Page 75 of Play By The Rules
He grumbles, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into a deeper kiss while his hand cups my arse, pulling me into his erection. It’s only when a cough sounds from Betty that he finally gives in. “Fine, but I’ll see you tonight. None of this tomorrow business.”
THIRTY-NINE
Theblackmididresshugs my curves in all the right places while still covering all the important bits. Like my tits and arse. The last thing I want to do tonight is to give Gregory the wrong idea after the way he behaved on his last visit.
I brush the curls out of my hair, letting it fall into loose waves before twisting it into a high ponytail. My make-up is simple, a plain black wing and a touch of blusher across my cheeks.
It’s as good as I can make it, and I can’t ask Betty for help since she’s dying of a hangover in bed. Neither she nor Noah have left their rooms much today; and while the quiet has been lonely, it’s allowed me to get ready for this dinner with Gregory without questions.
My friends wouldn’t understand why I’m agreeing to this, and truth be told, neither do I. I still stand by the fact it’s fucking weird.
Maybe weirder that I’m hiding the fact from everybody.
It would be easy to tell them all. To tell Theodore and have him come with me . . . But my mother’s words ring through my head.
As much as I want to hate her—and I do, at times—there’s still a part of me that is a lonely little girl who wants her mum’s approval, no matter how much I try to fight her.
I’m pathetic.
Truly pathetic, staring at myself in the mirror and hoping that my choices are good enough for her.
I grab a small over-the-shoulder black handbag, sliding the metal chain onto my arm before grabbing some cash. My phone stares at me from the nightstand, Theodore’s name still on the screen with the text he sent me earlier, telling me he was heading out for the evening and he’d come find me when he got home.
Without replying, I turn the phone face down and walk out of my bedroom without it. The last thing I need right now is for him to catch wind of what I’m doing.
God, I’m a piece of shit: lying to my boyfriend, sneaking out of my dorm without telling my friends.
I hope you’re happy, Mother.
Gregory waits for me in the lobby, once again wearing a suit that looks at least one size too small. The white shirt gapes at the buttons, his pale round skin pressing against the seams. His balding hair is pushed back, showcasing his wrinkled brow. When he sees me, his eyes light up and that same predatory grin spreads across his face.
“Sweetheart,” he preens, leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek. My eyes close as his too wet lips smack on my skin, the sound and feel nauseating. “Are you ready?”
I nod, unable able to say anything for fear I may throw up on him, especially when a clammy hand presses against my lower back. Even with the material of my dress as a barrier, I can feel the moisture from his palm, and my blood chills when his hands slide lower, almost covering my arse cheek.
A few people mull around us, heading outside or towards the lifts, but none pay us any mind as he guides me out into the cold night air where a black town car waits for us. Gregory holds the door open, letting me slide in before he follows.
“I’m glad it’s just the two of us tonight, Fallon,” he comments, his voice a whisper over the sound of the radio coming from the front seats. “I thought instead of having dinner at a restaurant, we’d have it at my hotel. More intimate, don’t you think?”
“Uhm.” I struggle to find the right words, my mouth drying when he smiles at me with yellowing teeth.
What was it my mother said?
Whatever makes him happy?
My spine straightens, my stomach churning at the thoughts of what that could even mean for a man like him. I swallow harshly, my throat bobbing. “I don’t really think that’s a good idea.”
“Nonsense, sweetheart. It’ll do us some good to be able to talk privately.” His hand clamps down on my thigh, holding me in place while the car barrels down the road. I don’t even know where this man’s hotel is, and I don’t have my fucking phone with me.
Stupid, stupid, girl.
The journey is long, so long I doubt we’re even still near the academy when the car rolls to a stop. The hotel, if you can even call the building in front of us that, is small and quiet when we walk into the lobby. It looks more like a house, a run-down, dirty unkempt house. Nobody sits at a front desk to greet us, no sign of life outside of our feet slapping against the tiled floor.
My eyes move back to the entrance, a set of double doors that remain open, and my skin trembles when I see the car is long gone. I’m sure I’m overreacting and there is nothing to be worried about, but that doesn’t stop my mind from running through a thousand scenarios in my head.
“Are there other guests staying here?”
“No.” Gregory chuckles as though the concept of guests at a hotel is foreign to him. “The place is ours for the whole weekend.”