Chapter 3

Finally, when I desperately needed air, Easton pulled away and smirked. My stomach tightened, and my legs turned to jelly. “Did you just put your tongue in my mouth?” I asked, trying to sound offended. “I did,” he admitted without a shred of guilt. His deep, rough voice sent a shiver down my spine. “Well, that was…” I glanced at Nate and Cassie walking toward us. “We need to talk about something important, so for now just play along, okay?” Easton arched a brow but said nothing. “Wow, so your relationship with Easton Cash wasn’t one of your lies after all,” Cassie mocked. Easton’s hands were still resting on my waist, and I couldn’t have been more grateful for that. “Why would I lie?” “Oh, come on, Ashley. We’re talking about you. Anything’s possible.” “You’re wrong, Cass. It’s when we’re talking about you that anything’s possible. Even sleeping with your best friend’s boyfriend. Though honestly, I should thank you.” I slid my hands across Easton’s chest until they rested behind his neck. “Now we don’t have to hide anymore, right, babe?” “Mmm…” he murmured lazily. Cassie’s expression twisted while Nate took a threatening step forward. “Stay the f**k away from her, Cash.” Easton barely looked at him. “Looks like she’s the one having trouble staying away from me.” Cassie cleared her throat, grabbed Nate by the arm, and dragged him away. I hated admitting it, but seeing those two together made me want to throw up. After a few seconds, I quickly pulled away from Easton and wiped my lips with the back of my hand. He noticed and let out a small mocking laugh. “And what was that? Do you just go around kissing random guys?” “What? No! Of course not.” “Then I should feel honored.” He shut his locker and started walking away. “Wait, I need to talk to you.” “Not interested. Though what happened back there was a pretty entertaining show.” “Please, just listen to me. It’s important,” I begged. Maybe he pitied me, because he finally grabbed my arm and dragged me into the small maintenance closet on the first floor. I looked at the wet mop beside me and grimaced at the horrible smell coming from it. Then I looked back at Easton, who was watching me with one eyebrow raised. “Well? What do you want?” I sighed. “I need your help.” “With the lie?” I froze. “You know?” “Half the f*****g school thinks I’ve been sleeping with you.” My cheeks burned. “Right. About that...” “You told everyone we were together.” “I panicked.” “Clearly.” I swallowed. “I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend.” “No.” He didn’t even hesitate. “But—” “Not my problem, blondie. You lied. Deal with it.” “Easton…” “People who lie are trash.” Did he seriously just call me trash? “I lied because I didn’t have another choice.” My voice cracked, and his expression softened slightly. “You weren't there,” I snapped. “She humiliated me in front of everyone. I panicked.” Damn it, I didn’t want to cry in front of him. Talking about this hurt too much. “It would only be for a couple of days.” “Do you want him back?” he asked seriously. “I don’t know. I just… I just want him back,” I admitted quietly. His mouth curved into an arrogant smile. “He cheated on you, and you still want him back?” I looked away. “f**k, blondie. Have some self-respect.” I lowered my gaze as tears slid down my cheeks. What if Easton was right? What if I got back together with Nate and he cheated on me again with someone else? Before I realized it, Easton stepped closer and wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “How much are we talking about?” he asked. “Huh?” “My services aren’t free, pretty girl. How much money are you offering?” “You want me to pay you?” I asked incredulously. “I could use some extra cash.” His eyes slowly traveled down my body. “And you look like you’ve got plenty of money.” “Do you have a drug problem?” The second the words left my mouth, I covered my lips with both hands, wishing I could take them back. Easton looked somewhere between amused and annoyed. There was a rumor going around that Easton had a serious drug problem, and that he not only used them but sold them both inside and outside the school. “Maybe…” “How much do you want?” “Fifty.” “Fine. I can give you fifty dollars a week—” He silenced me by pressing one of his long fingers against my lips. “I want fifty thousand dollars a month.” “What? Who do you think you are, some Calvin Klein model?” He shrugged. “I’m sure you can find somebody else.” He was about to leave when I stopped him by grabbing his shirt. “Fine. I’ll give you fifty thousand dollars.” A victorious smile appeared on his face. “Then we have a deal.”