Falcon (Trinity Academy 1)

“You’re bribing me?” Wow, I didn’t see that coming. I thought we were past all of that and we were becoming friends.

“Ignore Mason and Falcon. We’re not going to tell anyone,” Lake answers me.

“Thanks, Lake,” I say, and feeling confused from the hot and cold behavior I’m getting from Falcon and Mason, I walk toward the park where Kingsley is waiting.

That didn’t help at all. Now I’m more worried about my secret than before I asked them.The rest of the week went by without anything out of the ordinary happening, which I’m super grateful for. I’m back into my routine, and I haven’t heard any more rumors about Grayson’s leaving or about the so-called relationship Falcon and I have.

Yeah, right. If anything, he’s only been ordering me around more. Every single day I have to run to the library for him, and at the rate he’s ordering coffee, I’m pretty sure he’s going to overdose on caffeine soon.

My phone beeps where it’s on my dresser, but I first finish pulling on my jeans before checking it.

Come shine my shoes.

I swear I can feel my one eye starting to twitch as my temper sizzles to life.

Shine his damn shoes? What the hell do I look like?

“Yeah, I was wrong. He’s still a jerk,” I grumble as I shove the phone into my pocket and leave my room so I can go up to his suite.

After getting in the elevator, I scowl at the numbers as they climb higher.

I seriously need to talk to Falcon about this assistant thing. It’s starting to interfere with my study time.

Stepping out, the frown on my face grows with every step closer to his door. By the time I reach his suite, I’m so damn annoyed, I bang on the door.

The door’s yanked open and Mason glares at me. “What crawled up your ass?”

I take a deep breath, trying hard to reign in my temper while I match Mason’s dark look with one of my own. I don’t bother answering him and step inside the suite.

“Just shine them here. I need them in ten minutes,” Falcon says while coming out of a room on the left side of the suite.

My lips part and I forget to blink when my gaze lands on him.

It’s moments like these I wish I had a photographic memory. Bare chest. Snap. Suit pants, unbuttoned and hanging loose on his hips. Snap. Snap. Bare Feet. Snap.

Sigh. He might be a jerk, but he’s one hell of a hot jerk.

“Layla?” Falcon slightly tilts his head, and the corner of his mouth begins to lift.

Ugh, then he adds the sexy smirk.

I begin to blink rapidly and glance around the room. “Where are the shoes?”

Falcon gestures in the direction of the lounge, and I notice the brown leather box on the coffee table.

“Don’t scratch them.” With the warning, Falcon goes back into his room, giving a quick view of his well-toned back.

Damn, those shoulders.

Mason lets out a smirk while closing the door. “You have some drool there.”

“Huh.” I glance up at him with a frown and stupidly wipe over my mouth with the back of my hand before I realize he’s pulling my leg.

Well, that wasn’t obvious at all. Way to go, Layla.

I sit down on the couch and pull the box closer. When I take the lid off and see the shoes which don’t have a speck of dust on them, I grumble to myself, “He’s just baiting you, Layla. Don’t fall for it.”

I glance at Mason, and when I see him smirking at me, I pick up the one shoe and make a show of blowing the invisible dust off it, before doing the same with the other shoe.

I cover the box and get up. “All done.” Waving at Mason with a smile on my face, I walk right by him and let myself out.After having to clean Falcon’s already pristine shoes, which must cost more than my entire wardrobe, I’m not really in the mood for a party.

I’ll just make an appearance for Kingsley then go crawl into bed and binge-watch a show.

I take the short route to the main building, past the back of the library. The second I step onto the paved path a couple of meters from the entrance of the hall where the party is being held, I come to an awkward halt.

A girl glides past me, dressed in nothing short of a ballgown. As my eyes flit from one student to the next, I gulp because they’re all dressed in formal wear.

Ahh…

Shit.

I hear someone laughing to the right of me, and feel like dying of mortification when I see Lake and Mason walking my way.

“Don’t laugh,” I scold them. “I’m dying of embarrassment here.”

Stopping next to me, Lake places an arm around my shoulder. He presses his lips together, and his eyes begin to water from the effort to not laugh right in my face.