maybe he was popular because he was gorgeous. Then again, most, if not all, the Kappa Psi Kappas were delectable eye candy. And the small crew that Charlie ran with were at the top of the heap.
She waltzed through the frat house door in her ittybitty black minidress that showcased her long legs and boosted her C-cups so that they looked like double Ds to the casual observer. Men paused and a few women eyed her up and down to determine her threat level. That never really happened to her before, mainly because she normally didn’t dress like a hoochie.
Anna’s gaze swept across the crowd until she spotted Charlie and his crew in the middle of a step performance in the main room. Everyone was hyped as they watched the complex hand-and foot-work the frat brothers had coordinated for the step show. To Anna there was just something about watching such strong and powerful brothers stomping, yelling and sweating that served as an incredible aphrodisiac—especially Charlie.
She smiled when her eyes landed on him.
Charlie, a tall, golden-skin-toned god with seductive hazel-green eyes was technically just a good friend of hers. But secretly, she’d hoped that one day they could be much more than that. Why not? All the signs were there. Lately, he kept coming up with all these lame excuses to call or come by her dorm the last couple of weeks. Wasn’t that a clear sign that he was feeling her?
It was possible. She was reasonably attractive. She wasn’t the overtly here-look-at-my-titties kind of attractive like her roommate Roxanne, but more of a conservative-good-girl kind of pretty—except for tonight.
Anna was just shy of six feet with thick, long black hair that hung to the center of her back. Again, it was a rarity that she even wore her hair down. It was usually pulled up into a ponytail and twisted around into a tight bun. But she was hoping this self-made makeover would help her stand out more.
The step-show ended to thunderous applause. Derrick Knight, Randall Jarrett, Charlie Masters, Hylan Dawson, Taariq Bryson and Stanley Patterson all took a deep bow before blending into the crowd for drinks and a few excited ladies.
Stanley Patterson spotted Anna and made a beeline straight for her. She smiled. Stanley was sweet, but was pretty much a tall, goofy redhead. In her opinion he sort of tried too hard to fit in, which she sort of understood, since he stuck out as the only white member of the Kappa Psi Kappa fraternity that she knew of. Anna cut him a little slack because she knew what it was like to be a bit awkward.
“Hey, Anna,” Stanley cheesed, sliding his hands into the front of his jeans and shifting his weight from side to side. He had a curious look, especially for a white boy. Sagging pants, gold chains and a box fade haircut that had been out of style for at least three years. “It’s good seeing you here tonight.”
“Well, you know … I was just passing through,” she lied and glanced around. Charlie had disappeared. She stood up on the tips of her toes and scanned the crowd.
“Would you like for me to get you something to drink?” Stanley asked eagerly. “What’s your pleasure?”
As usual, Anna didn’t have the heart to hurt Stanley’s feelings, especially when he looked at her with those large, blue puppy-dog eyes. “Sure, um … I’ll just have a rum and coke.”
“I’m on it!” He tossed her a wink and then took off like a shot.
“You know that he has the hots for you, don’t you?” Charlie said, from behind her.
Anna’s smile broadened as she turned on her heels. It was a miracle that she didn’t melt under his green-eyed stare. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
Charlie’s expression twisted while he pressed a hand against his chest. “Me? Jealous?”
Now he’s going to act all innocent.
“Hey, if you like Breadstick we can hook it up.”
“Breadstick? Why do you call him Breadstick?”
Charlie chuckled. “Because that’s what he looks like—a long, skinny breadstick. That and an older Howdy Doody.”
“Minus the freckles,” she added.
“So you’ve noticed. Maybe you do like him.” Charlie turned up his bottle of beer and drained the rest of it.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You haven’t denied it either.” He winked.
Anna folded her arms. The last thing she wanted was for Charlie to think that she had a thing for Stanley. “Then let me officially deny it. Stanley is sweet and all, but—”
“Hey, he’s cool.” Charlie shrugged. “I know I give him a hard time, but that’s my dog. For real. He has a good heart. You’d probably be a good match for him.”
Suddenly, she was confused by the mixed signals. Is he really trying to push me off on his boy?
Just then a girl with a whole lot of junk in her trunk sauntered by and Charlie did a quick rubberneck for a second look. Miffed, Anna glanced down at her enhanced breasts and tried to push them out a little more.
“I, uh, noticed that you came with your roommate tonight,” Charlie added casually. “I thought you two didn’t get along? ”
Anna’s hackles rose. Why was it that lately every time she talked to Charlie, he always brought up Roxanne? Had she totally misread his intentions? Had he been hanging around her in order to get closer to her roommate? “We get along all right,” she said, shrugging even though she was slowly starting to feel like a desperate idiot. “We went out to celebrate my acing my calculus test.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” He smiled, causing his dimples to wink at her. “Of course I wasn’t worried. You’re like the smartest woman I know.”
Anna blushed. “I am?”
“I know I wouldn’t have been able to get through that French class last quarter without you.” He held up his beer bottle in a silent toast.
She shrugged again. “Ah. That was easy. I have family that lives in France. I go there every summer.”
“Mmm.” He nodded his head while his eyes roamed over her slim figure. Sucking in her flat stomach, Anna pulled her shoulders back so that he could get a good look at all she had to offer. She hoped she measured up. Sure, she was trying to look like some video-ho, but it was only because that was usually the kind of chick that the Kappa men went for. Charlie was no different. He dated the hottest girls on campus. It stood to reason that if she wanted to break out of the friend zone, then she needed to take drastic measures. He never stayed with them for long, but she was sure that she had what it would take to keep his interest.
For a few seconds, they held each other’s gaze. Anna wished that she could read his mind, but it was an amazingly hard thing to do. Did he just like her as a friend or was there truly a chance for something more?
“I’m back,” Stanley announced, smiling.
Anna quashed the urge to shoo him away and accepted the rum and coke. “Thanks, Stanley.”
“Not a problem.” He stretched his arm and attempted to brace it against the door frame directly
