I take a leak in the bathroom and wash my hands before walking back to the table. Several people from the school have gathered around now, but Adrianna’s eyes light up when she sees me, anyway. Francesca is gone, and so is Marco.
“Where the hell are they?” I bark at her as I come nearer.
“Who?”
Her eyes look blank and innocent as they meet mine, and I fight the urge to grip her pretty throat. She knows exactly who I’m talking about. Why is she playing dumb? Probably jealousy. She’s been stewing over my interest in Francesca since she first saw her.
“Marco has my phone,” I lie smoothly. “I need it back. Where did they go?”
She returns my black card, and I pocket it as she points outside. “Don’t know, really. He kind of just dragged her out of here.”
I stride toward the exit, but Adrianna clings to the sleeve of my shirt, impatiently tugging on the fabric.
“Where are you going, Julian? Aren’t you going to stay and party with me?”
I take a long, good look at her. I have no doubt she’s eager to get naked and fucked by me, but I’m never going to put my dick inside her again. I hate crazy girls like her and I’m not about to slip on the same ice fucking twice.
“I need to get my phone,” I mutter, but her face falls so much I follow up with, “We can do this again sometime.”
“Sure,” she smiles widely, leaning in to kiss me, but I pull away before she gets the chance.
I don’t look back to see her crestfallen expression as I walk away. I can fill in the gaps for myself.
Walking into the chilly evening, I glare at the campus grounds before me. I’m assuming Marco is taking Francesca back to the house, which I’m already fucking fuming over. That girl is not stepping foot in my home.
I stride in the house's direction, digging my hands into the pockets of my military coat. My mind is swimming with unwelcome thoughts, and unfortunately for me, most of them revolve around Francesca.
I don’t want to look at her. I don’t want her around me. And I sure as fuck don’t want my mind filling up with thoughts about the girl. She’s pissed me off enough, and I have no patience for her little games anymore. And yet I can’t help the feeling that I’m responsible for her, and for my friend’s actions when he’s alone with her.
I’ve known Francesca for a long time now, and I know she can’t handle these situations without the armor she used to wear. Being a bigwig’s daughter protected her. It gave her the confidence to act like a bitch, just like it does to Adrianna. But now that her family has fallen on hard times, Francesca is finally getting hit by the karma she deserves.
The party where we met is still fresh in my mind, as is the way she snubbed me that night. I’m never going to forget the look of horror on her face once she realized I was a servant there, and not part of her gang of rich kids. She’s getting what she deserves.
As much as I try to convince myself to believe that, I quicken my pace until I finally reach the house. I’m about to let myself in when I hear a shriek from inside. I practically break down the door to get in.
I come face to face with a party going on in our living room. On the other side, a little way off from my laughing friends playing beer pong, Marco’s got Francesca cornered. He hovers over her while she tries and fails to get away.
I approach them warily and place a hand on Marco’s shoulder.
“You fucking bailing on me?”
“What?” He turns around and laughs nervously when he sees me. “Sorry, man. I figured you’d want some alone time with your date.”
“I told you I’m not fucking Adrianna,” I mutter. “You better not leave my side again like that. Fucking got it?”
I can see Marco knows I’m serious, and he’s quick to nod before motioning at Francesca, shivering, her hands still handcuffed together.
“Anyway, I got my date to deal with,” Marco smirks. “You mind giving us some privacy?”
My heart pounds. I don’t fucking want Marco alone with Francesca, but I also don’t want him to know I’m jealous as hell.
“Nah,” I shake my head. “Maybe if you hadn’t walked away earlier. I’ll deal with this little piece of ass. You can join the party in the living room.”
His expression darkens for a moment, and I almost expect a punch flying in my direction. But at the last minute, Marco seems to come to his senses, laughing out loud.
“Sure, Julian. There will be plenty more chances for me to sink my cock into this little bitch.” He winks at a shaky Francesca and confidently saunters over to the rest of our housemates.