Diving in Deep (A Bay State University Novel Book 2) Read online

  A low chuckle came from Anthony. “Give me a few minutes to recover and we will.”

  “Deal,” I said, with a stupid grin on my face.

  ****

  Bodie

  “Want to go to a movie?” Tiffany asked, when we got in the car.

  “Sure,” I said. “Still don’t want to go home?”

  “Nope. Saturday nights are the worst. They usually get all cuddly on the couch with a movie. I usually go to my room, but since we’re already out I thought we could do something else.”

  “Look and see what’s playing,” I told her.

  We went back and forth for a few minutes, and finally settled on an action movie neither of us had seen. We got to the theater with a few minutes to spare. When it was over, I took Tiffany back to her apartment.

  “Thanks for getting me out of the house,” she said, when I stopped in her parking lot.

  “I had fun,” I said, meaning it. “Call me when you need another distraction.”

  “I’m sure you have a line of college girls waiting for you back at Bay State,” she said, with a smirk.

  “Not as many as you think,” I said.

  “Whatever,” she said, not believing me. “Have a good night.”

  I waited until she was inside before I left. Just as I thought, Major wasn’t at the dorm when I got there. I’m sure he was at Kayleigh’s since I heard Karma had a date. I’d just turned on the TV when I heard my phone go off. It was a text from Karma. I thought she was on a date, why would she be texting me. I knew my mouth was hanging open. It was a picture of her tits.

  Me: What the fuck Karma???

  Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to see Karma’s tits again, but I certainly didn’t expect a text of them while she was on a date.

  Karma: Sorry, wrong number

  Me: Seriously?

  Karma: My bad.

  Me: Yours?

  Karma: No. just a pic from the internet.

  Me: Too bad. Those are a fine set of tits.

  Karma: So, use them to get off. Bye Bodie.

  I just shook my head. I knew that was a picture of Karma. Her tits were burned into my memory, but I still saved the picture to my phone. She was up to something. I didn’t believe for a second that she accidentally sent that to me.

  I took another look at the picture and allowed my mind to drift back to the night of the party. Just thinking about Karma naked caused my dick to twitch. Since there was no reason at the moment to not think about it, I let myself remember the feel of her body, both inside and out.

  It didn’t take long for me to get hard. I took my dick out and closed my eyes. Remembering the sounds Karma made and the sight of her touching herself I stroked my dick until I came. I laughed at myself when I was finished. I felt like I was back in junior high or something. I cleaned myself up and watched TV for the next hour or so.

  ****

  Sunday morning, I got up and went to More Than Just Beans. Tiffany smiled when I walked in. She was helping someone, but I noticed she put the remaining muffins from the glass on the counter behind her, so no one else could buy them. I was serious last week when I said I wanted all of them. They really were the best muffins I’d ever had.

  When it was my turn to order Tiffany handed me the box of muffins.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Are you just humoring me buying all of those or do you really like them?” she asked.

  “I really like them,” I told her. “I actually didn’t even share the last bunch with anyone. I kept them in my room and ate them in two days.”

  That made her laugh.

  “What kind of coffee do you want today?” she said, still smiling.

  I took a minute to look at the specials. “How about the cinnamon latte?”

  “Sure. That’ll be $24.85.”

  I pulled my card out of my wallet and added a $15 tip to the bill. Let her argue about that.

  “I’ll bring it out to you in a minute,” she said.

  I found a table and took one of the muffins out of the box. They were lemon blueberry today and were just as good as last week. A few minutes later, Tiffany brought my coffee and sat at the table with me.

  “This kicks ass,” I said, taking another bite of the muffin. “Have you ever thought about doing this professionally?”

  “Like, open a bakery?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No. It’s just a hobby. I think if I did it every day, I’d stop enjoying it.”

  “Well, you can make these for me anytime,” I said, with a wink.

  We talked for a few minutes until another customer came in. I took my muffins and went back to the dorm. I was surprised to see Major there.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought you’d be with Kayleigh all day.

  “She had a paper to work on and says I’m a distraction,” he said grinning. “What’s in the box?”

  “Nothing,” I said, not wanting to share.

  “Bullshit. That looks like a bakery box.”

  “So, it’s not for you,” I told him seriously.

  Major took that as a challenge and got off the couch and ran at me. I took off for the other side of the room, but he was faster than me. He tackled me, but I managed to keep the box from getting destroyed.

  “Okay fucker,” I said. “Get off me and I’ll share.”

  Major was laughing, but he got off me.

  “Only one,” I told him, as he opened the box.

  “This is fucking good,” Major said, with his mouth full.

  “I know. Why do you think I didn’t want to share with your sorry ass?”

  “Where did you get these?”

  “I’m not telling you or you’ll go and buy them all before I can.”

  “Dude, come on,” Major said.

  “Nope, not gonna happen.”

  “I’ll find out and you’ll be sorry,” he said.

  “Good luck with that, bro,” I said laughing, and went to my room.

  Chapter 11

  Karma

  Sunday morning, Anthony cooked me breakfast again and we ended up spending the whole day together at his house. Sometimes we had clothes on, but most of the time we didn’t. He dropped me off at the dorm around 8pm.

  “You’re alive,” Kayleigh said, with a laugh when I walked in.

  I had to smile at that. “Yep. Alive and happy.”

  “Wow,” Kayleigh said. “You’re practically glowing. I take it you had a very good night.”

  “It was better than good and today was even better,” I said.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this into a guy before.”

  “Anthony is different,” I told her.

  “Different how?”

  “I don’t know exactly. Maybe, it’s that he’s a little older, or he’s more of a gentleman than I’m used to, but whatever it is, I like it. I’m going to shower,” I told Kayleigh.

  She nodded and went back to her schoolwork.

  I continued to think about her question while I showered. Why was he different? I thought about the time we’d spent together so far, and I finally figured it out. He treated me as more than just a way to get off. He listened to what I had to say and was interested. I’d only known him a week and he already cooked for me, took me to a fancy party and I’d met his mother. He treated me like I was important.

  That made me smile. Outside of my parents, Kayleigh and her grandma, I’d never been important to anyone. I hoped this wasn’t out of character for Anthony, like a honeymoon phase or something. I guess I was just going to have to go with the flow for now and get to know him better.

  I heard my text notification sound go off when I got to my room.

  Bodie: Do you have time to work on our Spanish stuff tomorrow?

  Me: Sure. I’m free after 2.

  Bodie: Meet me at the coffee place closest to your dorm.

  Me: Bossy much?

  Bodie: Can you please meet me at the coffee place that is close to your dorm?


  Me: Better and yes, I can.

  Bodie: Thanks. See you in the morning.

  I smiled at our text exchange. Something about Bodie brought out the side of me that loved to poke at people. And since he always took the bait it was even more fun.

  I had about an hour and a half before I wanted to go to bed, so I took out my books and looked over what I needed to do for the next week.

  ****

  Monday morning’s practice went well. Coach Everett was still pleased with our performance Saturday, so she went easy on us. Classes flew by and before I knew it, I was sitting in the coffee place waiting for Bodie. I saw him in my two classes today, but he was glued to his phone, so I didn’t bother him. I was in the process of texting Anthony when Bodie sat down at the table with me.

  “Hey,” he said. “Do you want some coffee or something?”

  “I wouldn’t mind a water if you’re getting something. And could you grab me a croissant if they have any?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks,” I said, and started to get out my wallet.

  “It’s on me today,” he said with a wink, and left to go to the counter.

  I finished my text to Anthony and waited for Bodie. My phone dinged and the text I’d gotten back made me smile.

  “You seem like you’re in a good mood,” Bodie said, when he sat down again.

  “I am. Anthony makes me smile.”

  “Good,” he said.

  The way he said it though made me think he didn’t really mean it, but I wasn’t going to let anything ruin my mood.

  “So, what did you need help with?” I asked.

  He laughed with a mouthful of coffee and just about spit it out. “Karma, did you forget about our assignment?”

  “Fuck,” I said, remembering we were supposed to hand in something tomorrow. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

  He smiled at me. “Good thing I decided to be your partner then.”

  “Whatever. Let’s just get to work,” I said. “What do we have to do again?”

  “We have to translate this page from Spanish to English,” he said, handing me a piece of paper. “And the professor said she’ll know if we used Google to translate it.”

  “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” I started reading it and I knew most of the words. “What are we supposed to use for the translation if we need to?”

  “Our textbook,” Bodie said with a smirk.

  “Fine. You write what I say, and we’ll look up anything that we need to. Okay?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  We spent the next hour translating what turned out to be information on how to survive in the wilderness.

  “I’ll take this home and type it up,” Bodie offered.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I know you have practice later. It’s no trouble.”

  “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said.

  “Yep. Bye,” he said and left.

  I sat there for a minute. He hadn’t said one rude thing or made fun of me in any way. Something was up with Bodie and I wanted to find out what.

  ****

  Bodie

  In high school, I’d always hated having to work with a partner for a project, but I think working with Karma was going to be okay. I’ll admit, I had reservations when she first suggested it but the last hour proved I’d made the right decision. She ignored her phone the few times it had gone off and once we started, she didn’t stop until we were done. I was actually impressed. She was a hard worker.

  As soon as I had that thought, I told myself I was an asshole. Of course, she was a hard worker. She had a full class load that required her to have a minimum 3.0 grade point average to stay on the team and she spent at least four hours diving almost every day. There was no way I could do that. I admired her dedication.

  I was almost back at my dorm when my dad called. He didn’t call often, so I answered.

  “Hey, dad.”

  “Bodie, are you busy tonight?” he asked me.

  “Not really. What’s up?”

  “Can you come by the house? There’s something I’d like you to look at.”

  “Sure. What time?”

  “Come for dinner. I know your mom would love to see you.”

  “Yeah, okay. See you later,” I said, and hung up.

  I had no idea what he could possibly want, but he wouldn’t ask unless it was important.

  A couple of hours later I pulled through the gate of the house I grew up in. I parked outside the front door and went in.

  “Mom? Dad? I’m here,” I yelled, since I never knew where they might be. The house was huge, and I didn’t want to do a room-to-room search.

  “In the kitchen,” I heard mom yell back.

  “There’s my boy,” she said, when I walked in.

  “Hi, mom. Smells great in here. What’s Rosie making for dinner?” I asked. Rosie was the lady that helped mom take care of the house. I always looked forward to her dinners.

  “Rosie has the night off,” mom said. “I cooked.”

  “You cooked?” I questioned. “Since when?”

  “Since you went to college,” she said. “I decided I needed a hobby, so I’ve been taking cooking classes.”

  “She’s actually good,” my dad said entering the kitchen. “I’ve had to increase my workouts since she started experimenting.”

  They both laughed at that. Inside joke, I guess.

  “What about your job at the company?” I asked.

  “I’m stepping back some,” she said, shocking me.

  Mom and dad had started West Security together. Dad was in charge of all things security and mom was great at research. Together they made a great team. Over the last twenty years, they’d taken a two-person company and turned it into one of the most respected high end security companies in the world.

  “Did I walk into the wrong house?” I asked, almost serious.

  “It’s just time for me to pursue other interests,” she told me. “There have been a lot of things I’ve wanted to do over the years, but everything took a backseat to the company. It’s time for me to try new things.”

  “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day,” I said seriously. “Congratulations, I guess.”

  “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” she said. “Bodie, can you set the table please.”

  I smiled at her request. Setting the table had been my job for as long as I could remember. I remember once telling her that’s what we had Rosie for. I got popped in the mouth and sent to my room without dinner. I never said that again.

  Mom had made something called Texas Enchilada Casserole and it was good. In fact, I ate almost half of it.

  “You need to make this for Karma. She’s always complaining how hard it is to find good Tex Mex out here,” I told mom, when we finished eating.

  “Karma, she’s the friend of that girl who went missing right?” mom said.

  “Yeah, Kayleigh, Major’s girl,” I said.

  “And you and Karma are friends?” she asked, in that mom-like way.

  “Yes, just friends. We have a few classes together this semester and are partners in Spanish. That’s it.”

  “Okay, okay, just asking,” she said, with a smile.

  “Lisa, do you mind if I steal our son away for a few minutes?” dad asked.

  “Of course, Richard. Do what you need to do,” she said.

  “Come with me, son,” dad said, and we went to his office.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “I was approached today by a long-time client with an unusual request,” he told me.

  “Okay … and what does this have to do with me?”

  “Does the name Antonio Pagano mean anything to you?” he asked me.

  “As in Pagano Imports?”

  “The very same,” he said.

  “And …” I said not understanding.

  “He has a son that just started dating a college student. She’s beautiful and on scholarship. An
tonio is worried she’s just after the family money.”

  “Okay, I still don’t get what that has to do with me,” I told him.

  “The girl’s name is Karma Webster,” he said.

  It took a minute for that to register. “What?” I finally said. “My Karma? I mean, Kayleigh’s Karma?”

  “Yes, Bodie.”

  “Karma’s not like that,” I said. “She’d never go after a guy for his money. And besides, he picked her up at the club, not the other way around.” I was starting to get mad. “I have half a mind to find that douchebag and punch him in his fucking face.”

  “Who?” dad asked.

  “Anthony.”

  “Anthony has no knowledge of this. Antonio made it clear that these were his suspicions alone.”

  I sat there for a second and willed myself to calm down.

  “Is there something between you and Karma that I need to know about?” dad asked.

  “No, we’re just friends. She’s worked hard to get where she is, and I admire that. That’s all.”

  “Okay,” dad said, like he wasn’t sure.

  “So, why are you telling me all of this?” I asked him.

  “Antonio would like West Security to investigate her and figure out what her true intentions are. That’s why I’m talking to you. I want you to determine why she’s with Anthony. We need proof for Antonio. And before you say anything, I’m asking you to do this and not someone else because she already knows you. I believe you, Bodie, but we need to make Antonio believe the same thing.”

  “They’ve only been together for like a week or so,” I said. “Why is Antonio so concerned with Karma already?”

  “From what I can tell, it’s because she’s not from their social circle and he’s worried she’s a gold digger.”

  “That’s fucking ridiculous,” I said, getting angry again. “So, because she’s not a stuck up spoiled rich bitch, she’s a gold digger? Who does this guy think he is?”

  “Calm down, son,” dad said. “Antonio Pagano is used to getting his way, and in his mind, he’s protecting his family. Think about it this way, at least he came to us and not someone else. This way we can control the situation. So, can you do this for me, Bodie?”