“So what are you waiting for?”
I point ahead of us. “It’s this way.”
“Oh, really? In that case, I’ll head the other way. Have a great day!”
She slips out the front doors, aiming straight for the mall, and disappears into the thick Saturday afternoon crowds. I think she’s the first girl to ever stand up to me like that. And kind of the first I have this much fun with. When I think back to all her teary meltdowns, I can hardly believe this is the same Lois.
A group of kids jostle me as they pass by, and I suddenly realize I’m in the way, frozen in place and staring at the space she left behind. I drift around the mall, grab a coffee to go, and pick up a couple of T-shirts without even trying them on.
On my way back to the car, my phone buzzes with a new trip request. When I pull up outside the building, the girl who ordered the ride hasn’t arrived yet. I get out of my car and lean against the shining hood, watching clusters of students as they walk by, checking out girls as they come and go, and it’s at this point I realize I haven’t slept with a girl for a while now. Not since Lois forced her way into my place, actually.Oh man, that absolutely won’t do.I look down. My phone is ringing.
“Carter,” I drawl as I pick up. “Been a while.”
“Shane Winfield has invited us to a party.” He can barely contain his excitement. “You, me. His house, tonight.”
It’s like my best friend has read my desperate mind.
“Works for me.”
“Sweet! Pick me up at nine?”
“Let’s do it.”
“Dress to impress, dude. All his latest actresses will be there.”
Winfield is a huge producer. Massive. He just won an award, and hanging out with him is a fast-track ticket to some amazing opportunities. His parties are always next-level, too: I already know I won’t be going home alone tonight.
“My ride is here, Cart. Catch you later.”
I slip the phone into my pocket, head back around the car, and open the rear door.
My passenger is a cute redhead, and she’s looking at me strangely.
“You’re good?”
“Yes!” she squeaks, clambering into her seat.
I laugh to myself as I slink into the front. I glance in the rearview mirror, watching her get tangled in her backpack straps, yanking too hard on the seat belt, making it catch. When she finally gets herself buckled in, she’s blushing hard.
“First time?” I quip, turning the key in the ignition.
“Ummm… yes.”
She can’t meet my gaze, and so I turn my attention back to the road without a word. I’m used to Campus Drivers newbies—the ones who unfailingly crush on their driver.
When I pull up outside her dorm, she seems a little disappointed I got her home so fast, babbling something I don’t catch on her way out. I wink in response to her wave and screech off into the night.
Pushing open my front door, the apartment is silent and still. I have no idea what time Lois plans on getting home. I hope she remembered to take the spare keys I gave her last week, after she spent two hours locked out in the hall, clenching her jaw when I implied that she must be used to hanging around in stairwells by now. I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me, but pushing her buttons is just too fucking satisfying. I tell myself it’s payback for letting her crash on my couch, but the truth is I’m not so sure.
I pull on my go-to outfit, the one that works for both impressing big-deal producersandpicking up actresses. My friends can make fun of me all they want. Deep down, I know they’re just jealous of the bombshells I bring home. The kind of girls I can hook up with and forget—and that’s exactly what I want.
I HAD A FEW DRINKSat Winfield’s, but I’m not drunk. The only reason my head is spinning is April and the breast she’s been trying to feed me since we stepped into my building. She spent the whole evening sniffing around me and then planted herself in my lap. Now here we are in my elevator.
“We’re going to have fun,” she breathes into my ear as I lift her up against the elevator wall.
She wraps her legs around my hips, and I slowly ease my hand to her ass.
“You’re not wearing anything…” I moan into her mouth.
