We have a nice enough night, but at no point can I forget about the judgmental side of him that he’s too quick to show. Maybe it’s always been there, but because previously we were surrounded by people who were much, much worse, it wasn’t so obvious. But now I’ve removed myself from that life, I want all of it gone, and I’m afraid that Eddie is going to be part of that unless he fixes his attitude.
It’s not until I’ve securely locked myself inside my flat later that night that I pull my phone from my bag.
It’s nothing special, just the cheapest smartphone I could find when I first arrived, but it does the job.
No one aside from Eddie has this number, and only one other person knows where I was headed, so I’m a little surprised when I find a notification for an email when the screen lights up.
To: Quinn Smith
From: Tatstwatsandarseholes
Subject: Romeo seeks Juliet
Dear Miss Smith,
I sincerely hope you had a wonderful evening with Mr. Boring, although I can’t imagine he fulfilled all of your desires.
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to go through our current assignment with me seeing as I was so rudely late to class. I can assure you that it won’t happen again.
I always come on time.
Yours,
Joe Kingsman
I stare down at my phone with my eyes wide and my mouth gaping open. Did one of my students just tell me he comes on demand?
What the hell have I got myself into here? My temperature spikes as I begin to type a reply.
To: Tatstwatsandarseholes
Who in god’s name has an email like that?
From: Quinn Smith
Subject: Romeo needs to work harder
Dear Mr, Kingsman,
I’m glad I could be of assistance. Any problems with the work, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Regards,
Miss Smith
PS. My evening was...boring.
The wine Eddie ordered us is clearly having an effect, because before I’ve really thought about it I hit send. I regret it instantly. What the hell am I doing, and why am I more excited right now than I’ve ever been in my life?
The screen lights up.
To: Quinn Smith
From: Tatstwatsandarseholes
Subject: Juliet deserves more
Dear Miss Smith,
I think you need some excitement in your life, and I know just where you can find it…
Very much looking forward to our next lesson.
Mr. Kingsman
With a smile spreading across my lips, I close down my email app and silence my phone. This has already gone too far. The moment I didn’t move when I knew he was checking out my cleavage was a step over the line, but this? This is way beyond the kind of rule breaking and excitement I was looking for.
Chapter Four
I’ve never been this nervous to start a class, but when my Thursday night students begin entering the room, my whole body is vibrating with anxiety.
I knew I shouldn’t have replied to his inappropriate email last week, but I couldn’t help myself. He’s just too tempting with the bad boy geek look he’s got going on. It calls to the wild side this boring English teacher has kept hidden for most of her life.
I expect him to be late just to push my buttons again, but it seems he took his warning from Eddie seriously, because he’s the fourth student to enter.
I follow his movements as he walks towards his normal desk and pulls out his folder, pad of paper and pens. Then he just sits and waits as everyone else gets themselves ready. At no point does he look up, and it annoys the shit out of me that I’ve been so worried about seeing him all day, and he’s totally indifferent.
My nerves give way to shame and embarrassment as I think about how easily I played his game, because clearly that was all this was to him.
I welcome the class and set them up on the first activity, which is to be done in pairs.
Sitting down behind my desk, I watch as they all move closer to their allocated partner and begin their discussions, but before long my eyes find their way back to him and the woman he’s working with.
The second I look up, I meet his blue eyes. My breath catches as a smirk spreads across his face before he turns his attention back to her.
Tingles erupt and my thighs clench. It’s not the reaction to a student I should be having, but my body doesn’t seem to care as I fight to drag my eyes away from where he’s leaning into his partner and absorbing every word she’s saying.
The next thirty minutes of my life are possibly some of the most frustrating I’ve ever experienced. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop myself from glancing up at them, and every time I do, I regret it. It’s like he knows and intentionally does something to wind me up.
His partner is young, and even I can admit how pretty she is. He makes sure that both she and I know it. He runs the back of his knuckles up her arm, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear when they’re both looking down and studying the text I’ve given them. He laughs animatedly in a way I’m sure isn’t all that natural when she says something. And although I’m pretty convinced he’s acting for my benefit, it hits the exact spot he was intending.
It’s infuriating. He’s infuriating.
Once they all return to their own seats, Joe goes back to ignoring me. It’s much easier to deal with, but the nagging need to make him look up at me gets more and more impossible to ignore.
There’s only ten minutes left of the lesson, and I’m walking around, collecting what everyone’s been doing so I can mark it, when the sound of a pencil dropping on the floor in front of me catches my attention. I step towards it, my need to have everything just so too much to ignore, and just as I’m about to bend, someone shifts behind me. It’s only then that I realise this is a game, and I have a millisecond to decide if I’m going to play on the wild side.
Moving here was all about pushing boundaries.
In a moment of madness, I bend over and pick up the pencil. Excitement fills my veins, knowing that I shouldn’t be joining in with his games, but I can’t help myself. My stomach clenches at the thought of someone watching me openly flirt, but the risk isn’t enough to stop me.
I slowly turn and place the pencil back onto his desk, lining it up perfectly alongside his paper. Risking a look at his face, my breath catches when I find his dark eyes and his teeth digging into his bottom lip.
Every muscle in my body freezes as his eyes drop from mine in favour of taking a leisurely stroll around my body. I’m dressed differently this week, seeing as I haven’t been able to get to the laundrette yet, so my old trusty twinset and a-line skirt have sadly made a reappearance.
Desire still fills his eyes, but when he opens his mouth, something else entirely comes out. “Mr. Boring rubbing off on you, teach? Didn’t have you down as a cardigan and pearl necklace type.”
My shoulders stiffen at the reference to my old life, although I’m equally as glad I’ve managed to pull off my new persona as I am frustrated that he’s noticed the change.
“Don’t always judge a book by its cover, Mr. Kingsman.”
“I’m beginning to learn that, Miss Smith.”
When I eventually pull my eyes from his and glance to the clock on the wall, I notice that we’re about to run over.
“Right, well. Looks like we’re done for the day. I’ll have all these marked for you for next week. Any questions about this week’s assignment, feel free to reach out. I’m here to help in any way I can.” There’s a scoff from behind me, and my cheeks flame.
The sound of people packing up fills my ears, and I take my time in cleaning off the whiteboard I’d scribbled all over during the lesson and restacking some of the text books on the shelves beneath that were a little untidy.
A few ‘thank yous’ and ‘see you next weeks’ ring out, and I acknowledge each one with a hesitant glance towards the student.
I don’t turn back around unti
l I’m confident everyone has gone, and even then it’s only to grab my bag so I can get away from here and all the thoughts he conjures up in my head.
“Shit. Fuck.” My hand comes up to cover my racing heart when I find him still sitting at his desk with his feet once again on the fucking top and his chair rocking back. A surefire way to piss off any teacher.
“Did you need help with the assignment, Mr. Kingsman?”
“Um...no, I think I’ve got it covered.” His feet hit the floor and he stands, taking all the air in the room with him as he stalks towards me.
My heart continues to race and my palms start to sweat as he approaches the other side of the desk.
“I was more wondering what I could do for you.”
“How’s that?” I squeak. Wishing the ground would swallow me up for showing my vulnerability, I reach for my pencil case, ready to stuff it inside my bag, but he stops me. His large, calloused hand lands on mine, and I’m forced to freeze as sparks shoot up my arm. I glance at the door, knowing that Eddie will most probably barge through at any moment to check up on me.
“I’m not totally sure. I was hoping you could help me out with that.”
When I turn back to him, he’s staring at me with narrowed eyes as if he’s trying to work me out. My lips part to respond, but he beats me to it.
“What I do know is that what you need isn’t Mr. Boring, and it also isn’t this poncy fucking twinset.” He reaches out and pops open the top button of my cardigan like a freaking magic trick. “I also know that you’re looking for something, and I’m pretty sure I can help you find it.”
“I uh…” I’ve no idea what to say to any of that other than to be freaked out by how spot-on his assumptions are.
“You don’t need to tell me that I’m right. I already have my answer.” His smug smirk pisses me off, but it’s nowhere near enough for me to make him leave. “So, are you in?”
“In with what exactly?” My eyes find the door again as I try to pull my hand from under his, not wanting to get caught in this position, but he squeezes harder to stop me.
“Giving me a chance to find whatever it is you’re looking for.”
“I’ve no idea what—” The door opens. My eyes fly up and my heart pounds against my ribs as Joe rips his hand from mine and steps back.
“You all done for the—Mr. Kingsman, in trouble again?” Eddie looks between the two of us, his eyes calculating.
“Not this time. Just had a couple of important questions for Miss Smith before I left to make a start on my assignment in the coffee shop down the street.” He turns back to me and winks.
It’s probably the most unsubtle invitation I’ve ever heard. I expect Eddie to say something but, to my surprise, he side-steps Joe’s random statement. “You ready?”
I hesitate for a second, giving Joe a chance to return to his seat and pick up his bag, but he’s not yet out of the room when I say, “Actually, I’ll find my own way home tonight. I’ve got a few errands to run. I wouldn’t want to hold you up.”
“Oh, okay. If you’re sure.”
I barely hear the words, because I’m too focused on the wide, triumphant smile Joe graces me with before he walks out of my classroom.
What the hell are you doing, Quinn?
I tell myself that I’m just going to get a coffee for the journey home. I want to see if he’s really there and what else he has to say. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in hearing it.
I feel him watching me the second I step inside the coffee shop, but I come up empty when I quickly scan the tables as I walk towards the counter.
“Cappuccino, one sugar, chocolate sprinkles,” is whispered in my ear, sending goosebumps racing across my skin.
Turning, I find him right behind me with two mugs in hand.
“How’d you know?”
“Good guess.”
I follow him to a table in a dark corner at the back of the shop, my entire body shaking with nervous energy, and sit with my hands wrapped around the mug so he doesn’t see them trembling.
“So tell me, Miss Smith. What is it you’re looking for?”
“I don’t—’
“Don’t lie to me. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me. Tell me what you need. I’m sure I can deliver everything you desire.”
Need sits heavy in my stomach. I might be wanting to experience new things, but there’s no way in hell I’m asking him to cure that little issue.
“I want…” I hesitate, and he leans forward as if I’m about to tell him a secret. “To really live. To do all the things I’ve never been able to do.” A rush of adrenaline hits me at admitting that out loud for the first time in my life.
I expect him to laugh, because it’s more than obvious that this guy does exactly what he wants and when he wants, but all he does is rest his arms on the table and ask, “Like what?”
“So many things. I want to wear the clothes I want, I want to dance to the music I want, I want to get drunk and dance all night, get a tattoo, have a one nig—” I stop when his eyes widen in delight. That’s not what this is about.
A man clears his throat behind Joe, and I damn near jump out of the chair thinking that we’ve been caught, but when I look up there’s just a man helping his wife into her coat.
“Why haven’t you done any of this before?” he asks, ignoring my skittishness, sipping on his own coffee and swallowing his reaction to what I almost admitted.
“I lived a somewhat sheltered life.”
“In London?”
I shake my head, already knowing that I’ve revealed too much. “I’ve only just moved here.”
“So I was right earlier about the twinset, then.” His eyes drop to my chest, and I sigh.
“I fucking hate them.”
“Right.” He tips his mug up to finish off what’s left and stands. “Let’s go, then.”
“Where?” I ask, my eyes wide in shock.
“To experience life.”
“Uh…”
“What, you scared?”
“No, I…” His eyebrow lifts in challenge, but there’s no way I’m backing down. “Just need to finish my coffee first.”
“Oh...wild,” he says with a laugh, sitting himself back down.
Chapter Five
Joe waits around the corner as I run back into the college and drop my bags off in the staff room. Thankfully, the department is empty, and I don’t run into any colleagues who’ve only just seen me leave.
I don’t allow myself time to think about the reality of what I’ve just agreed to. Instead, I focus on the excitement of what he might be about to show me.
I find him in a hidden doorway on his phone when I get back outside.
“I thought maybe you were going to bail.”
“I don’t back down from a challenge, Mr. Kingsman.”
“Joe, please. I can’t cope with all this surname bollocks.”
“Sure thing. Where first?”
“To get rid of that godawful twinset.”
“Won’t all the shops be shut?”
“You really haven’t been here long, huh?” I shake my head in response and fall into step beside him. “This is London. You can get anything whenever you want it.”
“I don’t have much money,” I admit with a wince.
“Okay, we’ll steer clear of Bond Street then.” He chuckles. “I’m not sure they’ll have the kind of thing we’re after, anyway.”
Side by side, we walk towards the tube station. He looks relaxed as ever while I feel like I could pass out any minute at the rate my heart’s pounding in my chest. I might be breaking all the rules, but I’m about to get a taste of the life I’ve always wanted, I’m sure of it.
“I’ve never stepped foot inside a Topshop before.”
“Where did you come from? Narnia?”
“Might as well have been,” I mutter as we descend the escalator.
“We’ll need to be quick. They close soon.”
We
step from the escalator and Joe darts right, as if he knows exactly where he’s going.
“Do you trust me?”
“Uh…”
“Go to the fitting rooms, get undressed, and I’ll get some options.”
“How much do you know about women’s clothes?”
“Enough. Now go.”
Thankfully, there’s no assistant hovering at the fitting rooms, so I rush into the first cubicle and strip out of my twinset.
Standing there in my boring cotton underwear, I start to question my sanity. I’m standing basically naked waiting for one of my students to bring me a new outfit to wear on a crazy night out.
I should be concerned, but everything I’ve been worrying about seems to vanish when I'm with him. That might freak me out, but it’s also such a relief after looking over my shoulder every second since I arrived here.
“Quinn?”
“In here.” I poke my head out of the curtain. Joe’s eyes drop despite the fact that I’ve got the curtain draped around me.
“Put these on.” He thrusts a couple of hangers at me, and I slink back behind the curtain.
“Uh...where's the rest of the top?” I ask, eyeing the tiny bit of fabric in my hands.
“Probably in the bin, which is exactly where that bloody twinset is going in a few minutes. Now stop complaining and put it on.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I pull the skinny black jeans from the hanger and attempt to pull them up my legs. I feel like Sandy as she tried to get those leather trousers on in Grease.
Amazingly, they fit like a second skin, and even I can appreciate how good they look. I’ve never seen my legs like this before. I always thought I was a little short and stumpy, but I’m realising that might have been the a-line skirts.
Next, I remove the scrap of fabric that I’m assuming is meant to be a top from the hanger and pull it on. What little there is of it is covered in silver sequins. It’s short enough to expose my midriff, something I can honestly say has never seen the light of day before, and apart from the spaghetti straps across the back, it totally exposes that as well.
Avoiding Temptation: Forbidden Series #6 Page 3