The Irresistible Bundle (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Carina looked across the table at Valentino. They'd spent the entire weekend together and it was finally at its end. He'd made a point by not spending the entire weekend in bed. They went out and he'd spoiled her by buying her several outfits with matching shoes.

The only hiccup in their weekend was Saturday late afternoon. Her phone began receiving incoming text messages. By late evening, it included non-stop calls until her phone was blowing up. At first it was Andrea and some other girls but by that night Jaxon hadn't stopped calling. Something was up and she didn't care to find out what it was. She'd turned off her phone praying that Desirae hadn't tried to contact her.

"Thank you for this weekend" Carina said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I enjoyed every moment. Thank you for coming." Valentino tilted his head. She looked so comfortable in his home. He'd immensely enjoyed her company this weekend. "What are your plans during the week?"

Carina shrugged. In reality she was counting down for winter break and focusing on her academics. The other stuff came secondary. "I usually don't go out during the week."

Valentino nodded his understanding. He was grateful that she wasn't one of those girls who partied all the time. She obviously knew how to party but also how to rein it in. "Can we do dinner during the week?"

Carina beamed. It would give her something to look forward to during the school week. "Wednesday okay?" She asked.

Valentino tapped the screen of his phone and made dinner plans. He could survive the week if he saw her midweek. Carina's phone rang as they cleaned up their dishes. She attempted to hide her frown; knowing it was Desirae calling.

She sighed before answering the phone. "I'm waiting downstairs Chica!" Desirae chirped. Carina hung up without responding. Desirae arrived at their agreed upon time but it didn't make her feel better. Perhaps she should've said Sunday night not midday... Valentino grabbed her overnight bag, new clothes, and shoes. He tenderly kissed her as they waited for the elevator. He was relieved to see her reluctance to leave. It felt really good to have her there with him. He didn't know if she felt like he did but he cherished the time with her.

"We'll see each other Wednesday... we can talk on the phone before then too."

Carina merely nodded. She didn't know why she had this knot in her chest. Was it because she wouldn't see him for a few days? Or was it because she was headed back to campus? She followed him into the elevator leaning into him as the car descended.

Valentino remained the chivalrous gentlemen. He walked her to Desirae's car and loaded her items in the back. They chastely kissed before she sat in the passenger seat. Valentino stood on the sidewalk watching Desirae drive away. Carina watched as the car got farther and farther away.

"How was your weekend?" Carina decided to beat Desirae to the punch.

"I'm sure not as interesting as yours." Desirae taunted. "But I did get laid so much that I needed a hot bath to soothe my lady bits... and I'll be forced to abstain for a few days. Damn that man can fuck!"

Carina rolled her eyes. Knowing her roommate, the dirty details would be shared before bedtime. "Unlike you" She scoffed. "Valentino took me out. He bought me some things and we had dinner at some nice place on Park Ave."

Desirae bounced in her seat. "Oh, that hurt" she winced. She leaned to the side putting pressure off her swollen sex.

Carina scrunched her face at her roommate. "Don't ask me to rub ointment on your shit! You need to learn your limits instead of letting the man fuck you into oblivion."

"Worth it" Desirae sang. "So..." she drawled. "Have you checked your phone all weekend?"

"You know I deliberately ignored my phone." Carina bit out. "He finally decided to fucking start harassing me by Saturday evening. Apparently it took him that long to recover or to get his story straight."

Carina watched as her good friend's eyes bounced from the road to her face. Desirae was dying to say something but obviously wasn't sure whether to share it or not. "I'm sure whatever you want to say Des is already on this phone. Just spill it so that you can spare me the bullshit."

Desirae loudly exhaled. Apparently this was going to be big or bad, or both. Carina scowled. How bad had Jaxon fucked up? There really was no limit to his douche-bagishness.

"There are two things you should be aware of" Desirae began. "The first is that there are tabloid pictures of you and Valentino leaving the club Friday night. Apparently everyone has seen it and decided to call both of us."

Carina's hand twitched with the need to see these so-called pictures. "Are they bad photos?" She quietly asked. Had she been humping him in the parking lot or something? Had Valentino been feeling her up? And why hadn't he mentioned it? Surely a man of his position should've known about it.

"On the contrary... you two look intimate, tasteful... Like a real couple.
You
make him look younger." Desirae laughed making her smile. Valentino wasn't yet thirty but Carina was definitely young compared to most of the women previously in his life.

"The other thing..." Desirae hesitated. By the tension in her voice they both knew this was going to be bad. Desirae parked at a nearby grocery store not wanting to be on campus yet. "Everyone's talking about Jaxon."

Carina raised her eyebrows. This was not news. Where was Des going with this? And could she please get it over with?

Desirae nodded before continuing. "Apparently he banged that blonde bimbo he was feeling up Friday night."

Carina sighed, not in the least bit surprised. She could see the relief and irritation on his face when they'd "talked" during his drunken stupor. There was no way he'd remember that he'd talked to her.

"It gets worse" Desirae hedged. Rumors were typically bullshit but more often than not when it came to Jaxon Wright they were usually pretty close to the point, only with some added embellishments. "Apparently it was 'so good' that the bitch cried or passed out. That motivated the entire sorority to a fuck-fest that featured Jaxon as the headliner. Word has it Pete and the other dickwads took advantage and partook in the sorority orgy."

Carina swallowed the bile that threatened to project out of her mouth. "Well, Jaxon Wright always goes big or goes home right?" Her voice laced with bitterness and a slight tremor. She made a mental note to get tested for every fucking thing under the planet after classes this week. There was no fucking way she'd end up a notch on his post and with any unwanted parting gifts.

"For what it's worth I am sorry" Desirae whispered into the silence of the car.

Carina shrugged. "We both called it Des. This was just the kind of embarrassment I was trying to avoid when I left him the first time." She looked out the window. The longer she avoided him the more people were going to talk. She would not be pitied by the student body for giving Jaxon a chance. He'd been the one begging to have something that resembled a relationship.

Carina turned her phone back on waiting as it dinged and beeped with numerous alerts. Certain noises indicated that a slew of text messages awaited her while a chime notified her that she had a handful of new voicemail messages. She sighed knowing she was going to have to go through them all.

"That many" Desirae teased. Carina nodded rolling her eyes. Didn't people have better things to do than meddle in her business?

She bitterly laughed listening to Jaxon's first straightforward message. "He doesn't fucking remember shit." She bit out. She played it for Desirae to hear. Des merely nodded.

"Can't we fucking castrate him with our bare hands?" Desirae hissed. Carina snorted. Would it do him any good? Probably not...

"Can we eat in tonight?" Carina asked. She knew the food court would involve drama, heated words, and more drama.

"Of course" Desirae responded heading back to the dorm.

Chapter Twenty-Four

They confidently walked through the dorm building and ignored the blatant stares and looks of pity. As they approached their room they slowed down. A group gathered at their door, no one noticed their arrival. Carina had a bad feeling. No one ever congregated by their area. She breathed through the knot forming in her stomach. Maybe Valentino left her something beautiful and all the jealous girls were eyeing it.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Desirae shouted, pushing through the small crowd. Carina swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared at their door. Normally it only displayed framed artwork that Desirae made to show everyone that it was their room. Today, every inch of that same door was covered in pictures. At the center of the collage was the article of Carina and Valentino. The press knew her name thanks to her pictures on Club 69's website. The article speculated about the depth of her relationship with Valentino who owned several nightclubs in the area. Were they lovers? Was he her sugar daddy? She bristled at the gossip column's innuendos.

But the article was the least of her concerns. She blanched focusing on each individual picture plastered on her door. Carina ignored the snickers, comments, and reassurances from those around her. All she could do was stare at the images of Jaxon; a very drunken and horny Jaxon, but one and the same. These images were proof of the story they'd heard.

Carina looked carefully at each picture. The background was the same in each image, but it wasn't the same girl in each photo. She counted at least eight different girls in the slew of pictures taped to her door. In each one, Jaxon was in some sort of compromising position.

Desirae cussed, yelled, and manhandled people until they were the only two left in the hallway. Carina reached out to remove the article. It wasn't hard to miss how much her hand trembled. She hated the fact that whoever placed these pictures in the hall succeeded with their intentions. This 'proof' shook her to her core. She knew that Jaxon was a man-whore. She knew that their semblance of a relationship treaded on very thin ice. She'd been able to stomach the rumors from Desirae and still function but this was too much. To see it almost as if she were there was degrading and hateful. Whoever had set out to hurt her had succeeded.

"I'll take care of them" Desirae whispered. She placed her steady hand over Carina's trembling one.

"No" She adamantly replied. "I need these as proof. What kind of excuse can he give when he sees these?"

Desirae's mouth tightened. She'd be damned if Carina was going to spend another minute staring at this fucked up shit. At least they had something positive through all of the bullshit; the picture in the article was nice, even if the written portion wasn't so great.

Together they collected every picture and scrap of paper off their door. They silently stepped inside their room. Neither spoke a word as Desirae shoved the disgusting photos into a manila envelope. She left the article on Carina's desk for her to decide its fate. They unpacked their overnight bags, did laundry, finished class assignments, and ordered take-out for dinner. They weren't seen or heard from for the rest of the evening.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Classes resumed the next day as usual but Carina walked around slightly numb. Technically, she and Jaxon had been dating. Technically their fight on Friday night had resulted in their breakup. The aftermath was one fucking colossal mess. She avoided all her usual hang out spots and kept to herself. She didn't allow anyone to engage her in any kind of conversation, knowing where it would eventually lead to. She didn't call Valentino the night she arrived or the following day. He didn't need to be involved in her high school theatrics, because that's exactly what it felt like.

But Carina couldn't avoid Jaxon forever. In her attempt to evade him, she'd inevitably run right into him. Her first reaction was to run but it didn't last long. She steeled herself for the confrontation. Jaxon and his rowing team nearly ran her over. He stopped dead in his tracks as he came upon her. He didn't miss how she gritted her teeth and momentarily turned away. It hurt to see her so angry at him. He'd messed up and now everything had gone to shit.

But the hurt didn't last long. It only took a cleansing breath to rid Jaxon of any guilt and hurt. He wasn't the only one who'd been otherwise occupied. Carina too had been out all weekend fucking someone else's brains out. She hadn't been with him. She hadn't tended to his needs in two weeks.

"Why the fuck haven't you called me back?" Jaxon yelled. He allowed the building rage to flow through his body. Anger was easy to deal with. This warm and fuzzy shit sucked ass. He obviously wasn't good at all with warm words and tender notions.

Carina tilted her head in puzzlement. "What else did we have left to say Jaxon? We said it all Friday night." She knew he still didn't remember their conversation that night and it showed with his hard swallow and his hands rubbing his forehead.

"All I wanted was a real chance with you" He evenly stated. Yelling wasn't going to get them anywhere, fast.

"We tried... it didn't work out... Now you can move on." She replied flatly. She wouldn't allow her emotions to take over. They had an audience; Jaxon seemed oblivious to them.

"Bullshit Carina" he growled. "You never really gave us a chance. You had us over even before it began."

"And I was fucking right Jaxon!" She screamed. "You sure as hell didn't disappointment me there. I mean when you go big you do it big! The whole sorority Jaxon? You fucked every current member of that sorority and we're standing here having a fucking conversation about me
not committing
to this relationship?"

"I didn't fuck the whole sorority" Jaxon defended. He wanted to punch someone. People had big ass mouths on this campus. How had she already heard about that?

Jaxon froze. His mind screamed its denial. Carina reached into her bag. He sucked in air as his eyes stared in disbelief. She pulled out dozens of pictures. This didn't bode well for him. His jaw clenched as she marched up to him shoving the pictures in his chest. "How many pussies did you fuck that night?" She glared daring him to deny anything.

Jaxon's jaw clenched as he fought to recall any memories of that night. The photographic images were proof that he'd done what Pete said. Carina had proven that she'd found him and that they'd
talked
. His chest ached as he looked at the pictures. He couldn't swallow the rock that firmly lodged in his throat. His eyes burned at the sight. He couldn't ignore his shaky hands as they flipped through image after image of different girls. To make matters worse, Carina stood right next to him looking at them too. No doubt that she'd looked at the pictures often.

"Wait, there's one of my personal favorites. Apparently you needed to up the ante and have Chelsea with two other girls. I mean didn't you already have her once? Is she your new favorite fuck buddy? Does this mean I'm officially passing on the torch?"

Sarcasm evident in her tone; Jaxon cringed as he looked at Chelsea's image. Not only was that NOT on that Friday night when he'd openly fondled her on the dance floor but he'd also been sober enough to know better. He'd already messed around with Chelsea once but since he hadn't technically fucked her Jaxon decided to close the deal. Now he immensely regretted it.

"Did you really think I would be okay with you messing around with everyone as long as you didn't fuck them? I mean come on Jax! You were basically having sex with them, just without penetration! You still made them come... you still kissed them. Did you honestly think that not fucking them and not getting head would give you a free pass?"

"What was I supposed to do Carina? We haven't had sex in weeks... You left me behind during break and you didn't bother to make an effort to get back in time for our weekend ritual!" Jaxon ticked off the offenses as he named them.

Carina stared in irritation and bewilderment. "Exclusive means no-fucking-body else! If what you need is an open relationship then put that shit out front and center. I'm not rehashing the same bullshit about Thanksgiving break. I was only gone a few days Jaxon. You couldn't keep your dick in your pants for a few fucking days asshole."

"I only want you belleza. My dick stayed in my pants during break."

"Bullshit" Carina bellowed. He was using his beloved nickname on her but she wasn't hearing it. "If that was the case you would've waited the nine days I was gone. You could've jacked off rather than gone looking for a good time elsewhere. You went
out
looking Jaxon. Even if you gave some crock of shit that you touched but didn't fuck. You make it sound like I should be grateful!"

"What about you?" He sneered. "The second things go south you jump in that asshole's bed. Our first fight and you run straight to his club and go home with him."

"This wasn't our first fight Jaxon. This is us being OVER. I was single and available when I went clubbing. I had every right to!" She trembled with rage. He made it sound like they were still trying to work something out. What the hell did he expect? That they would find a way through this and she'd ignored the dozen pussies he'd fucked during their 'misunderstanding'?!

The rowing coach approached the tense group. "Jaxon" he said in a stern voice.

"On it coach" Jaxon barked. He tucked the pictures in his gym short pockets and took off running. His chest tightened with every step. His lungs barely functioned but it had nothing to do with him running at damn near full speed rather than jogging. Those pictures showed Jaxon at his finest. The countless girls that had approached him all day were further proof. No one wanted a real relationship with him. They just wanted his dick or his family's money. Carina was the only one he wanted for more than in his bed. She looked past his wealth and shallowness. But now she couldn't stand the sight of him.

"Since you two are officially over we're free to tap that ass right?" One of the rookies sniggered as they approached the locker room. He'd been eyeing Carina from the get-go.

Jaxon didn't think. He just reacted. He punched the fucking prick. Maybe it was some of the pent-up anger during his fight with Carina that put him over the edge but everyone heard the unmistakable crack at the contact. The rookie screamed in agony as coach bellowed for someone to grab him. But Jaxon was beyond help. He only saw red when guys talked shit about Carina. He knew his reputation was shit but damn-it-to-hell if he'd bring her down with him.

"No one fucking touches her. She'll always be mine." He roared. Other students hovered as they watched Jaxon lose it. His coach held him in a choke hold until the others escorted the rookie away to seek medical attention.

"That's it Wright.... You're suspended for the next three meets."

Coach's words cleared Jaxon from seeing only red. He panted as he looked around. He'd been royally fucking up as of lately. He stumbled away knowing he had to get his shit together. He'd let Carina cool off and then they could try again.

Jaxon knew they were the same; they couldn't stay away from each for long. She'd miss him enough to not be able to deny his attentions. He nodded to himself pleased with this game plan. In the meantime he'd enjoy the attention of other females but would practice being more discreet about it. Discretion had never been a strong suit before. Now it would be a necessity if he planned to win back Carina and keep her.