Palm South University: Season 1 Box Set (Palm South University #1) Page 9
But I know cocaine is no joke.
But it could be fun, right?
But I shouldn’t do it…
Sensing my inner battle, Hayden moves toward me and slowly shakes some of the white powder onto my cleavage. Using a small blue plastic card, he situates it into a clean line and then looks up at me with heated eyes. He shoots the line, then takes my mouth with his in a frenzy, igniting the desire in my body again.
When he pulls back, he gently empties out a small amount of powder onto his strong trapezius muscle and situates it in a clean line. Then, he hands me the small metal pipe. “Just a little bit, Ashlei. Come up with me,” he pleads. I just sit there with the pipe in my hand, staring at the line and telling myself I should hand the pipe back to him. But something inside me is curious.
Hayden bites his lower lip, letting his teeth drag across the flesh before trailing his hand down my abdomen to land between my thighs. When his fingers snake their way through the fabric and plunge inside of me, I let out a sharp cry of pleasure and let myself fall back against the mirror.
“Come up with me, Ashlei,” he says again, working his magical fingers inside me. The ecstasy is already too much, I can’t imagine it any more heightened. But with Hayden’s hooded eyes devouring me right along with his hands, I can’t find the energy to argue anymore. Leaning up, I take a deep breath, plug one nostril, and shoot the line off his bare flesh.
It stings like hell and my eyes water as I wipe my nose, but Hayden is looking at me like I’m the sexiest thing he’s ever seen. He steals the pipe from my hand and tosses it on the counter before pulling my mouth to his. While his other hand still works beneath my outfit, the other grips the back of my neck, pulsing a need straight through me.
Suddenly, Hayden pulls my spandex off and rips his to the floor, leaving us both exposed. He teases me at my entrance with his head, nipping playfully at my bottom lip. “You’re so fucking sexy, Ashlei. This is going to feel amazing. Trust me.”
With that, he plunges into me and I let out a loud moan. At first, I don’t feel any different, but after a few minutes, everything changes. I feel incredibly alert, my senses extra-sensitive, and the pleasure I normally feel when Hayden touches me is amplified to a level I’ve never experienced before. Each time he thrusts into me, every time his thumb brushes my nipple, each flick of his tongue on my skin sends me spiraling toward a dangerous cliff of ecstasy.
“This feels amazing,” I moan into Hayden’s lips. “Everything feels so amazing.”
“Like this?” he asks, palming each of my breasts. I nod and grind my pelvis against his as he works in and out. “And this?” he asks again, this time letting his fingertips fall to circle my clit. My moans grow louder and it’s my only response before I tumble over the edge and experience an orgasm I never knew existed. It takes over my entire body, my entire soul, my entire being. And when I finish, I’m spent. Completely, totally spent. Crashing, fading, falling.
Hayden comes moments later and then he pulls me into one of the showers with him, planting small kisses down the back of my neck as he runs his hands through my wet hair. Even as the high fades, every touch sparks my sensitive skin and I feel alive. But slowly, the guilt starts to creep in along with the realization of what just happened. Before today, alcohol and the occasional joint were the only drugs I’d ever messed with. Now, I’ve jumped over the fence into hard drug territory. It was electrifying, it was terrifying, but what scares me most is…
It was fun.
THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE the feeling of seeing something you’ve worked hard for pay off. You bust your ass for weeks, months, or maybe even years and then it all comes together and you finally feel like you can breathe again.
That’s how I feel right now as I stare up at the big stage while a local band kills their set and the crowd goes crazy. Crowd. Yeah, there’s actually a big turnout at an Alpha Sigma event. I shake my head, still shocked I somehow pulled it off, and glance down at my clipboard.
“Okay, Filthy Innocents are wrapping up. Give our headliner the five minute warning,” I say into the mouthpiece wrapped around my head.
“Ten four,” Jeremy answers and I roll my eyes.
“You don’t have to talk like a fucking trucker, Jeremy.”
“Ten four.”
As I make my way across the crowded lawn to the stage, I spot Skyler, Cassie, and a group of their sorority sisters close to the front row. It’s Cassie I notice first, her scarlet hair standing out in the crowd of brunettes and blondes. She’s dressed in a tight little green dress that takes my eyes down her body whether I try to fight it or not. Which I don’t, by the way. She looks great tonight, and she’s definitely the one I noticed first.
But it’s Skyler who keeps my attention.
A stark contrast from her sisters, she’s in distressed jeans and her sorority jersey. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun and even though I can tell she has makeup on, it doesn’t look like she tried as hard as her sisters to look as amazing as she does.
Fucking Christ, the girl is gorgeous.
“Well if it isn’t the –”
“Don’t even say it,” Cassie cuts me off, shoving me playfully as Skyler and the rest of the girls turn around. The three blondes, one I know to be Erin Xander and the other two I’m not familiar with, give me a onceover before turning back toward the stage. Skyler’s eyes, however, stay fixed on mine.
“You know, I can honestly say you surprised me tonight.”
I cock a brow. “Oh?”
“Yep,” she nods. “I did not think A Sigs could get down like this. I’m impressed.”
“Me too,” Cassie chimes in, her cheeks flushing a bit with the words. It’s not lost on me, and I can’t say it doesn’t give me a thrill to know that blush is because of me.
“Let’s get a drink before the headliners go on,” one of the blondes says, grabbing Skyler’s arm before turning to Cassie.
“I’ll save our spot,” she says. The girls all nod and squeeze their way past me toward the Alpha Sigma house where the open bar is. It’s an illegal open bar, one the campus coordinators wouldn’t approve as part of the concert, but I knew without booze this show would go down in flames. So, our basement was transformed into a speakeasy.
“I’ll stay with you.” Cassie turns to me wide-eyed and I flash a smile. “It’s the least I can do, since I’m assuming it was probably you who got all your sisters here.”
She flushes a deeper red. “It didn’t take much to convince them. Music. Food. Booze. And boys.”
“Which of those did you come for?”
She gulps. “The first one… mostly.”
I grin. “How’s your first semester going?”
“It’s good.” I can tell by her hesitance there’s something she’s not saying. “Lots of parties and sorority events. I’m having fun.”
“But?”
“But what?” She looks at me confused.
“You’re upset about something.”
“Why do you say that?”
I shrug. “I can just tell.”
Sighing, she looks down and picks at her nail polish. “It’s nothing, really. I just… I moved here with my best friend. We both rushed together, but she went Zeta. Ever since rush, she’s been a mega bitch and it’s just getting worse every day. She doesn’t understand why I went KKB and she thinks Zetas are better. She keeps pulling away from me and I feel like I’m going to lose her this semester if I haven’t already.”
“Is she really that great of a friend if she’s treating you like this?”
“She used to be. I don’t know, maybe this is just the whole growing up thing. I just miss the girl I knew a few months ago.”
I lean in closer, speaking over the sound of instrument tuning and mic checks. “People change, Cassie. You’re going to notice in the next few years and probably for the rest of your life that some friends stay and some friends go. The trick is learning that real friendships don’t have to be fought for.”
Suddenly, there’s a surge in the crowd as the lights go down and Cassie is knocked forward hard. When she smacks into me, she apologizes, but I just grab her arms to steady her. “You okay?” She nods, but then suddenly the air around us is thicker than before. Her body is pressed against mine and I can feel the slightest hint of shaking as I hold her. Before I know what I’m doing, I lower my mouth to hers, our lips touching just as the first notes of the new set play.
She sighs into my mouth and I pull her closer, parting her lips with my tongue and moving my hands up to cup her face. Her hands fist my shirt and a soft, almost inaudible moan escapes when I dip my tongue in again. It’s then that I realize what I’m doing.
I pull back, pressing my forehead to Cassie’s. Then I laugh. What the hell am I doing?
“Man, I’m so sorry. That was weird, huh?”
Cassie pulls all the way back.
“I don’t know why I did that. I guess I’m just caught up in all the excitement tonight. I hope this won’t make anything weird between us.” I rub the back of my neck with one hand and shove the other in my pocket. This chick is one of the coolest I’ve met at Palm South and of course I let my penis talk me into fucking up that friendship.
Cassie bites her lip, her brows pulled together. I can’t tell if I really wigged her out or if she’s still trying to register what happened. “No, uh, no. Not weird at all.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Good. I really like hanging out with you, Cassie. I didn’t mean to take it there.”
“It’s not, you didn’t,” she stammers, shaking her head. “It’s all good. You were just excited. Zero weirdness, I promise.”
I pull her in for a hug just as the girls join us again. “Thanks. I have to run backstage. See you after the show?”
“Yeah. See you.”
I turn to leave, still shaking my head at how idiotic I am when Skyler grabs my arm.
“Hey, do you have a thing for my Little?”
I glance at Cassie behind her, but her eyes are fixed on the stage. “No. She’s cool, though. I like her, but as a friend.”
Skyler nods. “Okay.”
Once more, she grabs my arm as I try to leave.
“I just had to clear that up before I did this.”
“Did what?”
She runs her soft hand down my arm, her blue eyes dazzling in the rave lights as she tucks something into my front pocket. I swallow when she does, her hand falling way too close to a part of my body she awakened earlier tonight.
“My number,” she answers the question I haven’t even asked yet. “Call me tonight.” With that, she winks and rejoins the girls, not even giving me a second look.
I jog backstage with a shit-eating grin on my face, but it’s knocked off almost immediately.
“This concert sucks,” Clay says, draining the rest of the dark liquid in his water bottle. From his breath, I assume it’s whiskey.
“Don’t be a prick, Clay.” I shove past him, ordering a few of our brothers to get everything ready for the finale.
“It does. These bands are all local. No one gives a shit.”
“Well, there’s about a thousand people out there that say you’re wrong.”
“Whatever. I’m embarrassed that our name is associated with this mess.”
Clenching my jaw, I whip around to face him again. “What the fuck is your problem? Are you worried, Clay?” I know I’m crossing a line I shouldn’t, but I don’t care, even with Jeremy grabbing my shoulder in warning. “Afraid someone might notice what a shit president you are and vote someone else in who actually gives a fuck?”
“And what?” he challenges. “You think that someone is you?”
“Maybe.” I stand tall, and Jeremy finally drops his hand, giving up.
Clay stares at me for a moment, then he lets out a guttural laugh, leaning over and bracing his hands on his knees. Clenching my teeth, I surge toward Clay but Jeremy holds me back.
“It’s not worth it, man,” he mutters.
“I’d listen to him, Brooks,” Clay says through his laughter. “You may not want me to be, but I’m still your president. And I can have you kicked out of this fraternity faster than you come in bed. And that’s saying something.”
I rush forward again, but this time more hands join Jeremy’s and they all hold me back. Clay chuckles once more before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
“Don’t let him ruin your night, man,” Jeremy says. “He’s just being a dick. He’s mad he didn’t think of this first and he’s even more upset that you actually pulled it off.”
I know he’s right, I know it’s jealousy – but he’s still a fucking prick who deserves to have his jaw broken. Shaking Jeremy off, I nod and check the set list. One song away from the finale. “Let’s do this.”
In the middle of the last song, just as the music builds, two cannons shoot neon confetti over the black light crowd and the lights strobe in time with the beat. The crowd goes crazy, fog machines mixing with the confetti and the lights. It’s exactly the ending I wanted, everyone’s going nuts, but I can’t even fucking enjoy it.
Then, through the fog, I spot Cassie. She’s looking up at the confetti falling, a wide-eyed look on her face. She looks happy, and that makes me feel like maybe it’s okay for me, too. I may not be innocent like she is, but I’ve worked my ass off for this moment.
Grabbing one of the bottles of champagne lined up backstage, I run out into the crowd with Jeremy and several other brothers following. I shake the bottle and open it quickly, spewing the liquid everywhere as more people scream and jump in time with the music. The feeling coming from the crowd is electrifying and the band feeds off of it, making the show even better than I could have imagined.
Clay may have power over me now, but something tells me it won’t be that way for much longer.
MY HEART IS FULL. I don’t know how else to describe it.
I thought initiation as a Big was special, but seeing Skyler pin Cassie during our initiation brought an entirely new kind of pride to my heart. I watched as each of the new girls listened to our founding principles, committing them to memory and swearing to keep them secret for life. Their eyes were wide, their expressions eager – it was an amazing sight to behold.
For me, it always seems too short. We’ve been preparing for weeks, but already the ceremonial clothing is packed away, along with the candles and ritual books, and sisters are scattered around the hotel venue taking photos with their lines. Spotting my line, I pull my phone from my Kate Spade purse.
“Cheese!” I snap the photo before any of them have the chance to realize what I’m doing and they all groan in unison.
“Not fair!” Kelsey shrieks.
“Seriously this time,” I say, grouping them together. I find another sister to take our photo and jump in right behind Skyler. We make a long line, starting with Siomara at the top standing on a chair and ending with Cassie on her knees. Our family tree is one of the biggest in the sorority, since Siomara stays an extra semester to be president. I love the feeling of being the largest and, in my opinion, the best.
After a dozen photos at the fountain and around the hotel garden, I steal Cassie away from the group.
“So, you’re officially a sister,” I say, grinning. “Do you feel different?”
Her smile is just as big as mine and I have a feeling she’ll be more like me than Skyler. She seems to have that same passion for history that I do. “Honestly, yes. I really do. And I wasn’t expecting that.”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
She nods. “I have to admit, I was a little creeped out at the beginning. The dark room… candles… weird clothing.”
I laugh, nudging her. “Trust me, I was freaked out too. But you have to
think, that ceremony was created in the late eighteen hundreds.”
“That gives me chills. How awesome to think how many sisters we have across the states.”
“Across the world,” I correct her. Cassie smiles wider and we walk the grounds of the hotel, talking about her roommate, classes, and a little about my family. I don’t go into full detail, but I give her a little sneak into my parents and their craziness. Her family seems to be the polar opposite of mine – loving, supportive, kind.
It makes me envy my Grand Little.
When we make our way back to the lobby where all the sisters are waiting for our charter bus, I notice Skyler is missing.
“Where’d Sky go?” I ask Siomara.
“She said she had some errands to run but that she’d see us at Ralph’s later.”
“Oh. Want to grab dinner, Cassie? We can go back to the house and get ready for Ralph’s afterward.”
“Yes!” she answers excitedly. “I’m starved.”
Siomara and Kelsey join us for dinner at the sushi restaurant on campus. Glancing around the table at my sisters, I feel an overwhelming warmth envelop me. In high school, I was lost. I went through so much that no one ever knew about – not even my parents. It was the summer before my senior year when I found myself, and ever since then, I’ve thrown myself into everything I love – this sorority being one of those things.
Some people go to college for the education, some for the parties, some to find love. Me? Well, I guess I want all of those things, too – but more than anything, I want memories. I want friendship. And I know without a doubt that I’ve found both in Kappa Kappa Beta.
WE’RE STILL LAUGHING as we pile into the sorority house, Kelsey and Siomara heading up to the President Bedroom while Cassie and I made our way to my room.
“Do you need to borrow clothes or did you bring some?”
Cassie’s mouth pulls to the side. “I didn’t bring any. Would you mind letting me borrow something?”