Page 4 of Frat House Fling

“You’ll need to provide your own fishnet stockings,” Bennett said with a smirk.

Grant’s smile was equally smug. “If you can’t afford them, I’ll be happy to pay… if you let me watch you try them on.”

My mind was still reeling, but somehow my body knew what to do. I pushed up off the couch, getting shakily to my feet. I’d been wrong, so wrong, about these guys. Desperation could do that to people, but I’d rather sleep on a park bench than parade around in a costume like that for their perverted entertainment.

“I think—” That was as far as I got. The rest of the words seemed to get stuck in my throat. I held onto the arm of the couch for balance as I turned toward the front door. Before I could make a move toward it, it swung inward.

A new man strode inside, his arms swinging until he spotted us and stopped short. “Oh, hey. Is this the woman who’s going torescue us from a diet of takeout food this summer?” He smiled at me.

“That remains to be seen,” Grant said.

The new guy walked over. He had dark, rather ruffled hair and a short beard. His eyes were dark when he was inside the doorway, but as the sun from the bay windows reached his face, they turned light grey. It was a little disconcerting… he had one of those gazes that appeared to look right through you. But as he was the only one of the three who hadn’t smirked at me so far, I attempted to return his smile.

“I’m Theo.” He held out a hand and I shook it. Even with every cell in my body screaming at me to get the hell out of here, I couldn’t help noting his tan, muscular forearms. “Third year architecture student.”

Wow. He didn’t look like an architect. Or, I guess I’d never met any, come to think of it. But he was better looking than I would’ve expected one to be.

Which wasn’t the most pressing matter.

His gaze had already fallen on the most pressing matter. “What’s that?” His forehead wrinkled slightly as he stared at the French maid costume.

My voice returned. “M-my new uniform.” Except it wouldn’t be. No way would I take a job here now.

Theo from me to the skimpy little dress a few times, and then he burst into laughter.

He moved between the cousins, slinging an arm around each of their necks. “Very funny, guys.” His chuckles filled the room before he shook Grant’s shoulders. “You’re supposed to haze the new recruits, not the summer help.”

For once, Grant didn’t look cocky. Whoever this new guy was, Grant didn’t want to be an arrogant ass around him. “We?—”

“He’s the pledge master, you know,” Theo told me before snatching the costume out of Bennett’s hands. He held it out infront of him and ran one finger down the black satin. “Where did you even get this?” He shook his head and let out a low whistle. Then he winked at me. “Not that you wouldn’t look great in this, but these guys are just giving you a hard time. You’ll get used to them.”

He elbowed Bennett. “No more pranking our new friend here.”

A prank.

He was convinced that was all it was. But the other two frat brothers sure hadn’t acted like it was. I watched them as first Bennett, and then Grant gave reluctant smiles. They were acting like Theo was right, that it had been a joke all along.

But I didn’t think it had been. In fact, I was pretty sure that, among the four of us, only Theo believed that.

“We couldn’t resist,” Grant said, more to his buddy than to me. Bennett gave me a curt nod, but his eyes were cold.

Very cold.

Theo tossed the little black dress on the coffee table, seeming to dismiss it from his mind. Easy for him to do, I thought, as he turned to me. “So,” he began before interrupting himself. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Hailey,” I said.

“So, Hailey, are you joining us for the summer?”

No. No, no, no. Every neuron in my brain shouted that one syllable, over and over. Except where was I going to sleep? And how could I afford that, let alone food and basic necessities? If I took this job, I’d have food, a place to stay, and ten times more cash than pet sitting could provide.

Any woman with an ounce of sense wouldn’t trust Grant and Bennett any farther than she could throw them—and they were big, strong guys. I doubted I could even nudge one a few inches.

Theo’s gaze was still on me, and his smile was open and friendly. He didn’t seem like a jerk or a threat. Maybe the otherfrat brothers staying here this summer would be more like him and less like the President and his cousin?

At least I hoped that was the case.

Grant cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow at me, but it was Bennett who spoke. “Well?” His clipped voice echoed the tone of every toxic boss I’d ever had.

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