Page 12

Chapter twelve

I fucking hated this boardroom.

It was old as hell, for one thing. Dusty.

Air always stale and thick with the aroma of old leather chairs and strong coffee.

The long oak table stretched between us like ground zero of a war zone, deans and provosts perched in their seats shuffling papers and murmuring to each other about shit we distinguished faculty had no control over.

This was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill budget meeting, but it was anything but.

Egos were clashing.

And it didn't help that half these motherfuckers had been part of the disciplinary hearings a few years back, sitting at this very table listening to me talk about the shit that gets my dick hard.

I stood ten toes down on my truth, because I wasn't ashamed, but nobody wants folks in their personal business like that.

“We’re not shutting down the fuck—excuse me, the darn Black Student Union!” Dean Gilbert insisted. “I don’t give a damn—darn what Ohio State did. And that was preemptive anyway. They did that cuz they wanted to!”

Provost Brooks nodded vigorously, a sign of her annoyance. “We all agree, Dean Gilbert. Let’s move on.”

“Okay, and I was making it clear,” he snapped. “For the record.”

A beat of silence passed, then a bomb dropped.

“Omega Theta House.”

It was Dean Roberts, a man I’d never rated one way or the other.

I sat forward, my jaw tightening. "It's off-campus and privately owned and operated, so I'm gonna need somebody to explain why it's coming up in this meeting. And why it wasn't included this agenda," I said, holding up the piece of paper.

“The thinking is this,” Dean Roberts said, adjusting his glasses. “The university still owns the land it sits on. It's valuable land they can make use of. And I've heard tell of a tentative offer being on the table. That's all."

I exhaled slowly, narrowing my eyes. “That property,” I said, my voice calm but firm, “is a vital piece of this university’s history.

Just like the Black Student Union. It’s more than just a structure.

It’s where students became men. Where they made connections and served the community.

And right now, it’s where alumni stay engaged.

” I took a deep breath. “Look, I know Omega’s been offline for a while now, but it’s one of the few places affiliated with this campus that still holds real tradition. ”

Provost Sinclair cleared his throat. “They’re simply considering the options. A repurpose, maybe—”

“Repurpose," I repeated, leaning back in my chair, spreading my arms over the armrests, exuding a confidence that had suddenly washed over me.

“That's a creative way to say yall wanna use it as an investment piece.

Is this a university, or a fucking real estate company?

We Keller Williams up in here? What's good? "

The table fell silent. I could feel them sizing me up, calculating, analyzing. I didn’t usually say much in these meetings, especially after my hearings, so this was new.

Dean Roberts sighed. “We’ll take it under advisement.”

“You do that.”

That little promise meant nothing. It never did in these spaces. But it was all good. They'd met their match with me.

I know how to fight, and I know how to win.

On and on they droned about curriculum and student fees and graduation rates and other shit that I had no fucking hand in. Finally, after a few hours of this shit, someone finally said the words all of us wanted to hear.

“Meeting adjourned.”

I pushed back from the table, the legs of my chair scraping against the hardwood. I left without a word to anybody, frustration buzzing in my veins .

I took a pass by my office on my way out, shutting down my computer and grabbing my shit. I made a mental note to check on the progress of my new key card. I hadn’t been able to find mine in a while, and having to wait on security to let me in was a fucking headache.

I checked my email, and yep, there it was. I put in the request a whole fucking month ago, and the status still read PROCESSING.

Now, I was even more irritated.

Outside, the summer heat blasted me in the face, making my already sour mood even worse. I pulled out my phone, debating whether to call Cruz or Titan, but as I rounded the corner, my eyes landed on Santari.

She stood near the quad, her arms folded in front of her, staring at the founder’s fountain like she was in a trance. She seemed to sense me, glancing up before I could reach her. She smiled, and my bad mood waned slightly.

“Hey, you. What’s wrong?”

I exhaled sharply. “First of all, you’re beautiful. ”

She tilted her head, her features softening. “Storm.”

“Second of all, the house was on the table in that meeting back there. You just might get your wish after all.”

Her lips parted, but I didn’t stick around for a response. I kept walking toward the parking lot. I needed time to think.

Miami is the perfect place to drive around with your problems riding shotgun. It’s a vibrant mix of big city energy and seaside tranquility. The air is thick and humid. The breeze is cool and salty. Music and voices are everywhere. The smell of food greets you around every corner. It’s alive here.

My thoughts spiraled as I drove the familiar streets, letting the city blur around me. Budget cuts. The house. Santari. Revere.

That night.

I’ve always hated how in my head I can get. While other people relax and unwind, I’m reliving everything I’ve ever done wrong. Every choice I’ve ever made. Everything I should have said .

It’s excruciating.

My mama told me I’m too hard on myself, but I think she only says that because she loves me. I don’t think I’m hard enough on me, because if I was, I wouldn’t fuck up at all.

With a sigh, I circled back toward the house. My head wasn’t clear, but it was getting dark, and I was getting hungry.

I went straight to my room when I got there, stripping off my jacket, peeling off my clothes as I made my way to the shower. The hot water hit my skin, steam curling around me as I closed my eyes and braced my hands against the tile wall.

A quick wash, then more wallowing, but something interrupted.

Soft laughter. Muffled voices.

Titan. Cruz. And my princess.

The sound sent a bolt of something sharp through me, tensing my body, making every muscle tight. I turned off the water, dried quickly, and slipped into a pair of sweatpants.

I crept down the hallway toward the noise. It was coming from Cruz’s bedroom. The cracked door allowed me a glimpse inside .

I couldn’t believe I almost missed this.

Santari was sprawled on the bed in her bra and panties.

White lace, like she was some kind of innocent little lamb.

I almost laughed at that, given how much we’d defiled her lately.

One leg was bent, the other draped over Titan’s lap.

Cruz was seated upright beside her, his hand tracing circles on her thigh.

My breathing slowed, my chest rising and falling at a steady, measured pace as I leaned against the doorframe watching. Waiting.

She laughed again, then caressed Cruz’s cheek. His response was to kiss her neck, where he lingered, his hand inching higher and higher until it was between her legs.

I’d seen enough.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. None of them looked surprised to see me. In fact, they looked relieved by my presence.

“What’s up?” Titan asked me. “Santari said you were in a mood.”

I closed the door behind me, moving toward the bed. “Had a budget meeting today,” I said. “The house came up. ”

Cruz stopped what he was doing to look up at me. “What they say?”

“They wanna use the land. Seems like there's an offer on the table, or will be soon.”

San cleared her throat. “You walked away before I could tell you I changed my mind.”

I took a seat at the foot of the bed. “What changed it?”

She shrugged, but I wasn’t buying it. Her energy was heavy. “Y’all did,” she finally said. “I just feel like…this place is our last connection to Rev. It meant something to him, and now it means something to the four of us.”

Despite appreciating the words coming out of her mouth, and the implications thereof, all I could think about was Cruz’s hand, still resting between her legs. My eyes zeroed in on it, unblinking, laser focused on what he could be doing to San—pleasing her.

He laughed when he noticed. “Aye, I don’t think mans heard a word you said, Ri.”

Titan grabbed her foot and held it tight. “He ain’t the only one.”

The energy shift was palpable .

Titan and feet…I couldn’t name a more iconic duo. Out of nowhere, he started going to town on her toes, filling the room with wet suckling sounds. That seemed to activate Cruz, who tucked his hand inside her panties, stimulating her clit and making my dick hard as steel.

I went right to my knees at the foot of the bed, giving myself access to the part of San I wanted to worship tonight.

“Take those off,” I said roughly.

She lifted her hips as Cruz inched her panties down her thighs. Titan finished the job, moving off of her toes to slide her panties off her feet. Now, there was no barrier. Nothing in my way.

“Spread that pussy open,” I instructed Cruz. With his fingers, he gently opened her lips, giving me the perfect view. I licked my lips, hungry for a taste, torturing myself a little as I leaned in to inhale, dragging my nose across her clit.

My dick felt like it was about to explode.

“What you waitin’ on? I know you ain’t scared. ”

Ignoring Cruz, I licked a long, slow path from her asshole to her clit, shivering at the sound of her moans.

I hoped she had her strength up. It was about to be a long night.