Off Limits by Sawyer Bennett Read Free Book Online Page A

more beer and I head down the hall to my bedroom. I have no more interest in the party, and I certainly have no interest in hooking up with Linc's women.
    The comfort of solitude is what I crave right now.

CHAPTER 6

    Emily

    I'm driving to Hoboken for my first day of work for Nix. He texted me his address this morning. That's it...just his address. There was no "Hey. Here's my address. See you later." The man is definitely short on words along with manners and civility.
    I'm nervous, no doubt. There is something about Nix that sets me on edge. When I first laid eyes on him at Linc's party this past weekend, I didn't actually connect who he was. I mean, I recognized him as a gorgeous man, and a jolt of pure energy coursed through my body when I made contact with his gaze. I felt instant, sizzling chemistry with this person. And that lasted for two seconds before my brain caught up to my body, and I realized it was Nix.
    Our conversation was frustrating. I hated telling him that I couldn't come up with the money. But it was nowhere near as bad as how I lost access to the money.
    I shudder even thinking about the conversation I had with my mother. She called me last Friday, furious. Apparently, Columbia's School of Journalism sent me a letter confirming my major declaration and promptly mailed it to my home address on file. Mother minced no words when I answered the phone.
    "Emily...how could you declare journalism as your major? We talked about this and you are supposed to go pre-med or pre-law."
    I took a calming breath and counted to five before I answered. "Mother...I don't want to be a lawyer or a doctor. I want to be a sports journalist."
    I heard my mother's sharp intake of breath and you would have thought I just told her I murdered someone. She responded to me in the only way that Celia Burnham knows how...with brute force. "That is unacceptable, young lady. You are to go first thing Monday morning and change your major."
    There was no amount of oxygen on the planet that would give me a calming breath right then. I gritted my teeth but tried to remain respectful. "I'm sorry, Mother, but I won't do that. I want to pursue a career of my choosing, not yours."
    I heard my mother sigh, and I knew she was changing tactics on me. She practically whined to me when she said, "Emily...you know how crucial it is at this time that our family appear as powerful as possible. A daughter in medical school or law school will be a major boost to your father's campaign."
    I felt a screeching headache coming on and rubbed gingerly at my temple. "Mother...please don't make me feel guilty about this. There is nothing wrong with a journalism major. It's completely respectable."
    And then my mother changed tactics again. This time she got my attention. "I've had enough, Emily. If you do not change your major back, your trust fund is going to be suspended."
    I was so tired of her holding that trust fund over me. I wish sometimes it never existed. If she thought that would get me to back down, she had another thing coming. In fact, she had made me so mad that I almost told her I was going to drop out of school and become a topless dancer. Instead, I said in a firm voice, "So be it, Mother. Good bye."
    I hung up the phone, had a brief moment of glory over standing up to my mother then I had a major panic attack. Two problems came immediately to mind. First, how was I going to pay Nix the money for his motorcycle, and second, how was I going to pay tuition next semester? This semester is no problem. My parents had paid that in full already, along with the lease on my apartment. I can get a part time job for incidental expenses. I mean, I've never had to work a job in my life, but how hard could it be really? But there was no way I could stay at Columbia next semester without my parents' help and no way to access my trust fund until the following summer.
    I hated to do it, but I got in the car and drove over to Ryan's. He wasn't there but Danny