Camryn Quinn is finally getting what she wants...sort of. Moving into a dorm and away from her not so supportive father is a good first step, but like everything with him-it comes with strings. She must attend the college of his choosing for at leas...
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Alyssa and I walk into the restaurant and stop at the empty hostess stand, a Please Wait To Be Seated sign fills the space to it's right. I don't bother to wait for someone in all black to greet us. Instead I grab Alyssa's shirt and pull her through an arched doorway to the left. My dad has sat at the same exact table in the back room of this restaurant every single time we have been here, which is a lot. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was a part of the Columbus mob scene. Except for the fact that we aren't Italian, and I don't think Columbus actually has any organized crime families.
We cross through part of the dining room and then make a right towards the very back of the building. As we do, the room opens up to reveal a mixture of booths and round tables all covered with white tablecloths and a place setting at every seat. The room is dimly lit, and a soft instrumental soundtrack creates an ambiance in the background. It's seven pm on a Saturday, so almost every table is occupied by people in overly expensive designer clothes. My father has always preferred the finer things.
Stepping further into the room, I look to my right and spot him right away. My dad is sitting in his own expensive looking suit, at a round table. We make eye contact and he stands to greet us. To his left is my brother, who stands alongside my father, his little shadow. Something totally expected. It's the person to Cal's left that I wasn't expecting. My mouth goes dry, and I find myself making over necessary eye contact with a man sitting over my father's shoulder. So long that he winks at me, probably thinking I'm interested but really I'm trying to communicate that I need him to save me.
"Ladies, welcome! You must be Alyssa." My father says, shaking her hand. I am genuinely surprised that he remembers her name, but I guess his job probably requires him to hold the same personal skills as a teacher. Like having the ability to remember hundreds of names after meeting someone one time. The skills I assume he uses when attempting to recruit new players to join his cult. Alyssa returns the pleasantries, reaching out and shaking his hand before my father turns to Cal and his guest.
"And Callan tells me that the two of you have met, but girls this is Taylor Reed. I invited him to join us as well." my father adds. Taylor surprises me again when he stands and walks around the table to where we are standing. He's dressed in a light blue suit, probably the one he wore into the stadium today before the game. The color reminds me of the shade of his beloved bluejeans, but his typical attire wouldn't cut it in place like this.
Taylor reaches out and shakes Alyssa's hand, causing her to melt immediately. She continues to smile between Cal and Taylor as if this is a fantasy she's imagined a hundred times. I want to kick her, snap her out of it, but I would probably make her cry again.
Taylor however, doesn't seem to notice Alyssa's crazed look, or he just doesn't care. Probably the latter, considering it has to be normal for him to elicit such reactions in women. Instead, he ignores her and turns to me, reaching down where my hands remain at my sides. He slides his warm palm into one of mine, curling his fingers slightly. I don't pull back, apparently forgetting how to move my limbs. My breath however, betrays me. Hitching, catching in my throat as Taylor uses my hand in his to pull me closer to him. Close enough so he can whisper to me, but far enough away not to look suspicious to our audience.
