by Alexa Riley
“Yep.” I stand up, grabbing my cardigan off the back of my chair before sliding it on and smoothing out its wrinkles. “Just need to grab my bag.” I get it from the cabinet and bundle in all the papers I have left to grade.
“Miss Treat.” My head flies up at the sound of his voice. Jack’s voice. It’s deep and husky and not a voice that I would ever forget. It slides across my skin, making goose bumps rise. “Scott forgot his agenda.” A smile pulls at his full lips as his gray eyes roam over me, and his smile grows when they stop at the top of my head, reminding me I’m still wearing a pair of Halloween bunny ears. I quickly reach up and grab them off of the top of my head and try to smooth my unruly hair. My eyes go to Scott, who has a matching smile on his face.
I know he forgot it on purpose. “Go grab it,” I tell Scott, keeping my eyes locked on him, determined not to meet Jack’s. My knees are doing the weak thing again. My hand squeezes the poor bunny ears.
Scott runs towards his cubby, and Jack moves towards me, filling up my line of sight and giving me no option but to look at him.
“You’ll be at the Halloween party tomorrow?” he asks as his hand comes up to move one of my curls away, tucking it behind my ear.
My breath catches. He’s never touched me before. Heck, I don’t think he’s even been this close to me before. I open and close my mouth, and my face turns red. He leans in a little, moving his mouth to my ear.
“Breathe, Raven.” His warm breath hits the shell of my ear, and I do as he commands. “Now answer me, sweetheart.”
“Of course. Most of the teachers will,” I finally say, shocked I don’t stumble over my words.
He leans back, and I look anywhere but at his face. He’s so tall, I don’t have to try very hard. I barely come up to the middle of his chest.
“I’m only asking about you.”
My eyes snap to his. Gone is the playfulness, and something else lurks beneath his gaze. Something I can’t read.
“Yes.” This time I speak easily, but maybe that’s because it’s only a one-word answer.
“Good, we’ll have dinner after.”
“I—”
“Let’s go, Scott,” he says, cutting off my response. He turns and leaves without giving me a chance to tell him no.
“Oh. My. God,” Apple says. I’d completely forgotten she was in the room. “Since that man has been picking up his nephew, not once has he ever asked someone out. Or taken anyone up on an offer to go out.”
“Never?” I ask, suddenly interested in his dating life.
“Never. Not even when Becky asked.” Apple gestures to her boobs knowingly. As if I don’t know who Becky the kindergarten teacher is. She does have giant boobs that should be covered better during school hours, or maybe they simply look giant because her waist is so small in comparison. “I think he even told her she was being inappropriate.”
Maybe it was inappropriate. Not that I’m considering going. I should definitely not. I’m his nephew’s teacher, and I’m shocked he wants to go on a date with me. Things could get messy if it doesn’t work out, and by messy I mean me broken-hearted and crying every time I see him, because I’m an uncontrollable crier. If a puppy is too cute, I’ll cry.
“God, what am I going to do?” I ask her. I can’t go out with him. Not only would it chance breaking my heart, but the teachers would talk. They always talk, and more so when it’s about Jack and what he’s up to. I’m pretty sure they even read crap about him online. Maybe I should be reading the articles, too.
“Oh, you're going to dinner.” Apple has a giant smile on her face.
Why is everyone so excited to play matchmaker here? Even if I agreed to go on a date with Jack, I’d be so in over my head. I can barely form sentences around him, or stop myself from blushing like a schoolgirl. What would we even talk about?
“Stop overthinking it. I can see your mind going a mile a minute. We’ll have some wine and talk it out. Also, what are you wearing tomorrow?”
Crap, I forgot about my costume again. “Maybe we should stop for an extra bottle of wine,” I tell her, throwing my bag over my shoulder.
I have a feeling Jack isn’t going to go down easy when I inform him I won’t be going to dinner. I don’t think he’s a man who hears the word no very often.
2
Jack
Scott runs through the front door and tosses his backpack on the stairs before heading into the kitchen. I follow him, hearing the sounds of my sister and knowing she’ll probably have something to eat.
I smile when I see Scott give her a hug and take a plate of something over to the table.
“Where’s mine?” I ask, placing a hand over my heart and pretending to be injured.
“On the table,” she says with a smirk.
My sister, Kim, is a damn good mom and always has food in the house, which is why I like coming here. She and her husband, Eric Grayson, have been married since they were nineteen. Eric works in pharmaceutical sales, so he travels a lot during the week. I like to help out when I can by taking Scott to school or picking him up, even though Kim is more than capable. She and Eric are still hopelessly in love. They have been from the day he transferred to our high school and they saw each other for the first time. I always wondered what that was like…until the day I saw Raven and it all became clear.
“Did you see her?” Kim asks, leaning up against the counter.
I take the plate she’s made for me and walk around to the breakfast bar and take a seat. I look over to see Scott playing with something at the dining room table. I want to make sure he’s out of earshot, though the kid seems to hear everything.
“I have a date,” I say proudly, popping a strawberry in my mouth.
She puts her hands over her mouth and looks at me in shock. “She said she’d go on a date with you?”
I grimace at her excitement. “Not exactly.” I think about how shocked she looked when I told her we were going out to eat. I smile. “But she’ll go.”
“Maybe I can finally start taking Scott to school then. I swear they probably think his parents have abandoned him. But in reality my brother has a crush on my son’s teacher and he’s borderline stalking her.”
“Borderline?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. She knows some of the things I’ve done to get Raven in my sights, but not everything.
“It’s probably better that I don’t know all the details,” she says, holding up her hands and walking into the dining room, where Scott is sitting. I watch from a distance as she leans down and kisses the top of his head and then sits beside him, asking him about his day.
I watch her and think about our parents and how proud they would be of her. Our dad died in a work accident when we were little, leaving my mom with a big chunk of insurance money to help provide for us. Kim and I were lucky that we were both able to go to college and do what we wanted without having to worry about struggling financially.
When our mom passed suddenly from breast cancer last year, it was a big blow to all of us. We’ve managed to make it through, even though there’s an empty space in our family that can never be filled.
My mom always encouraged me to follow my dreams, so I did. I went to school and got my degree and then my Master’s in architecture. After I’d done that, I decided to open my own business, and have since become one of best architects in Seattle. I’ve been focused for so long on building my firm and creating new and exciting things that I let any sort of love life fall to the side. I haven’t had a girlfriend since middle school, and the last time I took a woman on a date, a Bush was president.
I’ve taken Scott to school every so often since he’s started. His school is right next to my offices, so it’s easy to pop over and pick him up and then run him home afterwards, saving my sister a trip. But one day when I walked into his class, I spotted Raven. That’s when I knew what my mom and sister had been droning on about all these years. That first spark and the feelings of protectiveness and love that come out of nowhere. One glance a
t Raven and I was instantly head over heels. She hadn’t so much as spoken a single word to me and I was already imagining her walking up the aisle towards me.
The fact that she paid me no attention every time I tried to talk to her was a blow to my ego. It wasn’t that I thought I was good-looking or any better than other men. It was the fact that this woman was clearly my future wife, and she wasn’t even willing to look me in the eyes. Every time I tried to bring up something personal, she’d change the subject to Scott. Now I love the kid, don’t get me wrong, but I was starting to get jealous of the way she smiled at him.
I was about to enroll in her class if she didn’t agree to go on a date with me, so today I decided to pull out all the stops. I told Scott that he should forget something in class so I could sneak back in, and the little dude helped me out. I wasn’t waiting on her to agree to anything with me. I was past that point and ready to make demands. So after I told her about dinner, I got out of there. No sense in giving her time to wiggle out of it. The only thing I want to see her wiggling out of are her clothes.
Her dark curls and thick-framed glasses gave me aches all up and down my body. My dirty teacher fantasy has come to life in front of me, and I want to rip away her button-up collared shirts and let those big tits of hers bounce on my face. I want her to ride me while I suck her nipples.
“Jack!” Scott shouts, and I shake my head. Clearly that wasn’t the first time he’d said my name.
“What are you dressing up as for the party tomorrow?” he asks, and I smile.
“It’s a surprise. I’ll let your mom pick you up tomorrow, but I’ll see you at the dance. ’Night, Kim,” I say over my shoulder, giving Scott a high five and heading out.
Raven should be home by now, so I can leave.
When I bought the building downtown and redesigned it, I’d imagined selling off the units below me. I am on the top floor, and the floors below have tremendous real estate value. I’d see Raven that first day and decided I needed to do some homework. I waited around a few times and overheard that she was looking for a place to stay. I made sure that an email boasting new property, for lease and close to the school, was sent to her. I made it seem like it was being rented until a buyer came along. I even had an agent meet her to explain the details. I never had any intention of selling the place, not while she is in it, at least. But I knew that having her close would help me sleep at night. Especially knowing that one day I’d be able to get her on my floor.
I hop in my car and make the drive across town to my building. I park in the garage and take the private elevator up. Instead of going to the penthouse, I stop on the lobby level to speak with Joshua. He’s the evening guard, and as he sees me approach, he stands and smiles.
“Hello, Mr. Bates. Everything is well this evening.” He hands over a clipboard with a couple of signatures, and points to the one on the bottom. “Miss Treat has brought in one guest. I’d be happy to pull the cameras if you’d like to view the visitor.”
I shake my head, seeing the name. “That won’t be necessary, Joshua. Thank you. Say hello to Sandy for me. Have a nice night.”
“Will do. You as well, sir.”
I’m sure Joshua knows what I’m up to. Since Raven moved in, I’ve been checking security regularly, along with any visitors that might be entering. So far, she’s only had a couple of food deliveries, which Joshua was kind enough to intercept and deliver personally. He received a hefty bonus for his efforts and plans to take his wife to Hawaii for their anniversary. Worth every penny.
I step onto the elevator, and as much as I want to go to her floor, I don’t. I hit the button for mine and take it all the way up. When I get inside, I go to my office and check the feed. Joshua isn’t aware that I have my own cameras in place, and I click back through until I find the spot at which she enters. I watch as she and her co-worker get on the elevator, then I flip to the next camera outside her door to watch her make it inside safely. I had to fight myself from sneaking cameras inside, because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to control myself if I saw much more.
After I watch the tape three more times, I go over to the couch in my office and stretch out. I smile to myself, thinking that this time tomorrow, I’ll be alone with her, and then she’ll have no choice but to fall in love with me.
All I need is a moment alone, then she’ll see what I do. She’ll feel the undeniable force pulling us together, and then we can stop pretending. Raven Treat is going to know that there is no world without me, just as I have no world without her.
3
Raven
“I still can’t get over this place,” Apple says as she takes another sip from her wine glass.
We’re already well into the second bottle we picked up on the way back to my place, and the takeout containers are long empty. My whole body is buzzing at this point, making me feel warm. Some of my fears about tomorrow drop away for a moment.
I look around the condo and couldn’t agree more with her. This whole building is amazing, and it’s going to suck when I have to leave it. I know I’ll never again be able to afford something as beautiful as this on a teacher’s salary, but I’d never give up teaching to live somewhere fancy. That doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy this place while it lasts. It’s a taste of a life I never thought I could experience.
I grew up in foster care after losing my grandmother, who raised me. I was ten years old when she passed, and she was all I ever had. I remember my mother stopping by here and there when I was little, but it’s more a blur, and I often wonder if the memories are real. They didn’t hurt, but can something really hurt you if you didn’t know it? I don’t remember missing her or thinking she’d come back to get me when my grandma died. In fact, I never really thought of her at all.
Losing my grandma was hard. She wasn’t the most nurturing, but she was always there for me. I got lucky, though—crazy lucky, in fact—when I landed in the foster system and went to live with Aunt K and Uncle C as we all called them.
Two retired married teachers who could never have children of their own. They always had at least six children in their care. When one left, another would come to live with us. They were wonderful to all of us. And while they were loving, they were also realistic with us.
They gave us the tools to succeed in life. Every night when we got home from school, we had dinner together. Then we went back to studying after a little playtime. They told us the only way to get somewhere in life is to work hard. They were determined all of us would not only get into college, but would get scholarships to help us as well.
But even with all the studying, there was still time for laughter and some love. Even though I haven’t seen some of my foster brothers and sisters in a long time, we still send emails and call. Others got busy with life, but we understood there would always be a bond that held us together.
I felt like every time someone left the nest, it sent them far away from the home Aunt K and Uncle C had made for us. Though it was a nice place and I know they loved us, it was never really our home. It was a holding place. A safe place that taught and prepared us for the world, and I’d always be grateful to them. Grateful for what they gave us and how they opened their home to all of us.
“All the furniture came with it,” I admit. If it hadn’t, we’d be sitting on the floor with only a small love seat and mini fridge. That’s all I have from college. It’s the only furniture that I actually own. God, I really hope no one takes this place out from under me, because I need more time to save for the move. Not only for a deposit, but furniture as well.
“Maybe I shouldn’t be drinking on this sofa.” Apple pauses, her wine glass halfway to her mouth. I push my glasses up my nose and grab my own glass.
“I’m a klutz. I know stains come out easy on these sofas already.”
She laughs and takes a big gulp of her wine. I do the same before picking up my phone. Biting my lip, I debate doing what I’ve been thinking about doing since I got home.
“Maybe
we can Google him a little.”
Apple’s eyes light up. “You just said we shouldn’t!” She puts her glass down on the table. “And what do you mean a little? What’s a little Google?”
“I don’t know. I changed my mind.” I put his name in the search engine. “A little is a look at the images, not clicking the links or anything.” I don’t know why, but this makes it seem like it isn’t so bad.
“You sure you wanna do that?”
I look over at Apple, my finger hovering over the search button, all ready to go. This was her idea to begin with.
“Why? Do you know something?” I feel a tight ball form in my stomach like I’m about to lose something I never had. Maybe I don’t want to see. Or maybe it’s better to know.
A smile spreads on her face, making some of the tightness fade.
“Search. You’ll either fall more for him or…” She trails off, but I’m already hitting search and scrolling through pictures of him. There are photos of him at events, and a number of articles have been written about him over the past year.
In many of the photos, he’s with his mother or his sister. In the other photos, he’s alone. I can’t stop myself and I click an article that talks about him losing his mother to breast cancer and how he donated a whole new wing to the local hospital, dedicated to cancer research.
“Jesus, he’s even more perfect than I already thought.” For some reason this makes it worse. I don’t know what I thought I would find. Maybe something that showed some flaw. Or that maybe he was out with a different woman every night. But none of that was there.
“And that’s what I meant. You’re going to talk yourself out of dating him because of that.”
“Can you not date someone because they’re too perfect? Is that a thing?” I ask, moving to pick up my wine glass to take another drink. Instead, I hit the glass and spill my wine all over my Harley Quinn shirt and yoga pants.