Billie
A tap at my door, and my stomach twisted, but I shut that crap down. “Come in.”
The door creaked open, and LJ actually had to dip his head to come into my office, the TA office door frames sized to accommodate most people.
Lance Johnson wasn’t most people.
He sauntered in during my office hours, black jeans sagging low and university hoodie pulled up over his head. He tugged the hood down, a wash of restless blond hair he fingered through. “Sup? You wanted to see me?”
Not really, but considering I didn’t have a choice, I approached him with a paper in my hand. It had his extra credit assignment on it.
An assignment I’d been forced to give him.
Honestly, I thought Professor Douglas had been joking this morning when he’d approached me about needing to come up with a way to allow LJ to make up for his, quite frankly, piss-poor job on his midterm examination. It’d been like he hadn’t attended class at all, let alone watched the films there. I’d seen him in lecture, but since he hadn’t really come to recitation all term, aka my class, he hadn’t been able to expand on any of the conceptions. He couldn’t answer why the class was watching the films assigned, so therefore, that bled into the performance on his midterm examination. A C grade had been generous and add to the fact that he basically wasn’t coming to a third of his classes by not attending mine, his grade had tanked. This was of no fault but his own, but for whatever reason, I got to hear about it this morning.
LJ turned the paper around. “What’s this?”
“Your extra credit assignment.” Saying the words physically boiled my blood, the crow I was eating able to feed a small village. I folded my arms. “Though, you shouldn’t be surprised, right? You have spoken to Professor Douglas, haven’t you? A way to make up for your term grade thus far?”
Professor Douglas had been unreasonably livid at me, the distinguished professional basically two seconds away from losing his shit. He couldn’t fathom how LJ’s grade could have possibly happened.
“You must not be following my direction in regards to the students.”
He’d actually said that to me, and I’d seriously looked around to see if I was being Punk’d. This guy standing in front of me now had literally dug his own grave with his grade, and I’d been punished for it. I bunched my arms. “So now you have to give me a ten-page essay on the film we watched this week in class.”
LJ analyzed it long and hard before dragging those his eyes up at me. “When’s it due?”
“Two weeks. That sound like enough time for you?”
A smirk touched those pretty lips, but he did tuck the assignment into his back pocket.
“So if we’re done then—”
Apparently not with me, LJ’s fingers wrapped around my arm, tugging me back, and the audacity floored me. I ripped my arm away, immediately putting space between us. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t touch me just now. Let you walk away?”
The threat in my voice was clear, but for whatever reason, his fingers came to find my sweater. A bunch and he had me smacked hard against his chest, another and he backed me to the wall. Before I knew it, he had his lengthy arms positioned on either side of my head.
“How about this?” he asked, running his nose along my cheek. I twitched, and he smiled. “We going to pretend I’m not doing this either?”
I swallowed, but I didn’t relent, immediately recognizing his challenge. “What in fuck’s name do you think you’re doing?”
“Trying to figure something out.”
“What?”
His mouth hovered over mine, my whole body quivering as I couldn’t figure out whether to sock him in his face or knee him in his balls. I chose neither as he honed in, silky blond lashes fanning above his crystal blue eyes.
“How far you’ll let me take this,” he stated, his voice gruff as he encased nearly my entire waist with his hands. He wet his lips. “Tell me something, beauty queen. Did you push me off you that night at my house because you felt you had to or because you wanted to?”
His hand massaged my waist and my tummy quivered, my mouth burning as I recalled that night. Frankly, I’d tried a lot not to think about that night and that kiss he had no right to take. It had taken effort not to think about it but I did it. I refused to give in to him.
“I have a boyfriend.” My throat constricted as my jaw trembled. His hands still on me. My eyebrows narrowed. “And you’re an asshole.”
A husky chuckle as he passed cool breath over my mouth. Mouthwash and something spicy, cinnamon and orange zest. An aftershave or something. Hands left my waist as he bit his lip, palms on either side of my head again. “I noticed you didn’t answer the question.”
“And I noticed.” I paused, throwing hands at his chest. He barely moved, the guy a mountain. “You can’t take a hint. Not to mention you slept with my mom, you dick.”
I still got shivers thinking about that, and though Mom hadn’t mentioned seeing him again, that didn’t mean he hadn’t. The whole thing was a complete violation and…
Like stated, I had a boyfriend.
Thoughts of Sinclair took my brain, and I tried to keep them there, LJ’s smile wide. He tucked his hands under his arms, still way too close for my liking. He leaned in. “I haven’t seen your mom in that way since that morning. We had a fun time, and that was it. She’s moved on. I’ve seen her at other parties. It’s cool, and you are talking about everything else but what I asked you.”
His hand encased my throat, and I jabbed at him. “Stop.”
“I want you to admit it,” he hummed, my windpipe jumping in his hand. His eyes burned like blue fire. “I want you to quit dancing around it and tell the truth. Admit that you didn’t want that kiss to stop that night. Admit that you don’t want this to stop now.”
His hand ensnared my wrist, and he jerked me up against him, my legs shaking as I grappled his hoodie just to hold on. He was hard everywhere, and I could feel every inch of him. Even through his thick hoodie.
“You’ll be holding your breath,” I cut, working my wrist away, but he handled me again, my fist in his hand.
“I’m going to have fun breaking you, beauty queen,” he threatened, dragging my knuckles across his lips. Heat seeped directly into my digits, the peek of his tongue hardening my nipples. I wanted him to stop. I wanted to knee him right in his balls and tell him to get the fuck out of my office.
“What’s going on here?”
But for some reason, I only forced him away at the sound of a voice, my boyfriend’s voice.
Sinclair, in his suit for a day at the office, stood in my door frame, his hands in his pockets. He’d texted that morning saying he’d be meeting me for lunch. His morning meetings were going to be wrapping up early, and he wanted to see me.
I just hadn’t thought it’d be this early.
It couldn’t even be eleven yet, but still. He was here. He frowned, and I realized how much space LJ and I didn’t have in proximity to each other. He was still all up on me, hadn’t even moved despite me pushing him away.
I backed up, moving to my desk. I put a hand out to LJ. “He came by for some extra credit.”
Sinclair knew LJ was in one of the classes I TA for. In fact, I was sure he knew to the point where it was ad nauseam. Especially in those first few weeks of classes. I’d bitched about my situation more than once after that day LJ had embarrassed me in front of the whole class and even more so that LJ was arrogant enough to think he didn’t have to show up to recitation. Sinclair had heard it, a running joke at the dinner table between us.
But no one was laughing now, LJ’s hands sliding into his pockets as he watched this tension back and forth. He looked about two seconds away from grabbing a tub of popcorn, wetting his lips a little. “Yeah, extra credit.”
Sinclair rocked back on his patent leather shoes. “Interesting way to do it.”
LJ did almost laugh then and mortified, I raised my hands. “I was giving him an assignment.”
“Yeah, looked like it.” His gaze transferred over to me. “Anyway. You done now, or can we go to lunch?”
A lot sat underneath that tone and more than I wanted to deal with in front of LJ. I cut him a look. “Get it done and on time.”
“Sure thing.” He took it out of his back pocket for emphasis, but upon passing a simmering Sinclair, he stopped. “Good seeing you at the party the other night, bro. You coming again soon?”
Since I didn’t know what the hell that was about I shifted my gaze to Sinclair, the guy suddenly averting his eyes.
Ignoring LJ, he squeezed them before looking at me. “I may have stopped by the other night.”
“Other night? Where? His house across the street?”
Grumbling a little, Sinclair nodded. “Uh, yeah. One of the partners wanted to stop by. Got an invite out of the blue.” He panned to LJ, eyes cold. “Wasn’t there long. Came to your house after actually.”
“Which night?” Because he hadn’t mentioned a damn thing, and the last time he’d been to my house was last week. He said he’d been busy, working.
A sigh before Sinclair worked his jaw. “Last Monday. Like I said, it was quick.”
“And you were supposed to be working.”
“I was, babe. I went after.” He lifted and dropped his hands. “Like I said, a partner wanted to go so I took him. I felt obligated. It wasn’t a big deal and definitely nothing to be getting excited over. I told you. I came to your house after.”
If it wasn’t a big deal why hadn’t he mentioned it? I didn’t understand, nor why he seemed to not be able to find my eyes now. A sight of clear and distinct red crushed this guy’s cheeks, frustration causing him to scrub into his hair. He appeared terse and agitated; meanwhile, I’d been the one who was lied to. I stayed silent since we were still in the presence of LJ, the guy standing in front of us like he actually might pull out that popcorn tub. In the end, he decided not to, stating he’d catch me later.
LJ bowed to Sinclair along the way, and the look my boyfriend tossed back was nothing but cold. He faced me after LJ closed the door, his arms folded.
“I think we need to talk,” he said, again not looking at my eyes, and all I could do was lean back against the desk. Usually when anybody said that, it wasn’t good.
At least whenever I’d used the words in the past.