Whatever It Takes (6 page)

Laurie slid off the stool and looked at Mason, rather than
responding to the question. “I better get going.”

She turned toward the door but Brook stepped in her path.
She moved closer to Laurie, towering several inches over her.

“You don’t ignore me, skinny bitch. I asked you a question.”

“I don’t want to fight with you, so please get out of my way,”
Laurie said, hefting the backpack farther onto her shoulder.

“Or what?” Brook demanded, giving her a shove.

Mason made a move to restrain Brook but froze in surprise
when Laurie shoved Brook back. Brook stumbled backward, a shocked look on her
face, and then lunged forward and took a clumsy swing. Laurie dodged Brook’s
fist and landed a single blow to her jaw. Mason couldn’t help but be impressed;
Laurie held herself as if she knew a thing or two about fighting. Brook fell to
the floor, holding her face and wailing. Everyone stared for a moment and then
Dewayne laughed so hard he almost fell off the couch. Laurie glanced back at
Mason.

“Sorry about your girlfriend,” she said.

Mason nodded and smiled, unable to take his eyes off her. “Yeah,
me too.”

Laurie stepped over Brook on her way to the door and, with a
final wave, left the apartment.

Mason stared after Laurie, grinning. He was pleasantly
surprised to see she had more fire than he’d imagined she would have. Ignoring
the sound of Brook crying and cursing from the floor, he wondered where the
little firecracker learned to throw a punch like that.

* * * * *

As soon as she pulled the door shut behind her, Laurie
hurried down the stairs. She was racked by guilt at the thought of what had almost
happened. She’d let a guy she barely knew halfway undress and put his hands on
her. She’d been disappointed when he’d stopped. If he hadn’t stopped himself,
she had no doubt she would be in the middle of having sex with him on his
living room floor at that very moment. She hadn’t had sex with Trey but for
some reason, she was ready and willing to jump his drug dealer.

Maybe her indecent behavior was the result of burnout? She’d
been studying nonstop since the beginning of the new term. She heard people did
crazy things when they burned out. She thought of how she’d punched Brook and
how good it felt, not only because she was being an annoying brat but also
because Laurie thought the woman might be Mason’s girlfriend. Her cheeks burned
bright red as she started her car with shaking hands and drove away from the
building.

* * * * *

By the time Laurie reached Trey’s frat house, she was
drenched in sweat. The drive across town had been pure torture. Every glimpse
of a police car had sent her pulse racing and her hands trembling. All she
wanted was to get rid of the damn backpack, pay her dorm fees and then go back
to her room for a shower and a long nap.

One of Trey’s frat brothers let her into the house and
informed her that Trey was waiting for her in the game room downstairs.

Anxious to be rid of the evidence of her stupid decision,
she hurried to the basement and found Trey playing pool by himself. He looked
up and smiled when she came into the room.

“There you are.”

He stepped away from the pool table to return his cue to the
bracket on the wall.

“Thank God you made it okay. I was worried.”

Laurie took off the backpack and placed it on the pool table
in front of her. Trey scanned the glittery pink bag from across the room and
chuckled.

“Go ahead and empty it onto the table. You can keep that
silly-ass bag.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want it,” Laurie assured him.

“Still…I would prefer you empty the bag.”

Laurie frowned at Trey and put her hands on her hips in a
huff. Trey shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the far end of
the pool table.

“Look, Mr. Fix-It agreed to deliver this stuff to you, not
me. That means he trusts you to do business with him, so if something is wrong,
or the order is short, it needs to come from you. I don’t want to touch any of
the product until I know this deal is on the up-and-up.”

Laurie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “This is so
stupid, Trey. I don’t want to be this far involved. I said I’d pick up this
shit for you and I did. Now I’m done—just take it.”

She held the bag toward him but he shook his head.

“I’m not taking it and I’m not handing over the money until
I know that’s what I ordered.”

Laurie let out an exasperated rumble and unzipped the bag.
She dumped the contents into the middle of the table.

“There you go…enough drugs for every member of your
fraternity to overdose at least three times. Is it all there? Are you satisfied
now?”

Trey looked at the pile on the table and then met her eyes.
He grinned and gave her a nod.

“Great, can I please have the money now?”

Still smiling, Trey placed a stack of cash on the table.
Laurie snatched it up quickly and began to count it, relieved that it was more
than enough to pay her fees.

“Thank you,” she offered softly.

Trey nodded and reached for her. Laurie moved in his
direction and stepped into his embrace. He lowered his lips to hers and gave
her a soft kiss on the lips.

“Thank you for doing this for me, baby. You’re amazing. You
saved my ass. Now go pay for your room and get some rest. Everything is going
to be okay now.”

“And you were serious…? When you said you wouldn’t ever do
something like this again?”

Trey nodded. “Absolutely. We’re all good.”

Laurie smiled, realizing he was right. She’d survived the
mess and would get to stay in school, and she’d never have to be involved in
something so dangerous again. She sighed happily and hugged him tightly. Trey
chuckled and squeezed her ass.

“How about if we go out tomorrow night? You’ve been under so
much stress lately, I’m sure you could use a night to live it up.”

“That actually sounds like a great idea.” Laurie grinned.

“It’s a date,” Trey said, giving her another kiss before she
backed away.

Laurie waved goodbye and then quickly left the frat house
and made her way directly to the housing office. She couldn’t stop smiling as
she drove across campus. Everything really was going to be okay.

With his hand on the small of her back, Trey led Laurie
through the crowd of people at the entrance of the bar. The music was loud and
the crowd was almost overwhelming. Carol and Lisa walked ahead of them, already
flirting with every guy they passed. They were both dressed to kill in
revealing clothes and sexy high heels just like most of the women in the place.
Laurie felt out of place in her jeans and simple, black V-neck top.

Trey led her to a seat at the bar and ordered drinks from
the bartender, who was huge and covered in tattoos. He stared down all the
college students in the place as if they were insects. Trey was no exception.
When he looked at Laurie, she offered him a nod and smile as a thank-you. He
nodded back and one corner of his mouth twitched. She wondered if it was his
version of a smile.

They’d come in a cab so she wouldn’t have to worry about
driving, and she was glad because a cold beer was just what she needed. Carol
and Lisa were already dancing with random men and Trey was scanning the crowd
as if he was looking for someone. Laurie sipped her beer and studied the people
who passed her by. People-watching was something she enjoyed and in this place,
it was quite entertaining. She loved spending time in the French Quarter for
just that reason. There were always a wide variety of people to observe there.

She spotted Dewayne, looking cleaned up in jeans and a deep-blue
button-down shirt. He had his hair combed back away from his face, which drew
extra attention to his handsome features and striking blue eyes.
Not bad at
all
, she noted with surprise. He nodded in her direction before he followed
a sexy redhead toward a private area in the back of the bar. It looked as if
Dewayne had some serious mojo with the ladies.

When Laurie turned to say something to Trey about it she
found he was gone. She scanned the immediate area but didn’t see him. Heaving a
weary sigh, she took another sip of her beer. She wasn’t surprised.

She’d been excited to come along when Trey invited her out
but she’d been feeling guilty over what had nearly happened with Mason. Even
more so that she couldn’t stop thinking about him, and she hoped that paying
some attention to her boyfriend would make her feel like less of a traitorous
whore. She’d even spent a good half-hour making out with Trey earlier that
evening. The intimacy was nice but she’d struggled to shut her mind off and
just go with it.

For a brief instant, she thought it might be fun to go out,
catch a buzz and watch people dance. However, Trey appeared to have a different
agenda. At that moment, she decided to have a few drinks and then take a cab
back to her dorm before it got too late.

* * * * *

Laurie was halfway through her second beer and Trey still
hadn’t returned. She turned down a few guys who asked her to dance and was
content just to watch the people on the dance floor. As she was grinning at a
couple who were putting on a good show, one of Trey’s frat brothers by the name
of Rusty approached her with an open beer in his hand.

“Hey, Laurie,” he said, stopping in front of her. “Trey said
to give you this.” He thrust the beer toward her.

She looked at the bottle for a moment and then narrowed her
eyes at him.

“Do I really look like that big of an idiot?” she demanded.

Rusty pulled the beer back and met her eyes. The color that
stained his cheeks was a dead giveaway. Laurie wasn’t sure what was in that
beer but she was glad she hadn’t taken it. He took a step back and she opened
her mouth to protest. She worried the next girl he offered it to might accept
the beer and fall victim to rape. She was about to demand that he dump it out
when another voice broke in.

“Why don’t you let me have that before you get yourself into
trouble?”

That voice washed over Laurie and she didn’t have to look to
know who was standing beside her. Her heart pounded and she turned to gaze at
Mason, who was leaning against the bar beside her. He pinned the younger man
with a deadly gaze that seemed to hold him entranced. Rusty handed over the
beer with a trembling hand and wide eyes. Mason snatched it away and leaned a
little closer.

“Get the fuck out of here. Now. If I see your punk ass again
tonight, you’re going to the hospital. Got it, fuckhead?”

Rusty looked as if he might pass out but he held it together
long enough to nod and dart toward the exit.

Mason turned to the big, intimidating bartender who appeared
to be a friend—if the wide smile and zealous handshake the man gave Mason were
any indication. Mason spoke to the bartender for a moment then gave him the
beer, which he dumped down the sink.

“Pretty lil’ thing like you shouldn’t be sitting over here
all alone,” Mason said, turning back to Laurie and leaning close so she could
hear him over the music. “It makes you look like easy prey to assholes like
that. Where’s your man, Angel?”

“I’m not sure; he was here earlier.” Laurie glanced around
the immediate area and gave a shrug.

“Come on over and sit with us where you’ll be safe.” Mason
grabbed the two bottles of beer the bartender set before him with one hand and
used the other to grip her arm and tug her off the barstool.

Before Laurie could protest, he was pulling her through the
crowd on the dance floor and toward a private booth where Dewayne and the
redhead were sitting. She wasn’t sure her nerves could handle being so near him
after their last encounter. She racked her brain for an argument but couldn’t
come up with anything, so she gave up and allowed him to lead her.

“Where y’ at, big guy?” Dewayne greeted Mason. “I see you
brought a hostage.” He made a point of looking at Laurie’s arm where Mason
gripped it.

Mason followed his gaze and quickly released her with a
sheepish look.

Dewayne chuckled and then greeted Laurie with a nod. “Good
to see you, lil’ girl.”

She smiled back at him before sliding into the half-circle-shaped
booth and settling beside his date.

Mason slid in behind her, sitting close with his arm draped
on the seat behind her. To the outside observer, they might look like a couple
on a date. Instantly, she realized she’d have to climb over either him or the
table if she needed to escape. A warm tingling spread through her at the
thought of sliding her body over his.

The gorgeous redhead smiled and held out a hand to Laurie. “I’m
Mona Delcorso.”

She looked to be in her late twenties and had a disarming
smile. Laurie was comfortable with her right away. She accepted her hand and
gave it a shake.

“Laurie Donovan.”

“Mason Pierce. I am impressed.” Mona grinned at Mason then
turned her attention back to Laurie. “You are just adorable.”

Laurie laughed self-consciously and tucked a stray lock of
hair behind her ear.

“It’s about time Mace found a good one. He’s really a great
guy, you know. He deserves better than his last girlfriend. What a bitch.”

Before Laurie could correct Mona about the relationship—or
lack thereof—between she and Mason, Dewayne cut in.

“Oh, she knows what a bitch Brook is; she’s the one I told
you about. She laid her ass out.”

Mona gasped and then laughed loudly. “Sweetheart. You’re
adorable
and
amazing. I love you. It’s not just a crush. I
love
you.”

Everyone at the table laughed and Laurie couldn’t help but
join in. She finished the last of her beer and Mason replaced it with one of
the two he’d carried over. She smiled and thanked him before taking a drink.

Laurie lost track of the time as she sat in the booth with
Mason and his friends. She liked Mona a lot. She had an enthusiastic and bubbly
personality that was contagious and Laurie spent most of the night laughing and
talking with the woman. Mona had some great stories and appeared to have a long
history with Dewayne and Mason. She seemed sisterly to Mason but more intimate
with Dewayne. Laurie didn’t think they were a couple but they were attentive to
each other, perhaps friends with benefits.

At first, Laurie was a bit uncomfortable with Mason’s
closeness. She was hyper-aware of every move he made. Every time his shoulder
bumped hers or his hand brushed her back, a nervous jolt shot throughout her
whole body. The sexual tension weighed heavily on her nerves and she didn’t
think she was going to be able to stand it for long, but the more beers she
drank the more comfortable she became with the situation. She lost count of how
many she had but every time she finished one, Mason seemed more than happy to
replace it.

“So what do you do for living?” Mona asked her.

“I’m a law student.”

“No shit? You must be really smart.”

Laurie laughed and shook her head. “Not really, I just spend
every waking moment with my face in a book. It’s actually pretty damn boring.
What about you? What do you do for a living?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m a stripper. What else could I be with
a rack like this?” Mona motioned to her large breasts.

“Duh, a rocket scientist,” Dewayne teased her.

While everyone laughed, Mona elbowed him in the ribs then
turned back to give Laurie a wary look.

“Are you one of those sorority girls?”

“
Hell
no.” Laurie assured her. “I checked out the
sororities my first year here, even started to pledge with one. It only took
about three hours to change my mind. I don’t want anything to do with the dumb
fuckery that goes on in those places.”

That brought laughter from everyone.

“What exactly qualifies as dumb fuckery?” Mason asked. “What
did they want you to do?”

“Yeah, I’ve always wondered about that. Is it like the stuff
they show in the movies?” Mona leaned forward, eager to hear more.

Laurie grimaced at the memory of her day spent with the
sorority girls. “Well, first off, those bitches wanted us to run around and
clean the house in skimpy underwear, which was doable—there were only women
there and I didn’t care if any of them saw my ass. Then they decided our next
mission would be to go to the Kappa Alpha frat house
in our underwear
and
bring back their crest. They said to use
any means necessary
.” She took
another drink of her beer and shook her head. “So I said
fuck
no. They
got pissed off and wouldn’t give me back my clothes so I walked back to my dorm
wearing a tablecloth I ripped off the goddamn refreshment table. The upside is
I spilled cherry punch all over their ridiculous white fur couch and they didn’t
stir up a fuss over it because the administration would have busted their
stupid asses for hazing. Anyway, I’m not welcome at any of the sororities or
any of their functions anymore.”

She said the last part with a fake pout then grinned and
turned her attention back to her beer. Everyone stared at her for a moment,
mouths agape, before they all burst out laughing. Mona surprised her by
throwing her arms around her and giving her a tight squeeze.

“Why the devil haven’t I met this little hellion before?” she
cried, glaring at Mason and Dewayne. “We could have so much fun together.”

“We only just met her, boo.” Dewayne laughed.

Laurie smiled and used a napkin to wipe her shirt where her
beer spilled during Mona’s hug. She foggily wondered if she was sharing too
much about herself with this tableful of virtual strangers. That was her
biggest trouble with drinking. Once she got a few beers in her, she was ready
to tell her life story to the first person who asked an innocent question.

“Come on, let’s hit the ladies’ room.” Mona patted Laurie’s
hand and motioned for Dewayne to let her out of the booth.

Mason stood up and helped Laurie out.

“Don’t worry, Mace. I won’t let anything happen to her,”
Mona teased him as she put an arm around Laurie’s shoulders and led her away.

Carol was making out with a heavyset man near the bathrooms
but Laurie didn’t see Trey anywhere. She wondered if she should track him down
and let him know where she was sitting but then dismissed the idea, assuming he
would find her when he was ready to leave. The bar wasn’t that big.

Laurie leaned against the wall in the short hallway while
she and Mona stood in the long line for the ladies’ room.

“So where are you from?” Mona asked, gazing at Laurie with
genuine interest.

“Portland, Oregon,” Laurie told her.

“Wow. That’s a long ways off; what made you decide on a
college here?”

Laurie’s cheeks heated and she attempted to avoid the
subject. She’d never told anyone the real reason. “I got accepted here.”

Mona rolled her eyes and laughed. “Well obviously, but I don’t
think they tracked you down and recruited you since I’m pretty sure you’re not
a star football player. No, I mean what made you apply for college here?” Mona apparently
sensed a juicy story and wasn’t letting Laurie off the hook.

Laurie thought about it for a moment and couldn’t come up
with a plausible explanation. Probably all the beer clouding her thinking. Mona
laughed and elbowed her in the ribs.

“Come on, I know you got a good bit to tell. I can smell it.
Spill it, sister.”

Laurie laughed and hesitated for only a second before she
decided she would tell Mona the whole story.

“Okay. Well, I came here with my grandmother when I was eleven
and of course, I fell in love with the city. There’s just something about this
place.”

Mona sighed and gave a knowing nod.

“Anyway, I was supposed to be in our hotel room while my
grandmother was out but I slipped away and took a cab to the French Quarter to
explore. While I was there, this old woman grabbed me and made me sit at a
table with her. She looked at my hands for a while—every time I tried to talk
or pull away, she shushed me and just kept on looking. When she was done, she
handed me this pretty little red charm on a beaded chain and said that my soul
would have its mate and I would find him here. I mean in the city, not this bar,
in particular.”