Staying On Top(13)

An entry for Monster Dick jumped out at me. I was sure I’d never added that one, though I did tend to give nicknames to the boys I met at the bars, or even ones I dated. Flynn had been Pretty Boy in my phone the entire two or three months we’d been together.

I shook my head and typed out a message—short and sweet, and following nothing but instinct.



Hey, this is Blair Paddington, Quinn’s friend from Whitman. I’m not sure if you remember me from St. Moritz, but I was thinking about you and thought I’d say hi. Hit me back if you have time to chat for a few.





I typed and deleted an exclamation point a few times, then typed and deleted a smiley face, then did the same with an XO before dropping the phone with a groan. It was better to leave it, since I’d been so insistent on not being interested. Especially since he’d just been taken for millions of dollars, Sam would be wary. Changing my behavior too drastically could work against me—even texting him could be too much, but I didn’t have much of a choice.

In the end, I texted the private investigator we had on retainer instead. He was sleazy as fuck, but he could tell me where Sam would be on Sunday. It would be better that way—showing up out of the blue. With the story I’d decided to use, I’d still look like a stalker but it would work.

Audra pushed the door open a minute later and slung her backpack onto the thin carpet. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes sparkled like emeralds. “Hey. What are you up to?”

“Nothing. Just getting ready for the meeting.”

“I know, I’ll hurry.” She kicked off her flip-flops and jeans, then stripped her tight shirt over her abdomen. “What’s going on tonight? Is it going to be a long one?”

I shook my head, applying some lip gloss and tugging a rust-colored cardigan over my black-and-white dress. Most of the girls hated formal meetings, but they weren’t so bad. Dressing up had always been fun to me—in fact, it had been one of the things Dad used to hook me into the con life as a little girl. “No. Reminding everyone that their dues and incidentals need to be paid before they go home for Christmas, and I think solidifying a location for spring formal. You have plans with Logan later?”

“No. They have a meeting, too, and he has a big exam tomorrow. I was hoping we could hang out, actually.”

I smiled, still surprised that her friendship inspired that reaction in me. Friends had never been encouraged. They asked too many questions. “That would be awesome. I’m ready for my marketing exam tomorrow, and I’m leaving town Saturday, so it’ll be nice.”

“Where are you going?” She asked, her voice muffled by a navy blue ruffled sheath.

It brought out the green in her eyes, reminding me how pretty the Scottish girl was, and making me think again how too good she was for Logan Shapiro.

“I’m meeting my dad overseas for a few days.”

“You aren’t going to miss the rest of the semester again, are you?” Concern lit her expression as she swept her lashes with mascara.

“I don’t think so. Last year was a family emergency.” Lie. It had been to set up a few of Dad’s clients in the Caymans. “This is vacation.”

Not technically a lie. It seemed as though I might be having a forced fling with Sam Bradford, if talking him into trusting me turned out to be as difficult as expected. Thinking about it twisted my lips into a grimace. Plenty of girls would willingly take my place, but there were way too many reasons this was a terrible idea. Dad hadn’t wanted to hear any of them, though, even though it could very possibly mean curtains on my time at Whitman.

I was used to moving, though, and I could graduate from anywhere with a marketing degree. The plan to get Sam to trust me would work, but I hadn’t thought of a way to come out the other end still smelling like roses. He would tell Quinn what I really am, and my life here would become a living hell, at best.

Audra watched me, her expression curious. “What are you thinking about? You looked so sad for a second.”

“Did I?” I forced a smile, unused to having other people watching me. “I was thinking about how I hardly see you since you’ve started dating Logan.”

“I know.” Audra reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m going to do better at managing my time. Plus, the sex has to slow down eventually, right? Like, the honeymoon period only lasts so long?”

Knowing the answer to that question would require having been with someone long enough to find out. “That’s what I hear.”

“Cole has been bugging me about why I never spend time at their house anymore, too. The excuses of not wanting to hang out with old grad students and sorority duties only goes so far.”