All of Me

Chapter 17

Karen breezed into the school office Monday morning, spoke to the receptionist and made her way to the teachers’ lounge area. She stopped short upon seeing Damian, along with Kyle and two other teachers. He stood there pouring a cup of coffee. No matter what he wore, the man looked scrumptious. It was the first time she had seen him casually dressed at school. They had student assemblies this morning, and he mentioned that everyday attire seemed to be less intimidating for the kids. Kyle was similarly dressed in jeans and a pullover shirt.

She went around the corner to check her mailbox and came back to the lounge. Just as Karen entered, Nikki swept past her and latched on to Damian’s arm. It took everything within Karen to ignore the infuriating woman.

“Mr. Bradshaw, I’m glad I caught you before school starts,” Nikki all but purred. “I wanted to know if you and Mr. Jamison plan to incorporate my suggestions into the new plan.”

“We’ll review all the staff suggestions,” Damian said. “You’ll receive a copy of the policies once they’re finalized.

Karen seethed inside, but to Damian’s credit, he smiled but didn’t show any reaction to the obvious flirting.

He turned Karen’s way with another smile. “Morning, Ms. Morris. How was your weekend?”

Giving him a dazzling smile in return, she said, “It was wonderful. And yours?”

His smile inched up higher. “It was the best weekend I’ve had in years,” he replied, searing her with his gaze.

Her nipples tightened, and her core pulsed. “Um...that’s great. I’ll see you later.” She turned and fled.

Melissa intercepted Karen on her way out. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

“Sure,” she said, trailing Melissa to her office.

Melissa closed the door, placed a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. Pointing a finger at Karen, she asked, “What the hell is going on with you and Damian? And don’t try to tell me it’s nothing. At the training on Friday, I picked up some serious vibes between you two, and that little show a minute ago... Girl, the way he looked at you, I expected your clothes to melt right off you.”

Karen dropped into a chair and ran a hand across her forehead. “It’s him.”

“Him who?” Melissa asked, puzzled.

“Damian...from the cruise.”

Melissa slapped a hand over her mouth. “No way,” she whispered.

“Yeah. Way. When I saw him the first day of that training, I almost fainted.”

“This is so unbelievable.”

“Tell me about it.”

“So, are you, like, a couple now?”

“For now.”

“That is so cool. What do you know about his friend Kyle? He has the smoothest walnut-brown skin and most kissable lips I’ve ever seen. Those neatly done twists and pierced ears give him that sexy-with-a-dangerous-edge kind of look, don’t you think? Ooh, and don’t get me started on that body. Did you see how his shirt is clinging to all those muscles?”

Karen laughed and stood. “I don’t know anything except they’ve been friends since they were kids.”

“Well, now that you have the inside track, maybe you could hook a sister up.”

“You are truly crazy, Melissa. On that note, I’m outta here.”

“One more thing. You’d better watch your back. If I picked up on those vibes, Nikki has, too. She’s looking for any little thing to make you look bad.”

“I know. She’s already tried.” At Melissa’s curious expression, Karen told her about the confrontations between Karen, Damian and Nikki.

“I hope you’re not letting that witch interfere in your relationship. Damian is right. There are no rules against what you’re doing.”

“I know, but we’ll see.” She’d caught Nikki’s gaze as she left the lounge. The woman had sent Karen a look that, if looks could kill, would have had Karen at the nearest mortuary purchasing a burial plot.

* * *

That afternoon the secretary called her room and asked Karen to stop by her desk after school. Hmm. She’s never done that before. She hung up, still curious, and went back to her students. When school ended an hour later, she dismissed her class and went to the secretary’s desk.

“Hey, Terri.”

“Hi, Karen.” Terri handed Karen an envelope. “This came for you from the district office, marked urgent.” She glanced over her shoulder, leaned forward and lowered her voice. “One came for Nikki, too. I hope she didn’t get the job. She acts like she knows everything and doesn’t know squat,” Terri added, rolling her eyes. “Are you going to open it?”