DECEPTION : (A student/teacher romance)

The way Matt keeps straightening his shirt has my eyes narrowing. “He likes the buttons in line with my zipper,” he clarifies, as if sensing my eyes on him.

I choke on thin air. Jesus fucking Christ, he’s serious. Just how controlling is this prick?

“You can hang your jacket on there.” He points to the hook beside the door, and I shuck off my leather jacket and hang it, then glance down at my signature white T-shirt and jeans. My combat boots are at least laced up and my T-shirt is clean, despite the way my tattoos give the opposite impression.

Maybe I should have researched their family life more than I did. I never delved into the background of their dynamics, and now I’m realizing what a mistake that was because there’s so much more at play here, and I don’t like the unknown.

The family photos in the foyer have my jaw aching from clenching it so tight. The life in Hallie’s eyes isn’t there, her gaze despondent, and she’s not the girl I know and love. “That’s my mom.” I turn to face Matt, and a flush creeps over his cheeks. “She’s your English teacher, right?”

“You never said,” I quip back. The accusation in my tone makes me wince because of how unfair I’m being with all the information I’m holding close to my chest.

“I’m sorry. I just …” He shifts from foot to foot. “Some people want to be my friend because of my mom, ya know?” The redness in his cheeks deepens, and I take pity on him.

“Your mom’s hot, and you wanted to make sure I was in it for the right reasons, I get it.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “You do?”

I throw my head back on a chuckle. “I do. She’s smoking.” My eyebrows dance, and he gives me a shove.

“Ew, shut up, that’s my mom.”

“Matt!” a deep voice ricochets off the wall, and he turns on a wince and his face falls, making every cell in my body come alive for retribution.

“Coming.” My best friend swallows hard before tilting his head toward the door. “Come on. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” I’ll fucking bet he doesn’t.

I grit my teeth as we head toward what I’m guessing is the dining room, and when Matt stops to knock on the door before entering, I almost stumble into his back.

“Enter.”

Christ. I roll my eyes at the prick’s ostentatious rules. Just who the fuck does he think he is?

Matt opens the door, and I swear I can feel the frosty atmosphere in an instant. The room is deathly silent, with no warm welcome or camaraderie like I have with my father and brothers. It’s like they’re strangers, and when my eyes land on the pompous prick that is Gerrard Davis, it takes everything in me not to launch myself across the table and take him out. His broad shoulders fill his shirt, and his hair is cropped in what I can only describe as a military fashion. The way he sits at the head of the table, like he’s something of importance, makes me want to chuckle at his self-arrogance, but I refrain from doing so, letting Matt lead the conversation.

“Who’s this?” He flicks his finger in my direction without so much as giving me any attention. Big mistake.

Matt shuffles beside me. “He’s my friend, Dad. I asked if I could bring someone to dinner.”

“Mm …” He drags his finger over his top lip. “I don’t recall you asking.”

“I did. I wouldn’t just invite someone over.” He shuffles from foot to foot.

Gerrard barely gives me a second glance. “Do I know you from somewhere?” Then he turns his attention back to Matt, inspecting him up and down with a sneer.

“Probably.” I lift a shoulder, a smile playing on my lips.

“You can take that seat, Roc, next to my mom.” Matt gestures toward the second seat along the table that would position Hallie next to Gerrard. Not. A. Fucking. Chance. Instead, I move around the table and pull out the chair beside Gerrard and slide onto it.

Gerrard releases a low growl, and I ignore it while nonchalantly strumming my fingers against the wood of the table.

An awkward laugh leaves Matt as he takes his seat, and we wait for Hallie to arrive.

“Your mother’s late again.” He grits the latter out, making me want to draw my knife and carve into his perfectly crafted face.

“It’s not even seven yet,” Matt states, and I want to fist bump him for sticking up for Hal.

“She’s pushing it fucking close, and she knows how damn angsty I get with poor timekeeping.” His hands ball into fists, and that action has the hairs on my neck standing on end.

Matt glances my way and rolls his eyes, and I smirk back at him.

The door opens, and all the air is sucked from my lungs as she appears. Her beauty is captivating, and her bubbly personality is radiating. My heart hammers at the enormity of the moment as her eyes latch onto mine. Her body jerks, then her eyes flick toward Matt, and her shoulders droop and her lip wobbles. The grip she has on her purse causes her knuckles to whiten, and when her eyes fill with unshed tears, I clutch the table to stop myself from comforting her.

“Where the fuck have you been? You know I don’t like to be kept waiting!” She stiffens at Gerrard’s accusing tone, and my gaze snaps to his. Every muscle in my body becomes stiff with the pressure of staying in my seat.

She clears her throat. “My apologies.” She glances at her watch. “I’m not late; it’s not seven yet.”

“Mom?” Matt looks up to her, pleading for her compliance, and she bends and plants a loving kiss on his head before ruffling his hair.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’m here now. No harm done.”

“This is my friend, Roc.” He holds his hand out in my direction, and she makes no move to acknowledge me.

“Sit! The fucking meal will be getting cold,” Gerrard barks as he points to the place set beside me.

Hallie jumps, and her lips pull into a thin line as she heads my way. When she slides into the seat beside me, I place my hand on her knee beneath the table, and she brushes me off. Her steely glare would have any other man’s balls shriveling, but mine only tighten in need. I return my hand and squeeze her thigh in warning.

“Roc is the friend I told you about.”

“The one who always worked weekends so he couldn’t come over when I invited him for dinner?” she asks as I circle my finger over her thigh.

Matt laughs. “Yeah, him.”

The door to the dining room opens, and the servers begin bringing in the food, and I’m fucking grateful for their interruption. I lean forward and tilt my body as an excuse to whisper into Hallie’s ear. “Don’t be mad, Little Red.” My voice comes out pleading, but her jaw sharpens, and she scoffs, then turns her head away from me. The action causes a wave of sickness to settle in my stomach. I knew this would be a shitshow, but still, enduring it is something else. I can practically feel the hate rolling off her, and worse, disappointment too. “Hal?” I try again when she pushes my hand off her thigh, and she subtly shakes her head.

“Roc works on weekends, isn’t that right, Roc?”

“Yeah,” I say without shifting my attention from Hallie. The lingering feeling of anxiety looms in my stomach, and my fingers itch to force her attention back on me. To command that she look at me with that desperate, reliable, and trustful look in her eyes I’ve become accustomed to.

“I don’t approve of you wearing red, you know that, and yet you still do it simply to piss me off. Isn’t that right?” Gerrard glares in Hallie’s direction, and my spine stiffens.

“Rocco’s worked for as long as I’ve known him.” Matt cuts in and speaks louder, as if trying to divert the conversation, but Gerrard doesn’t so much as shift his attention toward him and stays laser focused on Hallie. Jesus, he pays his kid no attention at all.

“It’s good you have work ethic so young,” Gerrard says and Hallie flinches. “That way, you will be in a good position to support your wife and family.” I don’t give him my attention, too drawn to the woman beside me as I once again place my hand on her thigh, desperate to seek the reassurance of her touch. “There’s no reason why a woman should work. A man should provide for her, and she should be grateful. Of course, there’s always some selfish women with notions of equality in their head, and consequently, they abandon their responsibilities for their own selfish needs.” He continues with his drivel. “Wanting to make a show of themselves.”

His words don’t surprise me, and in all honesty, his beliefs aren’t all that much different from the Mafia’s, so I’m well aware that in this instance, we might be deemed as similar, but where my father and brothers are old school, I have modern beliefs. I’m fine with my girl working, if that’s what she wishes. However, enforcing safety in the workplace for her is another story entirely, and something I need to speak to Hallie about sooner rather than later.

“Can we not do this?” Hallie whispers toward Gerrard and just as quickly looks away. I like the fact her eyes don’t linger on him for too long, and my chest puffs out with pride at my girl.

“What? Discuss how you abandoned your son because you wanted to waste your time teaching.”

“Dad, please?” Matt implores.

“I think Hallie is an incredible teacher. The way she holds the classroom’s attention is impressive.”

Hallie jolts at my words, and I narrow my eyes. She fidgets with her hands in her lap and ducks her head, her usual confidence gone. The same woman who commanded a classroom of students is nowhere to be seen, and I hate it. When I turn my attention toward Gerrard, I finally understand. His eyes bore into her with venom, and she sits stoically still as if waiting for something.

“She holds attention all right. You and those horny teenagers probably want to fuck my wife senseless, and she delights in the fucking attention like a goddamn whore.” He slams his fist on the table, causing the cutlery to rattle.

“Dad?” Matt’s voice lacks conviction as fury floods my veins. How fucking dare he speak about her like that?

“Just telling it how it is, son. Your mother’s an attention-seeking slut.” He takes a casual drink of his scotch while glaring toward Hallie.

My body vibrates with a rage I’ve never felt before as my mind battles to stay in control, and when her soft hand wraps around my tight fists beneath the table, a calmness washes over me and I open my eyes, not realizing I’d closed them. She looks directly at me, and I see it all. She’s pleading with me not to make a scene, and I fucking hate it.

As much as it pains me to hear the vitriol roll off the fucker’s tongue, I’ve no choice but to endure it. Like she does.

For now, at least.

I exhale deeply and turn my attention toward Gerrard. “You’re divorced, right?”

His eyes snap to mine, for the first time tonight giving me his full attention, but he doesn’t speak, as if not seeing me as worthy of a response.

“Right?” I try again. “Because you called Hallie your wife, and she isn’t.” I sit back in my chair with a cocky confidence when the vein on his temple pulsates.

He breathes through his nostrils as Hallie draws circles on the back of my hand. Her touch alone gives me all the strength I need to maintain a sense of control that would otherwise be absent.

“Look, kid, I don’t know who the fuck you are, but don’t come in my house all cocky, spewing shit you know nothing about.” His glare is deadly, but I’ve seen worse. Much worse.

“Gerrard.” Hallie tries to intervene, but I squeeze her hand to stop her, even though my heart is doing somersaults for the only woman to ever put herself on the line for me.

I lean forward. “You don’t know me yet, but you will.” I smirk back at him.

His eyes narrow as he leans forward. “Is that a fucking threat?”

My smile grows wider. “A promise, Gerry.” I wink.

He flinches at my nickname for him. One I know he hates.

It’s the same one my brothers use to ridicule him.

His face reddens and his nostrils flare. “Matt, get this piece of shit out of my house,” he spits out, and I chuckle at his outburst. “You, stay the fuck there.” He points toward Hallie, and my body locks up tight. There’s no way I’m leaving her here.

“I have nothing to discuss with you, Gerrard,” she snaps.

He leans over the table, his stare menacing. “Well, I’ve a lot to discuss with you. Starting with the welfare of our son, or are you choosing to abandon your responsibilities again?” The spite in his tone is evident, and she flinches, making me want to take my knife to him as punishment.

She blows out a deep breath, then bends down, fumbling with her purse on the floor. “Please go.” I shake my head, my molars grinding. Then she casts her eyes up toward me, and the truth in them strikes me hard. “For all our sakes.” She glances toward Matt, who is now waiting for me at the door. The poor kid looks like he can’t get the hell out of the house quick enough.

My reluctance drops, and I gift her with a nod. As she turns away from me quickly, I don’t miss the flash of relief on her pretty face. Gerrard is too busy staring at my girl’s tits to notice our exchange, and I fucking hate it.

I hate this.

But I stand and head toward the door.

For Matt.

For Hallie.