Master of Lust

Chapter 42  Rick dropping out of college?

Rick had just stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed after a long night's sleep filled with strange dreams. As he toweled off his unruly hair, he heard his doorbell ring.

*Ding-Dong!*

The doorbell jolted him from his thoughts, and he quickly grabbed the towel wrapped around his waist. And with nothing but the towel covering him, he padded over to the door and swung it open, revealing Emily standing there.

On the other side, the sight that greeted Emily was not what she had expected. Rick, with his hair all disheveled and a towel barely clinging to his waist, looked like a mischievous Greek god caught in the act.

Emily was momentarily stunned, her jaw practically hitting the floor. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and her heart started to race. She hadn't expected to see Rick in such a state of undress, and it was making her feel all kinds of flustered.

[

Quest: Emily is feeling hot seeing you bare chest. Why don't you tease her a bit?

Time Duration: 1 hour

Rewards: 1 basic  scratch card

]

A  sly grin appeared on Rick's face seeing Emily's reaction, "Well, good morning, Emily. You sure know how to make someone feel shy."

Only after she heard Rick's teasing voice did Emily manage to tear her eyes away from his barely covered form, though it wasn't easy. "I...uh, I didn't expect you to answer the door like that."

Rick chuckled, fully aware of the effect he was having on her, "Oh, this? It's just my casual home attire. Saves on laundry bills, you know."

Emily chuckled nervously, her eyes still flicking to the towel. "I can see that. But, um, can I come in?"

"Of course, of course!" Rick stepped aside, letting her in while doing his best to keep the towel securely in place,"Let me put something on real quick."

Rick decided to give her a break and turned to grab a shirt from a nearby chair. He slipped it on, much to Emily's relief.

"Better?" he asked, flashing her a grin.

Emily nodded, finally able to look him in the eyes without feeling like her face was on fire. "Much better."

"So, what brings you here, my dear neighbor?" Rick asked looking at Emily amused.

She seemed flustered, probably trying hard not to look at Rick's exposed torso. "I, uh, wanted to talk about something."

"And here I thought you just wanted to appreciate my stunning physique," Rick sounded disappointed.

Emily's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. "Rick, seriously..."

"Okay! Okay! I won't tease you anymore," Rick sat on the chair, gesturing for Emily to continue.

"Promise?" Emily looked at Rick with questioning eyes.

Only when she got a nod from him did she continue, "Why did you ditch classes yesterday? You didn't even reply to my messages all day. What are you up to?"

Rick scratched his head, clearly trying to avoid Emily's question. He flashed a sly grin. "Oh, you know, I was on a top-secret mission to save the world from boredom. But, uh, that's classified information."

"Seriously?" Emily crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Mind telling me what it was?"

"Oh... I can't. If I tell you that, I am afraid I would have to kill you," Rick smirked.

Emily rolled her eyes, "Cut the crap. Fine, don't tell me. But we have class today, so you better get ready.  Now, go get ready. We can't afford to skip classes, especially not in our graduation year."

Rick was still half-dressed in a towel. He glanced at his wardrobe, then back at Emily, his expression torn between laziness and responsibility. Finally, he sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. Graduation year and all that. Give me a minute. Wait for me outside."

"You want me to wait for you outside?" Emily raised her eyebrow, "C'mon. What is there for you to feel awkward? I am your friend, aren't I?"

"That you are,"  Rick's mischievous grin returned, and he started to unwrap his towel as he moved closer to Emily. Her eyes widened as she realized his intentions.

"Rick, what are you doing?" Emily exclaimed, her face turning crimson.

Rick pretended not to notice her discomfort and continued to unwrap the towel. "Just proving a point, Em. You said I've got nothing to hide, remember?"

Emily shrieked, covering her eyes with her hands. "Rick, you perv! Put your clothes on!"

Chuckling, Rick quickly snatched his shorts and a shirt from the wardrobe. "Alright, alright, no need to make a fuss."

As he dressed, Emily peeked through her fingers, a mixture of embarrassment and amusement on her face.

"You don't have to peek. It's all out in the open for you to see," Rick said, taking Emily by surprised. She quickly closed her fingers and turned to look away.

"Che! Who wants to look,"  Emily chided, still blushing.

"Your loss."

"..."

Ding!

~~~~~

As they walked out of the apartment complex, the bustling sounds of the city greeted them. Rick couldn't help but enjoy the feel of the sun on his face. "You know, Em, we could take a cab today," Rick suggested casually.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "A cab? What happened to your trusty bike?"

Rick, still smiling, replied, "Well, funny story. I sold it."

Emily's eyes widened in disbelief. "You sold your bike? Rick, you've had that thing forever! What happened?"

Rick pulled out his phone to hail a cab and recounted the tale as they waited. "So, there was this father and daughter duo, right? They wanted a bike for the daughter to learn on, something safe. I figured, why not help a newbie rider out?" Rick obviously omitted out Amanda.

Emily chuckled, "Wow, Rick, you're a real knight in shining armor. When did  that happen?"

"When I was out for dinner day before yesterday," Rick told her.

"When you were with your "friend"?" Emily asked.

"Oh... So you are keeping tabs on me?" Rick winked at Emily, "You are  one stalker girl."

"You only told me," Emily rolled her eyes, "So what now?"

"Nothing," the cab arrived, and they climbed in. Rick chuckled. "They seemed genuinely interested, and I thought it was time for a change anyway."

Emily grinned, "Change?"

Rick chuckled, "Yup. I haven't decided  yet, but I am going to buy something else now."

"You really have changed, Rick," Emily looked at Rick as she felt she didn't knew him anymore. He sounded so carefree, unlike the old times, when he just wanted to somehow pass his  time.

"I have."

~~~~~

The college classroom was stifling, and the howling of the balding teacher's voice didn't help. Ray slouched in his chair, boredom etched across his face. As the teacher droned on about something inconsequential.

Rick leaned over to him and whispered, "Ray, man, could you look any more bored?"

Ray glanced at him, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Seriously, Rick? This class is like watching paint dry."

Rick chuckled, understanding exactly where his friend was coming from. "I get it, but you could at least try to look interested. You never know, the bald professor might suddenly become exciting."

Ray let out an exaggerated yawn. "Yeah, right. The only exciting thing about this class is daydreaming about Megan."

Rick nodded knowingly. Megan, their homeroom teacher, was indeed a subject of fascination among the male students. She had curves in all the right places, and her voice could make even the most mundane announcements sound like they belonged in a romance .

"I know, Ray," Rick whispered with a grin, "Megan is quite the distraction."

Ray smirked, leaning closer to Rick. "Oh, she's more than a distraction, my friend. She's a work of art."

"But her temper," Rick shook his head.

Just as they were about to dive into an elaboration of Megan's finer attributes, the door swung open, and there she was, striding into the classroom. Ray's jaw dropped as he watched her approach. Rick couldn't help but agree with his friend's sentiment. Megan had a way of commanding attention without even trying.

She walked up to one of the front-row guys, and handed him a stack of papers. Rick strained his ears to hear her hushed words to the guy but could only make out Rick chuckled, shaking his head. He didn't want to splash water on his friends dreams. Megan was a beauty way out of their league. Maybe not his, because he had the something about "delivery" and "ASAP." She exchanged some small talk with the balding professor and then gracefully made her exit.

Ray elbowed Rick excitedly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You see, Rick? Fate is on my side today. Megan graced us with her presence."

Rick chuckled, shaking his head. He didn't want to splash water on his friends dreams. Megan was a beauty way out of their league. Maybe not his, because he had the system. System will help him with any girl he targeted. It even helped  him with Lisa.

As Megan's departure sent a wave of disappointed sighs and smiles through the classroom. And soon the guy in the front began distributing the papers she'd handed him. Rick received his, glancing at it curiously. It was a bunch of forms for the on-campus placement process.

Ray practically vibrated with enthusiasm as he scrutinized the form. "This is it, Rick! The start of our glorious careers. Have you decided on anything?"

Rick raised an eyebrow, scanning the form with mild disinterest. "Eh, I don't know, man. I was kind of hoping to drop out from  college."

Ray frowned, "Drop out? Why and what will you do after that?"

Just as Rick was about to answer him, his phone buzzed with a message from Gloria. He glanced at the notification and couldn't help but grin. "Speaking of work, I've got something more exciting on my plate right now."

Ray frowned. "What? More exciting than filling out job applications?"

Rick nodded, an amused glint in his eyes. "Way more exciting, my friend." Rick said patting Ray on his shoulder.

He grabbed the application form and stuffed it in his bag. he packed his stuff and was ready to leave.

"Maybe, there will be something interesting happening tonight," and with a mysterious smile on his face, Rick left the classroom.

"What the freak?" Ray was left staring Rick's back as the later walked out of the classroom, "The virgin has finally  lost it."

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