The Bad Guy

The bell rang, pulling me from my thoughts. If I wanted to help Mint, then I needed to get back to the city and have a chat with his uncle. I pulled up Link’s number and texted.

Are you up for another visit this weekend? Maybe we can get together with some of your work friends.

My classroom door opened, and the students streamed into the hallway, their backpacks slung over one shoulder as they chatted and laughed. The phone vibrated.

Link: I’d love to see you. But since when do you care about my work friends?

I might as well tell the truth.

Since Minton Baxter started acting out in class. I’m hoping his uncle might know what’s going on with him.

Once the last student left my room, I went back in and closed the door behind me. It was my free period before lunch.

Link: A recon mission. And here I was hoping you just wanted to see me.

I frowned and sank into the chair behind my desk.

I do want to see you, but I’m multi-tasking.

The three dots jumped at the bottom of the text box. Disappeared. Then jumped again.

Link: All right. I’ll see if I can set up drinks Friday night. Sound good?

Relief washed through me. He wasn’t mad.

Thank you. Yes.

Link: I’m looking forward to seeing you.

Me too.

I stowed my cell phone and listened to the noisy students mill around in the hallway until the bell rang. The school quieted, though I could distinctly here Dr. Potts next door giving a lecture extolling the beauty and simplicity of the quadratic formula for finding any solution. I wished it would solve the problems that meandered around in my head. Whether to take my relationship with Link further, what to do about Mint, and the biggest problem of all—why I found my thoughts straying back to Sebastian Lindstrom whenever I had a free moment.

I shifted in my chair, my memories of him making me uncomfortable and warm at the same time. Closing my eyes, I pictured him, the sharp line of his jaw, the imposing weight of his voice. The way he’d held me as we danced, as if I were a lifeline. Link hadn’t cared for the way Sebastian looked at me or the dance we shared. He kept his jealousy in check, making jokes about how odd the CEO of Lindstrom was, the rumors that swirled around his love life. Link posited that Sebastian was gay, which explained why he was never seen with women. But that dance told me different. Sebastian was a lot of things, but gay wasn’t one of them.

A sharp rap at my door made me jump. The wood swung inward on a squeaky hinge, and Gregory waltzed in, his eyes on the stack of mail in his arms.

“Jeez, Gregory. A little more warning next time.” I stowed my thoughts of Sebastian and gave the assistant headmaster a hard look.

“Oh, lighten up.” He perched on the edge of my desk. “After all, I knocked.” He smiled, his boyish good looks overtaking my irritation.

“Did you have a good weekend?” I took a stack of letters from him and tossed them on my desk.

“Excellent. Went into the city on a blind date. Came out of it sore but satisfied.” He winked.

“Did he have potential at least?”

“For long term?” He scratched his clean shaven jaw. “Not even close. I’d have to be a power bottom to keep up with him. I’m more of a ‘lay on my stomach and let him have at it’ sort of bottom. One night only, my dear. And stop trying to distract me. You spent the weekend with Link, right? Some company function? Did you get down and dirty? Give me all the icky hetero details.”

I glanced to the door. “Keep it down. Just because you’re living la vida loca doesn’t mean I want everyone to know about my sex life.”

Gregory had been out since high school and had no qualms being himself even in the stuffy atmosphere of Trenton Prep. He’d been a good friend to me since the day I’d arrived, fresh-faced and ready to shape the youth of tomorrow.

“I’ll keep it down, but give me the details and leave nothing out.” He pointed a thin finger at me. “Nothing.”

I plucked at the high collar of my forest green dress top. “No, we didn’t…” I fidgeted. “You know.”

“You denied that handsome man again?” He straightened his already perfect bowtie. “If he were batting for my team, I’d already have taken him on a tour of everything this toned body has to offer.”

“That’s you. I’m a little more cautious.”

“He’s perfect for you. Tall, handsome, rich family, big hands, good hair, and I can tell you right now that he’s got it where it counts.”

Crimson flamed through my cheeks. “You mean—”

“A package, yeah. He’s got a big one.”