Page 43 of Never Let Go (Forbidden #1)

Chapter Forty-Three

LAUREN

I wake up too hot, the furnace wrapped around my body causing me to sweat profusely. Needing to use the bathroom, I get up slowly, careful not to wake Caleb. I turn around and gaze at him—he looks so young in his sleep, like the weight of the world isn’t on his shoulders.

Throwing on one of Caleb’s discarded T-shirts, I pad to the kitchen and start making coffee.

While it's brewing, I hunt around for my phone knowing I didn’t take it to bed with me.

I rifle through my bag but it’s not in there.

I go to the living room and see it’s on the side where I left it last night.

A small smile tugs at my lips as I remember Caleb’s punishment.

I’ve got a couple of messages from Sydney asking where I am, a message from Sapphire asking if I’ll swap my shift on Friday night, and an email from Dean Williams. I reply to Sydney first:

I’m alive. I stayed at Esme’s last night as we got out late and didn’t want to disturb you. I’ll be back later today after class.

What’s another lie to add to the pile?

I text Sapphire saying yes to the shift swap and then I open the email from the dean.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Dear Miss Taylor,

I’ve heard excellent news in regard to your progress and would like to invite you to a gathering at my house this Saturday at 8 p.m. sharp. The dress code is formal.

Please RSVP

Best wishes,

Dean Williams

After our last exchange of words, I’d rather not be anywhere near the dean, sticking pins into my eyes springs to mind, but can I refuse? Is anyone else going? I close down my emails and make a mental note to ask Caleb about it when he wakes up.

I make a coffee and sit at the breakfast bar when I hear, “Morning, sweetheart.” Caleb comes up behind me and kisses the side of my neck before going and making his own coffee.

“Hey, handsome.”

“You sleep okay?” he asks after adding cream and sugar to his drink. Ew.

“I did, yeah. I got a weird email this morning. ”

Caleb raises an eyebrow as he leans back against the kitchen counter. “What about?”

“It was from Dean Williams. Something about a ‘gathering’ at his house this weekend. You know anything about it?”

Please say yes, please say yes.

He nods. “Yeah, I heard he was putting together something for his ‘promising students’ but I didn’t know when. Hang on, let me check my phone real quick.” Caleb walks out and comes back in a couple of minutes later with his phone in his hand. “I got an invite as well.”

Oh, thank god.

“Okay, the fact you got one makes me feel better. After my run-in with him I thought he might have made it up to get me to go to his house. I need to stop reading so many dark romance books,” I laugh.

“Dark romance? Do tell. I may be an English professor but apparently I’ve been living under a rock.” Caleb grins and he stands in front of me, waiting on my answer.

“Oh, you know, morally gray masked men, kidnappers, ‘touch her and die’ vibes.” I smirk at the look on Caleb’s face. Pointing a finger at him, I say, “Don’t yuck someone’s yum, handsome.”

A wicked grin graces Caleb’s mouth. “Oh, baby girl, I wasn’t yuking anything, that was my thinking face.”

I stop mid drink and slowly turn my head towards him. “Thinking face? What ya thinking, handsome?” I choke out.

He winks and goes to walk out of the kitchen, calling out behind him, “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” I roll the words around in my head and then say them out loud before they sink in. My eyes go wide, and I run after him. “Caleb! ”

I hear his laughter echoing upstairs. “Come on, baby girl. You need a shower and to get you to class. I heard your professor likes to spank you, if you misbehave.”

Dead. Gone. Deceased. RIP my panties, if I was wearing any that is.

I race up the stairs and join Caleb in the shower.

Getting ready for this ‘gathering’ tonight is nerve wracking to say the least. According to Caleb, all of the faculty members and some of the university’s most prestigious students will be there. I’m just putting the final touches to my makeup when Sydney pokes her head round the door.

“How you doing, girl?” she asks as she props herself up against the doorframe.

I sigh as I place my earrings in my ears, looking at her in the mirror. “Nervous. You know I hate this sort of thing.”

“That’s why I wanted to check on you. You know all you have to do is send me an SOS and I’ll make up an excuse to get you out of there.”

“What would I ever do without you?” I smile as I turn round in my chair to face her.

Sydney winks. “Let’s hope you never have to find out.” She suddenly stands up straight and announces, “Oh, I forgot?—”

I stare after her, trying to look around the door. “Forgot what, Syd?” I shout to her retreating form.

She comes in a few minutes later. “This.” She holds out a garment bag. “ Voila . ”

I’m confused but I take the bag from her anyway, opening it up tentatively as if expecting something to jump out at me. I gasp when I finish opening the bag—sitting inside is the most stunning black dress I’ve ever seen. The sequins bounce off the light in my room, making it almost twinkle.

“Syd. What? How?” I’m at a loss for words with how beautiful it looks.

“Call it a power play. Something to make you feel like the goddess you are.” She grabs the dress from me and says, “Come on, I need to see it on you.”

I get out of my pajamas and let Sydney help me with it. The bodice is low cut and fitting, giving me a slight hint of cleavage, allowing the swallow necklace Caleb got me for Christmas to sit perfectly on my neck. The dress flares out at my hips with a thigh high slit up one side.

I’m so glad I shaved my legs.

Walking to the long mirror hanging on my wall, I take a look, gasping.

The reflection staring back at me doesn’t look like me—I’m a stripper, so I’m not unused to hair and makeup.

I went for an understated makeup choice making it look like I’m not wearing any at all.

My hair is pulled back in an elegant chignon with a silver butterfly clasp holding it together.

“You look stunning, babe,” Sydney gushes from behind me, her hands covering her mouth in her excitement.

I move over to Sydney and hug her. “Thank you.”

“Right, leave before you ruin my makeup. You know we don’t do this mushy stuff.” She laughs and pushes a stray hair out of my face. “You deserve to be there tonight, Lo. Don’t let anyone tell you any differently,” she says softly.

“Quick, call me a bitch or something, you’re gonna make me cry,” I exclaim .

Sydney gently shoves me and laughs. “Bitch, get out of here. I need to go and get ready for a hot date.” She winks and leaves the room.

I grab my bag and head for the door. “Love you,” I call out.

“Love you more,” I hear shouted back.

Brad was invited tonight, so we arranged for him to pick me up. I would’ve gone with Caleb but for obvious reasons that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t feel comfortable with Brad coming up to the dorm so I told him to message me when he was downstairs, and I’d meet him there.

I push open the door and instantly see him standing next to his truck. His black suit and gelled hair making him look less nerdy and more mature. I wave and smile as I walk over.

“Hey, Brad.”

“Hey. You ready for the most awkward night of your life?” he chuckles.

I groan at the thought. “Absolutely.”

Brad helps me get into the passenger seat before getting in.

He starts up the engine and we make the twenty minute drive to the dean's house. We make small talk on the way—how we’ve been, upcoming assignments and exams. We finally pull up to a gated estate where houses are few and far between and the trees line up perfectly along the sidewalk.

Oh, how the other half lives.

Brad parks his truck in a free spot and comes round to open the door for me. I place my hand in his as he helps me down. As we walk closer to the house, the sound of chatter and clinking glasses fills the air.

Brad places a hand on my lower back, and I try not to flinch at his touch. I know he’s only trying to be a gentleman but if it’s not Caleb touching me, I don’t want anyone touching me .

We walk in through the front door and a waiter offers us a tray of drinks. I grab a glass of champagne, needing the bubbles for liquid courage. I take a sip and shudder at the awful taste.

“Not a fan?” a voice says from behind me, causing me to shudder for other reasons.

I choke on my drink, before spinning around and coming face to face with Dean Williams. An attractive older woman, in a long floor length gold dress—that shows way too much boob for an academic gathering—a face caked in makeup, her badly dyed blonde hair down in loose waves, stands next to him with her hand on his arm.

“Erm, no. It’s a little too… expensive for my tastes.”

The dean laughs and I try to work out what’s so funny.

“My dear, this is Lauren Taylor and Brad Moore,” he introduces us. “Miss Taylor, Mr. Moore, this is my wife, April.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say with a forced smile, the dirty look I’m getting from her causes my hackles to rise.

Brad removes the hand that’s on my back and holds it out to the dean. “Thank you for having us.” Dean Williams grabs his hand and from the wince on Brad’s face, I’d say the grip is pretty hard.

The dean's wife gives her own forced smile to Brad and looks me up and down with what looks like a sneer, before leaning to whisper into her husband’s ear and walking off.

“She seems… lovely,” I remark. Lovely not being the right word. Bitch would be more appropriate.

“Indeed.” The dean stares at me, an eerie grin firmly in place, my skin heats uncomfortably under his watchful gaze. No one says a word, the air is so thick with tension, you could cut it with a knife.

“Well, uh, I guess I’d better go and mingle,” I say, taking a step away from both the dean and Brad .

Dean Williams just nods his head. I turn and make my way to the gardens, needing some fresh air, feeling his eyes boring into my back the entire time.

Brad catches up to me, grabbing my arm gently before saying, “Lauren, I’ve just seen someone from my econ class, I’m gonna go and say hi.”

“Oh sure, I’ll catch you in a bit.” A breath I didn’t know I was holding releases, and I feel the tension leaving me, glad to be on my own for two minutes. Between Brad’s touches and the dean's disturbing looks, I’m about to hightail it out of here, consequences be damned.

Getting to the balcony, I wrap my arms around myself, the evening breeze turning slightly colder, my champagne glass finished and put on a waitress’s tray on the way out.

“Good evening, Miss Taylor.”

I whirl around at the sound of the voice behind me, my heart pounding in my chest at the deep tone, smiling as I say, “Good evening, Professor Anderson.”

The urge to jump this man and rub myself all over him is strong.

His dark hair has been cut, the sides shorter and the usual mop of hair on top—that I love to run my hands through—has been styled in a way I just want to mess up.

His all-black tailored suit fits him like a glove and every part of my body flutters at the sight of him.

Henry Cavill eat your heart out.

Caleb smirks as he watches me basically eye fucking him. My core pulses in time with the beating of my heart as my nipples pebble, which he notices, if his eyes growing darker with desire is anything to go by.

He takes a step closer, and my heart feels like it’s about to burst from my chest. Emotions threatening to spill over as I take in the glorious sight before me. The world outside of us ceases to exist as we continue gazing at one another.

Caleb speaks, his tone low enough that only we can hear. “You look absolutely breathtaking, baby girl.”

I blush. “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself, handsome.”

“What I wouldn’t give to kiss you right now.” He clenches his fists at his side, almost as if he’s fighting with himself to not reach out and touch me.

My body instinctively wants to lean into him. To have him hold me and wrap me in his delicious scent.

A glass shatters along with a chorus of shouts, brings the world around us back into focus. I’d somehow managed to move closer to him without realizing so I take a step back, trying to get my heart rate to calm.

“I hate this, Lauren,” he grinds out as he goes to run a hand through his hair and thinks better of it at the last minute.

“I know. I finish in a few months and?—”

I’m interrupted by a voice calling my name.

Caleb puts his hands in his trouser pockets and nods towards the house. “You better go in, sweetheart.”

“I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, I’ll be around.”

I nod and walk back into the house, searching for the voice that called my name.