Velvet Kisses(14)

“Penny for your thoughts.”

I blink back to reality to find that Will has snaked his way beside me.

Crap.

“I’m having deep thoughts about the hyper-sexualization of women. Hint, your kind doesn’t bode well in this philosophical debate. Buzz off.”

“Buzz off?” he mouths looking slightly stymied by my word choice. I figured fuck off might raise a brow, turn a head, garner the attention of the professor in a manner I’m not interested in. Buzz off I can say all day without offending anyone but Will. I like that. Target offenses are my new pet project whenever Will has the balls to pop up in my life.

Professor Nicholson claps her hands. “I would like each of you to spend the next half hour meeting your classmates and breaking off into small groups of two or three. The goal this semester is to start a business with your partner or partners and have it up and functioning with a profit margin by semester’s end. You’ll be graded on your progress along the way. The team with the most sales will be awarded a ten thousand dollar cash prize, donated to the university by alumni, to be split among your group.”

An elated applause breaks out with mine being the loudest. God—ten thousand dollars! I wouldn’t care if I had to split it ten ways! I would cheer on my feet for ten dollars at this point.

She forces a smile to come and go. “If you have any questions feel free to see me.”

“So you in?” Will nods at me with his eyes slightly squinted, his grin hanging loose as though ready to explode.

This is how he used to get me, how we’d make up and fall into each other’s arms so many times before, but we’ve never had such a huge barrier to cross as another girl’s body, let alone a whole river of them.

According to Cat Alice, my old best friend slash almost cousin who I haven’t spoken to in months—correction, she’s not speaking to me no thanks to a stupid argument where she accused me of stealing her father’s war pin from off his dresser and hawking it. Me. Stealing someone’s honorary war pin? None of it made sense. Her entire family is so screwed up I bet her father hawked it himself and swore up and down he saw me do it. Nevertheless, prior to the ridiculous argument, Cat dutifully reported that Will had slept with entire football stadiums of women. Of course then she turned around and reported to Will that I was a bitch-skank (a term I’m sure she coined in my honor). Rumors briefly flew that I myself was trolling my way through campus frat houses on my knees, but even Will found that laughable. Anyway, I couldn’t care less that Cat Alice told Will I was a slut. She’s the one who slept with half the metal heads in our senior class. During prom she was too busy busting a move in the bathroom letting the boys take turns jockeying her that it was hard to pinpoint the fact she was actually there. Slut. I shake my head. My aunt married her father thus the almost familial connection, but at this point they’re separated and I say good riddance to the entire lot of them.

“So where’s the old man?” Will nods my way as if he were serious.

By old man I assume he means Wyatt.

“Busy.” I turn toward Baya, and he pulls me back by the elbow.

Will has soft, brown eyes that I used to think were beautiful. I used to think I was the only girl he could see, but apparently he’s an expert at seeing other women both in and out of their clothes.

“I’m trying out for the basketball team. Walk on. The coach might let me play tomorrow night. I want you to come. As a friend.” His eyes beckon desperately, and, for one weak moment, I’m tempted to say yes.

“If you wanted me as a friend, you should have had the decency to break up with me before you made a habit of sticking your dick in places it didn’t belong.”

A pained expression takes over his face as he nods into me, agreeing. I want him to say something caustic, to throw a barbed comment my way, anything but make me feel sympathy for him.

“You’re right, Marley. I should have.” Will makes his way to the front of the class and is instantly mobbed by a small group of Alpha Chi ho’s. This is the part where I should be feeling a pinch of jealousy, having some visceral response to seeing him with an entire gaggle of blondes falling over his shoulders, but, strangely, I don’t feel a thing.

Huh. Maybe what Will and I had wasn’t true love after all.

“What are we going to do?” Baya looks perplexed by the assignment at hand.

“What are you good at?”

Her face goes from panic to pride in less than three seconds. “Oh, honey, it’s illegal to list the things I do well. Besides, my man likes to keep me to himself, sort of like a private reserve.”