Prologue

Cassidy knocked at David’s dorm suite door. Alex answered.

“He’s in his room, taking a shower.”

Cassidy went into David’s room and sat down in his ‘reading’ chair by the window. His ex-PA, Lexi, had decorated his room and spared no expense. What college student had a sixty-inch TV as their PC monitor? The reading chair was an oversized leather high back that might be the most comfortable thing she’d ever sat in. She planned to have him leave it to her in his will.

She heard the water turn off, and a few minutes later, David walked out naked. He almost jumped out of his skin when he realized he wasn’t alone.

“What the fuck, Cassidy?”

“Alex said you wouldn’t mind.”

“I did not,” Alex called from the other room.

Cassidy ignored Alex. David didn’t bother to cover up while he tracked down his boxers. It gave Cassidy a chance to remember why he was in such demand as a model and movie star. David had put on twenty pounds when he thought he’d play defense for the football team, and it had all gone to his legs, chest, shoulders, and arms. She was looking forward to seeing him play quarterback this year. He was going to be a beast.

“What do you want?” David asked as he pulled on his boxers, ending the floor show.

“I want your car keys.”

“Nope,” he responded without even thinking about it.

“Not the Demon, the Porsche. I’m the designated driver tonight.”

“Where are you going?” David asked, like he was her dad.

“The football party, and before you ask, I’m meeting Oliver there.”

David chuckled.

“Knackers finally wore you down, did he?”

‘Knackers’ was USC’s Australian punter. He’d earned his nickname when she kicked him in the nuts—knackers to an Aussie—for being fresh. He was old for a freshman at 25 and could be annoying as hell. Somehow, though, he grew on you—like a fungus—and once you got to know him better, you stopped thinking of his face as punchable.

For some reason, Oliver had made it his mission to get Cassidy to go out with him. It wasn’t like he didn’t use his Aussie charm to seduce anything with a skirt; he did. It was done in such a way that when women shot him down, they did it with a smile. But more than a few fell for his game. So, he never looked back if he was rejected. That was true for everyone but Cassidy.

Over the summer, she’d hooked up with Tank Bryce, USC football’s strength and conditioning coach. But they’d agreed it was just a summer fling after Cassidy found out that Tank had a long-term girlfriend who was moving in with him.

David told her that once you got used to having sex, it was hard to go without. It had been almost a month, and Oliver had begun to look better, even though she knew she’d never be serious about him.

Of course, her roommates constantly teased her that she should just grow her lady balls and tell David how she really felt. If Cassidy thought he was anywhere near ready to settle down, she would’ve made her move. But at the moment, he was kidding himself, saying that he and Crystal were faux dating. They’d told themselves they’d be each other’s plus-one and hook up to ease their sexual needs after their breakups.

Crystal had dumped Matt Long, David’s main competition at quarterback, before she and David connected. She wasn’t ready to date yet.

David’s ex was Lexi, his former PA. For some reason, those two could never be totally honest about what they meant to each other, which led to Lexi sleeping with one of David’s acting friends. In football, they have a term for how something like David’s summer had gone: unsportsmanlike conduct. Lexi’s infidelity had led to all kinds of regrettable situations in his love life.

Part of his coming out of his funk was Crystal. Cassidy hated to admit it, but David and Crystal were a good match, at least on paper. They were both leaders with ambition, and they honestly looked damned good together.

“I wouldn’t go there if I were you,” Cassidy threatened.

David just stepped over to his dresser, grabbed the car keys, and tossed them to her.

“What are Pam and Tracy doing tonight?” David asked.

“They’re going to a party at Loyola Marymount,” Cassidy said, then asked, “What are you doing?”

“Crystal has to take her sorority to a frat party, and I’m not really up for that, so I figured I’d watch some UNLV game film.”

USC’s first game was the following Saturday against UNLV. It was being nationally televised because David A. Dawson was starting his first college game. The storyline of the number one recruit and movie star was the perfect draw for the first week of college football, where the games were mostly meaningless.

Had he been anyone else, Cassidy would have been worried about the kind of pressure that would put on David. But she knew from experience that he thrived when thrust into the spotlight. And it wasn’t just because he was an amazing athlete, though he was. David simply worked harder than anyone she knew. This was an example. While everyone else was out partying, he would watch game film.

“If you want company, I can bail on the party,” Cassidy offered.

“Hell, no. Knackers is irritating enough. If I stole his girl, I’d never hear the end of it,” David said.

“But it would be worth seeing him whine,” she said with a chuckle.

“It would,” David admitted. “Have fun.”

Cassidy gave him a kiss on the cheek and left.

Oliver was on the lookout for Cassidy. When he saw a group of USC women rowers, he walked over to a cooler and grabbed a beer for his ‘date.’ Once he found her, he handed her the beer, and Cassidy took a long draw.

“Tell me something good.”

“Well...” Cassidy contemplated for a few seconds. “I’m still hot!”

One reason he liked her so much was she was fearless.

“Where’s your sidekick?”

“David’s home watching game film. But let’s not talk about him. Tell me something about you. Do you have a secret girlfriend I don’t know about?” Cassidy asked.

“No secret girlfriend. How about you? You don’t have a girlfriend either, eh?”

“Tell me about your first girlfriend,” she said to deflect his question.

“Tish was the hottest girl in school. Her boyfriend, Josh, was the coolest guy. They weren’t just part of the in-crowd; they led it. But I knew old Josh was a player, so I waited for him to cheat and made sure Tish was aware. She kicked him to the curb, and I slipped in.”

“Why did you break up?” Cassidy asked.

“She said I was too nice.”

“Christ. You couldn’t have been going out long. Did she even know you?”

“That was low. I think you should have to do a shot,” Oliver said.

“No way. I’m the designated driver.”

“I dare you.”

He’d dared her, the dillhole. After a few, Cassidy felt no pain and thought she could dance. She promptly tripped over Oliver’s feet and crashed into Chuy’s date, spilling beer all over her top. Not to be outdone, Oliver tried to catch her and ended up face-planting in the middle of the living room. Cassidy’s embarrassment factor lowered from 100 to, oh, a 97.

Oliver rose to his feet, disappeared into the kitchen, and returned with two beers—some Aussie microbrew for himself and a can of the cheap crap for Cassidy.

“What the hell?” Cassidy complained.

Oliver shrugged.