Lessons in Sin

Stunningly beautiful.

Dangerously delicious.

Sinfully pornographic.

Behind him, a cluster of outdoor fitness equipment scattered along the rubber jogging trail. The path wound across the campus grounds and led to the locked gate.

The girls obviously knew his schedule and set their alarms to watch him run that trail and stop at the equipment beneath the window. At six in the morning, he probably thought he had privacy.

Dummy.

Never underestimate the mind of a woman.

Gushing whispers continued around me. They hadn’t noticed my presence, their eyes glued on the forbidden view.

“Thank God for his dedication to physical health.” The black girl beside me traced a heart on the steamed glass inches from her face.

“Tucker said he lifts weights with the football team after his morning runs. I’ve never wanted to be a boy so badly in my life. Can you imagine working out with that man?”

“Yes. I can and do imagine it. All. Day. Long.”

“You’re going to hell.”

“For him, I’ll go on my knees.”

“I swear on all that is holy, I would suck the Jesus out of his cock.”

“Same, girl. Same.”

These bitches weren’t prissy at all. I’d found the bad crowd.

A smile stretched my face. I was right there with them, agreeing and nodding with everything they said. From afar, when his condemning glare wasn’t aimed at me, he was the sexiest man alive.

But up close, with his heat and anger and intoxicating scent smothering my senses, he was terrifying.

He did a few more stretches on the strength bars, eliciting sighs from his audience. Then he jogged off toward the gate, his ass flexing through ground-covering strides.

“I don’t know what those V thingies are called,” someone said. “But I want to lather them in butter and rub my naked body along the grooves.”

“They’re called sex lines,” I murmured.

“What?” A dozen heads turned in my direction.

“The V-shaped cut in the abs. They’re sex lines.” I stepped back and leaned a shoulder against the wall, absorbing the weight of their stares. “The scientific name is transversus abdominis. It’s a sheet of muscle that wraps around the body and supports the spine. When you have a super-strong core and low body fat, you can see the muscle’s edges. Also known as the Adonis belt, named after Adonis, the legendary god of beauty.”

“Are you smart or something?” the redhead asked in a tone that suggested I was a response away from being labeled uncool.

“I remember things. Like all the lickable parts of the male anatomy.” I pulled in a breath. “So you, uh, watch him run every day?”

“Morning worship begins at six,” the girl in the back said. “His body is our temple, and we come to pray.”

A chorus of Amens erupted, followed by laughter.

The curvy brunette hopped down from the bed and approached, giving me a head-to-toe perusal. “You’re Keaton Constantine’s sister.”

Here we go.

“I’m Tinsley. Just got here last night.”

“I’m Nevada. I went to Pembroke with Keaton.” She turned to her friends. “He was the rugby captain. King of the school. Talk about hot. Holy fuck, you guys, the guy is fire. He and I were like this.” She held up her hand with her fingers crossed.

“Funny.” I cocked my head. “He never mentioned you.”

“I transferred here as a sophomore, and he’s a year older, so…”

“Transferred? Were you expelled from Pembroke?”

“Maybe.” A wicked glint lit her eyes.

“I’d love to hear that story.” I smiled, encouraging her.

“That’s old news.” She waved it away. “I don’t mess around with boys anymore. Got my sights on a man. A man in black.”

“Father Magnus?”

“Of course. I have plans for that holy creature the next time I get him alone.”

Was she crazy? I couldn’t get the unholy sound of his roar out of my head. Had he never yelled at her like that? Or looked at her like he wanted to beat her black and blue?

“Doesn’t he scare you?” I asked.

“Totally.” She pinched her nipples and arched her spine, humming, “He scares me so hard.”

Frustration tightened my shoulders. I wasn’t going to get anywhere with this hussy.

“I only met him last night, and I thought…” How did I say this without sounding like a snowflake? “He’s meaner than I expected.”

“Oh, he’s mean. But every time I look into those sexy blue eyes, I go all melty and do whatever he demands.”

“So he hasn’t punished you?” I scanned the room, scrutinizing the reaction of each girl. “Any of you?”

Some of them shrugged. Others nodded with pursed lips. None of them looked scared or abused.

“I’m Carrie, the big sister on this floor.” The black girl raised a hand, gave a prim wave, and returned it to her cocked hip. “If you piss him off, he’ll make you do things, detention, extra work, shit like that. It’s not all bad. Some of us even like it, you know, when we get one-on-one time with him.”

Her smile made me relax. Maybe I’d overreacted to the whole thing last night.