Barely by Madison Faye

“Hello? Earth to Brynn?”

I blink whirling my head around as my eyes focus on Waverly.

“Hey, sorry,” I stammer, blushing.

She frowns. “You okay?”

“Yeah? Why?”

She shrugs, her eyes searching mine. “I dunno, you’ve been a little distant the last few weeks is all. Everything’s okay, though?”

Oh sure. Except my father is the new Bernie Madoff, my stepmom has fled the country probably with half my trust fund, and there’s a mob creep who wants me to strip at his fucking club or maybe fuck him in order to pay off the money my dad owes him. Right, and I spent the night at Principal Kane’s house and watched him jerk off his huge dick.

…Yeah, everything’s just peachy.

“I’m good,” I lie, smiling. “Really.”

She frowns slightly, like she’s not quite buying it, but letting me have it.

“Alright, but you know I’m here if you need me.”

“I know,” I smile before I flip the whole thing and peer at her.

Waverly’s brow furrows as I grin at her. “What?”

“Oh nothing, I’m just not the only one who’s been distracted lately.”

She blushes but swallows it back. “What do you mean?”

“Um, besides the fact that you’re actually doing your hair in more than a bun these days? Or the constant smiling? The hint of, say, hickeys under the concealer on your neck?”

“They are not—”

“Or maybe just the general bouncy attitude you’ve got going recently? Hmmm?” I grin at her, wagging my brows. I know my friend, and she is definitely hiding something. And from the feel of it, it’s a boy. Her hiding it is weird though, extra weird since our friend Sasha has been giving her extra grief about her lack of a love life recently.

Waverly rolls her eyes, but there’s no hiding the pink on her cheeks.

“It’s nothing, weirdo. I’m just excited for regionals.”

To be fair, so am I. Waverly, Sasha, and I are on the Winchester swim team, and under the new coach, Coach Kirby, it looks like we’ve got a really good chance of dominating at regionals. Well, the girls team at least. Maybe it’s the added motivation of Camden Kirby being crazy hot. Believe me, the jealousy on the girls’ team is real about all the time Waverly gets to spend with him as the star swimmer of the team.

“Regionals give you those hickeys?”

She sticks her tongue out. “It’s probably just bruising from all the training I’ve been doing.”

“Uh-huh,” I say dryly.

She blushes, her teeth raking over her bottom lip as she glances around the semi-crowded school hallway. And then suddenly, she leans in close, conspiratorially.

“Okay, there is this… this thing.”

“I knew it!”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not telling you now, but just be patient.”

“What! That’s bullshit! Tell me now!”

She grins widely, and I can really see the enamored, silly look in her eyes. Whoever this guy is, she’s smitten.

“After regionals, okay?”

“Uuugh,” I groan. “So lame.”

“It’ll be motivation. If we do well, I’ll tell you.”

I snort. “Motivation like spending all that extra training time with Coach Hotness, you mean?”

Her face goes crimson, and I’m about to keep teasing her, when suddenly, my eyes catch something past her shoulder, and I freeze. Heat sizzles through me, and my breath catches as my eyes just stare at the sight of Principal Kane striding down the hallway towards us. My heart races, my skin tingles, and my breath catches as I drink him in. He’s wearing a white button up dress shirt, the sleeves rolled halfway up his rippling forearms, and perfectly fitting navy-blue dress pants. And he looks fucking gorgeous.

The throngs of students crowding the hallway seem to part for him, like people can feel is presence before he even has to say, “excuse me” and move preemptively. I shiver as he strides closer, and when his eyes find me, and our gazes lock, I see this spark of something wild in those eyes.

Waverly frowns. “Um, hello?” She turns just as Colton steps close to us, startling her as she looks up at him.

“Principal Kane!”

He smiles. “Waverly, Miss Henley,” he growls, his eyes flashing at me before he turns back to Waverly.

“How’s your mom doing?”

A few weeks ago, Waverly’s mom was the Vice Principal at Winchester. But she’s just moved to New York to start her new job as Dean of Admissions for NYU, which is a pretty swank job if you ask me.

“She’s good,” Waverly shrugs. “She loves her apartment and living in the city, and I think we found some renters for our house here.”

Colton nods. “And you? Dorm life treating you okay?”

Right, that’s the other part of it. Since her mom has now moved to New York, she’s put their house here in Southworth up for rent, and so Waverly’s living in the dorms now for the first time ever. Which, seeing as she’s on my and Sasha’s floor, is pretty great, I have to say.

“It’s really good, actually,” she smiles, turning to wink at me. “I’ve got a great guide to navigating the showers and dining hall at peak hours.”

Colton smiles this perfect, panty-melting smile, and I just shiver as I drink it in.

“Well,” he smiles again. “Better get to class. Ladies.” He nods at each of us stiffly, his eyes lingering on mine a bit longer than normal and that fire behind them sparking before he turns and strides away down the hall.

“You know, I know people think he’s a big tight-assed grump, but he’s a really nice guy,” Waverly shrugs. “He was great with my mom putting her notice in and everything.”

“Uh-huh,” I answer without really hearing her, my eyes locked onto him. And I’m not listening to Waverly, because all I can think of is last night, I saw him with his cock out—his huge cock—stroking it until he came with my name on his lips.

“Alright, I do need to get to class,” she sighs. “See you at practice later?”

“Uh-huh.”

She laughs, rolling her eyes as I break out of my trance and glance at her.

“Dude, you need some coffee or something today.”

I blush. “Yeah… yeah, maybe.”

She grins. “Or some hot action with a cute boy?”

I roll my eyes, my cheeks burning fiercely.

“Right, I’ll get right on that.”

She takes off for class, leaving me standing there stewing in my thoughts. The thing is, she’s right. It is about a boy, and yeah do I want something with him. Except, it’s not a “boy” at all.

It’s a man. A very tempting, very dominant, very off-limits man.

It’s getting dark this time of year by the time swim practice is over. And of course, Waverly has to stay late for extra conditioning since she’s the golden girl of the team. I roll my eyes at myself though the second I think it. I know it comes off as jealousy, but it really isn’t. I mean I love swimming, and I’m pretty good, but Waverly is something else entirely. She’s what you’d call “natural talent,” and if she doesn’t go to like, the Olympics or something at some point, I’ll be shocked.

As I step out of the gym, I take a breath of the crisp fall air, and the gears in my head start to turn. I’ve been avoiding thinking about it all night, but now it’s sort of the do-or-do-not moment. On the one hand, there’s Colton’s offer of staying at his place. And as very tempting as that is, I know it’s a terrible idea, because I know I’m just going to end up embarrassing myself. I’m going accidentally let it out how crazy I am for him, when he’s really just being nice. Or I’m going to get caught spying on him or something creepy like that.

I groan, blushing as I start to head back across the darkening campus to my dorm. My thoughts tease back to last night, and what I saw… and heard.

He said my name

Heat tingles through me, and I swallow thickly at the memory of Colton stroking his big, big cock, and moaning my name as he did.

I shiver.

Yeah, there is no way I can got stay at that house with him. I’d have to be insane to do that at this point. But then, what’s my other option? The dorms? I mean, Colton’s right—Winchester is a pretty secure, safe campus. But I know I’m going to be jumping at every single shadow and bump in the night wondering if—or more likely when—I’m going to hear from Lorenzo again. I mean, as far as I know, I’m supposed to be his disgusting club tonight.

The thought sours in me, and I make a face as I walk faster. Pretty soon, I’m going to have to make a choice. Either I head left for Marshall Hall, my dorm, or I take a right at some point and walk to the other side of campus and Colton’s house.

My thoughts are still spinning as I duck down a shortcut behind the Life Sciences building. And I’ve just about made up my mind to just stop being a baby and go back to the dorms, when suddenly, hands grab me.

Hard.

I scream, but another hand muffles my mouth, making my entire body stiffen as someone strong yanks me off the path and behind a dumpster alcove. My heart hammers in my ears, my eyes stinging with tears, and fear slicing through me before suddenly, the hands spin me around, and I come face-to-face with Lorenzo.

Oh fuck.

Lorenzo and two of his goons, actually.

“Well well well,” he sneers, eying me with a sickly smile. “Where you running off to so fast, sweetheart?”

I swallow, my pulse still racing and my body tense.

“M—my dorm,” I croak out.

Lorenzo smiles. “Oh yeah? See, that’s funny, because I thought I had you scheduled to take your fucking clothes off and shake that ass up on my goddamn stage tonight. In half an hour, actually.”

“I… I mean…” I’m frozen, fear just cutting me in half as his goons hold me tight and he leers at me.

“You don’t want to shake that ass? You don’t wanna dance for my spot? That it?”

I bite my lip, and slowly, I shake my head.

“No.”

Instantly, he’s laughing. “Yeah, I don’t actually give a shit. But, for argument’s sake, sure—let’s say you’re done dancing. But just so we’re clear, you owe, and you’re gonna make a shitload less serving food, or making coffee, or working at a fuckin’ grocery store or some shit, but you do you, girl.”

He chuckles, shaking his head as he grins at me.

“See, you still owe me three-hundred-thousand-dollars.”

“My dad owes you—”

“You know where he is?” Lorenzo snaps, his eyes darkening.

I shake my head, trembling.

“Yeah, didn’t fucking think so. So, in that case, yeah, sweetheart, you owe me that money.”

His eyes drop to my necklace, this simple Tiffany’s thing I got for a birthday or something a few years ago.

“Maybe start selling off some of that rich-girl jewelry.”

I nod, eagerly reaching up and taking off the necklace that has zero emotional attachment for me, especially since I think my dad got it for me instead of actually being there for the birthday.

“Here!” I choke out. “Take this!”

Lorenzo snickers, rolling his eyes as he snatches it from my hand and peers at it.

“What is this shit even worth? Is this Tiffany’s?”

I nod. “Yeah! And five thousand, I think.”

He grins at his two goons before he starts to crack up.

“Oh, wow, a whole five-grand? Damn, girl!” He chuckles. “You got sixty more of those somewhere?’

I swallow and shake my head.

“You know,” Lorenzo suddenly says, his eyes sliding over me as he licks his lips.

“I do take all kinds of payment.”

I freeze, something cold piercing into me as he suddenly steps even closer to me. My stomach twists, and bile rises in my throat.

“Fuck do you have a pretty mouth,” Lorenzo hisses, making me feel sick.

“I bet you drive the boys crazy with those lips.” He chuckles. “Shit, girl, those are prime DSLs right there.” He grins and leans in close. “That’s ‘dick sucking lips,’ if you didn’t know.

I say nothing, the nausea building inside of me as I look away from him, my pulse thundering in my ears.

“I would just love to feel those things wrapped around my dick, sweetheart.”

I want to throw up, and I think I actually might.

“I mean,” Lorenzo shrugs. “That’d be worth, what, a couple hundred bucks?” He snickers at his guys. “Let’s be generous and say three-hundred.”

He grins. “And you owe three-hundred-grand? Shit, I’d take a thousand blowjobs with those lips.”

All three of them crack up, and when he moves in closer and reaches up to cup my cheek with his disgusting hand, I shrivel back.

“Leave me alone!” I manage to shriek before one of the goons clamps a hand over my mouth.

Lorenzo laughs, shaking his head.

“Aww, Brynn. I’m just fuckin’ with you, rich-girl.” He’s grinning at me, but it slowly fades as a shadow creeps over his face.

“But I will get what I’m owed. You don’t want to dance? Fuck it, fine. But that money is coming back to me one way or another. We’ll be in touch.”

He nods at his guys, who let go of my arms. I’m shaking, my stomach wrapped around itself as I stand there trying not to cry or scream. Lorenzo grins at me as they turn and walk away into the night. I stand there behind the dumpster, my skin crawling and my whole body trembling as I watch them walk all the way to a parked car and get in. And it’s not until it drives away that I turn, and I run.

And I don’t stop running until I get to the big Tudor house. The tears come as I start to pound on the door, and by the time Colton yanks it open, I’m sobbing. His eyes blaze as he lunges for me, scooping me into his arms and pulling me tight to his chest as I cry into him.

“I’ve got you,” he growls quietly, stroking my back as I bury my face in his chest.

“I’ve got you, Brynn.”

His voice and his hands sooth me, and I cling to him as he picks me up and carries me inside, shutting the door behind us. He cradles me in his arms, saying nothing and asking no questions as he carries me into his study and sits on one of his comfy, wing-backed chairs. I cling to him, pushing my face back against his chest again and trying to collect myself as he strokes my back and one of my arms. He leans down, and when I feel him kiss the top of my head tenderly, my pulse quickens.

And slowly, the tears fade as the heat rises inside.

I’m still clutching him as I pull back to look up into his face.

“Brynn—”

“Here,” I whisper fiercely. “I want to stay here.”

He nods, his jaw tight and his eyes piercing into mine until I’m lost in them.

So lost, in fact, that with those eyes, the heat of him, and the way his big, strong arms are cradling me so tight and protectively, I lose myself entirely. It’s like the world falls away around us until it’s just him and I. And when I lean close, and when he growls and holds me tighter, I know I’m about to fall.

“Brynn—”

I close the gap between us, and when my lips sear hotly to his, I just explode as the kiss brings us crashing together.

Oh shit.