“Sorry. Thatwasrude. I’m Ruella,” I hold my hand out in attempts to shake.
His lips tilt to the side before he takes my outstretched hand in his. Strong and confident, just like the rest of him.
“Asher,” He replies.
I nod and give him a smile in return.
“So do you prefer card or cash?” the tilt of his head and his playful tone confuses me.
“For what?”
“For the cock suck?” He grins as my jaw hits the floor. “Is that as far as you go, or will you get on your back as well?”
What the fuck. Is he implying I am a prostitute.
I get he caught me in the back of the car yesterday, but this man doesn’t know me. Silas could be my boyfriend. He isn’t, but that is not the point.
“Excuse me!” I say with a bite to my tone.
He just shrugs. “How much are we talking? You scream high end prices but from the looks of your clientele, anyone can afford you,” His face flickers with something like emotion, but his eyes, there’s nothing behind them. Empty. Hollow.
I snort, sharp and sudden. His gaze narrow, darkening with a challenge. Now I see, he’s trying to get under my skin. On the surface, he appears to be the elite academy’s golden boy, polished and untouchable. But I catch the shadow beneath the shine, a darkness lurking just below the surface. This flawless exterior is nothing more than a thin veneer masking a blackened soul. One like my own.
He thinks his cruel words will make me crack. What he doesn’t know is I’ve endured far worse and come out the other side.
I smirk, crossing my arms deliberately and stepping into his space, unyielding. I watch as the tension tightens in his jaw, the faint quiver of frustration betraying how badly this isn’t playing out the way he planned.
“Well, I do love sucking cock,” I reach for his tie and pretend to straighten it then leave my hands on his chest before leaning forward so I can whisper. “But unfortunately, I have a size preference, and from the looks of you, you just don’t meet the requirements,” I smile sweetly, tapping my hand lightly on his chest before stepping back, my gaze sharp, like I’m sizing him up and finding him wanting. His eyes widen for a heartbeat, then snap shut, flaring with sudden fury. Before I can react, he grabs me, spins me hard against the wall. His height looms over my slight frame, the closeness making my heart skip in a way I didn’t expect. This isn’t the sort of attitude I thought I’d encounter at the Academy. His dominance pulls at something deep inside me, like a siren’s call, and I can’t fight the overwhelming urge to draw him even closer.
“Are you sure about that?” He whispers into my ear as he pushes his hips into me. The feeling of a large bulge has my attention dropping to where our bodies meet.
Holy shit, he’s huge. Way bigger than anything I have ever had near me.
Why is he hard? Is this taunting turning him on?
I gape at him and almost grab my knife from my side to jab into him from the smug look he has on his face. He knows I can feel him. He knows my words have fallen flat.
“Asher?” A sharp, high-pitched voice cuts down the hall. I feel him stiffen, then groan, rolling his eyes like he’s already exhausted by this. I shove him away just as heeled footsteps clip sharply on the floor toward us.
“Darcy,” His voice is flat, resigned, as he faces the blonde storm stomping toward us, fury blazing. Her gaze flicks between us like a hawk sizing up prey. That’s when it clicks. This has to be his girlfriend.
Crap. Day one, and I already know I’ve made an enemy.
I move to slip away, but her sickly-sweet voice halts me. “You wait right there!”
I spin around, eyebrows lifted in challenge. Instead of fuelling the fire, I decide to try and smooth things over.
You are here for answers. You are here for answers.
From the corner of my eye, I watch Darcy pull Asher aside. They whisper-shout, heated but tense. I wish I could hear the lies he’s feeding her. Her shoulders drop a fraction, then he leans in, pressing a cold, empty kiss to her cheek. She beams up at him like he’s the centre of her world. Part of me aches for her. He just had his dick pressed into me and asked me to suck it for money. I shudder to imagine what secrets lurkbehind his locked door. Poor Darcy.
Her smile vanishes as she turns her full glare on me. A crowd of students begins to gather, drawn by the brewing drama, their eyes fixed, waiting. I groan inwardly, bracing for the insults. Today has been nothing but trouble.
“You,” She points. “You may be new, but you don’t seem stupid. So as long as you keep your distance from both him and me then I won’t have to make your life here miserable,” Her voice is tight as she approaches. “And I can.Veryeasily,” Asher smirks at the chaos he created as a group of men surround him, he is very clearly the leader of the pack. I suddenly wish I could break his nose with a quick jab. I would get satisfaction in causing the slight imperfection on his face, but it would probably only add to his sexy roughened look, like the scar on his lip.
I stand my ground as Darcy’s inspects me from head to toe, and my back straightens as she scoffs.
“You know what. I don’t think I have anything to worry about anyway. Look at you,” Her hand gestures over me with disgust. “No one will even give you the time of day here,” She laughs along with a few of the girls behind her and I feel an unknown emotion start to swirl in my chest. Asher’s smile turns into a small scowl as he shifts his gaze from me to the larger group gathering around us.
