He gives a harsh laugh as he runs his hair through his hands. “Is that all you care about? Fuck me. I thought you were different, you know.” The dark look he gives me makes me shiver where I stand, trapped against the bathroom wall. He steps closer, and I get a lungful of his expensive cologne. He brushes a lock of my hair out of my eyes. “After you left, I couldn’t get you out of my head.” His fist clamps shut as he grabs a handful of my hair. I stare into his hooded eyes. “You are the only woman to ever run away from me.”
He jerks my head back softly and bends down. This time the kiss is gentle, exploring, a sweetness after the storm. I let him devour me, heart and soul, for a split second, before the sane part surfaces.
I will lose my job.
My stepfather will disown me.
I will end up back in Pinehill.
Slowly, I push him away, a firm hand on his chest. “We can’t do this. Romain. I’m sorry.” I extract myself from his grip. He doesn’t stop me. He just frowns. “Don’t try to speak to me again.”
I don’t look back as I leave the bathroom.
We never swapped numbers,but the next day, I get a message from an unknown sender:
Meet me by the old chapel tonight, after dinner.
I know who it’s from. I stare at it for as long as my conscious will allow, and then I delete it—it never existed. I don’t meet Romain in the old chapel. I avoid him, which isn’t hard, given I mostly teach the years below him.
If I do see him around campus, not looking at him is the only way to get through the rest of the week. He’s usually surrounded by his lads and one or two girls who seem to fawn all over him and two other boys. Girls are a new addition to the school in recent years at the behest of the local founding families. I ignore the slight edge of irritation weighing heavy in my gut when I see those girls hanging off him.
He was just a fling.
He should be with girls his own age.
I try to forget the multiple orgasms he gave me.
I try to forget what I did...
To forget him…
By Friday, I’m on edge. Romain hasn’t tried to message me again, but I spend most last day before the weekend only half-listening to the other teachers as they gossip about the students at break times. And every lesson looking toward the door, waiting for the deputy head to show up and fire me. Why wouldn’t he tell them? He might do it out of spite.
“Miss. James?” I jerk my attention to Mr. Glover, who is giving me a puzzled look as he pops his head around the door. “Classes finished half an hour ago? What are you still doing here?”
Hiding from Romain?
I look around the empty room. Since it’s the weekend, students have already gone home or back to their dormitories if their families live too far away.
“I’m just about to leave,” is all I can say, gathering my wits about me.
“Itching to get home?” he asks, coming into the classroom fully.
“I’m staying on campus on weekends.” The last thing I want to do is go home.
“Ah, right. You seem in a daze. Are you okay?”
I blink at Mr. Glover as he gives me a kind smile. The biology teacher is one of the few who treats me like I belong, along with Helen. Most of the others view me with a kind of distance like I’m not going to last. Even though Helen said they have no idea who I am, it grates me that they’re right. I don’t belong here. I’m just like these boys at this posh school, using my family connections to get ahead.
“Arabella?”
I smile at Mr. Glover. “I’m fine. Just lost in thought.”
“You’ve been stuck behind the four walls of this school too long.”
“I’ve been here a week,” I exclaim.
“Exactly,” he smiles. “Far too long. This place can grind you down if you’re not careful. You’ve got plans this evening, right?”