by Lara Norman
“I have to go anyway. Somebody has to warm my chair, and it might as well be me.”
She frowned as he walked away, realizing how much he truly hated his job. He needed to talk to his father about it since he was in charge of the department Davis wanted to work in.
She put both Davis and Luther out of her mind as she stepped to the whiteboard to start the day. She would have to worry about it later since more students were filing in to the room.
But the memory of the fervor in his eyes as Davis spoke about Luther sent an odd thrill through her.
Chapter 5
Davis went to work with a jealous rage brewing under the surface of his skin. He couldn’t believe the nerve of that woman. It was one thing to insist that she wanted to remain friends five minutes after they’d fucked—again—but to flirt openly with another teacher days after he’d gotten in her pants was too much for anyone to handle. He wasn’t good enough for her, apparently. He wasn’t good enough in bed, or good enough to bring home to her parents, or something else he didn’t understand. They’d had plenty of conversations about their relationship in the past. She loved him, she appreciated him, she liked him and couldn’t live without him. None of it added up to a romantic relationship in her mind, though it was all he could think of. He wanted her friendship; the late-night phone calls to talk about nothing, the sharing of their troubles and the helping hand when nothing was going right. Why wasn’t that enough for her?
The worst part about that morning was that he wanted her again. No, still. While she was giggling like a teenager with Dudley Do-Right, Davis was trying to keep from launching himself at him and telling him not to touch her. He’d gone from putting up with whatever she threw at him to needing her with a desperation he didn’t enjoy. It was his fault; he realized that. She had always been upfront in her feelings. He knew and understood—agreed even—but now that he’d had a taste of what it could be like, he couldn’t get enough. So it was his fault. He’d changed the rules. He’d pressed his advantage and let them become intimate, which in turn made him want more and more. Of her, of them, of everything he couldn’t have. He wanted to throw something across the room, but he knew better than that. It would begin a series of actions that would culminate with his parents coming down to speak to him about expectations.
Speaking of which, he’d decided he might as well call his father himself. He couldn’t take being in his office day in and day out doing basically nothing. They expected him to be out doing whatever; sleeping, partying, spending money, and generally being irresponsible. He wanted to prove that he could be on time every day, do exactly what they expected of him, and be a model employee. Despite the fact that he was in charge of exactly nothing didn’t mean he wouldn’t do the best job he could. If they made him senior executive in charge of getting coffee and bagels, he would do that to the best of his ability.
He snorted. His job description was barely one step above that.
They didn’t think he had it in him, and maybe that was because he’d fooled around in college. He didn’t need the skills a four-year school could teach him. He’d spent years watching his father work and reading everything he could get his hands on about what they did. With their company being an international conglomerate, Davis technically had unlimited choices when it came to careers. Their stipulation of college was for prestige only. They could say their only son had graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s Degree. His only recourse was to get that degree in something that would knock them down a peg for their need to keep up with the Joneses. So he‘d majored in Art Appreciation as a fuck you to the reputation they put above almost anything else. He put in the work—he wasn’t such a slacker that he was willing to fail at something as banal as Art Appreciation. No, he worked hard enough to pass, and ace, his classes. He was intelligent with or without college, he knew the ins and outs of Healy International, and he simply wanted an entry-level position in the company actually doing something worthwhile.
Every previous attempt to speak with Ian had gotten him nowhere. He’d tried to settle with what they’d given him, but he couldn’t take the drudgery one more day. It was to the point where he was ready to start a job search with competing companies, which would absolutely tarnish his parents’ perfect reputation. Upon seeing he had nothing on his calendar for the day, he picked up the phone on the edge of his desk and dialed his father’s personal office line.
“Ian Healy,” he answered on the second ring.
“Dad,” Davis said. “How are you this morning?”
“Busy, son, how are you?”
“Bored out of my ass.” Might as well cut to the chase.
“Language, Davis,” Ian reproached.
“Fuck that, Dad. I’m going out of my mind over here in Babysitter Land. If we can’t have an actual conversation where you take my request seriously instead of brushing me off, I’m going to accept the offer I received from Pfizer.”
“What offer?” Ian’s voice rose. “Their headhunter actually had the balls to reach out to my son and offer to steal him away from his family’s company? Are they insane?”
Davis grinned, pleased with himself for the fib. “If you don’t intend to consider me earnestly, someone else will. I’m not an uneducated playboy that hasn’t done anything to earn his keep. I have the wherewithal to at least begin at the bottom of the corporate real estate division.”
“Why couldn’t you just accept the money offered to you and live your life how you please? Why do you have to insist on doing a job you aren’t qualified for? And how will it look when you fail to produce? They’ll send you right back to where you started at, and you’ll look like a fool.”
“You’re the one afraid of looking like a fool. I can’t believe that you think I’m a disappointment because I don’t want to be a lazy piece of shit. You should be proud of me and realize that I do have what it takes. Your lack of confidence in me hurts my feelings as a man and as your son.” He was seconds away from hanging up the phone, but he didn’t want to come across as juvenile. He waited to see if his words would have any effect; they never had before.
“Davis, I’m only going to say this once. If you fuck up, I will personally fly down there and fire you.”
His breath caught on a gasp. “Are you serious?”
Ian sighed. “Head up to the fourth floor as soon as we hang up. Tell Barbara I sent you; she’ll know what to do by the time you arrive.”
“I won’t fuck up, you know.”
“Time is ticking, Davis,” was the only response he received.
He hung up the phone and all but sprinted to the elevator. He would finally get his chance to do what he loved. At last, he could show his dad that he wasn’t a brainless loser that couldn’t so much as collate. He tapped his foot the entire ride up to the fourth floor, then smoothed his tie and made sure his jacket was buttoned and laying properly before he stepped off the elevator and headed for Barbara. She was the assistant director for the Human Resources department.
“Barbara, you’re looking lovely today,” he said on approach.
“Your father called,” she said dryly.
“He said he would.” Nothing could quell his buoyant mood now, not even the not-so-subtle opinion that they must treat him with nepotism.
“I have a pile of paperwork for you to fill out for your transfer,” she said in a monotone. “Your key card will no longer work on the first floor by the time I’m done with it. Instead, you’ll have access to the bathrooms and break room on the seventh floor. I will inform Tony of your addition to his team by the time you complete your paperwork.”
“Thank you, Barb,” Davis said politely. Tony was Vice President and Brokerage Manager of Corporate Real Estate at the Maryland Division of Healy International. Davis was practically giddy as he sat at the conference table Barb led him to with the tall stack of paperwork he had to fill out. He focused on the current task as much as possible, but he really wanted to celebrate his lateral move withi
n the company. He wanted to call Luna and tell her all about it, he realized. That was what a best friend would do, what a boyfriend would do. What a husband and lover would do.
He recognized that his thoughts were derailing rapidly and pulled them back to what he was doing. He would wait until the end of the day to think of her again. He needed to focus on the opportunity he’d finally been awarded. He was going to work his ass off and prove to his father that he could do it. He could make deals and buy property, flip it, break it up, and resell it. He could and he would gain a promotion as quickly as possible. He would move up the ranks and blow his dad’s theories out of the water. He would make the company money and make his parents proud. And, even if it was the last thing he did, he would win Luna back and prove to everyone he had what it took.
“Davis?”
He looked up at the tall, sandy blond-haired man and stood. Thrusting out his hand, he accepted the strong shake of his new boss. “Tony.”
“I’m interested to see how well we work together,” Tony said.
It wasn’t a ringing endorsement, but he wasn’t surprised. It was to be expected at one’s parents’ company. “I promise to work hard and prove that I can do the job, sir.”
Tony studied him for a long moment. “We’ll see about that.”
“I’ve completed the paperwork for Barb, I just need to sign the dotted line and give them back to her.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you by the bank of elevators.”
Davis watched Tony walk away. It appeared he had more people to prove himself to than he’d anticipated. He signed his name and brought the papers back to the desk, accepted his reprogrammed keycard and went down the hall where Tony waited.
“I’ll give you a tour of the floor first, and then we’ll see what sort of work is available for you.” Tony didn’t sound like he planned on doing anything but sending Davis for coffee.
“If I may; I don’t want you to coddle me. I don’t want the unimportant work that you give to assistants and errand boys.” The elevator arrived, and they stepped on. “I want to work, Tony. Despite my last name, I’m here to put in the hours. I can be good at this, if you’ll give me the chance.”
“Look, Davis, I don’t want to say anything that will get me in trouble once you repeat it back to your father, but don’t think for one second that anyone on this floor is going to take you seriously.”
Tony got off the elevator as it arrived on the seventh floor, and Davis stared after him before getting his shit together. “That’s fair,” he mumbled as he trailed along.
It had just occurred to him that being successful as his parents’ son was going to be harder than he thought.
Chapter 6
At the end of the day, Luna was grading papers and debating between going home to wallow or calling Davis to see if she could fix things. When a movement caught her eye, she glanced up to find Luther standing in her doorway. Despite being older than Luna by a few years, he had a baby face with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was flirtatious without being a pig about it, and she hadn’t noticed him acting so friendly with any of the other female teachers. He flattered her, at the same time she was reticent about what she was doing.
“I just thought I’d check in and see if you need anything before I head home,” he said with a smile.
She returned his smile, considered again that it might be a bad idea to date him, and set her red pen aside. “You know, Luther, our conversation got interrupted earlier.”
He came further into the room. “Yes, it did. Are you, you know, dating that guy?”
“No.” She shook her head for emphasis and stood. “He’s my good friend.”
He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Okay. Does that mean you’d be interested in going on a date with me? We could do something after the field trip.”
“Actually, I was thinking of putting aside these tests and grabbing some coffee. Do you want to join me?”
Any doubt that still clouded his eyes cleared. “Yes, absolutely. I locked up already, so I’ll just give you a second to get finished up.”
“You can wait right here. I’m only going to get my purse and lock the door.”
“Fantastic.” Luther tucked his hands in his pockets and watched her put away the papers on her desk and retrieve her bag.
“Do you have a favorite coffee place nearby? I’ve only tried out the one off of Azalea Street.” Luna made her way to him and made sure to keep some distance as they walked out. They paused while she locked up then continued down the hall, a few feet of space separating them.
“There’s one I like in walking distance called The Coffee Bar. How about that one?” he suggested.
“Oh, good.” That way they didn’t have to worry about transportation.
Luna figured at the very least she could decide if she liked him at all outside of the school. If they hit it off over coffee, she would consider going to dinner with him. Anything to get Davis out of her head.
“Here we go,” he said after they’d walked a few blocks.
Luna liked the look of the place; a small bakery cafe that appeared to be independently owned. She ordered and paid for herself amid Luther’s protests. She sat while he ordered and they waited for their drinks to be made. He brought both of their coffees over and took a seat next to her.
“What do you do for fun?” she asked him to get the conversation going.
He took the lid off his coffee and blew on it. “I enjoy the Discovery channel, honestly. Science programs, but also history. I’m a bit of a history buff when it comes to the world wars.”
“That’s interesting.” She sipped her coffee. “What else?”
“Okay.” He took a sip and looked out the window. “Um, I guess I like to read sometimes. Mysteries. Board games if I have anyone over. I, um, I guess I’m sort of boring.”
She arched an eyebrow when she asked, “Do you like sports?”
“No, I hate pretty much all of them.” She groaned, and he frowned in response. “What?”
“I play soccer. I played all four years in college on a scholarship. I like to jog, to weight train, to play at the field on the weekends.” All the things he didn’t apparently enjoy.
“Oh.”
He looked so dejected that she felt the need to reassure him. “It’s not any kind of deal breaker or anything, but I watch soccer on TV, too. It’s my passion, I suppose. I enjoy teaching, and I’ve always wanted to do it, but outside of children, soccer is my thing.”
“I don’t guess I would hate to have it on while I was doing something else,” he ventured. He made it sound incredibly intimate and domestic, causing her to wonder exactly what scenario he envisioned when he said that.
“Well, if it comes to anything like that, I’m glad to hear it won’t kill you to have it playing while you’re reading or something.”
“Yeah, that’s all I meant. I wouldn’t want you to think I’m unwilling to bend.”
She shifted, beginning to feel uncomfortable. “I don’t have any preconceived notions about you, Luther, if that’s what you mean.”
“Maybe that is what I mean. I come across as a geek, Luna. Most of the male teachers avoid me in favor of the jock types. There’s only one teacher, Mr. Franklin, that doesn’t find me a complete bore.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Luther.” Especially before we’ve even really had a first date.
He ducked his head. “I have that habit, so I’ll work on it.”
Luna could only smile over the rim of her cup as she drank more coffee. She began to wonder what in the hell she’d been thinking.
“So, about the field trip—” Luther broke off when Luna’s phone began to ring.
She dug it out of her purse and looked at the caller ID. Davis. She silenced it and put it away.
“Do you need to get that?” he asked.
“No, I can call them back later.” As soon as she said it, her phone rang again. Pulling it back out of her purse, she swiped the reject bu
tton and turned the volume off. She left it facedown on the table.
“Honestly, it’s okay if you need to cut this short.”
“Okay, honestly, Luther? Stop treating yourself like you’re second best. It’s going to get old fast. I’m here and I silenced my phone.” She shook her head; she’d promised to give this a try. “Why don’t you tell me more about yourself? Do you have any siblings?”
He blushed and squirmed in his chair. “I have an older brother. He’s the all-star in the family, meaning my parents always compared me to him. So, I apologize. It’s a little ingrained in me to assume I’m not interesting to other people.”
She deflated. She knew about parents that made comparisons, though hers were pretty damn wonderful. “Oh, well, that does explain a lot. I’m sorry to hear that your parents treated you that way.”