Eden

Jordan

My arms are pinned to my side and every few minutes I’m being poked with a safety pin. I huff, spinning to the side when they request such. It was my brother’s idea to come here and get a suit tailor made. ’A gift,’ he called it as he would be paying for it. I know he’s trying to be nice, but these tailors are god-awful at their jobs. I’m tempted to take the fucking safety pins and jab them in their eyes. I’m joking, of course… Obviously.

My phone rings and I swivel my head to Jeanette who’s already walking the pesky object over to me. She leans forward with a wipe, dabbing at my cheek before handing me the phone.

“Was a little bit of blood, Sir,” she whispers with a curt smile. I fake a brief smile back at her before answering the phone.

“What do you want?” I say into it.

“Gee, Doctor Marshall. I was only calling to remind you that today is the first day of class for the freshmen. You agreed to show up and maybe give a speech,” says Zion, a teacher that works at a college I fund. Of course I only agreed to show up so he’d stop nagging me and he’s fully aware that I’m not giving a speech.

This college, Carmine West, is a college on my radar due to the amount of athletes and geniuses that attend. I fund the college andI have shares in it. In return, other than money, I get first dibs of any athletes or future scientists before anyone else gets to buy them. Had I known they’d call me every couple months about some fucking speech, I would’ve chosen another college. Unfortunately though, I also happen to like their resources, and the resources made available to their students. I get bright ideas and money cows for the taking, working with this school. I have investments in other places like banks and tech companies, but the school happens to be one of my favorites– that, and the police station so that a blind eye is turned toward my ’hobbies’. I’ve gotten two great NFL teams from this school already. I just wish they’d stop nagging me.

I hand the phone back to Jeanette just for a sharp prick to ring through my lower back. I growl and Jeanette grabs my hand.

“These are your brother’s favorite tailors. It’d be in your best interest not to kill them,” she murmurs.

“It’d be in their best interest to hurry the fuck up,” I mumble back.

Unfortunately, not even an hour later, I’m striding down the large halls of the building. The walls are painted an off white– I do believe it’s called eggshell or something. There are fountains and bulletin boards with motivational quotes, as well as maps of the campus, and house plants lining the walls with marble-looking tiles beneath my feet. Personally, it’s not how I would’ve decorated it, but it’s not bad… I guess.

I glance at my phone, double checking the room number before I duck into the classroom. It’s a full lecture. There are young, bored, and enthusiastic faces lining nearly every available seat. Zion is at the front of the class talking, somehow unaware of how badly they would like for him to shut up. He seems surprised that I’m here. Let’s keep those expectations as low as they are.

“-- and if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll see that we have here the doctor Jordan Marshall. I’m so happy Doctor Marshall could join us today. Maybe, if you’re interested, you can catch him and ask him a few questions about this field. Doctor Marshall has a doctorate in this very field: biomedicine and forensics.” After that, I already stop listening.

I’m already as bored as the students attending this boring class. It’d be rude if I took my phone out, so instead, I scour the crowd to see if there’s anyone important or, at the very least, interesting. It’s a lot of dolls that wanna prove they’re not bimbos– they are, and will probably drop out before the semester is over. Along with some athletic looking guys that think they can manage this major while training– they can’t, and will be put on probation if they don’t drop this class. There are a few that stand out, then there’s–

“Holy fuck,” I whisper under my breath.

She’s gorgeous. Honey colored skin that seems to glow under the ceiling lights and it’s littered with messy looking freckles. Her eyes are greenish-gray: the best type of hazel. Her lips? Fuck me, they’re so plump and juicy looking that I want to bite them. Her hair is currently tied back: golden locs all messy in the neatest way. She needs her roots touched up– they’re getting dark again.

“Did you say something, Doctor?” Zion asks. I freeze, then look over at him. “Do you have anything to say to these students?” I clear my throat.

“Well,” I say, projecting my voice. My eyes land on hers, and she watches me, takes me in, for a labored minute. Her thick lashes bat at me just before she averts her eyes, seemingly uncomfortable by the eye contact. As her face shifts, the gold jewelry sitting in her nose shimmers under the light. She’s breathtaking. How did I not know someone like that walked this planet with me?

“This isn’t an easy field to step into, but it’s very worth it if you can actually reap your harvest. Be like me. I take what I want.” I look her dead in her face as I say the last part. I want her.

“Eden Ambrose,” I say, swinging my jumpdrive around my index finger. “Age twenty. Height, five feet, four inches. Weight, one hundred fifty-five pounds. Born and raised in a small archipelago in the Caribbean. Currently lives on West Palm Street, fortieth avenue, building number sixteen. Freshman at Carmine West University. Blood type, B positive, Allergic to seafood and is diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder and Severe Anxiety. What an interesting gal indeed.”

I get a low honk in response from the only other woman in my life, my precious Trinity. I look down at her, and she waddles over to me, jumping onto my lap before she honks again.

“Yeah, I like her too,” I say to my kitty. Trinity nudges my hand, beckoning a smooch. I scratch behind her ears then lower my lips to her skull. My girl gets what she wants, always.

“How do I play with her nicely? I don’t wanna scare her,” I say to Trinity. Trinity only spares me a soft honk before curling up on my lap. “You’re right. We should take our time.”

Getting ahold of one’s medical records is easy when you have the kind of money I do. It’s heartless, but I’ve never claimed to have a heart. Plus, how else do I get a woman to notice me if I don’t learn everything about her?

“Eden… A beautiful name… A beautiful little garden,” I murmur.

I need to know what makes Eden tick. I want her. Her beauty alone is transcending, but to find out that she’s broken? It makes me want her even more. I need more. I need to hear her speak and see her laugh. She’s already pursuing one of my favorite fields of study. I didn’t think someone could be so perfect.