Chapter 20 Iwas never going to get used to the way Stephen, Matthew, and Roberto treated me. In bed and out, they were kind, courteous, and attentive. I barely made a move toward the edge of the bed after three hours of incredible sex before Roberto rolled off the bed and gathered up my clothes. He took my hand and walked me to the bathroom, helping me shower and dress amid slow kisses and tentative touches. Stephen and Matthew joined us for the last few minutes, their kisses growing more heated than the steamy shower. I sighed into Matthew's mouth when he dragged me to his chest for another drugging kiss. Every time I came here, it was harder to leave. Even with my weak knees and fully satisfied body, I wanted nothing more than to climb back in bed with them. No more all-nighters. I'd made myself that promise after that first night in their penthouse. "I have to go," I whispered into the quiet room. Three heads raised, expressions full of remorse. "You could stay a little while longer." Roberto winked playfully and patted my ass. I groaned and shook my head. "I can't keep being so late coming home to the sorority house. They'll get suspicious." "I'm already looking forward to next time." Matthew nuzzled my neck with his nose, then nipped lightly along my collarbone. The playful affection in their kisses kept my body loose and heightened the threads of desire that never seemed to fully go away. Stephen cupped my cheek and kissed me long and deep. His tongue swept into my mouth and both arms locked around my back. I lifted onto my tiptoes and pressed my chest flush against his. If they kept this up, I was definitely at risk of staying too long. I gripped Stephen's bare ribs and pulled away from his lips with no shortage of regret. "I'll be back." "When?" Matthew took his turn for a kiss next, stopping me from answering. Every touch ignited the passion between us. They had been so deep inside me tonight I would feel it for days. It made me curious what would happen if I walked back into the bedroom and crawled into the bed. But I couldn't. Full night had fallen over an hour ago, and my library excuse was wearing thin. All it would take was for Delilah to come looking for me in the library one night for my lies to be exposed. I hated lying to her. The necessary toll it had taken on my psyche caused a shift in our friendship that I didn't know how to mend. She didn't treat me any differently, and I did my best to do the same, but I was pretty sure she knew I was hiding something, even if she had no idea about the truth. "Matthew." I let him hear my desire and my regret. "I really have to go. I don't want to, but they're starting to ask questions." That was enough to convince Matthew to release me. They walked with me from the bedroom to the living room. Two lamps illuminated the corner of the room, leaving the rest dim and soothing. The city skyline gave off an array of colors through the windows, and I paused to look out across the expanse. "Mom would love this." I clasped the windowsill and rested my weight on my palms. "You should bring her by sometime." Roberto tucked my hair behind my ears in that careful way of his. "I'd love to meet her." Stephen's breath rushed out with a harshness that pushed me away from the window. No feelings. I was failing that part of our agreement in spectacular fashion, but they didn't have to know that. "I'll see you later." I made my way to the elevator, fully intending to walk inside without looking back. Matthew caught me around the waist and planted one last lingering kiss on my lips. "Be careful." I patted his chest and forced my feet to move before I gave in. I was already of half a mind to say fuck it and crawl back in bed. The risk overruled my spontaneous desires, so I made my way to the sorority house. I arrived at the same time as the delivery guy, so I grabbed the food from him, gave him a tip, and shouldered open the door. "Hey, food's here." Delilah, Leighona, and several others jumped up from the couch and rushed me. "About time." Delilah took the top two boxes and carried them to the kitchen. "We didn't know if you'd be home in time to eat, but I got you a pizza bowl." She held the foam container aloft. The garlic and cheese aroma teased my stomach into a loud gurgle. I set the rest of the boxes down and took the offered one from Delilah. "Thanks. I didn't mean to be gone so late." "No worries. We all know you've been studying." She wiggled her eyebrows and plopped onto a stool, dragging her container of lo mein closer. "How are you tutoring sessions?" Jessica watched me with a narrow-eyed glare. "They sure are taking up a lot of your time." "I have to pass." I shrugged despite my growing tension. "It's not like I'm going to learn this stuff overnight. But my grades are improving." I remembered Roberto's excitement about me passing his last two tests, and my smile stretched wide. I popped a pepperoni into my mouth to hide the grin. "I can't afford to slack off if I want to keep my scholarship." "Yeah." Leighona rolled her eyes. "I need my understudy to pick up the slack on stage. You wouldn't believe how crazy things have been. I've never sang so much in my life." She rubbed her throat. "Did you try any of those teas I mentioned?" I scrolled through the pictures on my phone. I'd taken a few screenshots for her when she first mentioned a sore throat last week. Taking a bite of her plain chicken, she tipped her head toward the pantry. "One. It tasted like hot garbage." "Really?" None of the recipes I'd saved sounded bad. A few were a strange mixture, but the honey most of them called for should have tempered the stranger flavors. Oh well. Leighona was the kind of girl who wanted all the glory but without any of the work. She'd flat out told me in the beginning that she'd gotten the part after singing one verse. Her claims that she was made for Broadway rang true. I had no argument for her, except that I planned on making my way there too. Soon. "How can you even study when you're with the Dream Team?" Jessica batted her eyelashes at me and leaned across the counter to snag a bag of chips from the basket. I laughed around the bite of cheese and pepperoni. "It's not easy. But I don't have a choice." It was completely true, and the honesty of my words rang throughout the room. The conversation shifted from my tutoring to Jessica's plans to take summer classes to help her graduate faster. She'd been working her ass off all semester, taking more classes than any of us. I listened, commented when I could, and did my best to blend in with the girls I'd pledged to. It wasn't hard to keep my thoughts to myself, but I worried they showed too well on my face. I scooped up another bite, enjoying the tangy deliciousness of the pizza bowl. "How do you eat that? The best part is the crust." Delilah knocked her elbow against mine. "Not trying to lose weight, are you?" Every set of eyes swung my way. Diet culture wasn't forbidden, but Leighona made it clear from the beginning that trying to lose weight showed a shallowness that often meant we were more concerned with our looks than keeping our pledge to put our careers first. I swallowed the hot cheese and held the bowl out to Delilah. "I have a gluten intolerance. Gluten free crust tastes like ass." "You would know." Jessica hooted and slapped her thigh at her joke. Delilah plucked a pepperoni from the bowl and ate it in a single bite, watching me the entire time. She knew about my gluten problem, so why bring it up? We wrapped up the night with laughter and crazy stories from Jessica and Leighona. I laughed until my ribs ached, actually enjoying time with my sorority sisters. Maybe I had this whole thing wrong and they really were good friends. I tended to hold people at arm's length. They deserved more than that from me, and I vowed to myself that I'd do better. "I'm heading upstairs." Delilah was the first to push away from the counter. She tossed her empty container in the trash and left the room. I closed my container and put it in the fridge, hoping to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Leighona waited for me at the doorway between the kitchen and living room. A tiny crease marred the skin between her eyes. "Has Professor Bellington said anything about me?" "What? No." I shook my head a little too hard. "Leighona, I don't see Professor Bellington except in class. The only thing he ever talks to me about is the musical." Almost completely true. We rarely talked when I went to their penthouse. That would be too close to allowing feelings to interfere with what we had going. I walked past her on my way to the stairs. My phone buzzed in my jeans pocket. I ignored it until I entered my room and shut the door. I still didn't have any of their numbers in my phone, but my stupid, ridiculous heart still decided to flip and hammer. I put my back to the door and dug my phone out, sliding my finger across the screen to unlock it. A text message from an unknown number popped open, and damn if my breath didn't lodge in my throat. Maybe they'd found my number in my student file and decided to text me. A smile started, and I held my breath as I opened the message. Black spots danced in my vision when the words came into view. I know what you've been doing with the Dream Team. I gripped the doorknob so tight the lock dented my palm. Three dots appeared, then another message. Better watch your back. The single breath I managed whistled through my closing airway. My thumb trembled when I tried to reply. Who is this? No response. I didn't see any point in trying to deny or argue with some anonymous person. Half my sorority made jokes about me sleeping with the professors after all of my tutoring sessions. I'd done my best to ignore them, but I'd be lying if I tried to convince myself they didn't bother me. I read the messages again. Then again. My blood ran cold, freezing my body in place. I blinked to clear my vision, then checked the number again. Someone was playing with me, and I didn't appreciate it. My room swam in and out of focus. My blue comforter melded with the musical artwork on the walls. I took a step forward, releasing the door and stumbling toward the bed. It sank beneath my weight, and I adjusted my position to sit forward with my elbow on my knee and the phone in front of me. I should call my professors. They needed to know I was being threatened. Possibly. They'd told me to watch my back, but the first text hadn't been explicit. Maybe they didn't know anything but were fishing for answers. If I told them about the message, they might want to end things. I wasn't ready for that to happen. And without proof that my tormentor actually knew anything, I saw no reason to worry them. I just needed to do better about hiding our relationship. I could do that. I was in theater for fuck's sake. If I could put myself into character and sing in front of an audience with enough passion to convince them I understood the depth of my character's emotions, surely I could hide my emotions and the fact I was sleeping with my professors from this creep. A single mother returns to the city she left seven years ago after breaking up with her ex to seek treatment for her son’s leukemia. Upon learning of her return, the ex immediately searches for the lo...