Hard Freak

I wasn’t in his room to snoop, though. I had seduction to plan.

Should I be fully naked or just half-dressed?

Fully naked would be more comfortable.

I quickly got undressed and jumped into his bed. I lay on my back, my hair artfully arranged on the pillow, but that lasted about two minutes. Waiting for someone in their bed wasn’t exactly that exciting.

I hopped back up and got my phone out of my jeans pocket. I could put it away when I heard him coming and go back to my seductive poses.

Hopefully, Crow wouldn’t be much longer. I wondered what it would feel like when he kissed me, that bushy beard pushed against my face. I’d never been kissed by a guy with a beard before. Would it be bristly or soft? Maybe soft like a hairy cloud. Then he’d kiss his way down my body, and that beard would tickle my skin.

I squirmed just thinking about that. Oh, it would tickle so nicely. I’d have to keep quiet too and not giggle out loud in case the others heard me. Maybe I’d have to get him to gag me, or at least put his hand over my mouth.

Just the thought of those kisses made my body rush with heat. My stomach fluttered. Oh, tonight would be perfect.

Surely, he’d be back soon. How long did a couple of drinks take? An hour, maybe?

I checked the time. I’d been here for twenty minutes. Damn. It seemed much longer. I hoped my lipstick hadn’t smudged. If I got out of bed to fix it, he’d surely come back, and I’d be naked and in some weird position. I didn’t want to risk that, but staying in bed was boring.

None of my friends were online because of the time difference, so I couldn’t chat. I’d read a book. That would give me something to do until he got back.

Only, I must’ve drifted off to sleep. A noise just outside the door woke me. Where was I? Strange bed, strange room. Oh yeah: Crow. My phone must have slipped out of my hand onto the bed beside me. I put it on the nightstand, then propped myself up on my elbows with the sheet covering me. Covering me a bit too much. I nudged it down a little.

I tried arranging my hair again. I wanted his first sight of me in this bed to be perfect. I turned on the bedside light so it hit me like a spotlight.

The door opened. I bit my bottom lip. This would be the moment. He had to be happy to see me here—he just had to.

“Hello...” I said as he walked into the room.

Only it wasn’t Crow. It was Polly.

Damn shit.

I screamed.

She screamed.

This was not the night I’d had in mind.

Chapter 3

“GET DRESSED AND GET back your own room,” she said. She didn’t shout, but her voice had a cold, sharp edge.

I was going to explain that she really had no right to tell me what to do. I was an adult and responsible for myself. But one look at her face made me forget that. A word out of place, and she’d start swinging punches.

I jumped up, covering myself with my hands. I grabbed my clothes and ran into the bathroom.

I ran the cold water and splashed my cheeks, but cold water wasn’t enough to stop the burning. If I took my time getting dressed, I could delay facing Polly, but then I risked Crow returning to find a very angry Polly in his room. That would be worse than any punishment she could inflict on me.

After she’d dragged me back to my room, instead of leaving, she stayed with me. I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to ignore her pacing around like a caged tiger. If she just yelled at me and got it out of her system, it’d be much better than that pacing.

When she got out her phone, I asked who she was calling.

“Crow. I want to know what the hell he was playing at.”

“He didn’t know.” I didn’t look up, but I needed to tell her that. He had no blame in this.

“What?”

“I decided on my own. I wanted to surprise him.”

She slammed her phone down on the table and spun around to face me. “Are you an idiot? Why the hell would you do that? You aren’t some crazed groupie. Jeez, Fay, I don’t know what to do with you. It’s driving me nuts, having to constantly watch you in case you do something wrong.”

Her jaw jutted in that way it did when she got stubborn. I knew it well. My mom was the same. I probably was, too.

“You could stop,” I said, standing up to face her. “You could stop playing mother hen and actually let me spend some time alone with Crow. Why don’t you worry about your own shit, like Damo, instead of hovering around me?”