I’ll comfort-hoover them down while I wait for the police to arrive to tell me my sister was unalived by a psycho psych grad.
Still smiling at her nonsense, I’d followed the signs directing me to where I needed to be, only to walk into the room and lock eyes with the last person I wanted to see.
For the five minutes we waited for everyone to arrive, I tensed against his approach.
But he just stood there, staring at me.
This wasn’t happening.
No.
I was going to kill him.
Seething, I hoped Sebastian Thorne could feel the laser beam of my anger shooting from my eyes to where he stood across the room, smirking unremorsefully.
“It looks like we’re all here,” Arthur said, glancing around what had once been the kitchen of a student flat. The accommodation was much like what I’d lived in my first year. Five bedrooms off a narrow hallway, a shower room, and a kitchen/common room with uncomfortable chairs and no soft lounging area. I always suspected they didn’t include a comfortable lounging area in the accommodation to deter students from socially gathering too often when they were supposed to be studying.
“Thanks again, everyone, for volunteering for our experiment. We’ve been running it for two weeks. You’re group three, week three. We’re running a six-week experiment over six groups to provide plenty of data to extrapolate from. What is our experiment, you ask? We seek to discover whether our reliance on technology is affecting the way we connect socially with one another.”
That distracted me momentarily from the fact that Sebastian had signed up to the same psych experiment.
This experiment had some crossover with my dissertation. However, it was highly unoriginal. Disappointingly so. Perhaps it was part of some grander research Arthur was partaking in. Though, he did seem generally obsessed with our reliance on technology and his personal loathing for it.
Ultimately, however, I didn’t care about originality. I was more interested in the structure, organization, and process of the experiment so I had some practical experience going intomy grad degree. I’d already compiled data from the psych experiments I’d signed up to in second and third year.
“We’re going to pair you up in twos and put you in different environments. Note, you will be under visual and audio surveillance while inside your rooms. We have a disclaimer for you to read and a waiver to sign.” Arthur stared down at his list and started calling attendance to make sure we were in fact all here.
In the meantime, uncaring he was being rude by talking over Arthur, a stocky guy with short black hair stepped into my personal space. He had striking, pale blue eyes and a cocky swagger. “I’m more than happy to pair up with you,” he said in a European accent I couldn’t quite place. “Maybe they’ll put us in a room with only a bed. A man can hope.” Stocky cocky guy dragged his gaze over me lasciviously, before gluing his eyes to my breasts as if imagining all manner of dirty things.
It took everything not to throw up in my mouth.
I hadn’t even been aware of Sebastian’s approach until he drawled with quiet menace, “Look at her like that again, and I’ll rip your fucking balls off.”
My eyebrows rose. I’d never seen Sebastian look or sound so dangerous.
The creep blanched, holding up his palms as he backed away. “Sorry, I did not know she was taken.”
“I’m not—” I stopped myself from continuing. The creep wasn’t worth it.
Sebastian glared at the dark-haired guy as he called over his shoulder in Arthur’s direction, “There is an odd number in the group.”
Arthur frowned, midway through his attendance call. He quickly counted the people in the room. “You’re right. Someone on the sign-up hasn’t shown.”
Sebastian gestured to the creep. “I wouldn’t put this cretin alone in a room with anyone if I were you.”
“What did I miss?”
“He was sexually suggestive to my friend.” He placed a protective hand on my shoulder, and I glowered at said appendage.
Arthur scowled. “Well, we’re having none of that. You may leave.”
“But—”
“Leave,” Sebastian commanded.
Stocky cocky shot Sebastian a foul look but left swiftly, his cheeks a ruddy red with embarrassment.
I was both relieved and irritated.
