Page 96 of Good Girl

I force a swallow past the massive elephant-sized lump in throat. “Don’t want to leave sad.”

Derek kisses my forehead. “I’m glad you’re sad.”

I frown up at him. “Glad?”

He hums. “Yes. Because it means you are as deep into this as we are. If you weren’t sad, I’d be questioning if this was the right thing to be doing. But you want to be with us as much as we want to be with you. Just take tonight for yourself. Trust me when I say, you’ll wake up to your phone flooded with messages from all of us. You are stuck with us for the next six months.”

My heart soars and cracks at the same time.

Six months. Only six months.

And then I am on my own again. But only if I can’t convince them to extend the contract again.

Third time’s a charm, right?

Chapter 43

Emery

“Okay, missy, spill. I’ve been good. I left you alone when you got home last night and basically fell into a post-sex coma. And this morning, we were both rushing, even though you had a massive smile on your face. But now that the orientation seminar is over, we both have an hour to kill before our first classes. Details. Don’t hold back, I want to know everything. Was it like the firstnight? Were you on, you know, restrictions again? Did they tie you up? I saw you take ibuprofen this morning, are you okay? Do we need to swing by a store and get you anything? I ordered you that pillow, by the way. It should arrive today—thank you, overnight shipping.”

Oakley’s rambling is both cute and impressive. I’m not sure how she gets enough breaths in for the words to just flow like that. I haven’t heard a discernible gap, which is almost frightening.

But she’s right. I did get home and crash, and if it hadn’t been for her waking me this morning, I would have totally missed the opening speeches. Turns out, they were boring as fuck, but I’m pretty sure it’s one of those life milestones that I’m sure I’ll be glad I checked off at some point in the future.

The final thing I remember from last night is seeing several notifications on my phone.

SugarLife

$10,000 has been deposited into your vault.

SugarLife

Brat4Us has validated your account.

Club Obsession

You have been added as a guest to Obsession by Master Derek King.

The transfer of all the cash into my bank account is already processing. Apparently, it’ll take two to three business days. Which is totally fine. Friday night’s money will be in my account tomorrow, hopefully. I just need to make it through today with the last of the money Oakley leant me.

Which brings my wandering mind back to Oakley.

“Okay, but I have an important question first,” I state as I adjust my backpack. “Where are you taking me?”

“Ah…it’s called…you’ll see when we get there, but it’s the on-campus coffee shop,” she replies before linking her arm through mine and squeezing a little too firmly over a spot that is slightly tender. “Now, details. I’m dying.”

I laugh, still under the surreal spell that I woke up in this morning. Going from the weekend to a mundane first-day-of-college Monday morning has been a real mindfuck. My body is kind of wondering where my orgasms are, but yeah, everything aches.

And as promised, there was a buttload of messages on my phone waiting for me this morning. I did my best to reply to as many as possible, but I plan on going back through them all when I have more than two seconds between toast and a shower.

“Okay, do you want me to start at the beginning or the end? Hot tip, the end is far more interesting,” I offer, as we follow along a winding curved path that is leading us through a large, open grassy space that’s buzzing with activity.

There are students sitting around on the grass in groups, a game of football going on between a bunch of guys with no shirts on. The way they are built, I would say they are probably a part of the Newton University football team.

Another group of guys, all wearing aqua and black baseball caps, call out to the football players, and a discussion starts. A high-pitched squeal comes from my left, and I turn in time to see two girls running toward each other for a hug that has them clashing together.

I feel like my head is on a swivel, trying to take it all in.

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