Page 37 of Pretty Little Fears

Islowly slide out of the bed and exit the room, heading to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.Mymind wanders to thoughts of what happened between us last night.

Asmile forms on my face at the reminder thatIhave finally claimed what’s mine.

Notwanting to be apart from her any longer,Ihead back to my room soIcan join her in bed again.Theway she manages to ease the chaos inside of my head and make me feel something other than darkness is addicting.

Herbreathy moans and whimpers asIdrove into her.Thefeeling of-

Aloud ring cuts across my thoughts as my phone starts vibrating harshly on my nightstand.Ilet out an irritated huff at being interrupted and the possibility of waking upBlair, who’s sleeping soundly in my bed.Lookingover to see who's calling me, my teeth grind together as the name “JAMES,” flashes across my screen.

Nothinggood ever comes from talking toJames.Releasinga heavy sigh,Igrab the phone and answer while walking to the attached bathroom, “Whatdo you want?”

Hisvoice comes through the other line and my good mood is quickly replaced with agitation.

“It’lldo you good to learn to address me with more respect,Emmett.Cometo my office in an hour,Ineed to speak with you.”Hehangs up beforeIcan respond.

It’sstill early morning and the sun is barely peeking through asIlook over at my little obsession.Herhair fans the pillow and her lips are slightly parted.Ilean down and place a soft kiss on her forehead.

Idress and make my way out of the house.Withannoyance coating my insides,Ihead to the university's administration building, right at the center of campus.Ihate to leave her but the sooner this is done, the soonerI’llbe back by her side.

Iskipthe steps two at a time, arriving at the building that houses all of the offices for influential members of the college, such as the dean and admissions department.

Stoppingin front of the large glass double doors,Ireach forward and open them, stepping inside.Walkingthrough the foyer,Ipass the receptionist, offering her a slight smile and nod.Iwalk down a long hallway towards the offices.

Officesreserved for admissions directors, management of the university, and others line the halls.Thecorridor is silent besides the sounds of my leather shoes hitting the floor asIapproach my father's office.AsIreach up to knock on the door, the sound ofBlair'slast name causes me to freeze in my tracks.

Mybody stiffens andIstrain my ears to try and pick up on the conversation happening beyond the door.There’smultiple voices filtering throughout the room, telling me there’s more than one person inside.Ihold my breath, not wanting to give away the factI'meavesdropping.

“Stirlingwill bring in a lot of money.”Ahoarse voice explains.Whatthe fuck is that supposed to mean?

Blairis on a scholarship, so she isn't bringing any money to the school.Ifanything, she’s taking it.Itry to rack my brain for some logical explanation as to what they're talking about.

Whyare they talking aboutBlair?

Thehairs on the back of my neck stand up and the feeling of lead settles in my gut.Somethingisn’t right.Ican’t pinpoint what it is, but a wave of dread washes over me.

Astheir conversation shifts,Iam no longer interested in knowing what they're discussing.Ireach forward and harshly rap my knuckles on the door, making my presence known.Turningthe knob and pushing it forward,Icome face to face with men in suits and the strong scent of cigars.Thesmoke swirls around the room, making it hazy.

“Youwanted to see me?”Isnap, wanting to get this over with beforeit has even begun.Iwas already annoyed when he called me down here in the first place, but now with my little obsession’s name falling from the lips of these random men,I'meven more irritable.Hiseyes narrow at me and my obvious disrespect.Lookingback at the men filling the room, he ignores me and addresses them.

“Gentlemen, my apologies.Itseems my son is ignorant to how business meetings work and has decided to arrive early without a warning.Wewill have to finish this up another time.”Hestands and starts shaking the hands of each man, before gesturing to the door and ushering them out.

Hecloses the door behind him and strides over to his desk, rounding it before taking a seat.Proppinghis foot on his knee, he folds his hands and regards me with so much disdain, you’d thinkIwasn't his child.Itry to think back to a moment where he looked at me with something other than regret.Maybeit was when my mother passed.

“Youdropped the art class likeIasked, good.”Hesays while giving me a nod of approval. “Howare the business classes going?”Thisis the typical routine.Heknows how the classes are going, he speaks to the professors and checks up on my grades, yet he still calls me down to discuss them every semester.

Hedoes this for the reaction.Forthe opportunity for me to try and act out so he has an excuse to put me back onto the straight and narrow line he wants me to follow.Foronce,Idon't care to give him that chance.

“WhyamIreally here?Youhave access to all of this information.”

“Remember,Emmett.Itis your job to continue our family’s legacy and take over the universityifIdecide you're worthy.Asfor the various companiesIown, you can forget about those.You’vefailed as a businessman, you aren’t serious about it.Thisis not what your mother wanted for you.Youmay not give a shit, butIwill not have you fail as my heir.”

Itry to drown out his cruel words and replace them with images ofBlair.Hersweet face fills my mind and helps to ease the ache his words inflict.

Ipicture her pink pillowy lips that are perfect for nibbling on.Iimagine her sandy brown hair and the way it cascades across my pillow as she sleeps, how it looks wrapped around my fist when she’s on her knees.Iimagine her eyes and the way they light up when she learns something new in class.Theway her pupils blow when she becomes needy and the way they flutter close whenIdraw pleasure from her.

Afist slamming against the desk snaps me from my mental picture, and my eyes narrow at the person behind the inconvenient interruption.

“Emmett, where the fuck is your head at?Youare completely and utterly useless!”

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