Christian
He’d planned to ignore the text, but something told him to read it.
Some kinds of dirt rise to the surface, even if you sweep them under the carpet.
His gaze darted around the nearby benches where his friends were clowning between classes. The jokes about football practice went forgotten. The breeze rushing in his ears replaced the sound of Blake, Kadeem, and Mick’s voices. The text could have been misdirected—a message meant for someone else—but after that blast about Sancia and her brother, he had to wonder.
Christian’s radar for trouble was always on high alert, although he’d avoided getting into any serious mess. There was that one time with that girl, Donna-Marie. A chill raced up the back of his neck, but he rubbed it away with one hand. The last time he’d been careless was during spring break in Jamaica, but he’d breathed easier as the normal rhythm of school took over and the days ran into each other. For all he knew, someone had the wrong number. No need to worry about something that might be a mistake.
“Hey, what are you staring at?” Mick leaned sideways to get a look at the phone screen.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Christian snapped when his phone pinged again. He slid it into his pocket. The new message was also from an unknown number. He’d check what it said on the way to his last session for the day. After that he had practice.
He slid sideways off the back of the bench where he had perched.
“Hey, where are you headed?” Blake, another football player, asked as Christian walked away with his mind wrapped around a petite girl with a headful of curly hair that he was checking out.
“Finance. Class starts in a few.”
“I’m going in that direction, too,” Kadeem chimed in, hefting his backpack to his shoulder.
The phone vibrated in Christian’s jeans and brought him back to the message he’d received a few minutes ago, but his thoughts shifted to Sancia. Technically, they were in a relationship that neither of them had given a name. They were more friends with certain benefits that flowed on both sides. She did favors for him and those same favors kept her satisfied. He got the action, and she liked watching. They’d been friendly now for close to eight months and, in a sense, were kindred spirits. Both of them liked living on the edge.
When they arrived at the lecture hall, Christian sat at the back of the room and eased out his cell. Three unread messages. Two from an unknown number. One from Sancia. He opened the one from her first.
Let’s meet later.
That wouldn’t fly. Not with the mood he was in. No. Meet me in an hour at that café you like.
He cut the sound on the phone and opened a video clip that came with one of the messages with an unknown number. People were trickling into the hall, so he hunched over the Samsung. At first, all he could make out was the fact that the area on-screen was dark. Then, he recognized himself and Sancia crouching in the grass outside the villa. The reel ended where he unzipped his pants.
His lunch threatened to make a sudden return, while his heart thundered in his ears. This couldn’t be right. Who had filmed them, and was there more of it somewhere? At the thought of the last unopened message, he broke into a sweat. Conscious that he was breathing through his mouth, Christian read the text.
This forbidden fruit will be your downfall.
Christian swore his heart thumped directly against his chest wall.
Who was toying with him, and what the hell was he going to do?
The minute the lecture ended, he headed to that expensive café where Sancia and her friends seemed to spend half the day. When she stood before him, makeup perfect as always, he put the phone in her face, then pulled it back so she could watch the clip.
Her eyes widened and she grabbed his arm. “Where did that come from?”
So, she was going to try and act innocent? “I was about to ask you.”
She glared at him, eyes glittering. “Why would I do anything like that, and who would have done it for me?”
“How should I know?” He ran one hand over the back of his head. “And I’m wondering if there’s more of it anywhere.”
Sancia licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. “I don’t know what to think and why you’re still looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” he snapped, his irritation getting the better of him.
Her gaze flicked to the phone in his hand. “Like you think I had something do with it.” She pulled her shoulders back, then added, “There’s something else that’s freaking me out.”
Sancia was such a drama queen, he simply waited for whatever bit of fluff she’d come up with next.
“You know when somebody’s spying on you?” She raised both brows and glanced around before continuing, “I’ve been feeling like that lately.”
Christian flipped his wrist and shook his head. “Come on, you always have eyes on you. That’s some BS.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “After what you just showed me, how can you be so certain nobody’s watching us?”
She switched her book bag from one shoulder to the other. “Something about this doesn’t feel right. First someone spreads those lies about me and my family, and now there’s this.”
Christian’s head was about to explode, so he took a calming breath before he said, “We both know what a first class bish you can be without even trying, so that might be a matter of someone getting back at you.”
Cutting her eyes at him, she said, “I haven’t had time for anything. Classes have been busting my butt.”
Now, it was his turn to scoff. “Seriously?”
“For your information, I’ve been staying in and minding my own business.” She ran both hands through her hair then pulled the long strands into a loose bun. “You’d think people would learn to mind theirs.”
While searching his eyes, she pouted. “Are you going to tell me you’re the only one on campus who didn’t receive that disgusting lie about me and my family?”
“I don’t like your tone,” he said, stepping in closer. “Are you accusing me of something?”
She eased back and forced a smile. “N-no, I’m not, but when stuff like this happens, I can’t help thinking that someone close to me might be jealous enough to pull something like this.”
“Do you ever think about anything but yourself?” he asked, losing his patience.
Sancia pointed at his phone while her cheeks turned a blotchy red. “Are you saying you wouldn’t be concerned if someone was spreading news like that about you? Everybody was looking at me funny today.”
“And you’re being extra, as usual.”
“You don’t understand, and I can’t tell you what else might be out there.” She raised one hand, her palm facing him. “This could ruin me.”
“Newsflash.” Christian held up the phone. “This shit is way more serious than your precious reputation. You better get your head on right and keep your mouth shut. If this gets out, we’ll have way bigger problems than what people are saying about you.”