Page 8 of Too Late

I sigh and try to ease some of the tension between us. “Sloan, I think it’s safe to say we both left a few important facts out of our class assignment today.”

She releases a pained laugh. “Yeah. He should have assigned us more than three. I think five would have covered it.”

“Yep,” I say. “Five facts probably would have been enough to clue me in to the fact that you have a boyfriend.”

She glances up at me, her chin tucked in. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly.

“For what?”

She drops her shoulders and lowers her voice even more. “For the way I acted in class today. For flirting with you. I shouldn’t have said some of the things I said. I swear I’m not that kind of girl. I would have never …”

“Sloan,” I interrupt, hooking my finger under her chin. I stare down at her, knowing full well I need to drop my hand and back the fuck away from her. “I don’t think that about you at all. It was harmless fun, that’s it.”

The wordharmlesslooms in the air like a dark, ominous cloud. We both know that Asa is anything but harmless. Talking to her in class, standing with her in this hallway … it’s the harmless moments like these that, if they occur enough, will end up being a hell of a lot more than just harmless. Asa’s threat from earlier repeats in my mind. Everything about this girl is off-limits. Asa has made that clear … mycareermakes that clear. Why can’t I see it that clearly?

I begin to drop my hand when a voice from behind us causes us both to jump.

“You’re missing the party, man.”

I spin around and Dalton is at the top of the stairwell, eyeing me like he’s about to beat my ass. He has every right to, considering the mess I almost just got myself in.

“Yeah.” I take a deep breath and turn back around to face her. “We’ll talk in class,” I whisper. She nods and lets out a breath, relieved that the voice at the top of the stairs belonged to Dalton and not Asa. She’s not the only one relieved by that.

She turns around and heads back into her room, rather than downstairs. I can see now, based on her environment, why she doesn’t get any sleep.

As soon as the door closes behind her, I spin around and come face-to-face with Dalton. His nostrils are flaring, a dead giveaway that he’s about to hit me. He shoves me against the wall and wedges his arm between my chest and throat.

“Don’t fuck this up,” he seethes. He slaps his palm against the side of my head. “Play smart.”

FIVE

ASA

Iwait for Jess to finish and wipe her nose and then I bend forward and cover one of my nostrils, inhaling the second line. As soon as I feel the burn, I lean back against the headboard and give myself a moment. “You’re right,” I say to Jon, who is standing in the doorway. “That’s good shit.”

Jess lies down on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She’s Jon’s newest girl, but I’ve never actually taken the time to look at her. She’s cute. Not in Sloan’s league, but cute enough that I can feel the jeans tighten around my crotch.

I motion for Jon to come get the tray, so he walks over to the bed and picks it up. “You want me to close the deal?” he asks.

I’m still staring at his girlfriend when I say, “Yeah. You go do that.” Jon reaches for Jess’s hand, but I interrupt him. “Go alone. I’ll keep Jess company.”

Jon stares at me like he doesn’t understand instructions. Jess is looking back and forth between us.

“Go. Close. The deal,” I instruct. “She’ll be here when you get back.”

Jon leaves, but he slams the door as he goes. I hop off the bed and lock it. Jess pushes up on the mattress, looking at me with two eyes full of concern. Or maybe that’s anticipation. I smile gently at her, wanting her to feel at ease with me. I sit down on the bed again, leaning back, soaking her in.

“Take off your dress.”

Jess stares at me for a moment, looking like she can’t decide between running or straddling me. But I can tell the coke is kicking in, because her eyes are starting to glaze and darken. I reach forward and grab her hand, coaxing her closer until she finally is straddling me rather than running.

I slide a hand up her thigh until it disappears under the dress.

Thirty seconds later, the dress is on the floor next to my shirt. She’s positioned herself above me, straddling me, her tongue practically digging its way toward my throat.

This chick knows what she’s doing. That can be both good and bad. I like a girl who knows how to fuck, but it also makes me wonder how many guys she’s had to fuck in order to get so good. I reach over to the nightstand and grab a condom, handing it to her.

“Put it on,” I command. She keeps her eyes trained on mine as she opens it, then brings her hands to the button on my jeans. I grab her wrists and shake my head. “With your mouth.”

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