sip of my drink. Thank God he at least got my coffee order right. I wouldn’t put it past him to order some fancy shit when all I needed was a cup of strong black coffee.

We sit quietly, drinking coffee. Usually, I’m the one filling the silence, but now I’m not in the mood. Maybe once this awful headache goes away, I’ll be able to actually enjoy this day.

The coffee shop is full of college kids as classes start in three days. When I look around, I notice some of my classmates, a few girls I hooked up with. One of them catches my gaze on her and winks at me; a flirty smile splits her lips. I nod, not even trying to remember her name. My brain is not braining right now.

I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night. It was overkill.

Slowly but surely, the pain dulls. My vision isn’t that blurry anymore, so I sit up straighter, tapping my foot in time with the music. This coffee is magic.

“What are you playing?” I ask, squinting at Colton, who’s moving his finger in a swipe motion on his phone’s screen.

He glances at me. “Subway Surfers. Why?”

“You refuse to come over when I invite you to play some normal games on my laptop but play this? This is kids’ level.”

All I get instead of an answer is an eye roll, and he focuses on his phone again. Typical Thompson.

The ding of a bell draws my attention to the door. My eyebrows go up to my hairline. “Wow,” I whisper under my breath.

A girl with blond hair pulled up into a high ponytail strolls into the shop and goes straight to the barista. She’s in a lacy, white crop top and light blue jean shorts. A little black purse hangs over her shoulder, paired with black sandals on her feet. Her body is fucking perfection. Big tits and a narrow waist, with a flat stomach, round hips, and long legs even though she’s maybe around five-foot-six. Her melodic voice reaches our table as she chats with the barista.

It’s the first time I’ve seen her on campus—I would definitely remember her.

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