★

C L A I R E

"So, what's the plan?" Vaughn asks as he pulls the car at a parking slot outside the gates of Bradford Institute of Fashion and Technology.

"I'll tell you later." I open the seat belt and grab my bag but rather than opening the car door and leaving quietly, I end up stealing a look at Vaughn. "Will you go to work now?"

We returned home just this morning and after having a shower — together, Vaughn chose to drop me to college himself. We even got the car and our phones back, courtesy of the mysterious Jake Gallagher. I have to meet this new guy for myself soon.

"Yeah," he hums. "I have a meeting with our new clients. It's time we show them the designs for their complex."

I pull my bottom lip inside my mouth as I watch him. He is dressed in a well-tailored grey suit that fits his frame to perfection. It is a wonder that he takes so little time to groom himself yet comes out as a classy gentleman while I have to take an hour to just get my hair done before stepping out.

He glances at me and catches me staring at him. "Anything, blondie?"

"I'm sorry for last night," I say, looking at the dashboard of the car. "I'm not that good with alcohol."

"Which part are you sorry for?" He turns the engine off and shifts on his seat to face me. "The part where you asked me to continue where we left off or the part where you gave me a lap dance for the second time in your life?"

My ears perk up at that and I jerk my head towards him. "Second time?" I repeat, unable to recall the first. "When was the first?"

"You don't remember?" His eyebrows lift in amusement as he watches me. "Junior year in high school?"

My eyes widen in shock. Humiliation courses through me as I recall the night he is referring to. It was Gracie Hall's birthday bash and I ended up getting drunk for the first time. I don't remember what else happened that night but the next morning, I found myself safe in my bed and didn't think about it again.

"Oh my God!" I shut my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Please tell me I didn't do anything stupid."

He laughs, the timber low and vibrating my beating heart to a faster rhythm.

"You called Chris in your drunken state to pick you up. He was busy so he sent me. I found you in a completely lost state and had to literally drag you to get in the car and then...you just..."

He pauses and I see a faint blush on his cheeks.

"What?" I blurt out. "What did I do?"

He touches the nape of his neck uncomfortably. "You told me that you liked me. Then you got on my lap and started to give me a lap dance."

"Holy shit!" I curse, my cheeks flushing. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"I tried to but you started to shout," he says. "I didn't want people to think I was taking advantage of you so I just let you do what you wanted to until you fell asleep on me."

I drop my forehead on the dashboard, embarrassed to the core while Vaughn just chuckles. I was just sixteen. If we had gotten caught, it would have been troublesome for Vaughn since he was an adult then.

"What did you do then?"

"Nothing." He reaches forward and brushes my hair from the side of my face to look at me. I meet his eyes without lifting my head from the dashboard. "I brought you back home and carried you to your bed. Your parents were out so no one saw us."

"That's it?" I pull myself back up to sit straight. "You didn't..." I look away hesitantly.

"Took advantage of you?" He shakes his head. "No, Claire. I didn't have any inappropriate thoughts for you until we kissed for the first time. I respected you then too, just like I do now."

His words make a small smile form on my lips. Vaughn Jackson can truly be anything but a bad guy. Living under my Dad's misogynistic radar has made all men misogynists for me.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, this time for a completely different reason. "I'm sorry I behaved like that with you. I shouldn't have touched you without your permission."

"You were drunk, Claire," he says. "It was your first time and I know what it is like to get drunk for the first time. Sensible decisions are the last thing to be made."

My smile grows at that. I reach for him, crossing the console in between and he is surprised when I press a kiss on his lips. He remains still for a second before curling his hand behind my neck, kissing me back.

Our action is hardly like last night. The kiss isn't sexual; it is just a simple peck with my warm lips pressed against his hotter ones. It makes me realize how wrong I was about him.

Vaughn Jackson isn't just the jackass I considered him to be. He is more than that. He is kind and generous, gentle and loving. He knows the good from the bad and is a perfect balance to my chaotic nature. He makes me want to be with him more and more every day which is a risk.

After all, this thing between us is just for six months — no more, no less.

I let go of him, pulling back when I feel my heart starting to race in my chest. It isn't a good kind of racing. It is the worst kind. The kind which is making me feel more things for him than I want to.

"I should go." I nod unnecessarily, my lips still tingling with his kiss. "Will you pick me up too?"

I look at him and find him staring with the same intensity as mine in his eyes.

"I will, my lady," he jokes, smiling widely to cover up his real emotions but I have already seen them.

I climb down the car and shut the door, not finding the strength to look back at him as I clutch the strap of my bag over my shoulder and walk to the gates.

I have big plans for us today but if he keeps behaving this way, I might lose something of mine to him in the process of making him mine.

***

"Spill."

Nina turns a little in her seat when she hears me.

"It's nothing." She shrugs.

"You're wearing a ring." I grab her hand and touch the small diamond on her ring finger.

Jesse looks between us with her mouth wide open while Nina blushes hard under my gaze.

"Noah proposed last night," she reveals with a dreamy sigh as she pulls her hand away from mine and looks at the ring.

We are in Mrs. Thompson's marketing class and no one seems to be paying any attention as the lady explains how market prices for different jewels fluctuate in the market. I love fashion and intend to join the marketing side once I graduate but with teachers like Mrs. Thompson, the most interesting subjects can drag you to boredom. The woman's feeble voice lacks the tone of interest. She seems bored herself.

"He proposed?" Jesse whispers, leaning in closer. We are huddled behind the class with our chairs pulled together, talking in low voices. "For real?"

"We've been dating for two years," Nina replies in an obvious tone. "This was meant to come."

"But you don't even know him," I interrupt. "You've no idea about his family either. How can you just say yes?"

She gives me a dirty look from the corner of her eye. "Just like you said yes to Vaughn."

This bitch!

Nina does have a stick high up her ass but for some reason, she is still a part of our trio. Even Jesse hates it when she speaks like that but says nothing. To avoid an ugly confrontation with her in the middle of a class, I end up with a very fake smile on my lips.

"Sorry." I tap the back of her hand slowly and the crease on her forehead smoothens. "I'm happy for you. I just didn't expect him to do that."

"I didn't either." She quickly comes back to her old self, making Jesse roll her eyes at me. "He took me by surprise. We talked for a while and then I had the best orgasm of my life as a celebratory gift. It was mind-blowing!"

Jesse and I both scrunch our noses in disgust as she says that. Seeing Noah in all his older glory hanging out with us is a different thing and knowing about his bed skills is something else entirely.

"What?" Nina gives us a weird look. "We're adults here. We can definitely talk about our men's cocks." She flips her hair and turns to me again. "How's Vaughn's, Claire?"

"Nina, I'm not talking to you about my husband's cock."

"Oh c'mon, spill the tea," she pesters in an annoying high-pitched voice. If I am not wrong, she is becoming increasingly annoying these days. "If it makes you feel better, then I have to say — Noah has a huge cock. He just stretches me so wide that I'm not even able to walk properly after he fucks me."

"Nina!" Jesse scolds her. "That's just ewww...We've no interest in your boyfriend's dick."

"Get yourself one first, Jess," Nina mocks her. "Then we'll talk."

Jesse's expression falls quickly as she looks away from us. Nina aimed to make her left out and she succeeded. It is not like Jesse can't get a boyfriend. She has had several guys asking her out but she always rejected them. She is completely focused on making her career and doesn't want any distractions. It is one of the reasons why I admire her.

"Don't fly so high, Nina," Jesse says without turning back. "All I see in your future are quarrels just like my parents' relationship."

Nina tenses visibly at that.

"Fine, be boring, Nerd!" She turns back to me and smiles. "So, tell me, Claire." She leans closer until we are close enough for Jesse to not hear us. "How hard did Vaughn Jackson fuck you?"

I smile. "We're taking things slow. No banging uglies yet."

Her lips curve downward at that. "Why? Isn't he good?"

"Oh, he is." I put my elbows on the desk and rest a hand on my cheek. "He is an absolute spitfire in bed."

Her eyebrows lift and I know that she felt the pang. She is mentally comparing Vaughn and Noah, wondering which one of us has the better man. Doing dumb stuff is an integral part of her, something which her mother is tired of and her father is always worried about. If I know nothing about the real world, then Nina is two steps ahead of me. All she wants is to force popularity on herself.

"But you guys didn't even fuck?" She pouts her lips. "You don't have to lie, Claire. I'm sure Vaughn is good at other things."

"Indeed, we didn't fuck but he made me come many times." I look her straight in the eyes as I speak. "Without fucking me."

Nina gulps and withdraws her eyes from me. I smirk internally at her distress as she watches Mrs. Thompson continue with her lecture. I look behind Nina and see Jesse giving me a cunning smile which I return gladly, mentally high-fiving her.

***

I find Vaughn leaning against the bonnet of his car when I get out of the gate. He has changed into a light pink shirt and jeans. The sleeves are rolled up to reveal his forearms, giving him the picture of dream guys.

Damn...this man can pull off every color.

I see the girls around campus ogling him and mentally congratulate myself. I run down the stairs, smiling giddily and he opens his arms just in time to catch me by my waist as I slam my lips to his.

Look all you want, bitches. This one is mine.

"You're here," I tell him as I pull back.

"I'm here," he nods, looking at my lips, and leans in to kiss me again.

We kiss for like a minute before we break apart, breathless, and he opens the car door for me. We get in as quickly as possible and he turns the engine, driving us out of the campus.

"Stop the car here," I ask him once we are about two miles from the college, and because Vaughn Jackson is mine for today, he quickly follows my request.

He parks the car behind a tree and I take the time to stare at the veins in his forearms which ripple as he controls the steering wheel. When the car is parked, I throw my bag on the backseat before crossing over the console and climbing on his lap.

"I got us tickets to the theater," I say, holding his face between my hands and staring into the depth of his irises. "Will you go on a date with me, Jackson?"

"What's the show?" he asks, his fingers digging into my ass through my jeans as he pulls me closer, such that my core is pressing over his cock.

"I won't say," I answer as he slides a hand under my top, trailing it up slowly. I am so desperate for his touch that I pull the top off myself and throw it on the backseat.

He gives me a look of approval as he sees me in my bra, my nipples taut for him through the fabric. Without any further hesitation, he opens my bra with one snap of his fingers. The material falls off my shoulders and I moan as he dips in, inserting a nipple into his mouth.

"I won't go then," he mutters while nibbling at my breast. His other hand comes up to squeeze my other breast, pinching the nipple between his forefinger and thumb, twisting it hard.

The street we are in is a busy one but I doubt anyone will stop to notice what's going on behind a tree. Not unless it's some pervert.

Technically, I don't even care. Vaughn Jackson makes me feel wanted. I have felt used but never wanted before and if that comes with consequences, I don't give a fuck.

"Oh, God!" I cry out loud as he continues with his blissful torture. "That's not fair. You do as I say for today...remember?"

"And what do I get in turn?"

I move my fingers to his hair as he bites, sucks, and nibbles at my buds, making strange noises leave my throat. I pull at his hair, the steering wheel digging into my back. He thrust his hips up suddenly and I groan at the sensation it causes at my core when the rough material of my jeans rubs against my inner thigh.

Fuck! I'm so close to coming already.

"I'll wear a skirt," I let out a moan as he sucks at my breasts dedicatedly, his cock growing harder under me. "You can have me anywhere."

He leaves my breasts and lifts his head. His eyes are on me and I find him breathing hard.

"Anywhere?" He takes a strand of my hair and twirls it around his fingers. "I can play between your legs if I get bored of the drama?"

His dirty words strengthen the wildness inside me because I know that as of today, they are exclusive to me and me only.

"Yes."

A corner of his lips tilts in a wicked way. "Fine then. Now let me eat you."

"Now?" I flush deeply as I take a look around us. Cars wheeze past us without bothering to have a look around but it still feels dangerous.

Kind of exciting

"Yes, now." His one-hand grip on my ass tightens, pressing me more firmly to him.

"Okay," I breathe, my fingers caressing his sharp jawline. I will say yes to that mouth between my legs any time.

"That's my girl." He smiles. "Now strip for me and get in the backseat."