Drying her eyes she said, “First off, we need to get you to a doctor. All these tears could be for nothing, you know. You could be perfectly fine.”
Taking a tissue from her sister’s hands Donna Lee replied, “No, first off, you need to never call me Lee-Lee again. You make me sound like a Chinese panda.”
They both laughed.
***
Delia tried not to think about her sister’s upcoming possibly life-changing test. Instead, she focused on trying to find a way to make it through the school year without revealing how uncomfortable she was with Chase/C.J. in the room. Every time he came to class, she ended up getting flustered and giving the students a pop quiz in order to give herself time to collect her thoughts and settle her nerves. She decided she needed something to make amends with the students and give everyone a chance to relax. She found a cartoon in the newspaper that showed an imaginary number telling PI to be rational. In response, the Pi says ‘get real.’ Delia thought it was absolutely hysterical. She hoped her students would as well.
Unfortunately, they didn’t. She showed them the cartoon on the overhead screen then erupted into laughter. Seconds later, she realized she was the only one laughing. Well, she and one other person.
Delia locked eyes with Chase for a second before awkwardly looking way. Chase put on a pair of dark shades and slouched further into the chair trying to seem cool. She cleared her throat then proceeded to explain the difference between rational and irrational numbers and real and imaginary numbers to the students. They still didn’t quite get it. At this point, she was very happy for her dark olive complexion. That way no one could see her blush with embarrassment.
She wondered why, of all the students, Chase was the only one to pick up on a math joke. He really seemed to be an intelligent young man hiding behind a façade of casual popularity. She felt a little sorry for him. It was like he couldn’t be himself. He couldn’t reveal who he really was. He probably had more emotional damage in his life than she did.
She wanted to help him. She wanted to reach out to him and let him know that it was okay to be smart. But then she thought about her own high school experience and how often she was ridiculed for being intelligent. Maybe he had the right idea. Maybe she wouldn’t have been such an outcast if she had made an effort to be popular.
In any case, reaching out to Chase/C.J. was not an option. She didn’t want to lead him on and let him think that a relationship was possible. She couldn’t show him any special attention. She would have to draw out his intelligence another way.
“Okay, let’s try something else,” Delia said once she recovered from the failure of the math cartoon. “I’m going to tell you a joke.” She cleared her throat again and sat comfortably on her desk. “Rene Descartes walks into a bar —”
“Ms. Clark?” Angie interrupted. “Who is she?”
Delia closed her eyes and sighed. How was she ever going to get through to these students? How had they made it through Algebra and Geometry without ever hearing of Rene Descartes?
“He was a French philosopher and mathematician who lived in the earlier seventeenth century. His application of Algebra to Geometry left us with Cartesian geometry from which we get the Cartesian coordinate plane.” The entire class turned to stare at the sunglass laden C.J. Mitchell, the epitome of cool, as he rattled off these facts no one else seemed to know. “He also coined the phrase ‘I think therefore I am.’”
A hush fell over the room as the students continued to stare at him. Delia wondered how he had come across such information and why he so readily shared it. In a class like this, he should be afraid of losing esteem with his fellow students for being perceived as intelligent. But, then again, the simple fact that he didn’t care who knew he was smart made him somehow even … sexier than he was before.
Delia felt her body flush. She couldn’t believe she was letting herself be attracted to a seventeen-year-old just because he knew a few historical facts about one of her favorite mathematicians. But it wasn’t just that. When he spoke intelligently like he just had, his voice, his mannerisms, even the expression on his face transformed him from C.J. and back into Chase. Her Chase. The one that held her close and whispered Frank Sinatra lyrics in her ear as they danced in nostalgia bars on the cruise.
She hated that he had this effect on her. She hated how, with just one word, one look, one gesture he could send her body aflame with memories. But she was the adult here and he was the student. She had to have control over the situation.
Flopping into her desk once the bell rang, Delia took a bottle of water from her purse to help her cool down. She spent her entire free period pondering her situation. With each passing day she realized there was less and less of a chance of exposure. If Chase wanted to get her into trouble he would have done it long ago. And as he stated at the club, he didn’t want anyone to know about their relationship. It would be bad for his “image.”
She thought about the two completely different people she had encountered, C.J. and Chase. Maybe Chase was the real him after all. He was just trying to keep up this C.J. image for his classmates. She had the freedom to just be her nerdy self. She decided she needed to help him. She had to show him that it was much easier to be yourself than who people wanted you to be. And she knew just how to do it.
Chapter 9
Most of the homecoming dance at the Capitol Hilton went off without incident. There were, of course, three or four students Delia had to send home in a taxi because they had shown up intoxicated and the obligatory fight between two best girlfriends that ended in tears, but that was to be expected. She would deal with a million hysterically crying girls if it meant she didn’t have to talk to Chase/C.J.
But then, thirty minutes before the dance ended, just when she thought she would make it through the night without seeing him, he entered … no, swaggered into the room with a girl on each arm. He was too cool to wear a suit, so he had on a tuxedo jacket with jeans and a dark blue T-shirt that matched his eyes exactly. He made no attempt to control his hair, but that only added to his I’m-too-sexy-to-care look which made him even sexier.
Chase scanned the room until he found what he was looking for or, rather, who he was looking for. He released his two lady friends, walked straight up to Delia and said, “You look beautiful.” Delia sneezed three times, causing Chase’s lips to curve up into a sly grin. He knew what effect he was having on her.
“It’s Ms. Clark to you,” she said as she took her allergy medication out of her purse and swallowed two more pills. She briefly wondered how many she had taken that day.
“How many of those have you had tonight?” he said with a concerned look in his eyes.
“Why?”
“Well, I’ve seen what two glasses of wine does to you. Taking too many of those pills could have the same effect.” Delia sneezed again. How dare he bring that up? She couldn’t help but think of her embarrassing underwear comment and the events that happened after.
“Do you want to dance?”
“I don’t think that would be appropriate,” she said even though earlier that same night she had joined her students on the dance floor for a fast song.
***
“Well, it’s good to see you,” he said after drinking her in with his eyes for a while. She really did look good. As he stared at her in her emerald cocktail dress that made her eyes sparkle, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was wearing underwear.
As the dance winded down, Chase noticed that Delia was a little unsteady on her feet. He followed her as she made her way out of the hotel and toward the parking lot and he was there to catch her when she tripped on her heel and almost fell to the ground.
“I’m taking you home,” he said as he placed his arm around her waist and helped her up.
“What are you doing? Don’t touch me.” She tried to swat him away, but found that she actually needed him to keep her balance. “What’s wrong with me?” Delia asked as she clung to him.
“Dan empti
ed his flask into the punch. The alcohol is reacting with your allergy medication and … ” He didn’t need to finish his sentence because Delia passed out.
***
She woke up two hours later, not completely aware of what had happened. She recognized her apartment and the fact that she was still wearing her dress, but she had no memory of how she got there. Then she saw Chase sitting in the corner of the room.
“What happened?” Her voice was hoarse and her throat dry. She felt like she had swallowed tumbleweed.
“You passed out. I brought you home.” Chase stood up, walked to the bed, and stared down at her.
“How did you know where I lived? How did you get in here? Did anyone see you?” Delia sat up and started to panic. Her head was spinning with the idea that someone might have seen him come into her apartment and reported it. By Monday, it could be all over the newspapers: “Delia Clark, the new Mary Kay Letourneau.” She could read the article from her jail cell.
Chase reached out and caressed her face while he stared into her eyes.
“Relax, no one saw me. I’m sure.”
Delia grabbed his hand with the intent of removing it but ended up just holding his hand to her face. She missed his hands, she missed his embrace, she missed him. She closed her eyes and just pretended she was back on the ship and that they weren’t teacher and student. And when she opened her eyes and looked at him, she could almost see Chase Donovan, the man, instead of C.J. Mitchell the child.
“Can I kiss you now?” The question succeeded in transporting her even further into the fantasy she’d created in her head. Before she could protest, not that she wanted to, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers.
***
He shouldn’t have done it. He knew it was wrong of him, but he couldn’t resist. “I want you so much, Delia,” he whispered between kisses. “I need you so much.” He had dreamed of kissing her again for two months and now that it was happening, he didn’t want it to stop. She tasted so good.
***
Chase’s fingers began to unzip her dress as he simultaneously lowered her to the bed.
“We can’t do this, C.J.,” she said with weak resolve as his warm sensuous lips massaged the base of her neck.
“Please call me Chase.” He sat up and whipped his shirt off, revealing his smooth muscular chest. Delia surely didn’t remember seventeen-year-old boys looking quite so … delicious when she was a teenager. Oh God, seventeen. Teenager. This boy was a teenager. She couldn’t do this. “Chase, stop. We can’t do this. I’m your teacher!” she said firmly as she scrambled away from him, clutching her loosened dress to her body. Chase sighed and plopped down on the bed.
“You’re right,” he said, staring at the ceiling. “I’m sorry I put you in this position.” Chase flung his legs over the bed and stood up. “I’ll see you Monday, Ms. Clark.”
***
Chase pulled his T-shirt over his head as he descended the steps of Delia’s apartment. Twice, he turned around to make his way back to her and finish what he started but he decided against it. He had work to do and he was already late. Plus, he needed to shave before anyone noticed the uncharacteristic stubble on his face. Most teenage boys would have welcomed the stubbly look. C.J. Mitchell wasn’t like most teenage boys and it didn’t suit his image.
He took a portable electric razor out of his pocket and shaved as he made the short walk to the Black Cat. He thought about what had just happened in Delia’s apartment. He was proud that he stopped himself. It showed remarkable restraint. But he didn’t want to stop, which was a problem because he couldn’t let her get in the way.
***
Ian downed the rest of his beer and tossed it into a trash can as he entered the bathroom of the Black Cat in search of C.J.
“Hey man? Why you hidin in here?” Ian belched. He was already drunk. He was probably drunk before he left the homecoming dance. “Where have you been? We have work to do. It’s a Friday night and clients have been calling Amanda like … like … a lot.” Ian tried to lean casually on the sink, lost his balance and almost tipped over. C.J. shook his head then splashed some water on his face.
“Don’t worry about where I’ve been. Just do your part and I’ll do mine.”
“I saw you leave the dance with Ms. Clark. Are you tappin that?” Ian thrust his hips forward, imitating a sex act.
Chase tried to ignore the vulgar remark and subsequent demonstration. He reached for a paper towel and dried his face. He would’ve been able to remain calm and keep his cool if Ian hadn’t insisted on continuing.
“When you’re done can I have a turn? That is one fine math geek. I mean, do you see the tits on her? Of course you’ve seen ‘em, they’re huge.”
Chase grabbed Ian’s shirt collar and slammed him against the full-length mirror. He pressed Ian’s windpipe closed with his forearm and lifted him off the ground. “If you ever lay a hand on her, I’ll kill you,” he said through clenched teeth.
Just then someone entered the bathroom, but one vicious look from C.J. sent him right back out without a word. It had to be somewhat of an odd sight. Ian was a thick-necked football player type being jacked up by someone who looked like the typical high school Casanova. Not that C.J didn’t have a well-defined muscular build himself, he just seemed to be half the size of Ian.
“C.J. man calm down, you’re choking me. I can’t breathe.” Ian gasped for air.
“I’m serious, Ian. I am not one to be played. You go near her … if you even think about going near her, I will end you. Is that clear?”
Ian nodded his head furiously. “I got it, now let me go, man.”
C.J. released his grip and Ian collapsed to the floor.
“I guess that means you’ll be taking care of her class in the program.” Ian choked out the words while massaging the pain out of his neck.
“Just leave Delia Clark to me. I can handle her.”
“Fine. Whatever. I’m going to get Angie.” Ian got up and scrambled out of the bathroom. His manhood was definitely bruised. He had to figure out a way to teach C.J. a lesson. He had to learn he couldn’t just flip out on his partner anytime he wanted to. He obviously had some sort of emotional attachment to their math teacher. Maybe she was the key to getting him back.
After Ian exited the bathroom, C.J. stared at his reflection in the mirror wondering who in fact he really was.
“Stay in control, Chase. You can do this,” he said.
Chapter 10
Ian stormed into Ettinger Inc., D.C.’s second largest real estate developer, in search of his big business, big shot, and big pain-in-the ass big sister, Amanda. He was determined to make her hear his side of things for once. It was ridiculous that they were supposed to be in business together, yet she never listened to any of his ideas.
Well, she did listen to his idea about adding C.J. to the program. And now C.J. was the problem. Ian wanted him gone. He was too unpredictable. His entire presence in the program was an insult to Ian anyway. Amanda needed someone who was a good student. Someone smart. And since Ian had never been accused of being intelligent in his life, he had introduced her to C.J.
“What do you mean you want me to get rid of him?” she said, still calmly staring at paperwork even after Ian burst through her door and stated the reason for his visit. “He’s the best thing to ever happen to us. He’s a perfect, soulless genius.”
“I don’t trust him. He’s psycho. I really think he’s got split personalities or something.”
“Wait a minute. How did you get in here? I’m supposed to be unavailable all day. Was Beverly at her desk?” Without waiting for a response from Ian, she punched a few buttons on her phone.
“Yes, Ms. Landgren,” came the response.
“Beverly, you’re fired. Collect your things and get out in the next ten minutes. Oh, and before you go, call the temp agency and tell them to send someone with the ability to follow simple instructions. Perhaps a Cocker Spaniel or a Beagle. Either of which would do a much
better job than you.”
She clicked off, then clasped her hands in front of her and gave Ian a fake, yet polite grin. “Okay, baby brother, go ahead and tell me what your problem is.”
Ian swallowed hard, trying to hide his anxiety. It scared him more when his sister tried to be nice than when she was her usual bitchy self.
“Um, C.J. has issues. And he has some sort of strange obsession or something with one of our teachers.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. He’s just really like obsessed with her. I’ve even seen him go to her apartment.”
“Hmm. How does she feel about him?”
Ian shrugged.
“Well, if she reciprocates his feelings, the situation is better than we could possibly imagine. We could threaten her with exposure and blackmail her into joining us. Quick, tell me everything you know about this woman. We have to get into her head.”
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