“I want to show you off, sweetheart.”
It had been tighter and more revealing than I would normally wear, the dark fabric hugging every curve and the back dipping to just above my butt, and I’d spent much of the evening trying my best to cover my body. Still, it made him happy, and I was determined to do that, knowing how wonderful he could be when he was in a good mood.
Despite my discomfort, I was relieved to find Davis was full of cheer and humor. He’d held me to him and kissed my forehead throughout the gala that followed the awarding of the prizes. We’d made love that night in the hotel’s king-sized bed, and he’d been tender. “This means big things for me, Naya. Big things. I’ll help you get there, too.” He’d seemed genuine, and I’d thought he meant it.
I shook away the memory and didn’t click on the article. Instead, I scoured the results for any recent TU references and found none. What the hell are you doing back here?
I glanced around my office. I’d spent so much time alone in this room over the last six years. The keyboard under my fingers, the scatter of the light as it filtered through the blinds in the morning, and the way the old building creaked late at night were all as familiar as my childhood home. The job could be demanding, but it wasn’t just that. In my little office, I could control things. I’d let those four walls become my whole world, and I didn’t know who I would be without them.
Two
The sun set over the Chicago skyline, and the smell of basil and garlic hung faintly in the air from the pasta my best friends had prepared for dinner. At Aaron and Felicia’s kitchen table, I was still mulling over the potential cuts, Joe’s bombshell about Davis, and those damned boat shoes.
“What’s up with you tonight, Nay?” Aaron took a swig from his beer when Felicia went upstairs to put their oldest to bed.
My mind had wandered, and I jerked my gaze up from where it had landed on my old friend’s chest.
“Eyes up here, pervert.” He covered his torso with splayed fingers. “You haven’t had any action in a while, but that’s no excuse to objectify me.”
“Sorry, but Felicia wouldn’t mind sharing.”
“I know. The only way my wife would ever agree to a threesome would be with you.” He gave a full-body dramatic shudder, and I threw a balled-up napkin at him.
Aaron and I had met freshman year and shared one painfully awkward date, complete with an uninspired, fumbling lip-lock. That was before he asked out my best friend, I gave her my blessing but warned her to not expect much, and they ended up married with three kids. “You’re an ass.”
“You love me. But seriously, why so distracted tonight?”
I’d joked with them about Quinton or Quenton. As a high school teacher, Aaron liked exchanging student stories. “I’m still annoyed about that kid today.”
Aaron’s tone sobered as he ticked off his fingers for each new point. “Cocky, self-assured, dismissive, the polo shirts. Sound familiar?”
I reflexively touched my left wrist. “It’s not that.”
Since leaving the classroom earlier, the memory had crept alongside every other thought. A few months after we started dating, I’d been excited Davis wanted to see me teach—he was taking an interest in my work, and as a professor with more experience, he could give me pointers. I’d been lively and engaging with my students in ways I hoped impressed him. I was so naive. When class was over, he’d strolled to the front of the room, his expression impassive when I asked, “What did you think?”
He didn’t answer immediately, but reached for my hand and brought it to his lips. The gesture was soft, but his tone was steely. “You were flirting with the male student in the front row.”
“I wasn’t. I would never.” I tried to pull my hand back, but he gripped it firmly.
“I was sitting right there.” He’d twisted my arm behind my back, slamming it into the wooden podium with a fast jerk, and I yelped. To anyone walking by, it would look like he was hugging me, but pain radiated up my arm from the impact. “You practically fell into the kid’s lap.” His face inches from mine, he’d pecked the tip of my nose with a smirk as he twisted my wrist with more force. He dropped a kiss to my mouth after that, biting my lower lip before sucking on it.
“You’re hurting me, and people are right outside.”
After a moment of tense silence—the only sound the ticking clock—he’d laughed, a small caustic sound. “What? You worried they’ll lose respect for you? Believe me, if you always act like you did today, they already have.” He’d released my arm, letting it fall at my side, and told me he’d see me after work, walking out like nothing had happened.