Arrogant King

AMY

“This is all for show,” Serena, a fellow game contestant, says as we stand in the center of the quad in a group of eight other women. “He’s still hung up on Harper.”

Of course he is. No matter how many times they break up, they always find themselves right back to where they started sophomore year. Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard from people who gossip.

I don’t know why I still care. Any pathetic hope of reconciling with Harper should have vanished the moment she humiliated me publicly. She knew exactly what she was doing when she read my story out loud in the quad that day.

Though I never posted any of my writing online until college, Harper knew I wrote fanfic. She even used to read it years ago. Told me how good it was.

She betrayed me.

My cheeks warm at the memory of the day she read the sex scene aloud in the quad. Tristan is right now standing not too far from where it happened. Except then, his bright-blue eyes were boring into mine, like he was enjoying my suffering.

He also knew how much my writing meant to me. I’d told him just the day before, when I thought he might be trying to make amends for stealing my best friend from me. He’d listened to me talk with such a kind, open expression.

I knew it was a risk to tell him, but a part of me wondered if maybe Harper had sent him to test the waters with me. Find out if I might be able to forgive her. She was always doing indirect things like that when we were kids, like sending her little brother, Nick, to my house to apologize to me when we’d gotten into a fight.

But that wasn’t what happened that day in the library between me and Tristan.

Tristan did it just to lure me in so he could humiliate me later. He’d planned it. Just like he planned my humiliation when he filled out the form to nominate me for this game.

He’s cruel.

And for some reason, he decided long ago that I’m on his shit list.

I’ve never understood why.

“They’re perfect for each other,” I whisper.

Serena chuckles. “Harper isn’t that bad. She’s just protective of the people she loves. Overprotective,” she says under her breath, obviously unaware of my previous friendship with Harper. “Tristan ~is ~bad, though.” Serena shoots me a pointed look. “Be careful. Whatever you do, don’t fall for him during the game. He’ll use it against you.”

I’m the last person in the world she needs to warn about Tristan. What would she think if she knew our history?

My gaze drifts to the announcer at the center of the field as he explains the instructions for our five-minute date. Tristan stands with his hands in his pockets, looking utterly bored. Our eyes meet, and a slow, predatory smile spreads across his face. My stomach drops.

“Not a chance of that,” I say to Serena. “But I might sleep with him.”

Serena laughs heartily, drawing the attention of a film student to our right. He walks closer to us, his phone high in the air.

I hate that this is all being filmed. By phone cameras too. How fucking amateur.

While the announcer drones on about the rules, Tristan cocks an eyebrow at me. I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry.

I need to get myself together. I can do this. After Cody left last night, I stayed awake planning my seduction. I’m going to make Tristan want me so badly he’ll pick me at the end.

I imagine how exhilarating it will be to reject him after that. Tristan will finally figure out that he can’t break me, and I’ll be ten-thousand dollars richer.

I ought to be good at seduction, even as a nerdy girl. Every day, I write about the underdog Elizabeth seducing the prize of the marriage mart—Mr. Darcy.

Oh my God.

My fanfic. Here I am thinking my fanfic is going to help me seduce the mean boy. How did I delude myself into thinking I could really do this?

“Contestants, take your positions!” the announcer shouts.

My palms sweat as the other women start lining up. Tristan stands near the Grecian arches of the Business Administration Building, looking like he was born to be there. The king ready to be fawned upon by his subjects. I move as quickly as I can, wanting to get this over with. Triumph skitters through my veins when I see that I’m second in line.

There’s no backing down now.

“Your time starts now,” the announcer says.

I wait as Tristan disappears inside the building with the first contestant in line. The first five minutes pass surprisingly quickly, probably because my thoughts are racing.

When it’s finally my turn, Tristan opens the big metal door and gestures for me to follow him. I take a deep breath as I walk inside and into a nearby room. As soon as we get inside, Tristan plops down on a plush sofa and drapes one arm over the back.

“Well, we’re finally here.” A wicked glint flickers in his eyes. “My shy little nerd.”

I grimace as I walk over and sit beside him, careful to keep my distance from him. “How can you say things like that and not cringe at your obnoxiousness? Just talk like a normal fucking person.”

Tristan snorts out a laugh. “Never mind. I must have forgotten about your word vomit. Just a nerd, I guess.” His smile softens. “My nerd.”

Heat floods my cheeks. I tug at the hem of my shirt, suddenly self-conscious. “Just wait until this nerd seduces you.”

Fuck, why did I say that? I must be nervous. What could be less sexy than stating your seduction plan outright? I said something similar last night, but I could forgive myself for that. I was practically in a fugue state after catching Tristan masturbating.

My gaze flickers to the student at the corner of the room. His gaze is fixed on his phone screen, his eyes wide as if he’s riveted.

I refuse to cower, even though I did just say something unbelievably stupid. Even though the whole school will be able to scrutinize that stupid thing whenever the YouTube video is posted.

“You’re still planning on doing that?” Tristan asks.

His deep voice draws my gaze. He’s wearing that affectionate smile that’s fooled me once before.

Never again.

I lift my chin. “Of course I am.”

His smile grows. “I wasn’t expecting you to say it on camera, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I can never predict what you’re going to say.”

I frown. “We hardly ever talk.”

He averts his eyes from mine. “No, but we used to.”

When he first got together with Harper, he means. We had a few conversations when I was trying to get to know him for her sake. I remember thinking maybe he wasn’t as bad as I had assumed before. He was smarter. Kinder.

I was an idiot.

“And lately, I’ve overheard you talk in the classes we’ve had together,” he says. “To your friend.”

“My friend?”

He scratches the back of his head. “That guy…”

“Cody,” I say immediately. “When have you heard us talk?”

His jaw works, but he doesn’t answer. He’s quiet for a moment. When his eyes return to mine, something sinister flickers in them. “Why do you never talk to me anymore, Ames? It hurts my feelings.”

Fuck, I hate it when he mocks me. Ames. What a repugnant-sounding nickname. I glance at my iWatch, straining for nonchalance. “Because I don’t like you.”

His eyes flash. “You liked me at one time.”

I lean forward, setting my elbows on my thighs. “I was trying to get to know you for my…former friend. I’m smarter now.”

His mouth tightens. “You’re not doing a very good job of seducing me.”

“Oh, I don’t think it matters how good a job I do. You’re the one who nominated me.”

He raises his brows. “So you think you’ve already seduced me? That I nominated you just to spend time with you.”

I snort. “Absolutely not. I think you get off on being mean. I think you want to fuck with me.”

“Is that what you really think?” His gaze burns into mine. “You think I’m that much of an asshole?”

I glance away, my fingers curling into fists on my lap. “Maybe you don’t know that’s what you’re doing. Or maybe you justify it to yourself, saying you’re just having a little fun. For all I know, assholes have to delude themselves in order to sleep at night. So, yes. I do think you’re that much of an asshole. But the fact that you like tormenting me means I at least have a chance seducing you, even if I only appeal to your sadism.”

A strange emotion clouds his face as he stares at me, but then he glances at the cameraman, and that familiar smirk returns to his face. “I guess I’ll have to find a creative way to convince you I’m not really an asshole.” He reaches out and cups my chin, tilting my face up to his. My heart pounds as his thumb brushes over my lower lip. “You think you know me so well,” he murmurs. “But you have no idea.”

My heart flutters like a butterfly in my chest. He lowers his face to mine. For one breathless moment, I’m certain he’s going to kiss me. But then he chuckles and releases me, leaning back in his seat again.

I look away to gather myself. God, he is an asshole. Always trying to unsettle me. This time in a video the entire campus will see.

“Time’s up,” the announcer calls from the hallway.

Tristan smiles and rises from his seat, offering me his hand. As I take it and let him pull me up, the warmth of his skin sends a tingle up my arm. Just as I start to let go, he turns to me and whispers in my ear. “Meet me at Zeta Nu tonight. Nine o’clock. I have a proposition for you.

With that, he saunters out of the room, leaving me with a tumult of emotions.

***

“What did you guys do during your five minutes?” Serena asks after taking a sip of her water.

I glance down at my lap to gather my fuzzy thoughts. Serena asked me out to lunch after the opening ceremony ended, and I wonder if it’s because she can sense my inner turmoil.

What on earth could Tristan’s proposition be? My stomach is churching over the uncertainty of our meeting tonight. It has to be related to the game somehow. He has some kind of a plan, probably related to the reason he nominated me in the first place.

Oh God, what if he’s planning to embarrass me tonight in front of all his frat brothers? No, he wouldn’t show his hand that soon. He wants me to stay in the game. He could embarrass me in front of his frat brothers any day of the week.

Should I tell Serena my fears about Tristan? About my entire history with him and Harper? She seems cool, but she is more from Tristan’s world than mine. She’s hot, athletic, a member of the Greek scene. I’ve learned what it means to confide in people like that.

It’s dangerous.

I turn to her, ready to tell her a lie, when her guileless smile freezes my tongue. When did I become so judgmental? Did losing Harper to the popular crowd really make me this cynical? When did I become such a whiney cliche?

I take a deep breath. “To be honest, he mocked me the whole time. He actually nominated me for the game as a prank.”

Her eyes grow huge. “Why would he do that?”

I shrug. “I’ve known him for a long time. Since high school. He gets off on embarrassing me. This isn’t… He’s played pranks on me before.”

She nods slowly, her expression softening. The fact that she’s not asking for more information endears her to me even more. She seems genuinely curious about my life.

“Tristan is known for being that way,” she says, and there’s an edge to her voice that tells me she’s experienced Tristan’s cruelty before. “It makes sense he was like that in high school too. Mean people never change.”

I nod slowly, debating on if I should bring up Harper. She mentioned something about Harper earlier, giving me the impression that she knows her fairly well.

What would I say? That Harper didn’t used to be mean? It wouldn’t do any good. Harper’s changed.

“I used to date his best friend, Nick,” Serena says.

My stomach plummets. Harper’s younger brother. Not that long ago, he felt like my younger brother too.

I guess it makes sense that he’s now buddies with Tristan. Harper would like that. She loves keeping all the people close to her in a tight-knit group. She encouraged me to get to know Tristan because of that.

That ended quickly though.

Serena looks down at her half-eaten taco. “Nick is Harper’s younger brother, and he’s in Tristan’s frat. He’s a really sweet guy.”

My face heats. I ought to say something, but fuck… It’s so hard to talk about what these people used to mean to me. “Why did you break up?” I ask instead.

She huffs, shaking her head. “I never got a straight answer from him. He said he had family stuff going on and couldn’t concentrate on being in a relationship, but I can guess what was really going on…” Her dark eyes meet mine. “Harper and Tristan told him to do it. They shit-talked me enough that he finally started to believe them.”

“That makes sense,” I say in a small voice. It makes perfect sense.

Tristan must have done the same thing to me. He talked enough shit about me to Harper that she eventually believed him.

She smiles sadly. “I can forgive Harper. She’s insanely protective of Nick, but Tristan…” She shakes her head. “He never liked me. And I think he used his influence over Nick to kick me out of their friend group.”

“God, he’s a dick. Why would anyone listen to him? Why is anyone friends with him for that matter?”

Serena laughs, a sound as melodic as an acoustic guitar. No wonder she was chosen for the game. Even her laugh is beautiful. “Because he’s a hot guy.”

I snort. “That’s all he’s got. People are so damn boring to be swayed that much by a pretty face.”

“It’s about what he can do for them. Or they’re afraid of going against him. He has social status, you know?”

I shake my head. “It’s like we’re living in Regency England, and Tristan has ten thousand a year.”

Serena grins, baring all her teeth. “I think my Jane-dar is telling me I’m hanging out with another fangirl.”

“Are you a Jane Austen fan too?” I nearly shout.

“Girl, I watch the 2005 Pride and Prejudice on loop when I do homework. It’s my comfort movie. And I read the book once a year, at least.”

“Oh my God, me too! I’ve been obsessed with that book since I was twelve and barely understood any of the language.”

She smiles radiantly. “I knew you were my type of girl. I just sensed it when we were waiting in line. I hope…” She shakes her head. “Never mind.”

“What?” I ask.

She’s quiet for a moment as she stares at the large redwood tree that towers above us. “I want you to win the competition.”

“Why?”

She shrugs. “To beat Tristan at his own game. If he really nominated you just to embarrass you, I’d love it if you could embarrass him back. Make him fall for you right before you reject him.”

A chill skitters over my skin. Did she read my mind?

“I don’t know how I could possibly do that,” I say, too embarrassed to tell her that is my plan.

Though I suppose she’ll see it if she watches the YouTube video of my date with Tristan. Fuck, I can’t believe I actually talked about my seduction plan while being filmed.

Her gaze meets mine. “Let me help you.”

I swallow. “What could you possibly do?”

“I know Tristan. I learned a lot about him when I was dating Nick. I know how he works.”

“And how is that?”

“He wants what he can’t have. I think that’s part of the reason he pushed Nick to break up with me. As soon as Nick had a girlfriend, Tristan wanted his best friend all to himself again.”

My nose wrinkles. “Why is he such a petty loser?”

Serena bursts into laughter. “He’s spoiled, that’s why. He’s gorgeous, athletic, and comes from a wealthy family. The whole world is an appetizer tray to Tristan Wolfe.”

My stomach churns at the thought. How can I seduce Tristan when he can get anyone he wants?

“Don’t let it scare you,” Serena says, as if reading my mind. “He’s still a predictable fuckboy. If he feels like you don’t want him, he’ll go crazy. That’s all you need to do, Amy. The rest will work out itself.”

I smirk, tugging at a strand of my hair. The purple is now an orangey lavender at my frayed ends. Damn, I’m a mess. “You don’t think I need a makeover?”

She snorts. “You know you’re very pretty, even if Tristan seems to prefer…”

“Tall and skinny and gorgeous. Like you.”

She waves a hand. “He’s never going to pick me. Not when Nick and I used to date. The whole bros before hoes thing. Trust me. When this is over, he’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand.”

Heat unfurls through my insides, warming me everywhere. I shouldn’t be turned on by the idea of Tristan wanting me, but I can’t help it.

Is this just thirst for revenge, or is it something deeper? I hope I’m not succumbing to Tristan’s charms when I’m fully aware of how cruel he is.

I can’t let him have the upper hand. Whatever he’s going to propose tonight, I’ll make sure I’m ready.