His Kiss and His Bargain

Chloe resisted the urge to kick the door with her worn-out leather boot, but the temptation was there. Pulsing just beneath her skin like a fever. Only the thought of the satisfaction the sadistic man on the other side would get out of her show of emotion stopped her. If there was justice in the universe, Chloe thought, then Professor Simms would find himself experiencing explosive diarrhea without a toilet in sight, and Chloe would be there to blow sneezing powder into the air with great joy. The evil thought gave her a moment of happiness before her mind returned to her sad reality. The hallway from the lecturers’ offices to the rest of the college was littered with students walking about like lost souls. It was the stress of the studies that had everyone so drained and looking like zombies. With a resigned sigh, Chloe joined her fellow students. Every step she made took more energy than she actually had. Chloe was more than drained. It was almost ridiculous. The bags under her eyes had bags of their own. The last time she had looked in the mirror, she barely recognized the face she saw. She had lost weight. Which wasn’t a surprise, considering she forgot to eat half the time. The other half she actually remembered; it wasn’t like she ate a large steak and plate full of fries. Hence, she had dropped at least ten pounds and it showed in her cheekbones. Her skin also looked pale, which made the freckles across her cheeks and nose stand out more to her irritation. Even her once shiny long blonde hair looked dull and uneven. She was in desperate need of a good wash and care. Chloe curbed the impulse to self consciously check her appearance in the reflection of the doors she passed. She didn’t need a reminder of her pitiful appearance. It wouldn’t lift her mood. Especially not after the conversation she just had with Professor Simms. A fresh wave of anger flowed through her body. Her jaw clenched even as her feet picked up pace despite her lack of energy. She just wanted to get the hell out of the building. She had gone to Professor Simms‘ office to ask for an extra day on an assignment and the man had ripped her a new one as though she had asked him to donate his kidney. Chloe was studying Business at SWAR college, and Professor Simms was her sadistic Business and Corporate law lecturer. The man had accused her of just being lazy. An incredulous, bitter chuckle escaped her lips. A few heads around her turned and looked at her, but she barely noticed them. Maybe they thought she was going crazy. It was possible. Chloe could contemplate accepting she was going crazy, but she wasn’t sure she could ever use the word ‘lazy’ to describe herself. She couldn’t afford the luxury of being lazy. Chloe was one foot away from being totally destitute. She would never dare to be lazy. Not if she still wanted a life and not end up on the streets, homeless and hungry. Frustrated and tired, she didn’t realize she had reached the car park. The sudden sight of cars and sunshine registering in her brain almost disoriented her. Chloe blinked and paused for a second. A soft breeze blew her way, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm down and push the desperate ugly thoughts away. There wasn’t much she could do about the assignment now. There was absolutely no way she was going to hand it in on time. Chloe sighed. She was better off grabbing a few hours of sleep; she thought. At least then, she was sure she would have a fresh brain to work with and she could hand in the work. She would automatically lose twenty-five marks of whatever she scored on the work, but there was no other way around it. Her bed had been calling her all day. It was time she answered the call. Thankfully, she was done with all her classes for the day and could now make her way across the campus to her room. Just as her feet started moving in the direction of her room, a familiar voice stopped her. “Tell me who upset you and I will make them disappear.” Chloe stopped walking and smiled tiredly at David, her classmate. “Careful, David, I might just take you up on that.” David came to stand right in front of her and gave her a wide smile. For a moment, all Chloe could do was stare at his handsome face and that sexy smile that drove most girls in their class crazy. He was a few inches taller than her at five foot five, so she had to tilt her head back slightly to keep eye contact. Unsurprisingly, David was dressed in his usual blue jeans and white dress shirt. Chloe sometimes wondered if the guy just hated the idea of having a variety of clothes, or he just knew he looked good in the white and blue hugging his lean form and didn’t want to risk trying anything else. Why change a working formula? She could imagine his wardrobe looked like the self in a retail shop with rolls of blue jeans and white shirts all pressed and folded. Chloe frowned and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable with her line of thoughts. She reminded herself that David’s wardrobe was not her concern. David was nothing more than a friendly classmate, and she appreciated his friendship. She adjusted the books in her arms and cleared her throat. “You are done for the day?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer to the question. They were doing the same course. Her classes were his classes. “Yes,” he said. “I was just about to head back to my place. Where are you from?” She looked over her shoulder at the building she had just exited. “Paid Simms a visit.” David immediately cringed. “That explains the pain on your face. What did you need an audience with the devil for?” Chloe chuckled despite her low spirits on the matter. The entire class had nicknamed Professor Simms ‘the Devil’ and she was almost certain the man knew about it and probably loved it. “I tried to ask for an extension on the assignment,” she explained. “What? You are not yet done? Why didn’t you tell me you needed help?” Chloe sighed and scratched her scalp with her free hand. She let her fingers rake through her soft blonde hair. “It’s not that I needed help. I understand what I need to write. And I have all the research and data ready… I just lost track of time with the Accounts assignment and the Economics assessment. I was sure I could finish it last night, but I fell asleep.” A frown creased David’s forehead. His eyes never left her face. “I don’t think you slept enough. You look like you are about to fall any second. You won’t finish the assignment on time.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. And a true one at that. “That’s why I went to ask for extra time.” David scoffed. “That man wouldn’t give his own mother extra time.” “Yes. I know that now.” Her friend was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “Why don’t we do this? Let’s go to my room and I can help you finish it up.” “I can only think of a bed right now, not the assignment, David,” Chloe answered with a tired smile. The sexy smile returned to his lips. “Hey Chloe, I don’t know if you know this, but I don’t sleep on the floor. You could come over, eat something. I will help you finish the assignment, then we can relax, watch something and you can take a nap on my bed. No big deal.” It was one hell of a tempting offer. But Chloe wondered if taking a nap in a guy’s bed could ever be considered no big deal. David was good-looking and had been friendly to her since day one of the first year, fifteen months ago. She wasn’t blind or naïve. The guy wanted more than just friendship, and he was as subtle as a flashlight in a dark room with no windows. Chloe had tried not to lead him on unnecessarily. She was already overwhelmed with schoolwork and her life. She didn’t need the hurdles of balancing romantic entanglements added to it. As tempting as his offer to help with the assignment was, Chloe knew she couldn’t take him up on it. It also wasn’t fair to him. The guy had almost every unattached female in their class eying him. Why he had his eyes set on her was still a mystery to Chloe. And she was too exhausted to figure it out. She put on her best ‘Sorry, I wish I could smile.’ “Let me take a rain check on that. A bath and sleep for the next twelve hours in my own bed are all I need. But thanks. I will sort out the assignment and hand it in by the end of tomorrow.” “You will lose twenty-five marks.” “I know.” “Just come with me and I will help you. Mine is done. I just have to proofread it, so it’s not like you are inconveniencing me.” Chloe thought about it for a few more seconds, but her decision remained the same. She shook her head. “I can’t even reason straight right now. I would be completely useless. You might end up doing the whole thing for me in the end.” “I don’t mind.” “I do,” Chloe said firmly. “I can only be proud of a grade I actually worked for. Look, David,” she paused and placed her free hand on his arm. “I really appreciate your help. But I will be fine. I will see you tomorrow. Okay?” The man sighed dramatically, but nodded. “Okay. But if you change your mind, just call or come by anytime.” Chloe nodded and resumed her walk to her room. She knew for a fact she wouldn’t be changing her mind, but there was no point telling him that. Almost ten minutes later, she dragged her feet up the last few stairs until she reached the third floor, where her room was located. The elevators didn’t work in the building. Chloe had found them like that fifteen months ago when she first moved in. And although the occupants had taken up the slogan ‘stairs were healthier for the heart,’ nobody really believed it. Who the hell wanted to climb stairs after a long, exhausting day? Chloe surely didn’t, but she had no other choice. Chloe was certain she could already smell the soft clean sheets on her bed ready to receive her tired body and float her to dreamland for the next few hours. At that time of the day, most of the students were not yet back in their rooms, so she was greeted with an empty hallway and silence. Chloe thanked her stars. It meant she would be fast asleep by the time the noise started. Perfect. She reached her door with a few steps and inserted her key in the lock before opening the door with a smile on her face. Chloe’s joy came crashing down almost immediately. Her smile froze and began to fade as she blinked and dared to take a step forward. The sight that met her was not at all what she had been expecting.