Lucian. There was no argument of whether I loved Lucinda Buford. She was my mother and my rock and I loved her. It didn't mean that there weren't times I just didn't want to strangle the fuck out of her. Like now for instance. She had called me at seven thirty while I was driving to work to tell me she needed me. She hadn't needed to say more. I had turned my car around and headed for her house which was approximately a two hour thirty minute drive. I made it two hours on the dot. Two hours that I spent thinking of all the worst case scenarios and trying to call her over and over again. Each call that went to voice mail only sent my blood pressure higher and higher to the roof. I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to call the school's English department in the midst of my panic. I immediately rang up Tina Bertram, a substitute who had filled in for me once before. "Hello?" "Tina, Good morning, it's Lucian Buford." "I know it's you, professor. Do you need something?" S
Maddie. I was sitting on a bench a little distance from the food truck inhaling the best shawarma on the planet. It seemed that everything that came out of the food truck was simply amazing. I didn't know their secret recipe, but honestly at this point even if I found out it was the blood of crickets, I wasn't sure I'd be all that bothered. "Good right?" Cam asked. We had planned to have lunch together but Cam had had to run to track practice and I had had to hurriedly study for a class test I had forgotten all about. So here we were, after school, having lunch by past five. "Good is an understatement." I told him. "I'm tempted to kidnap the cook and lock him in my basement so he'd work for me day and night." "I rue the day you're powerful enough to actually go through with that diabolical plan." He laughed. "You laugh now, but when I'm eating perfection day and night, you wouldn't be laughing anymore." "I'd be knocking at your door day and night." He grinned. "speaking of day
Maddie. "Don't look now, but that guy at the bar is totally checking you out." I immediately turned to look and Gia grabbed hold of my elbow and held me in place. "I said not to look now." She hissed at me. I winced. "Sorry sorry. What guy?" "He's wearing black, at seven o'clock. I can't really see his face, but I can see his watch and it is definitely expensive." She giggled, head bobbing to the beat of the music pulsing from hidden speakers. I rolled my eyes at her. Georgia and I had been best friends long before we were even born. I know you don't think it's possible, but let me paint you a picture of the scenario. Gia's mum and mine had been best friends who had met two best friends, Gia's dad and mine and got married within a month of each other. I was only six days younger than her, and we had practically grown up in the same house. Different houses sharing a single fence. Need I say more? We were attached at the hip and she was my sister in everyway that mattered. It di
Maddie. I realized I had been staring and had completely snubbed him moments too late. "Uhh." I stammered. "Hey." "Do you want to dance?" He was standing super close to me, his head bent to breathe his words directly into my ear. It was an effective method to avoid having to shout to be heard over the music, but I couldn't help but feel that he also did it for another reason. "Yes." I replied. The words were barely out of my mouth before one of his big hands settled on my hip and pulled me closer till we were just a hairsbreadth away. He smelled like expensive cologne and pinewood. It was earthy and refreshing. Especially as I was constantly surrounded by college boys who thought drowning themselves and choking everybody around them in cheap, cloying perfume was appealing. The man staring down at me with singular focus was entirely too much man for me. Nothing about him was boy. He looked like he could eat me for breakfast and I wondered what madness had possessed me to say yes
Maddie. It was Monday morning, more than twenty four hours since my amazing night with Luc. True to the dark promise in his eyes, he had blown my mind. I had screamed till I had lost my voice. The only roadblock we had encountered during the night was when he found out I had been a virgin, but luckily, I was able to reassure him that I hadn't been keeping my virginity for any mysterious special person and I was more than ready to lose it to him. And boy had I lost it. I had also lost my mind and my senses that night, both burned to ashes with the heat of our passion. Gia had once tried to describe what an explosive orgasm felt like to me and I had thought she had been exaggerating for my benefit. With Luc, it had been more than explosive. The best word I could use to describe it was combustive. I had passed out afterwards. Gia had snuck into the room by past two and we had both snuck out. I had been sad to leave Luc alone in bed, but I knew it was just a one night stand and I'd p
Lucian. I had assumed she was an adult. So, it was nobody's fault but mine. Her and her friend hadn't looked like freaking college newbies. I didn't make it a habit to take strangers to my bed. It never happened in fact. Ever since the drama with my ex fiancee, I had lost all interest in women. Until her. There had been something electrifying about her. Something that kept my eyes glued to her all through the night. The air around her seemed to shimmer, that was the only way I could explain it. As soon as she had walked into that club Saturday night, I had taken notice. Gage never let anyone below twenty one in and he had a sharp eye for fake IDs so I had felt secure that she was an adult, old enough to drink and all. The club was also quite a distance from the college campus and much tamer too so it was a safe haven where I didn't have to worry about running into coeds. But not only had I run into one, I had approached her, felt her up in a public area and fallen into bed with
Maddie."Oh my God. What did he say? That looked so intense and uncomfortable to watch." Gia asked as soon as I walked out of the door. "That he'd destroy our lives if we said anything about Saturday night." I gave her the brief summary. Gia made a face. "Is that all?" I began to head to our next class and she fell into step with me. "What do you mean by is that all? Should there be more? Maybe pictures of the people's lives he has destroyed as evidence?" She rolled her eyes at me. "I expected more." "More what? More threats?""Okay okay." She stopped walking and faced me. "Don't shoot the messenger, but from where I was standing it looked like both of you were about to start ripping each other's clothes off." I spluttered. "Excuse me?""I swear." "You're seeing things." "I am not just seeing things. I was afraid that someone was going to walk in and see you both because trust me, it'd have looked the opposite of what was actually going on. I don't know how to tell you, Mads,
Maddie. Gia and I made our way into the fancy and tastefully decorated restaurant. Once in a while, we broke the bank to take ourselves out to somewhere nice and after the horrible week I had had, I felt I really deserved a relaxed lunch, not the five minute affairs that were slowly becoming my regular. And who could blame me, Professor Buford was out for a pound of my flesh and he didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. I could kiss goodbye to a chill year, that was obviously nowhere in my nearest future. I slid into the chair with a sigh. Gia picked up her menu hurriedly. "I'm starving." She said for the millionth time that afternoon. "Oh God, their portions are going to be ridiculously small and we'll need to order pizza afterwards." I winced. This lunch was already eating deep into our pockets. Could we afford to shell out a single extra cent for pizza today? The semester had barely begun and we were already counting pocket change. "We're wiped aren't we?" She asked readin