Take Me for Granted (Take Me #1)(8)

“What did I do to deserve it?”

“Besides treating me like a whore?”

Grant laughed at my comment, but I wasn’t sure why it was funny. He had treated me like a whore, which was basically the opposite of the kind of person I was.

“What are you doing tonight?”

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t going to play this game. “Curing cancer. What about you?”

“Taking you out,” he answered, not missing a beat.

“That’s strange because I just said I was busy.”

“Busy out with me,” he said smoothly.

“I appreciate the offer, Grant, but no.” I hoped that I’d sounded firm, but this guy was so persistent. Good Lord!

Cheyenne smacked me on the arm. I’d completely forgotten that she was standing there.

“Are you out of your mind?” she hissed.

I shrugged my shoulders and turned away. I didn’t want to hear her nonsense right now. I just wanted off the phone.

“Come on, princess. What do you have to lose?” Grant asked.

“My self-respect?” I said dryly.

“From one date?”

“My answer is no. Good-bye, Grant,” I said and then ended the call.

As I handed the phone back to a shell-shocked Cheyenne, it started ringing again.

“Don’t answer that.”

“What just happened?” she asked.

“Grant asked me out, and I told him no.”

This probably killed her, but it didn’t kill me. I had no interest in someone like Grant. I’d grown up in a wealthy suburb of Boston. My father was the CEO of a prominent bank in the city. My entire family were Princeton alums. That was the kind of person I was supposed to bring home to my parents—not Grant McDermott. Not even one date.

He didn’t care about me or respect me. He just wanted to sleep with me.

It was Gabi’s turn to look astonished. “He asked you out?”

“Grant McDermott does not ask people out!” Cheyenne cried.

“Well, he just did.”

Chapter 7: Grant

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the pillar in front of the math building, which I’d tracked down after Aribel had hung up on me. Fuck, I’d even called her back. I didn’t know if I was more pissed or intrigued. The combination was making me crazy.

When had I ever staked out a chick’s class to see her?

Never.

But I wasn’t f**king leaving now. How much longer could she possibly be?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, a stream of people exited the building, and at the back of the group was my target. She was as hot as I remembered—short with stick-straight natural blonde hair. Her nose was buried in a book, and her lips moved as she read the words while she absentmindedly picked at the top button of her cardigan.

I took a step toward her right when some other guy walked up to her. Who the f**k is that? Her boyfriend? Well, that wasn’t the biggest obstacle, but I thought I’d gotten that one out of the way when I’d kissed her last night.

When he spoke to Aribel, her head popped up, and she snapped her book closed. They exchanged a few tense words, and she shook her head a lot, but he kept speaking and gesturing in short, sharp motions. Her frown deepened.

All right, enough is enough.

I strolled across the small courtyard to the front doors where Aribel was standing. “This guy bothering you?” I asked.

They both turned to look at me. Aribel pursed her thin lips and hugged her textbook to her chest. The guy just looked irritated that they had been disturbed.

“What are you doing here?” Aribel asked.

“You know this guy?”

“Benjamin, just leave it alone.”

“Yeah, Benny, leave her alone,” I said with a chipper smile.

“Benny?” he retorted, clearly offended.

“Good Lord,” Aribel said.

“Who is this guy, Aribel?”

I stuck my hand out to Benny. “Grant McDermott. Nice to meet you.”

Benjamin stared down at my hand, but he apparently had the manners to shake my hand anyway. “Benjamin Curtis. How exactly do you know Aribel?”

“Oh, recent acquaintance.” I winked at him because I couldn’t resist poking at his jealousy.

“I don’t have time for this. I’m going home,” Aribel said.

She turned to go, but Benjamin stopped her. “Aribel, wait, I really want to talk about last night.”

“And I think I’m done talking about it.”

“Last night?” I asked.

She didn’t seem like the type to bed-hop. She was clearly a bit uptight. I needed to shrug her out of that cardigan because there was only one thing I liked tight about my women.

“I don’t want to talk about last night with either of you,” she snapped and started storming across the courtyard I’d just crossed.

“Aribel, were you with this guy last night?” Benjamin asked, grabbing on to her wrist.

“Yes,” she spat, snatching her hand back. “And why should it matter to you, Benjamin? You broke up with me. I told you I didn’t want to be friends, but you did. I don’t think any of my friends would act like a jealous ex-boyfriend if they found out I’d been with someone else last night. In fact, all of my friends are encouraging me.”