Mr. Wicked

by Maya Hughes

  I waited for the door to open as he tugged on the handle, but nothing happened as he pulled on it. I checked to make sure it wasn’t locked inside.

  “Shit. Can you lean against it?” he asked through the closed door.

  “What?” I said, trying to figure out what he meant.

  “Push your shoulder against the door. It gets stuck sometimes.” I leaned against it as he wrenched the handle, and the door flung open. I tumbled out and braced myself for a nice hard smack from the ground, when Grim’s arms wrapped around me, catching me. I flung my hair out of my face and peeked up at him.

  “Thanks,” I said, smiling. The look on his face was a cross between horror and embarrassment. I laughed. “I’m just glad I didn’t hit the ground.” I straightened my dress. Why hadn’t I gone with a pantsuit or something? Pantsuits are sexy, right?

  “I’m sorry,” he said, looking like someone just killed his cat. Was this it? Was he feeling guilty? Was he going to humiliate me in front of everyone? I pushed those thoughts aside. Killian wouldn’t let him do that. I wasn’t that girl anymore. I didn’t care what they thought.

  “Don’t worry about it, Grim,” I said, looping my arm through his and nudging him with my shoulder. He peered over at me, and I plastered on a smile. My stomach was a wreck. I should have probably tried to play it cool, but I didn’t think it was possible.

  We walked into the banquet room, and my grip tightened on Grim’s arm. Everyone was staring. But not staring like “What the hell is Frankie doing here with Grim?” more like, “Who the hell is that with Grim?” I did a quick check at the ceiling above the door. No hanging buckets of doom to be found. He handed over our tickets, and they gave us our table number. The girl at the ticket desk scrunched her face as she glared at me.

  Heads turned as we walked past the tables to get to ours, and I was tempted to make sure the back of my dress wasn’t tucked up in my underwear or something. Of course, our table was No. 1, which meant we had to walk to the other side of the room, closest to the dance floor.

  “Frankie, you look beautiful,” Killian said, and stood as we approached our table. He gave me a tight hug, squeezing until I jabbed him in the ribs. He let out a grunt and let me go. I waved to his date, who seemed completely uninterested in anything going on.

  “Thanks, Kill. Everyone is staring.” I said, glancing over my shoulder, just as Grim’s eyes snapped back to mine. Was he checking me out? I don’t think I’d ever been checked out before. I did my best to suppress the stupid, giddy grin that threatened to pull one of my cheek muscles.

  “That’s because you’re gorgeous.” Killian said, grinning. His eyes darting to Grim behind me.

  “You are, you know,” Grim said into my ear. A slight tremble raced through me as I glanced over my shoulder at him. His lips so close to mine. He smelled like peppermint. All I’d have to do was lean in another inch, and I’d learn just how his lips felt on mine. He cleared his throat and stepped back, standing behind my chair, waiting for me to sit. The nerves were fading away. No one jumped out to snap a picture while my date told me he’d done it as a bet. The squad of mean girls wasn’t there to talk about me as I waited for my dad to come pick me up. This was a normal dance and I was a normal girl. I smiled at him and sat as he helped me push the chair in.

  The room started to fill up, and hors d’oeuvres were passed around by the wait staff. I had a feeling this wasn’t the norm for most school dances, but most school dances weren’t thrown by the Havert Prep festivities committee.

  I’d just snagged a shrimp from one of the trays when a song came on that made my whole body light up. Oh, I loved this song. I swayed in my seat as the words bounced through my head. Last summer’s robots vs aliens movie had this song as their big battle song. I loved the rocking, driving beat.

  “Can I have this dance?” Grim asked beside me, holding out his hand. I nibbled on my bottom lip before nodding. What’s the point of coming to a dance if you don’t actually dance, right? Grim led me out onto the dance floor, and I felt like the luckiest girl in the room.

  As we stepped out onto the slick dance floor, Grim put his hand on the small of my back to lead us to the center of the floor. The song finished as soon as we found a spot.

  “We missed it,” I said, glancing over at the DJ.

  “They do have more than one song, Frankie. I think that’s part of the reason they call it a dance.” Grim gave me a crooked smile, and I rolled my eyes and laughed.

  “You’re right. Now that you have me out here, Mr. Grimsby, what do you plan on doing with me?” I asked, doing my best sultry impersonation. His eyes snapped from playful to something else in a moment. It shocked me. I’d never seen that look in his eye before, but I liked it. I had a little stomach flip and my heart sped up. His hand was there on the small of my back as he took my hand in his and lifted it, spinning me around. I burst out laughing.

  The purple skirt of my dress fanned out and I steadied myself, pressing my hands against his chest. The music switched to a slow song, and people on the dance floor started pairing up. I could feel his heart pounding against my hands. Without warning, he dipped me, and I wrapped both hands around the lapels of his jacket.

  “I’ve got you, Frankie.” He said, straightening, taking me with him, staring into my eyes. I slid my hands from his lapels to behind his neck, locking my fingers there. We swayed together with my hands itching to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. This was better than any high score I’d gotten in my video game tournaments. That song flowed into another, and we stayed on the floor. In our own little bubble, talking and swaying to the music.

  “You’ve never been camping?” he asked, looking at me like I had two heads.

  “You’ve met me before, right? Do I seem like the camping kind of person? There might not be any internet and where will I plug in my computer?” He spun me around before I landed against his chest.

  “Camping is amazing. Lying out under the stars. Fresh air. I’m going to take you camping.”

  I laughed. “Good luck with that.” No way in hell was I ever sleeping outside only to be attacked and devoured by swarms of bugs.

  I was dancing with Grim, and I didn’t feel like a total idiot. With his arms wrapped around my waist, we danced almost the entire evening. We left a couple of times to grab some food and a drink, and then we were back at it. Fast song. Slow song. It didn’t matter. Grim found a way to keep his hands on me. Whether it was on my back, my shoulder, or holding my hands. We were practically inseparable and I was on cloud nine.

  The DJ turned on the mic. “This will be the last dance. I hope you all had a great night.” The slow melodic tune brought everyone out to the floor. A couple guys tried to cut in, but the laser glare he leveled at them made each of them back off. I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

  “Territorial much?” I said, gulping down a bottle of water.

  “Did you think I’d let someone steal you away for our last dance?” He spun me again. I wouldn’t have thought he’d be such a good dancer, but I guess it made sense. He was lightning fast and nimble on the field, and it translated to dance moves.

  I stepped in closer, and wrapped my arms behind his neck, but this time I leaned in close. My cheek was right against his. His stubble scraped against my skin, and I sighed. I didn’t want the night to end.

  “Thank you! The food there was good, but this pizza…this pizza is life,” I said, biting into my second slice. People glanced at us all decked out in our dance attire, sitting on the picnic tables outside of Romano’s Italian Eatery. He’d been skeptical that this pizza required a special trip, but when he went up to order another large, I knew I had him.

  “You’re right. Damn, this is good,” he said with his mouth full.

  “Triple meat. Triple cheese,” I said, humming as I ate. “I told you.”

  “You did.” He glanced over at me and stared. My stomach did a somersault, but then I worried it was something else other than my wonderful company. I
reached up, wiping at my face with an already-greasy napkin.

  “Do I have something on my face?”

  He shook his head, snapping out of his daze. “No, nothing on your face.”

  We packed up the food and headed back home. I didn’t want the night to be over. At the gate to my house, I leaned across Grim’s lap to punch the code into the security box at the front gate. He sucked in a sharp breath as I stretched out to touch the keypad with my hand resting on his thigh. I met his eyes, our faces only inches apart.

  “Sorry, I guess I’m kind of in your lap, huh?” I said, falling back into my seat. Grim just made a noise like something was stuck in his throat. The lights were off on the veranda. Maybe everyone was asleep. What a stroke of luck that would be.

  Grim jogged around the front of his car, the headlights bathing him in light. He definitely looked good in his dress shirt and suit pants. He’d draped his jacket around my shoulders as we left the dance. The car door came open easily this time, and he helped me out and up the stairs to the front door.

  I fidgeted with my bag as we stood there. I really hoped none of the family were watching this through the security cameras. Was he going to kiss me? My racing heart turned into a thundering herd of wild horses running across a desert plain.

  “I had a really great time tonight, Grim. Thank you for asking me,” I said, picking an imaginary piece of thread off his jacket.

  “Thank you for saying yes. I had a great time too, Frankie.” He took a step closer. I peered up at him and stepped a little closer. He slid his hand along my neck, his thumb running along my jaw. The rough pad of his thumb glided across my skin. A tremble ran through me as his lips got a bit closer to me.

  He dipped his head slightly, and I leaned up ever so slightly. He slid his hand behind my neck, pulling me to him. His soft lips landed on top of mine, and his pepperminty flavor hit my lips.

  He brought his hand up and gripped my hair at the base of my neck. A thrill shot through me and I gasped. My lips parted, and he didn’t hesitate, delving deeper into the kiss. I’d been kissed before, I wasn’t that much of a dork, but this was different.

  It was like he was claiming my mouth, nipping my bottom lip and making my skin tingle. He wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me even tighter against his chest. I sank even deeper into the kiss. I wanted him to push me right up against the side of the house and keep this going. I wanted to feel his hands on my legs, running all over my body. My core throbbed as my fingers traced the muscles of his back.

  The porch lights clicked on, and I let out a groan, breaking the kiss and stepping back, completely out of breath. I glanced up at the door, my heart racing for a different reason. Getting caught making out with Grim on the veranda by my parents, or worse, my brothers, was not my idea of a good end to the night.

  I turned back to Grim.

  “They’ll be out here soon, checking up on me. I had a great time,” I said, feeling a flush in my cheeks. It wasn’t the kind from before, when I couldn’t keep my hands off him. Embarrassment decided to pop its head in to kick me off kilter. Had I really just done that? Wait until my gamer girls heard about this. They were going to think I was a total liar.

  “I did, too.”

  “Goodnight, Grim. I’ll see you later,” I backed up until my back hit the door. I glanced up quickly before I turned the knob and pushed my way inside the house.

  “Night, Frankie,” Grim said, backing down the steps. I closed the door and leaned against it, touching my fingers to my lips. It was a night I’d never thought would ever happen. Star football player and all-around great guy, Grim, took me to the dance and kissed me.

  Were we dating? Was this just a onetime thing? I tried to shut my brain down and just enjoy the moment. Stop analyzing, Frankie. I couldn’t wait to see him on Monday.

  4

  GRIM - THEN

  Showing up to school, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. When I showed up at her house, I thought it was going to be a clusterfuck. Most of the guys on the football team weren’t scholarship players, which was shocking considering how good we were.

  I figured once Frankie figured out I wasn’t on her level, it was going to be the night from hell with her trying to bail. Goes to show how much I knew about anything. She’d been the same Frankie I saw every day in school. Scratch that, not the same—the Frankie I knew did not give me wood with just a look, although she could now.

  The minute I stepped off her front porch at the end of our date, nothing else mattered. Not my shitty car. Not football. Not the empty beer cans and bottles I had to step over when I got home. Nothing other than her smell that lingered on my skin and the feel of her on my lips. That was all that existed until I got to school Monday morning. I didn’t want to text her over the weekend and freak her out. And when I asked her out again, I wanted to do it in person. Make it something really special. She deserved that.

  I drove into the lot at school, my engine rumbling, but I didn’t care. My assigned spot was taken by an Audi Roadster. There were times I thought coming to Havert Prep was a mistake. Most football players on winning teams were treated like gods, or at least treated like more than the hired help. While most people were nice, so many of the guys on the team were total assholes.

  They used me, and I used them right back. I was set to graduate with nearly straight As, and while I wasn’t in the honors classes with Frankie, it meant I’d be able to write my own ticket to pretty much any college I wanted. I found another spot in the back next to the other beat-up cars and spotted Frankie’s VW Beetle.

  Looking at it, I realized I was an idiot. It wasn’t an old clunker like mine. It was a fucking vintage VW Beetle convertible. Not a dent or ding. Perfect paint and a shiny bumper. She parked it along the back of the lot like everyone else with normal cars. I’d never paid attention before, but I was sure as hell paying attention to anything that had to do with her since the moment she opened her front door. I nearly broke out into a jog across the parking lot. She was in school already, which meant if I was fast, maybe I’d get to talk to her before homeroom.

  I stopped short while walking past the chem lab and spotted Frankie in there, looking the same as she always had. T-shirt, jeans, braid over one shoulder, and her navy backpack on both shoulders. She’d never looked more beautiful. I’d lifted my hand to open the door when she took her backpack off and dropped it onto the front desk, and the teacher came around and looked like he was helping her with something. I could wait. Didn’t want my eagerness to freak her out. Hell, it was freaking me out.

  My locker was right around the corner. I’d run and get my books and then double back. Hopefully, she’d be done by then, and I’d get to walk her to homeroom. I shook my head. Damn, I had it bad.

  Maybe this could actually end up as something real. I’d be going to wherever recruited me for college, but I didn’t care. We might only have the rest of the school year together, but we could make it work. I hated how far ahead of myself she had me thinking. Calm the fuck down.

  “Did you guys see Frankie at the dance?”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up the minute I heard her name. I wrenched my locker door open. Chief fucking prick, the head football coach’s son, stood holding court with his cronies and their girlfriends next to his locker, a few down from mine. The only reason he rode the bench versus never being on the team in the first place was because of his dad. At least his dad cared enough about winning not to put him in the games. But that didn’t stop him from pretending to be the big shot football player in the halls, and no one called him on his shit.

  “Hell, yeah. Who knew that hot body was hiding out under all her geek shit?” someone else piped up. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath.

  “I don’t think she looked that good,” one of the girlfriends said, and I gritted my teeth. She looked fucking amazing. Anyone who thought differently was a moron.

  “Not as good as you, babe, but we’ve never seen her look like that.
Well, except for that one time.” They all burst out laughing. What the hell was that about?

  “I totally thought she was a dyke,” someone sneered, adding to the piles of hatred I already had for them. I could not beat the shit out of them. I repeated this over in my head. My fingers tightened around the locker door. I grabbed whatever books were on top. I wasn’t even paying attention to what I was doing at that point.

  “She looked like she was having a fun time with Grim. Maybe she could have a fun time with me,” chief prick said, cupping his dick. I pushed my head into my locker to stop the rage building in my throat from breaking free.

  “You’d think Grim would have had better taste, but maybe he figured she’d be an easy lay.” Their voices all blended together into a cacophony of assholes. If anyone laid a hand on her, I’d rip his dick off and serve it to him.

  “Oh yeah, she was having a great time slumming it with Grim. If he weren’t a football player, she wouldn’t have given him the time of day,” someone said.

  “Did you see his car? I mean she drives that old Beetle, but that thing he drives is a piece of shit.” A peal of laughter came from the group.

  The metal dug into my palm before I slammed the locker door shut. Knocking someone out and losing my scholarship would be a one-way ticket to ruining all the hard work I’d put in, but my blood boiled. I needed to get out of there.

  The loud metal on metal, far louder than everything else in the hallway, drew their attention to me. A few of the guys ducked their heads, pretending like they hadn’t seen me. Nothing existed in their world. Not even people standing less than ten feet away. I shoved the books into my backpack before slinging it over my shoulder.

  I’d dealt with their shit for too long. I was used to it, but I didn’t appreciate what they said about Frankie. One of the cheerleaders, the queen bitch, sauntered over to me. I’d kept my distance from her for the past two years. The last thing I needed to do was get mixed up with a territorial, rich, entitled chick.

  I knew she was bad news from the minute I made my first interception and touchdown, and she declared that she’d be ready for our date the following day. That was over two years ago, and she was still waiting. She stepped in closer, and I backed up until my back hit the lockers.