‘my queen’

He laughs dryly, pushing off the wall. “Sweetheart, I don’t want to sleep with you.”

“Oh.” Well, that’s not what I offered anyway. The blood rushes from my head again. “What do you want?” I ask without thinking.

“You on your knees. Begging me.”

“For what?”

His sneer turns into a groan. “Oh, lord,” he says, “you are such a kid. See, you didn’t even get my meaning.” Oh. Well, now I get it. Is it possible to die of embarrassment? Because if yes, I’ll take two please. Two deaths by embarrassment.

“I am not!” I practically scream, which only proves his point. I need to calm down. I need to do this—I won’t back down. “Look,” I say, trying to speak in a lower, more serious voice. “Can I come inside?”

I point to the door.

“Do I even care?” he says, but he swings it open and walks in, expecting me to follow. He leads me up the stairs into his dorm.