Teach Me

“All right. I guess that clears everything up.” She stands from behind her desk. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” I agree, and Sadie leads me out of her office.

I pull out my phone and order a ride and then debate if I should go home while I wait. When the car pulls up, I end up going to the library first and then staying there until they close.

While I’m there, I’m able to get a nice jump on my upcoming assignments. Doing my schoolwork is the only thing that keeps my mind from going to Reese. While everything might have been cleared up with my job, there is still the problem of him being my teacher.

I’d sent an email about transferring out of his class on the drive over to Heaven’s Door. Their response was almost instant and told me it wasn't possible. Tomorrow I’ll go to his office and talk to him rationally. We’ll forget about what happened and move forward.

His comment about Frank paying for my time still stings. A small part of me hopes that was jealousy and not him not actually thinking I do that. There’s nothing wrong with the work, but it’s not who I want to be because it hits a bit too close to home.

When I see the door to my room up ahead, I can’t help the yawn that escapes me. My stomach rumbles with hunger, but I ignore it. I’ll go to sleep and eat in the morning. When I put my key into the lock, I pause when I realize it’s not locked. I don’t get the chance to pull my key back out before the door is jerked out of my hand.

My mouth falls open when I see Reese standing in my room. He towers over me, and the expression on his face is pure anger. “We’re leaving.” He grabs me by the wrist and starts to pull me along.

“What?” I ask, tugging back. He suddenly stops abruptly and lets go of my wrist, but it’s short-lived. In the blink of an eye he’s got me in his arms, and my traitorous body begins to respond to him being so close.

“Where have you been? Don’t say work because I had someone check there.”

“Put me down, you psycho!” I shout, and when I look around I see that no one tries to stop him. The two guys in the parking lot turn away like it’s not a big deal. Assholes.

“What’s psycho is you thinking it’s okay to live here,” he growls, putting me back on my feet to open a door to a black SUV. “In,” he orders.

“Hey, you can’t—”

“In!” he bellows.

My body responds before my mind does, and I jump inside. Reese slams the door behind me, and I turn my head when I see the back is overflowing with stuff. While I’m distracted by what I’m seeing, Reese gets in and puts my seatbelt on for me and then pulls out of the parking lot before I can protest. For a big man, he really is quick.

“This is my stuff.” I reach back and grab the plush kitten my grandma had given me when I was little. I could never have a real one because my mother was allergic.

“You think I’m going to let you stay in that place? You’re out of your mind.”

“Then where am I going to live?!” I shout back at him. “Not everyone has money they can throw around on lap dances and kisses from strangers.” My jealousy slips out. Dang it.

Reese takes a slow deep breath, and I can see he’s trying to get his anger under control. “You’ll stay with me.”

I gape at him, and the inside of the vehicle grows quiet. Reese keeps his eyes on the road as I drop back into my seat, hugging the stuffed animal to me.

“I can’t stay with you,” I finally say when he doesn't fill the silence.

“Yes, you can. I have a large house, and it’s safe. The only reason you’re staying in that dump is money. My place is free.”

“Oh, I’m sure there will be a price.” I stare out the window, knowing what that price is. My mind and heart hate it, but my body sure doesn't. Why do I get off on the idea of him paying for my body? My parents really did a number on me.

“I would never make you do anything you didn't want.” I start to respond, but he cuts me off. “Sexually.”

A bark of unexpected laughter comes from me. “Why are you doing this?”

“Clearly you need someone to look out for you.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, wanting to say I can take care of myself, but clearly it’s not true. I’ve been mostly doing it my whole life since both my parents made sure I knew I’d been a mistake.