The Stipulation (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Roman sa
id he had to catch a flight to New York City in the morning, for some business, and offered to take me home. He seemed apologetic, as if he truly wanted to spend the night with me, but he would have to leave so early that it just wouldn’t make much sense, considering he was my ride. I agreed, and we both got dressed before he took me back to the dorm.

The car ride wasn’t nearly as awkward as when he picked me up, likely because we had just engaged in the most passionate session of sex either of us will likely ever have
—well, it was for me anyway. I wasn’t sure if I should talk about it, hold his hand, or do anything in between. The drive back to the dorm went even faster than usual, as going back to where you came from was always quicker than leaving.

He pulled up in front of the dorm, the clock saying ten
thirty, and put it into park as he looked over at me. There were a slew of students outside, both coming and going for the night, as in their minds, the night was still very young. I didn’t know how all of them could go out this late, especially considering the weather was bitterly cold, but all I cared about this time was Roman.

“I had a great time,” he said with a smile as he held my hand.

“I did too. When will I see you again?” I asked, not sure if I was pushing my boundaries considering I still wasn’t positive if I were his sugar baby yet or if he planned to choose another girl.

“I’ll call you when I get back from New York,” he said politely, giving me an indication that he did want to see me again.

I wasn’t sure if he wanted to see me again because he liked me or because of the sex, but I knew that time in his bed must’ve at least paid for half of my semester’s tuition. I felt a little bad even thinking about him paying it down, for I had an amazing time and was starting to like him, but that was our agreement in the first place. I also didn’t want to just think about the tuition because it made me feel a little dirty. Sure, he took my virginity and my innocence not too long ago, but I didn’t do it for the bills being paid off. When I was lying there, him towering over me with that look of lust and passion in his eyes, I wanted to be there; I wanted to be with him.

“Well, I hope your trip is good
. I look forward to seeing you again,” I said shyly.

“It’ll come sooner than you think
.” He smiled before leaning in to kiss me good night.

His lips pressed against mine once more, this time losing the sexual passion and instead trading it for a sense of sweetness as if he wanted to be gentle with me
. He was showing me a side that I wanted so badly to see; a romantic side that was just to be cute and not beastly sexual.

“Good
night,” I replied with a smile as I grabbed my purse and opened the car door.

He didn’t reply, instead smiling and watching me as I got out of the car and closed the door
. I felt his eyes on me as I walked to the huge doors to my building, making sure I got in safe and sound, before driving off, the roar of the powerful engine fading away with each foot traveled.

I wondered as I walked over to my wing’s elevators if anybody knew what I had just done
. All of the students, all dressed slutty for their night of frat parties, walked by me laughing and joking with each other as if I were just another face in the crowd and not some girl who had just lost the one thing so sacred to her. I now had more in common with all of these girls than I ever had before, and I wanted to tell them, but the fear of looking like both a freak and a slut stopped me.

Instead
I got into the elevator as three girls walked off, put my key into the slot, and traveled to my floor to get ready for bed; hoping Jillian was there to hear all about my little rendezvous.

***

“You’re back! Tell me all about it right now!” Jillian exclaimed as I walked in the door.

I slid my heels off, smiling just slightly, as I made her wait in agony before I told her anything
. She was surprisingly happy, which took me by surprise considering she was apprehensive that I could even pull this off. I was too innocent in her mind, but if she would’ve seen me tonight, she could’ve seen just how naughty and wild I could be.

“Natalie!” she exclaimed as I set down my purse.

“Well, he took me to some French restaurant which was very nice. They had these little water glasses and these nice red flowers,” I said, leading her away from the subject she wanted to hear about.

“Ok
ay, French restaurant, flowers, nice. What else?” she asked as she clutched her pillow against her chest with a smile on her face.

“Well, afterward we went back to his house in this gated community
. It was huge and had all of this expensive art and tiling. We had a good time,” I said as I took out my earrings and set them in my small wooden jewelry box.

“Did you have sex?” she asked, waiting nervously in anticipation.

“Sex?” I asked, as if I had never heard of such a thing.

“Natalie!” she yelled, wanting to hear either a yes or no from my mouth.

I nodded, confirming that we did indeed have sex. Her mouth dropped in shock; she jumped up, and ran over to hug me as if I had just won the Pulitzer.

“I’m so happy for you
, Natty! How was it?” she asked.

“It was, in a word,
great
,” I replied with a smile.

“Well what did he do
? Did he just quickly get off and then bring you back or what?” she asked, wanting to know every single little detail.

“No, it lasted probably close to an hour
. He made me feel like a princess, and did everything in his power to pleasure me before he got any pleasure,” I said, referring to the way he ate me out before having me go down on him.

“Steve’s never done that,” she said
, turning her head, as if she was now pissed at him.

I changed into my pajamas, getting myself ready for bed and my eight in the morning psychology class.

“So when are you seeing him again?” she asked.

“I’m not sure
. He’s going on business soon so he didn’t give me a good answer as to when,” I replied, likely not giving her the answer she wanted.

“Well did it seem like that was just an excuse or something?” she asked, insinuating he might not want to see me again.

“It was real, I could tell it definitely was. He’s just a busy guy, but promised me he would see me as soon as he got back,” I replied as I climbed into bed.

Jillian climbed into her bed as well, as the excitement had
worn off and we were now back to our usual reality.

“Well, I’m happy for you,” she said
and turned off her lamp.

“Thank you
, Jill” I smiled before I turned off my small lamp.

As the moonlight filled our room, the high of having sex and losing my virginity went away, leaving me with the realization my innocence was now gone forever
. I knew my parents would have heart palpitations if they ever found out about Roman—and me being a sugar baby—so I vowed to myself that I would be careful and never slip up. I was going to quit my job tomorrow, but when I got to talk to them both I would still be working and slaving away like usual. If anyone asked, I’m a good girl who is doing all of the work I’m supposed to be doing with no fooling around of any kind.

Jillian fell asleep, and I closed my eyes to visions of Roman
. He haunted my thoughts, but not in a bad way…not in the slightest. I imagined his chiseled abs, his rock hard erection in front of me, and the way he handled me gently like a delicate flower yet rough like a sexy little plaything. He was the best of both worlds as far as I was concerned, and thoughts of seeing him again filled my mind.

I might’ve just lost my virginity, but I craved sex like an addict; unable to break my mind free from the mind blowing orgasms I had just hours earlier
. I could easily go out to a party right now and get any guy there to screw me, but I didn’t want them, I wanted Roman. I wanted his primal and sweaty body on top of me, pressing against me like we’re stranded in the Alps and need to conserve heat. I wanted to feel him yet again thrusting into me like our lives depended on it. I wanted to feel his lips against mine, and mine against his; both sets of them that is.

I kept my eyes closed as the thoughts of Roman and our night together drifted off with each minute that passed by
. My mind started to clear and relax as my body began to shut down, only to repair itself while I slept for a new day. The cold wind blew outside my window, rattling it slightly, as I faintly heard the yells of the blisteringly drunk students now coming back from their night of partying and living it up like any true college kid.

Even though my conscious thoughts of Roman faded, he ran into my dreams and danced about with me the way we were soon going to when we met again
. Even though I was asleep, my body was still feeling every inch of him and every firm yet gentle touch he gave me. Roman was my drug, and I wanted more.

Volume Two Excerpt Below!

Chapter One

A week had passed and I still hadn’t heard from Roman. Jerome had let us exchange contact info since we were now “official,” but I didn’t take it as a free pass to bug him whenever I was lonely. I knew he was leaving to go on business, whatever that meant, but I was hoping for at least some glimmer of hope in the form of a text or phone call. I resisted sending him anything for fear I would come across as needy. I had no clue if he was even back in town, and if he was, if he wanted anything to do with me. I was positive he did, but there was still that nagging voice in the back of my head that made me question everything. If I just had some kind of contact with him, I would know for sure.

I got out of bed and went on with my life and classes as usual. Winter break wasn’t that far away, with this being finals week. In my past semesters, I would sometimes get lucky and would be done on Wednesday, but not this semester. I had finals right up until Friday, and I wasn’t looking forward to this week dragging on slowly as each day got me an inch closer to freedom. I was actually hoping that winter break would help with Roman, just because I would have the time to go out and stay with him. I would be able to stay over, if he wanted me to, and maybe we would even be able do something together. My parents were going to be in Ethiopia for Christmas, so even if I wanted to be with them, I couldn’t. My Christmas was going to be filled with sitting in my dorm, alone, since everybody would be home visiting their families. My school left the dorms open for the people who stayed, which was about two percent of all the students who lived in the dorms. I guess they really couldn’t kick us out, considering we paid a hefty fee just to stay in here.

I had woken late today, just making it to my first final on time. I only had one today, with all of the rest scattered throughout the week. As I walked into History 205 with Professor Stratton, he gave me a glare of disappointment as if I had just committed some bizarre and petty crime. The class hadn’t even technically started yet, with thirty seconds still left on the ever-ticking clock that hung above his desk. I gave a courteous yet awkward smile and went to my usual desk, which was in the middle of the three hundred-person lecture hall. I had to shimmy past a few people, all of them sighing in frustration as they pulled in their backpacks and feet for me to fit by. I tried to hurry, saying sorry and apologizing before I finally got to my seat. My desk was beat up, like most of the others, with old pieces of gum stuck to the bottom and carvings of male private parts and initials on the top. This lecture hall was the most ghetto, in my mind, of all at the school, but luckily I was done with it as soon as I took the final test of this godforsaken class.

“Roman,” Professor Stratton exclaimed.

I instantly glanced up, the name resonated through my mind and filled my head with the burned in image of Roman’s face. Was he here by some weird chance searching for me?

“Roman life and military excellence will be talked about heavily on this examination. I hope you all studied Roman life and history extensively, because if you haven’t, you will fail,” Professor Stratton said before picking up the stack of exams to hand out.

He was only talking about the exam. My heart sank a little as he continued to talk. For a split second, I hoped and prayed deep down that he was talking about Roman—imagining him entering the room to sweep me away in his arms to some exotic and far away land. I would leave this stale old room and leave college, only to be some trophy wife who would never have to work or worry about money again. That was the dream I was hoping I would be able to live. For now though, I’d have to accept that it most definitely wasn’t my reality. My reality was sitting here between two smelly guys who clearly didn’t shower, only to take some test I was likely never going to be ready for, even if I had studied for a week straight. Professor Stratton was known for his intensely hard exams, especially in the form of his finals. Most students rarely got above a seventy-five percent, and I was hoping I would at least get that high of a score. My other classes were going very well; meaning a C in this class wouldn’t kill my GPA.

The person at the end of each row was given the exams—and then the stack of tests traveled the length of the row—until each one of us received a copy. I took mine and continued to pass down the thick packet of bright-white papers,
just barely
stapled together. There was a certain heft to this exam, a mix of multiple choice and essay, which struck fear into the minds of everyone. I looked around at the other students, with nobody showing a clear sense of confidence as they reviewed the questions. We were a bunch of cows walking into the slaughter, and only the really lucky ones would miss the bullet and instead get to walk out with their lives.

***

I walked out of the exam an hour and a half later like a zombie, with my hair a little messed up from the constant rubbing of my hand against my head as my brain went on the fritz with each question that I read. I’m sure the poor souls who were waiting for the class to end, so they could go in and take their final, thought we were actors from some zombie movie, almost previewing their own fate.

Since this was my only final for today, all I was going to do was sit around the rest of the day inside my room. I planned to study for my English final, but I had no other plans since Roman was out of town and every one of my friends were either studying or taking their finals. You really didn’t see much of your friends during finals week, but that wasn’t much different from my normal life since all I did, up until recently, was work. I had quit my job a few days ago, my manager not too happy because I didn’t give any notice. In hindsight, I should’ve, but I was just so excited to get out that giving my two weeks didn’t seem like that big of a deal. I thought Roman would be back by now and I didn’t want to take time away from him. I was hoping he’d return and still want me after leaving my job. Now I had no way to pay my tuition or bills, other than the small amount of money I had left, which admittedly wasn’t much.

The lobby of my building was very bare, with only a couple of students there studying. Usually this place was bumping, but I even peered down the large hallway to the cafeteria and even that was bare. I was glad people were taking these finals seriously, which meant I would get some peace and quiet for once so I could study.

***

I entered my room to see the complete emptiness, which was more than welcomed. Jillian must be at a final, which meant I could sit back, relax, and study in complete peace. She had this bad habit where she would chomp on her cinnamon gum when she was either nervous or studying, meaning I would have to leave or put on headphones just to be able to hear myself think. That chomping was loud and incessant, and she never closed her mouth to do it. One of my biggest pet peeves was people who didn’t chew with their mouths closed. It was almost  fitting I would be roomed up with someone who did that.

I pulled out my English textbook and study guide, for I was lucky enough to have Professor Ingle, a middle-aged woman who actually tried to give us all a chance to succeed. Either that or her job and pay were based on the performance of her students, so if she gave us a lot of answers, she wouldn’t be fired. I didn’t care what it was either way, for all I cared about was keeping my GPA up and not losing my grants or getting kicked out of the school, whether that meant doing it all on my own or getting a little help in the form of a well-written study guide.

“I just don’t think I did that well,” Jillian said outside our room as she turned the handle and opened the door.

I had just sat down and opened my books, a silent and exasperated sigh escaping from my lips, as I glared at the door. It looked like I wouldn’t be studying any time soon.

Jillian and Tara walked inside, obviously talking about a final they must’ve just taken together. They saw me sitting there and smiled, as if they knew something I didn’t.

“I’ve been looking all over for you today,” Tara said as she threw her arms up.

“What did I do?” I asked, unsure if I was in some kind of trouble, if I even could be.

“Jerome has been waiting to do your evaluation and told me to find you,” Tara said.

“Evaluation? Why would I need to be evaluated?” I asked in sheer confusion.

“Well, it’s not really an evaluation as much as an interview I guess. He just talks to you about your first date, things that happened, and then tells you how your sugar daddy felt about it,” Tara explained.

“How would he know how Roman felt about the date?” I asked.

“I thought I explained this to you before your date, but I might have forgotten. There is always a waiting period after your first date before you can see your sugar daddy again. Sometimes it’s a day, other times a week or more, depending on the guy and his career and situation. If both people said it was a success and they liked each other, more dates are set up and there would be free communication between sugar daddy and sugar baby. If the date went poorly and there is no future between the two people, then Jerome will set you up with another sugar daddy until you find one you truly connect with,” Tara explained, letting me know about this crazy side of everything I had no clue existed.

Roman and I had a great time, at least I thought so, but what if he didn’t want to see me any longer? Tara made it seem as if this whole thing could come crashing down in an instant, and I was petrified it would. I had already quit my job and had been waiting for Roman to contact me. What if he just told Jerome the whole date sucked and he didn’t care to see me any longer? I thought we had something, but maybe I just misinterpreted it. I’m not accustomed to guys anyway, so it would be easy for me to misread all of the signs.

“Well when does Jerome want to see me?” I asked.

“Now would be great,” Tara said with a smile, as if I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

I closed my books, the ones I just opened and didn’t even have a chance to study, so I could go with Tara and get this whole thing over with. I could take whatever Jerome was going to tell me, even if it were bad news. I was praying for good news, but had a gut feeling things wouldn’t go well. I slid my shoes back on, stood up, and Tara opened the door as we walked out to go see Jerome.

“Have fun you two!” Jillian said enthusiastically, as if trying to calm my nerves.

“You’ll be fine,” Tara said, as she placed her hand on my back.

We walked down the hallway, and the only thing on my mind was what was about to come next.

Volume Two now available!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DYB1AQ0