Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
“Flag the waiter when he comes back in,” Mike says to Scott, who’s facing the door. He nods. But then a shadow appears, and the blood drains from Scott’s face. The handsome man’s jaw stiffens visibly and he sits up straight.
“You’re not the waiter,” he growls, hackles rising.
Mike and I turn around.
“OMG!” I gasp, staring at our new visitors. After all, the man standing in the doorway is definitely not the waiter. Instead, it’s the Dean of the school, with his bald head and frumpy brown suit.
Even more odd, standing by his side is my friend Kristy. What is she doing here? But then her expression gets ugly and she points and accusatory finger at me.
“I told you!” Kristy shouts, as Dean Horton tactfully closes the door behind him so that we still have some privacy. Mike and Scott have both immediately risen to their feet, but I’m glued to my chair in shock. What the hell is the Dean doing here, and why is Kristy glaring at me so viciously?
“I told you!” Kristy repeats, stamping her foot like a petulant child. Her hair has escaped the bun on top of her head, and her face is flushed. She looks like she ran the whole way here. She whirls to face the Dean. “They’re all fucking each other and flaunting it in public!”
Even though I’m sitting down, I worry, for a moment, that I might faint. My blood sounds like an ocean roaring in my ears, and my arms and hands begin to tingle as my stomach sinks. Scott and Mike place protective hands on my shoulders, but I feel tears welling up in my eyes. Nothing they can do can protect me from the pain of betrayal from my best friend in the world.
Meanwhile, Kristy continues yelling as the Dean tries to calm her down. Why is she so angry? Why did she rat me out? But then I remember the ugly look that flashed on her face today. Maybe I should have been more wary, and less trusting. Maybe I should have been less naïve, but never in a billion years would I have expected Kristy to do this to me. We’re best friends. Why would she suddenly turn against me?
“Kristy?” I croak from a dry throat. She swings her gaze to me and it’s so nasty and filled with hatred that I can’t help but shrink back.
“This is all your fault,” she hisses. “If you weren’t such a slut, I wouldn’t have to do this.”
I recoil as if I’ve been slapped. Only Mike and Scott’s hands on my shoulders keep me from falling out of my chair.
“What? Why are you doing this?!” I cry, but she just looks away, refusing to meet my gaze.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Professors Kamp and Mason,” the Dean finally says, looking at Scott and Mike in turn. “But I hope you realize how inappropriate it is for you to have a relationship with a student.”
“We never intended to cause any trouble,” Scott begins, his large hand still tight on my shoulder. “We did everything we could to keep this private, between us. Certainly we have a right to a personal life.”
“Yes, but if other people were to find out about this, it could tear the school apart,” the Dean shakes his head. “You have to understand my concern, gentlemen.”
“And you have to understand ours,” Mike retorts. “Why did this young woman come to you to blab about our private lives?”
“It was my duty to the school,” Kristy retorts, looking prim. “I’m doing the right thing! I’m upholding the honor of NYU!”
I finally find the strength to stand, and to speak. “You’re just jealous,” I say quietly. “I’m sorry that Nolan hasn’t asked you to be his girlfriend. I’m sorry you’re sleeping with a ton of guys, and none of them seem to want you. I’m sorry that you’re a big fat zero when it comes to long-term relationships, while I have two men who adore me. But maybe you should be more careful with whom you share your body. I know that has to be really hard to hear, and I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but it seems that you’ve been a whore and are upset about not getting your way.”
“Shut up!” Kristy shouts, her face red and mottled with rage. “You’re the whore! Seriously, sleeping with our professors, and two of them, at that! You should be ashamed of yourself, slut!”
I can think of plenty more risqué things that Kristy has done in her life, and my mouth pops open as I prepare to list them all. But then Scott gently squeezes my shoulder, and I take a deep breath instead. I don’t want to sink to her level.
It suddenly dawns on me, though, that I have the solution to all of this. After all, I made the decision to be with Scott and Mike after careful deliberation. By no means did I leap in with my eyes closed and it seems my preparation will pay off.