Chapter Twelve

Noah The next morning, I got a text from Dad. I wanted to ignore it, but I didn’t dare.

I didn’t want to be a part of what was going on, but I knew I couldn’t separate myself from it, either. I’d feel guilty if I did nothing and that poor rich woman thought she’d met a couple of crooks.

Come over to breakfast, meet the family.

I frowned because his message didn’t make much sense to me. What family? He didn’t mean him and the woman he was planning to con, right?

Whatever.

He made me stop yesterday, but the guilt had been killing me since I’d turned my back on them. There was no way I was going to be a part of this; I had to say something.

It was damn early, and I couldn’t sleep well last night, but I jumped out of bed to go and find Dad. I went to take a quick shower and found some clean clothes to get dressed before I left my dorm. There was still some time before I had to meet them for breakfast, but I figured it would be fine if I made my way over there slowly.

I was walking through the school, looking down at my phone when I heard someone call my name. I stopped automatically, looking around for whoever called me and wanted to curse when I found them.

Shit. I should have kept walking.

I wanted to turn and keep walking, but that would be rude; and, it would be bad if she kept yelling my name and called other people’s attention to us.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked, voice neutral, as she stopped in front of me.

She didn’t seem to register my flat tone. I really didn’t want to see her right then. Actually, she looked really happy to see me, and stepped closer than I was comfortable with.

“Hey, Noah,” she said, her voice breathy.

I frowned at her intimate tone. It sent alarm bells off in my mind.

“Hello,” I said. I tried to think of it but honestly couldn’t remember her name. “Do you want something?”

She pouted. “What kind of tone is that? Aren’t you happy to see me? I’ve been looking for you all over campus, but you’re a hard man to find.”

Because I don’t go around giving random people my information.

If she’d known more than my name, she might have found me earlier. Maybe, while I was with Sara. The thought was horrifying, and I had to hold back a shudder.

“If you don’t have anything to say, then please excuse me. I’m busy.”

The least I could do was be polite, but I was under too much stress to care about it at that moment. I went to leave, only to freeze when her hands suddenly grabbed me, and she wrapped her arms around one of mine. I stared down at her arms dumbly, wondering why she was touching me. I wanted to shove her off, but I forced myself not to act too hastily. We were in public and I really didn’t want to draw attention to myself.

I glanced around. We were in the middle of the school grounds with other students walking around us. It was still early morning, so there weren’t too many people moving around, but people would be going out to get breakfast. A few even passed close enough to us to overhear what we were talking about, and I noticed some glances being thrown our way.

Shit.

“I really do need to go,” I said, and lowered my voice. “I’m on my way to meet someone right now. Can we do this later, please?”

Or never, I left unsaid.

The girl pouted.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to meet another girl,” she whined, and clutched at me harder. “You can't do that anymore, okay? I won't allow it.”

I grimaced, but at least her whining made me remember her name. Blanc. She was my first ever client when I started the Sext Me line. We’d only be together for a short time, but it hadn't been that long ago, and her behavior was…unique.

It had been my first time selling sex for money, and having it with someone like Blanc made me unsure what to do after we were done. I didn’t know if I should just get up and leave, or help her clean up, or stay with her. The price was already so high, so would all that be included in the package? Especially since she’d been a virgin. In the end, I stayed with her, and she whined the entire time. I was so relieved when she fell asleep, and I could leave her room. I didn’t think I’d have to meet her again. She was one of the most demanding women I’d ever met, and I quickly put her out of my mind.

So why was she doing this to me now?

“Listen, Blanc,” I started, trying to tug my arm away from hers.

She beamed at me, her face pleased.

“I knew you wouldn’t forget me,” she said with a proud tilt of her chin. “I was wondering why you hadn’t called me back, though. You told me you had fun that night, right? So… how about we start dating for real?”

I stared at her for a moment, my jaw dropped. It had been weeks since we first saw each other, and I hadn't seen her since. Don’t tell me this whole time she’d been searching for me and daydreaming about the moment she found me?

“That’s um, nice that you feel that way Blanc,” I said, even though it really wasn’t. “But can we talk later? I really do have an appointment.”

She frowned. “Why can't we talk now, though? It’d not easy to find you, even though we’re in the same school. Are you hungry? Let’s go out and get breakfast, okay? My treat.”

Since she wasn’t hearing me, I decided to take the blunt route. I pulleded my arm out of her grip, ignoring the way it made her frown deepen.

“I’m sorry, Blanc, but I’m not interested. At all. Now, if you don’t mind, I really am busy, so please excuse me.”

I went to turn to leave, but then she spoke.

“How hard up are you for money?”

I froze.

“You’re doing the Sext Me line because of money, right? If you want me to give you some, I don’t mind. You can give up the Sext Me thing, right? I mean, I know it’s how we got close in the first place, but I wouldn’t feel too good if you kept it up, trust me, money isn’t a problem for me.”

Again, I gaped at her. Did this girl really not realize that we were in public? And that people were walking around us as she spoke? Her voice wasn’t even lowered, people who didn’t want to listen in would still hear her. Besides, when did we ever get close? Why was she acting as if it was a foregone conclusion that we’d be dating? We only ever met up for sex, and it was paid for!

Shit.

Murmurs grew around us, and when I checked, more people were looking our way. They whispered to each other, pointing, and it was spreading. Some even had their phones out. Fuck. I knew about this trend. Before long, everyone would know I was behind Sext Me. I’d be lucky if no one spread it to the professors.

“Is that not enough for you?” Blanc said, her voice way too loud. “Don’t tell me you’re still fucking other girls. Are you doing it for laughs? Are you going to meet one of them now?”

I turned a glare at her. Even though I’d never hit a woman before, right then, I really wanted to slap her. She was getting even louder in her agitation, making a scene on college grounds, as if she didn’t realize we’d both have to deal with the gossiping later.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked. I felt like screaming in rage and laughing at the same time, and I didn’t know which to do first. I couldn’t help but think that Sara was going to kill me once she heard the gossip going around. “Did you really have to say all that out loud? And do I need to remind you that what I do is none of your business?”

“No way,” I heard someone say.

I looked around and noticed a couple of girls. I’d seen them when I was with Sara one time. Alicia and Caroline, though I didn’t know who was who; they were former friends of hers and the ones that told her about the Sext Me line. In a way, I owed what I had with her to them, but I didn’t like the expressions on their faces.

“I thought those two were boyfriend and girlfriend,” the blonde one said. “The way they’ve been going around together a lot recently. But it turns out he’s the Sext Me guy?”

They laughed snidely, and I knew why they weren’t friends anymore.

“Sara had to pay someone to fuck her, and go out with her, too?” The other one said and giggled. “That’s priceless! No wonder she didn’t want to say…”

They weren't silent, either, and Blanc heard them, too. She shot a frown at them, before looking back to me.

“What are they talking about? You’re not seeing anyone besides me, right?”

I scowled. “I never saw you in the first place,” I hissed. “What part of ‘I’m not interested’ is so hard for you to understand?”

The other two girls just listened to us and continued giggling; they weren’t even hiding that they were eavesdropping. I was about to turn to them and start shouting when my phone vibrated in my hand. Dad had texted me back, saying that they were already having breakfast in the hotel and were waiting on me.

I felt exhausted, even though the day had only just started. I ignored the three girls as I turned to leave campus. I had more important things to do than stay there with these crazy women. All three of them.

Somehow, I had to deal with the issue of my dad becoming a con man, and hope the rumors wouldn’t spread too much, or at least that people wouldn’t believe them, or I wasn’t sure how I would explain things to Sara later.