Attraction

CHAPTER 1 Atoms, Molecules, and Ions

Quiet, silent, muted, hushed, stilled, reticent...I moved my mouth, breathed the words-soundlessly-from my hiding place.

This game comforted me, calmed me, settled my nerves. Yes, recalling synonyms while anxious was a bizarre coping strategy, but it worked. And very little usually worked.

The voices from beyond the cabinet grew louder and were accompanied by the click of heels and the dull echo of tennis shoes. I held my breath and strained to decipher how many sets of feet were represented by the approaching shoes. I guessed two, also because only two voices were audible.

"...think that he's going to want to fuck you? After what happened last Friday?" The words were a hiss emanating from an unknown male voice; I tensed at the use of vulgarity.

"I'll get there late. If you do your job then he won't even remember it," came a feminine reply. The female was closest to my hiding spot in the chemistry lab cabinet; her words were, therefore, much clearer.

"Shit," he said. I tried not to huff in disgust at his foul language as he continued. "I don't even know how much to use. I've only used it on bitches."

"I don't know either.Just...double it. Martin is, what? Like, twice the size of the girls you usually dope out?"

I tensed again, my eyes narrowing. The name Martin, in particular, made my heart beat faster. I knew only one Martin.

Martin Sandeke.

Martin Sandeke, the heir to Sandeke Telecom Systems in Palo Alto, California, and smartypants in his own right. I also came from a notable family-my mother was a US senator, my father was the dean of the college of medicine at UCLA, and my maternal grandfather was an astronaut.However, unlike Martin's family, we weren't billionaires. We were scientists, politicians, and scholars.

Martin Sandeke, the six-foot-three modern day physical manifestation of Hercules and captain of our university's rowing team.

Martin Sandeke,unrepentant man whore extraordinaire and kind of a jerk-faced bully.

Martin Sandeke, my year-long chemistry lab partner and all-around most unobtainable person in the universe-who I never spoke to except to ask for beakers, relay findings, and request modifications to the heat level of my Bunsen burner.

And by Bunsen burner I meant, literally, my Bunsen burner. Not the figurative Bunsen burner in my pants. Because I hoped Martin Sandeke had no idea that he affected the heat levels of my figurative Bunsen burner.

He did affect them. But,obviously-since he was cosmically unobtainable and kind of a bully-I didn't want him to know that.

"He's about two twenty,so...yeah. I guess," the male responded. His tennis shoes made scuffing sounds on the linoleum as he neared my hiding spot.

I rolled my lips between my teeth and stared at the crack in the cabinet doors. I couldn't see his face, but I could now discern he was standing directly in front of the cabinet, next to the unknown girl. Maybe facing her.

"But what's in it for me?"the cuss monster asked, his voice lower than it had been, more intimate.

I heard some rustling then the sloppy sounds of kissing. Instinctively, I stuck my tongue out and mocked gagging. Listening to public displays of affection was unpleasant, especially when lip smacking and groaning was involved,and most especially while trapped in a chemistry lab cabinet that smelled heavily of sulfur.

The next words spoken came from the girl and were a bit whiny. "Money, dummy. Martin's loaded-well, his family is loaded-and they'll buy me off. All you have to do is give him the stuff tonight in his drink. I'll take him upstairs, record the whole thing. Bonus if I get pregnant."