Enemies with Benefits

Chapter One

"Oh, come on! Where'd I put the stupid mail?" I groaned loudly in my panicked state.

My eyes darted around my still-unpacked apartment. The boxes and bags made finding the one envelope I so desperately needed impossible. I picked up a duffel bag from the kitchen counter, but the space beneath was empty. Rolling my eyes, I tossed the pack over my shoulder without a second glance.

"Dude! Fucking ouch!" Leah whined, the weight of the bag landing on her forcing a grunt past her just-awoken lips.

I bit back a spiteful laugh. "Whoops. Serves you right for sleeping under a pile of clothes on the couch.

"Bitch, you forgot to give me a blanket last night! The fuck was I supposed to use?"

My face contorted. "I didn't forget. I passed out in the fucking shower. Still fully clothed, mind you."

"I told you that fourth bottle was a bad idea. Especially the night before your first day."

My mouth dropped and I pointed a finger with a glare. "You were the one that opened it, Leah!"

She gave an exaggerated yawn, stretching her arms out. "That wasn't me, that was Samantha. She's my drunk alter ego, you know that."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and winced against the pounding that was growing more severe in my skull. Shaking my head, I lifted and tossed a few more boxes and bags, aiming to find the envelope from the college I was heading for in—I checked my watch—

Now! Fuck!

I ran to my purse and tossed back a few Advil before searching frantically for my flats. I hopped around to get into the first that I found, then promptly lost the second. Another minute of searching with no result and I screamed a string of curses, throwing my singular shoe off and opting for the sitting pair of four-inch stilettos mocking my comfort in the corner.

This is going to fucking suck...I hope the dean isn't a creep still or these heels are going to bite me in the ass, especially in this skirt. Then again...maybe he won't be mad that I didn't read whatever letter he sent me the other day.

_

"Just walk in and introduce yourself to the dean, Rach. It's no big deal. You've already met him when you were a student, why are you so nervous? It's just the college you went to with your fiancé who ended up dumping you on your wedding day, and you've only even been back in California for a week. Welcome back to hell...Okay, yeah. I can't do this." Panicking, I let my hand slap down to my thigh from the handle, wincing with instant regret of the leather skirt that made the contact more harsh. I took a deep breath and quaffed my hair, then leaned to the side to readjust the hem of my skirt, scratching my thigh in the process. "Fucking—"

"—prick!" The door in front of me was jerked open and out stepped a blond man from the office, letting the wood slam at his back. His jaw clenched tight and crooked his neck with an exasperated roll of his eyes. When they landed on me, his entire demeanor changed. His eyes softened and a grin pulled at his lips. "Hiya, beautiful. Sorry about that. The dean's a...well, for lack of a better word, he's a prick."

I frowned and shook my head with confusion. "Dean Williams was always friendly. Overly at that, actually. What—"

"Oh, you haven't heard? Dean Williams was—"

"Hey, Saunders! Let's get a move on, man! We're all heading to Ernie's for drinks after we all finish up here today." A dark-haired man popped his head into the hall to yell at the blond in front of me. When he noticed I was standing there like a fish out of water, his face lit up with an almost-youthful grin. "Hey, newbie. You wanna join?"