Played by Love (New Adult Romance): A #Played Novella Read online

  The frat monitored sexual activities in the funhouse to prevent lawsuits. Sick, but in these days, boys couldn’t be too careful. Each act taken with a girl had to have clear consent recorded on audio.

  “What if Mark’s jerking off listening in?” Vincenzo huffed. “Bet he turns on the video feed.”

  “Let him get his jollies. That’s why I never bring a girl to the funhouse.” Jaden threw his gloves in the locker and tore off his jersey.

  “They’re sorority girls.” Vincenzo flexed his muscles. “They know the deal.”

  “Not my type.”

  “Not your type? So you going to just go back to the nerd dorm and what, study?”

  Jaden snapped a towel and turned to the showers. “Yep. Masquerading as a nerd means I have to be able to talk shop.”

  Nick, Jax, and Kolby strolled into the locker room, cell phones out, most likely loaded with selfies the fan girls sent. Well, maybe not Jax. Kimber had the Bear’s leading scorer locked down tight.

  “No studying tonight,” Kolby said. “Beer, shots, girls, whoo! You game?”

  “Jaden’s not,” Vincenzo said.

  “Ah, don’t take the goal too hard,” Kolby said, slapping Jaden’s bare butt. “You need to get laid. Reserve a room in the funhouse.”

  “Maybe later, I have to be somewhere.” Jaden cranked the shower full blast and slammed the water against his face. He licked his cracked lip and cleaned the dirt off his cheekbones. The goalkeeper was the only soccer player to emerge from a game looking like he got beat up.

  Making the save was all that mattered, even at the cost of face plants and being kicked in the mouth.

  Jaden dressed quickly and walked away as fast as he could from his frat brothers. They were exactly the obnoxious men Ella couldn’t stomach and if she found out that he, too, was not only in a frat, but monitored their sex games, she’d drop him like the proverbial hot eggroll.

  Sensitive and concerned. That was how he had to come across.

  He jogged up Bancroft toward the International house, or I-house. It was the perfect cover. Ella would never believe a jock or frat guy, especially an American, would live in the I-house, surrounded by foreign students.

  The way those cavemen had treated her after the costume party was a disgrace. But then those Delta Upsilon Mu guys were the dregs of fraternities. Half of theem had criminal records and the rest were a bunch of strung-out losers.

  He crossed the street in front of the I-house. Ella was standing on the steps playing with her phone, oblivious to the admiring glances cast her direction.

  For being a ditzy nerd, she was sure sexy. Thin, petite, but well endowed where it mattered: full breasts, a cute perky ass, and a pixie spray of spiky blond hair framing her sweet heart-shaped face.

  She was wearing black leather shorts with transparent tights and high-top black sneakers. Her black and white striped tank barely covered her midriff, and her fingernails alternated black and white. Silver and black wrap bracelets encircled her wrists and a gangster styled studded knit hat was propped over her head. There was no telling what she thought she was, especially with the spiked dog collar around her neck.

  Instead of calling out, Jaden texted her a selfie with the corner of Bancroft and Piedmont behind him.

  Her face lit with the text message and she opened it with a big smile. Giggling, she pointed her front camera at herself and snapped a selfie.

  He snuck up behind her as she tapped out a message, and when his phone jingled, she swiped at her own phone. Her brow wrinkled when there was no incoming message.

  “Boo.” He was looking over her shoulder, inhaling her vanilla and cherry scented perfume, and wondering what she’d do if he snapped her collar.

  Ella jumped and flung her hand back, hitting him in the jaw. Her late model smartphone went flying.

  Jaden leaped off the stairs, diving with his arms outstretched. His ribs hit the curb and his knees scraped concrete. The phone skipped up, over his fingers, but as his chin slammed onto the asphalt he closed his hand around it, saving it from imminent and complete destruction.

  Cheers and claps rang out from the international students gathered around.

  “What a save!” a guy said.

  “Wow, is he a goalie?” another voice said. “He didn’t even try breaking his fall.”

  “I wish he was,” a woman said. “Our team lost today.”

  “Jaden, you’re hurt.” Ella bent over him, her brows furrowed. “You’re bleeding.”

  Pain lanced his chin and his knee throbbed. But hey, he saved her phone, that was worth something. He couldn’t help grinning at her concern.

  “Your phone, my ladybug, safe and sound.”

  “My hero, again.” She sighed, her eyes starry, and just like in the anime, when the starry-eyed girl sighed, it meant he was getting a kiss.

  She slanted over him and her soft, rose petal lips touched his, whispering, a light brush, and then it was gone, a sweet nothing.

  Tease!

  Jaden blinked and stood to his full height, then crouched partway so his face was level with hers. Good. She was still starry eyed until her eyes narrowed and she pointed a finger at his nose.

  “Why are you crouching? Are you saying I’m short?”

  “Didn’t want to look down on you.” Besides, he was hoping he’d get another kiss. “Thanks for meeting me here. Dinner?”

  “Ann-yeong,” she said.

  “Huh?”

  “Wait, wait.” She unlocked her smartphone and selected an app. “I … love … to … have … dinner … with … you.”

  Why the heck was she speaking so slowly?

  The mechanical voice from the app said something that sounded like, “na-ning san-yook shiek sa-lad.”

  Oh, no. Who gave her the idea of speaking Korean to a guy who didn’t understand it?

  Jaden took the smartphone and changed the language. “No comprendo Corea.”

  The mechanical voice said, “I don’t understand Korean.”

  Ella took the phone back and said, “How about Chinese?”

  The mechanical voice said, “Que hay de chino?”

  Jaden grabbed the phone and fiddled with it. “Chinese it is.”

  The mechanical voice translated, “Tsino ito ay.”

  “You scrambled the languages,” Ella said, taking back her phone. “You’re so funny.”

  Funny wasn’t what he was going for. Sexy, smooth, hot was more like it. He slowly rose to his full height and stretched. She did look pretty tiny, now that he was staring at the top of her head.

  “So, we’re having Chinese. I know just the place.” He laced his fingers around Ella’s.

  “What about your chin? Don’t you need to disinfect it?” She tilted her phone at him. “Wait, let me get a picture of you. I like how you look like a tough guy.”

  “That’s cuz I am,” Jaden said. He snatched the phone from her. “Longer arm.”

  Hugging her close, he pointed the phone at them. “Say cheese.”

  “Take another one,” Ella said. She took a step up on the stairs and tipped on her toes, kissing him.

  He dutifully took several more selfies with her, then handed her camera back. “Ready?”

  “Oh, stand up there and do a tough guy pose,” Ella said. “Wipe your hair over your eyes.”

  Snap, snap.

  “How about another one? Unbutton your shirt.”

  He loosened the top two buttons of his shirt, feeling like a celebrity. This Ella character was so fun and spontaneous, and she was really into him.

  “Mister, please, can you take a picture with me?” A woman with a Japanese accent broke into his thoughts. Her friends bounced and squealed. “Is he a real K-Pop star?”

  Did he just win a lottery and wake up a rock star? Too bad the guys at the frat couldn’t see him now, surrounded by legions of adoring fans.

  “Me, too.” Another woman handed her phone to him. “Can you autograph my tank top?”

  He gladly oblige
d, flexing his muscles, hugging and mugging with the women of the world, right there on the steps of the International House.

  “Hey, isn’t he the goalie who effed up the game?” a man called out. “What’s his name, Sloup?”

  Uh oh. Not good. Ella hadn’t caught on yet, her fingers flying over her virtual keyboard, busily texting or posting to social media.

  “Yeah, that’s the dude,” another man said. “Broke our winning streak.”

  “No, no speak English,” Jaden said, then mixed it up with some unintelligible sound.

  “Come on.” He laced his fingers around Ella’s hand and pulled her from the gathering crowd. “Let’s go eat. I have no idea why those guys think I’m a soccer player.”

  “I know,” she chirped bouncily.

  “You do? How?”

  “Easy! You forgot your glasses.”

  Chapter 3

  “What a workout,” Ella said, loosening her hair. She unstrapped her hip-hop ankle high dance shoes and wiggled her toes. She and Tricia had signed up for a benefit at Berkeley’s People’s Park to raise money for a community feeding program. The crowning act would be a dance contest where people bid for a date with the hottest dancers.

  “I’m dog tired.” Tricia wiped the sweat on her forehead. She fist bumped a guy from one of the bands and stepped off the makeshift wooden stage. “Wonder who’s going to bid for us?”

  The audience hooted and cheered, sprinkling the air with wolf-whistles and cat calls, as the announcers reminded the bidders of their names.

  “You made sure Jaden will be here, right? I mean, he’s not busy is he?” Ella scanned the milling crowd.

  “There’s a game at Edwards stadium. He might be a little late.”

  “Late? Are you telling me he’d rather watch soccer?” Ella felt her heart constrict. This explained why Jaden hadn’t texted her this morning, breaking their routine.

  Tricia pulled a can of mango juice from the ice chest and handed it to her. “Chill, he’ll be here.”

  “But if he doesn’t outbid the rest of the guys …” Ella looked away from the group of Delta Upsilon Mu guys leering at her. “Do you think I’m too forward? Maybe Korean guys don’t like aggressive girls.”

  Tricia gestured to a log bench in the shade. “Maybe you shouldn’t think of him as a Korean guy.”

  “What if he’s not into me?” Ella pushed the tab and took a long swallow of the juice.

  On stage, a brightly arrayed Latin jazz dance trio shook to the conga.

  “You worry too much.” Tricia played with her smartphone. “Looks like the Bears are up by a goal.”

  “Humph. I don’t care.” Ella dabbed the sweat from her face. “Sports is so boring. They’re all variations of the same thing, moving a stupid little ball up and down the field. Did you know my psychology professor says it’s a metaphor for sex? The goal lines or basket or net is the female, and the ball or puck is the male.”

  “When you put it that way, it’s not so boring after all,” Tricia said. “I could say the same thing about dance. It’s displaying yourself so the right male will select you. A mating ritual.”

  “Pooh, the right male isn’t even here.” Ella finished her juice. “Let’s walk around. We’re not on again until the bidding starts. How far is Edwards stadium?”

  “Oh, stop it,” Tricia said. “You don’t want him to think you’re looking for him.”

  “You’re right. This playing hard-to-get is too hard for me.” Ella tugged her skimpy tank to cover more of her belly and pitched her can into the recycle container.

  One of the frat guys also threw his can into the trash. He sauntered over to Ella and Tricia, gesturing for his gang to back him up. It was the same dude who’d molested her after the cosplay party at the co-op.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the ladybug and the bee.” He pulled off his baseball cap and ruffled his blond bangs. “Lemme flip a coin and see which one of you lucky ladies I’m bidding on.”

  His buddy, a burly guy with muscles to rival a professional bodybuilder, crossed his arms. “I tag the bumblebee. I wanna feel her sting.”

  Ella felt Tricia stiffen at her side. They kept walking toward the perimeter of the park, but the guys followed.

  The blond man cracked his knuckles and pointed at Ella. “Name’s Scott. Me and you belong together. We’ll make some beautiful babies.”

  “The organizers say we can ask to be chaperoned,” Ella said.

  “When you see this, you’ll ditch the chaperone.” Scott grabbed his crotch and shook it. “Ancient Chinese saying, when you run into a ladybug, love follows.”

  “I thought it was a bumblebee,” the big man said, scratching his balding head. Spittle flew from his bearded lips.

  “Derek, you’re such a moron. Bees bring money, ladybugs love,” Scott retorted.

  “Oh, stop with your ancient Chinese nonsense,” Tricia cut in. “You two fools aren’t going to win.”

  Ella elbowed her. “Stop egging them on.”

  “I’ve got a secret weapon,” Tricia whispered. “His name’s Mark.”

  “Backup plan?” Ella whispered back, too aware that the dumb frat guys were listening in.

  “Nope, watch and admire.” She dragged Ella by the elbow back toward the dance contest.

  A pair of hip-hop guys bopped on the stage. They had on their dancing gloves, wore baggy jeans and tight ripped tanks. One of them flung his dreadlocks in a mechanical manner, and another one, a buff, Asian guy slid on his toes like he had wheels on them.

  Their muscles flexed and twitched and they arched backward, then rolled on the floor, jerking and jiggling, like the drunken monkey kung fu routine. The dreadlocked guy flapped and squatted, sticking his legs out and in, robotic like. The energy was so high it threatened to electrocute the entire park.

  Ella and Tricia whistled and screamed with the rest of the crowd.

  “That’s Mark,” Tricia shouted, pointing at the muscular guy. “He’s so freaking hot.”

  Mark took a mike from the organizer and yelled, “Who wants to challenge us? Winner gets the girl I bid on. Loser goes home.”

  The dreadlock guy waved his hands in a come hither manner. “Bring it on, baby. I see some contenders out there.”

  Tricia poked Derek, the bearded bald guy. “How about you? Big guy like you, I bet you’d win. Do them Harley style.”

  “Yeah, Harley style beats Gangnam style.” Ella picked up on the plan quickly. She jogged Scott’s arm. “Take on those two and be my hero. Winners dance with us.”

  “Watch me, baby.” Scott spit on his palms and wiped his hair back. He shoved Derek. “Man up, let’s take them.”

  The two idiotic frat guys swaggered onto the stage. The organizer asked them their names and said, “It’s Scott and Derek against Mark and Reggie.”

  He cranked up the music and the crowd screamed. While everyone was focused on the gyrations on stage, Ella looked for Jaden. She didn’t want to text him and seem desperate, but she couldn’t spot him. Tall guy like him should stand out.

  Maybe she had been too forward with him. Scared him away. He hadn’t even tried to kiss her. If the three date rule held, she was way behind schedule. She browsed on her smartphone on advice in dating a Korean guy. One site said they liked dainty girls who were not assertive. Another one said they tended not to date Western women, fearing what their parents would say. And then there was Tricia, always telling her to play hard-to-get. What was wrong with being straightforward?

  “Will you put that away?” Tricia bumped her arm. “Look at those fools.”

  Laughter and jeering spilled from the crowd. Derek had fallen on the stage and was tangled in the amp wires, arms and legs twitching like he’d been defibrillated. Meanwhile, Scott flopped around like a dead fish doing pelvis tilts, oblivious to the cans and paper cups being tossed at him. He spun and stumbled two giant steps. The crowd howled when his baggy pants sagged to his ankles. The idiot wasn’t wearing underwear and there was nothing t
o see.

  “Help those guys out.” The organizer could barely catch her breath from laughter. After Mark and his friend propped the dweebs up, she shouted into the mic, “All those voting for Scott and Derek scream now.”

  A few scattered hoots emanated from a group of frat guys, but most of the crowed guffawed.

  “Mark and Reggie. Mark and Reggie,” they chanted.

  “Looks like Mark and Reggie are the winners! Losers go home,” the organizer said. “Now it’s time to bid on the dates.”

  “See?” Tricia said. “Took care of it. If I were them, I’d be running for the kegs with a paper bag over my head.”

  Ella fist bumped her. “Yep. Got them good.”

  They strode through the crowd to the stage and lined up next to the jazz dancers and belly dancers.

  Ella eyed the crowd, looking for signs of Jaden. Still missing. Butterflies staggered in her stomach as the bidding started with one of the jazz dancers. She couldn’t use her phone since she was on stage, and it wasn’t as if she could ask any of her friends to bid.

  Even worse, despite the organizer telling Scott and Derek to go home, they stood firmly in front of the stage and glared at her.

  One by one, the dates were auctioned off, until it was just Ella and Tricia.

  Ella wiped her sweaty palms on her pants as a bidding war between Derek and Mark ensued.

  “One hundred from the gentleman in the front. Do I hear one fifty?” the organizer said. Each bid topped the other until Mark yelled, “Five hundred.”

  The organizer looked around, asking for someone to top the bid, but no one stepped forward.

  “Great, now it’s my turn,” Ella mumbled. Jaden still had not arrived.

  “This is going to be easy,” Scott shouted at her. “You’re coming home with me tonight.”

  Every time someone made a bid, Scott topped it. They were up to six hundred dollars and the counter offers were slowing. Ella bit her lip and glanced at Tricia who was now standing off the stage with Mark.

  Tricia seemed to be arguing with Mark, prodding him to bid and he kept shaking his head.

  “We’re at six hundred for a date with Ella Kennedy. Come on, folks. You’ve seen her dance. Anyone top six hundred?” He paused and scanned the crowd. “The gentleman in front has the highest bid. Counting down, five, four, three …”