Sinful

ARABELLA

Imade a mistake. A big one. All I can do is carry on like it never happened, starting with Helen’s advice.

Trying to avoid Romain isn’t easy. I see him everywhere, in hallways, classrooms, and dormitories. And it’s just like Helen said, he owns the school. The other students seem to revere him. Teachers pretend he doesn’t exist. And from what I can gather, he has his club—a group of guys that dominate the school with him.

The worst is, every time I see him, he catches my eye and smirks at me. And always, my body tightens, and my face blooms red as a fire engine under his scrutiny. I look away and ignore him or try to.

He tries to approach me several times, and like a deer about to be roadkill, I run.

I’m not proud.

But maybe if I pretend it never happened, It’ll go away—he’ll go away. One school year before he graduates and goes off to college. One year is all I have to endure.

My dirty little secret from a lifetime ago.

I manage to go three full days of my new job before I bump into him in the hallway on my way to lunch, or should I say, he strides right up to me and pulls me into the boys’ toilets and slams my back against the wall.

All the breath knocks out of my lungs. He sears his lips with mine. That forbidden time that I can’t allow myself to ever think of again comes crashing back. The kiss lights me ablaze and draws a moan from deep inside.

No. We can’t.

I try to push him off. He’s stronger than me, pinning me in place while his tongue delves inside and spins my world upside down.

I struggle, yanking a hand free, slapping him across the cheek.A light slap, but effective all the same.

“What the fu—” He pulls back and stares at me, deep blue eyes cutting into me, glinting like sapphires. “Crazy bitch, what was that for?”

“You attacked me.”

“Bullshit. You’re avoiding me,” he hisses.

“I’m not,” I say, breathing fast as I glance around. Thankfully, all the cubicles are empty. We’re alone. I turn to Romain, and my heart breaks. There was a reason I couldn’t leave him. Not even my stepfather threatening to cut me off could get me to leave him. Just my mother begging me on the phone to come home one last time. I had to get my things. I had to get the money she promised me to fix all my problems. I was going to come back.

I waited until he was fast asleep to sneak out.

But…

I never went back.

Romain’s eyes narrow. “You’re embarrassed about what happened, aren’t you?”

I let my gaze fall back on him. For all my pretending he doesn’t exist, I’ve been longing to burn every aspect of his features into my mind all week. I give into it now, my words coming out harsher than I intend. “What happened was wrong.”

“Wrong?” he scoffs.

Younger, he looks younger. How could I have mistaken him for anything other than a boy? Was it his clothes back then? His hair at the time was different too.

“It shouldn’t have happened.”

“You didn’t seem to be upset at the time.”

“You tricked me. You said you owned the hotel.” He smirks. “I do own it. My father owns it and almost every fucking business from here to London.”

“You were too young.”

He runs an eye up and down the length of me. “I’m older now.”

I shake my head. “And I’m a teacher here. I could get in trouble for just talking to you like this. Do you know what I had to go through to get this job?” It’s all I have left to defend myself with.