Fair Play (6 page)

That was quick
. My mom must have already heard about Aaron’s engagement and now I’m going to hear about what I failure I am for not snagging my man.

“What’s going on?” my
mother practically yells into the phone as soon as I answer it. She’s so upset her voice is shrill and seems to have raised a full octave.

“What do you mean,
Mother?” I reply feigning ignorance.

“I heard Aaron is engaged and it’s not to you,” my mom snaps. “How could you let this happen?” I know my mom expects Aaron and
me to get together now that we’re both college graduates.

Before I can respond, my mom continues her tirade. “I heard she’s a freshman and that her dad’s an engineer.”

The way my mother says
engineer
makes it sound like the plague.

“Mo
ther,” I try to interrupt. “Please give me a chance to work this out. I promise I have a plan.”

“You’d better do something,” my mom snaps. “Do you know how long Aaron’s mo
ther and I have been planning your wedding? Do you know what it would mean for both of our families for the two of you to get married? You cannot mess this up. Do you understand?”

I take in a deep breath. I
do
understand. I’ve been conditioned to believe that Aaron and I would be together from the time I was twelve years old. “Yes, Mother,” I mutter because there is nothing else to say.

I have to do whatever it takes to get Aaron Donovan.

Three

Keep your friends close—hold your enemies closer.

Arabian Proverb

Three Months Later…

I stand outside of the graduate business building with my book bag in hand and I still can’t believe I’m already
back in school. A wing of this prestigious building now bears the name of my father, Wallace Whitley, for his generous donation to the graduate school of business in exchange for my very late admission into the MBA program.

I spent the summer in near seclusion at my parent’s East Coast beach house. Mom and Dad decided to go to Maui but I couldn’t bear the idea of the 12
-hour plane flight. I heard through the grapevine that Aaron spent the summer with Rainy and her dad, which made me sick to my stomach. Evan phoned me a few times and asked if he could come up for the weekend. He sounded tired. When I asked him about his new job, he said it was okay but it didn’t sound like he loved it, or even liked it that much. I could tell something was missing, I just didn’t want that something to be me.

When I hear a male voice call my name, I know immediately
it’s Aaron. I turn and see him standing next to me in a white polo shirt and black jeans, snug in all the right places. He gives me a genuine smile that lights up whatever darkness that had been surrounding me. When I look into his magnificent brown eyes, I simply want to melt into them.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

I give him a coy half smile. “Looks like I’ll be going to grad school with you. I was accepted into the MBA program.”

He looks genuinely surprised but I can’t tell if it’s a good su
rprise or not. “Seriously?”

I nod. “I’ve even got a condo over on Lexington and Price.”

“That’s where I live.” He sounds a little shocked.

“What a coincidence,” I say but I know it’s anything but. I had my mom call his mom to get his address before I
signed a lease on my place.

“I guess we’re going to be neighbors,” he continues but I’m still not sure he’s completely happy to see me or with my news. I have a feeling it has a lot to do with Rainy and her insecurity around me. Not that I blame her for being insecure. I
am
after her man.

“Maybe we can form a study group or something,” I throw out as casually as I can.

“Maybe,” he replies. He still seems so unsure and it bothers me. Pre-Rainy at least we were friends. Now it doesn’t feel like he wants to still be friends with me.

“Come on,” I prod and playfully pat his shoulder. I notice he stiffens on my touch so I remove my hand. “We can invite other people to be in our study group if Rainy doesn’t want us to be alone.”

“It has nothing to do with Rainy,” he insists but I can tell he’s lying. He just doesn’t want to admit it to me.

“Whatever you say.”
I turn and head into the building and Aaron follows. Just being around him, in his space, and feeling his energy makes everything I’ve done to be here, in this moment, worthwhile.

I would do almost anything to be with Aaron Donovan.

No, that’s not true.

I would do
anything
to be with Aaron.

***

Our first class, Economics for Managers, is more boring than I could have ever imaged. Luckily, I have a great view of Aaron from where I’m seated and I can stare at him and fantasize about all the things I want to do to him. Aaron has the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re deep pools of chocolate brown goodness. I could stare into his eyes for a million years and never get tired of them.

He keeps
his thick dark brown hair a little long. He has always got a little bit of a tussled look to it like he just got out of bed. After having sex. With me. At least that’s how it always looks in my fantasies.

Yummy.

The tight-fitting polo shirts he always wears show off his incredibly toned arms. I remember the last time I saw him shirtless. It was Spring Break and we were all at his parents’ lake house. Before Rainy freaked out and left, we were all hanging out and having a good time. Aaron took off his shirt to get some sun and I caught a glimpse of his perfect upper body. He’s not as muscle-bound as Evan but Aaron’s muscles are solid and he’s perfectly proportioned. I fondly remember the way the light film of sweat on his upper body glistened in the sun and made me want to devour him.

“Miss Whitley,” I hear the instructor say and it jolts me out of my Aaron reverie.

I look up at the professor, who looks like he turned a hundred years old last century, and say, “What?”

“I asked you a question, Miss Whitley. Do I need to repeat it for you?”

“Yes,” I admit. I know I should be embarrassed but I don’t care enough about this class or this teacher for it to bother me.

“Who is considered the father of modern economics?”

Luckily I’m smart and quick on my feet. And I also had two econ classes at Yale as an undergraduate. “Adam Smith,” I answer.

The ancient instructor, Dr. Clark, I think, raises an eyebrow as if he can’t believe I’ve given him the correct answer. The
n he glances at his watch. “We only have a few minutes left and I want to make sure you all get assigned to your study groups. These are the groups you will be working with all semester and the groups you will work with on your final projects.”

The class is fairly large, about 50 students, so it takes a while for him to call the names of
the students in all of the groups.

When he finally calls my name, I breathe a small sigh of relief that it’s followed by Aaron Donovan and two other people, I don’t yet know.

It’s a wonderful thing what my daddy’s large donation to the graduate business school can do.

“We’ll use the last few minutes of class today for you to get acquainted with the people in your groups.”

Aaron glances over at me and I give him a half smile. He doesn’t look as pleased to be matched with me as I’d like. An extremely overweight girl with curly red hair lumbers over to us and I realize she’s Roxie Reynolds, the other female in our group. A skinny guy with thick glasses and an acne scarred face follows. I assume he’s Les Marks, the other guy who was matched with us.

“Hey,” Aaron says
to greet the two people, who just joined us.

I give them each a fake megawatt smile that seems to appease them. The only thing I care about is spending time with Aaron
; the group work and the other people who have joined us are necessary evils.

Roxie is staring at Aaron like she’s never been so close to someone so good looking. I hope she doesn’t faint because we might not be able to get her back up.

“I guess we should schedule a time for the group to meet,” Aaron suggests.

“I’m free tomorrow evening,” I propose.

Roxie flips open an iPad and begins tapping it. We all stare at her as she taps away on the device.

“I can do tomorrow if it’s after seven,” she says finally.

“Where do you want to meet?” Les asks.

“We can meet at my place,” I offer even though I don’t really want anyone but Aaron there. “Or Aaron’s place is close by.”

Aaron shoots me a look like he can’t believe I just offered his place.
Too bad
. I plan to spend a lot of time there.

“Where do you live?” Les asks. “
Wherever we meet, I have to ride my bike.”

“You don’t have a car?” I reply. I can’t believe a graduate student wouldn’t have an automobile.

Les shakes his head.

“The condos over on Lexington and Price,” I say.
“A few miles from here.”

“Where do you live?” Roxie asks Les. “Maybe I can give you a ride.”

“The grad student housing over on University,” he replies.

“I’ll swing by and pick you up.”

“So tomorrow night at seven at Keira’s place?” Aaron reiterates for everyone’s benefit. I love it when he takes charge. It makes me wonder what he’d be like in bed.

We all nod in agreement
but then Roxie holds up a finger.

“Wait,” she says. “I just remembered something I have to do tomorrow evening. I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Aaron frowns and shakes his head. “Just let us know when you’ve got your schedule together, okay?”

Roxie nods. “I will, promise.”

Aaron grabs his stuff and hurries out the door. I try to catch up to him but I can feel a hand grab my elbow.

I turn to face Roxie. “I think we need to get a few things out in the open,” she says.

First of all, I can’t believe she’s touching me.
And second, I can’t believe she’s so bold. In my 22 years on Earth, I haven’t met a girl yet who’s had the guts to stand up to me.

“What things?” I counter.

She removes her hand from my elbow and crosses her arms over her chest. “I saw the way you were looking at me. Like I’m no better than the dirt on your shoe. I just want you to know that you’re no better than me.”

Shit,
this girl is ballsy. I can’t wait to hear what else she has to say.

I make a point of looking her up and down. “I’m clearly be
tter than you in every way,” I counter. “You look like you stepped out of an advertisement for WalMart.”

She gives me the type of evil smirk that I see when I look in the mirror. “I
am
an advertisement for WalMart,” she snaps. “I have a line of clothing there and they pay very well. Do you have a line of clothing with the biggest retailer in the world?”

That
takes me back for a moment. I think about the kind of income that could come from having a line with WalMart. Then I can’t believe I was actually thinking about WalMart.

“You think your shit doesn’t stink because you’re a skinny ass bitch with a rich daddy?” she continues. “What have you actually accomplished without your daddy’s help?”

Her words are like a slap in the face because not only does she have a point, for once I don’t have a smart-ass reply.

“That’s what I thought.” She actually puts her chunky index finger in my face. “I’ve been working my fat ass off since I was twelve. My sisters and I had one of the highest rated reality television shows in history,
The Trailer Park Trio
. Our company, Trailer Park Productions, produces several of the most popular reality shows in the country:
Mud Bog Mania
,
Jeep Girlz
and
Desert
Dune Buggy Bonanza
. While you’ve been spending your daddy’s money, I’ve been making my own. So, I don’t ever want to see you look down your nose at me again. Got it?”

I’m actually in awe of this fat redheaded spitfire and I can see why she’s so successful. Nobody intimidates her and she obv
iously lets nothing stand in her way. I’ve never had any desire to have a female friend but this woman intrigues me. She’s like an alternative reality version of me.

“So, fat ass,” I say. “What do you like to drink?”

She gives me that little evil smirk that I know so well. “Maker’s Mark neat.”

“That’s my drink, too.”

“What’s a skinny ass chick like you doing drinking Maker’s Mark?” she asks.

“As if there’s any other kind of drink?”

“I had you pegged for a Chardonnay kind of girl.”

I shake my head. “Wine isn’t for serious drinkers.”

Roxie points a finger in my direction. “I like you already.”

“Is it too early for a drink?” I ask.

She laughs. “It must be afternoon somewhere.”

“Then let’s go.”

***

I’ll be damned. When I suggest that Roxie pick a place she likes, we end up at the hotel bar I visited when I was on campus for
Aaron and Evan’s graduation. The one with the hot bartender.

“Why here?” I ask Roxie as we enter the place. 

“Let’s just say I like the scenery,” she whispers.

““The bartender is hot as hell,” I reply.

She raises an eyebrow. “You know him?”

“I don’t know him. I’ve been here once before and let’s just say I took note of how attractive the
scenery
was.”

Like the last time I was here, the place is dead except for a few businessmen engaged in conversation at a corner table. I pick a seat at the corner of the bar and Roxie hops up on the stool next to me. I’m actually amazed at how well she gets around for someone of her
physique.

I’m happy to see that the
scenery
is just as attractive as when I was here before. The bartender gives a nod of recognition as he approaches. “Well, if it isn’t the princess back for another round.”

I’m surprised that he remembers me. It’s been several months since he’s seen me. When he glances in Roxie’s direction, he looks surprised. “And my favorite member of the Trailer Park Trio is back!”

The bartender looks back and forth between the two of us. “How the hell do the two of you know each other?”