Page 9 of Deceit & Destruction

I brace myself, waiting for him to continue arguing his point but he lets it go. He turns to the counter and braces his hands on the edge, hanging his head defeatedly. Guilt swarms me and I mutter a curse. I promised myself I’d do whatever I could to make it up to Webber, that I’d do my part to help him cope with everything he’s been through. If cleansing his conscience by offering some girl a place to live is his way of coping, then I should be all in.

But I’m a selfish prick, so I offer him a consolation prize instead.

“I’ve gotta head out to Dizzy’s. I’ll drive her back to the dorms and break it to her.”

He lifts his head and reaches across the counter, grabbing a sleeve of Ritz crackers. Turning around, he hands it to me.

“Tell her we’re out of Saltine’s.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Chapter Three

Cassie Phillips

Sometimes desperation forcesus to consider options you wouldn’t ordinarily consider. Crazy options like moving in with two popular football players, one who you have a class with but know nothing about, and the other who up until he found you on his couch, throwing up, didn’t even know you existed.

But when Mila told me she had a solution to my problem, I felt relief sink into my bones. If there is anyone I can trust—anyone that won’t steer me wrong—it’s her. I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re friends because friends do all sorts of things together. They talk, laugh, and hang out on a regular basis. Mila and I… we don’t those things.

We’re just two girls who share the tragic title of victim.

You see, Mila has also been violated and torn apart by the Scorpio Society, something she revealed when she found me leaving Professor Blackthorne’s office a disheveled mess. The difference between us is that Mila was raped by a member of the society who was a student. My assailant was Blackthorne—an esteemed professor with a stellar reputation. Well, that, and he didn’t rape me. He manipulated me into thinking he genuinely cared for me. He was twenty-four years my senior—married and old enough to be my father. Hell, his son was a student at Stonewall.

But none of that mattered to me.

When you are so starved for love and affection, you’ll take it however it comes. You’ll think the man winking at you from the front of a lecture hall wants you. You’ll believe every stollen kiss in his office is everything you’ve been missing from life. And when he coaxes you into sleeping with him, you’ll think the fates aligned.

But that just isn’t the case and by the time I figured out Blackthorne was only sleeping with me so I’d tutor the students of the Scorpio Society—students like Matt Jennings, the piece of scum that raped Mila—it was too late.

I tried to break it off.

I tried to quit tutoring.

Then two pink lines appeared on a pregnancy test, securing my place in hell.

The thing about hell is there is no way out. Once the flames bite you, they swirl and climb, taking more of you.

Your soul and your heart.

Every bit of common sense too.

“It’s nothing personal,” Mike says, jarring me away from my thoughts. I turn my head and stare at him for a moment. Between the clear-cut lines of his profile and his broad shoulders, it’s hard not to. He’s attractive.

That thought gives me pause.

I don’t remember the last time I thought a guy my age was cute. In the months since I’ve gotten involved with Blackthorne, I haven’t allowed myself to look at other guys really. I convinced myself it was a wasted effort. No one would want me. I’ve got a look that only attracts older men.

But here I am, staring at Mike Robinson, admiring every inch.

With smooth olive skin, an aquiline nose, and a generous mouth the man is a ten. It’s really no wonder why the female student body falls to their knees when he enters a room.

Pushing those rogue thoughts to the back of my head, I repeat his statement silently in my head.

It’s nothing personal.

After he and Webber excused themselves, I didn’t see Webber anymore. He disappeared into his bedroom. Mike handed me a sleeve of crackers and told me he’d take me back to the dorms. For a fleeting moment I thought moving in with Webber and Mike was the answer to my prayers. I needed to get out of the dorms and out from under Blackthorne’s thumb. Living a floor away from Mila would be a plus too.

But Mike was right, the whole idea was ridiculous.

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