Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
Valentin’s pulse was already racing before the pretty little science teacher faced him with the damp paper towel.
Her gaze landed on his chest first, pushing his heartrate even faster. When she raised her gaze to his chin, her tongue darted out and swept across lush, rosy lips.
Valentin swallowed hard with a groan. He’d never been so tempted to kiss a woman as he was at that moment. He wouldn’t have far to go. She was so close he could feel the heat radiating off her body.
Or was that his heat? God, he was on fire.
She reached up, her elbow brushing against his bare chest, sending a spark of electricity ripping through his entire body and sending signals south. His groin tightened. If she got much closer, she’d soon discover just how much effect she had on him.
Ouida Mae touched the damp paper towel to his beard and gently wiped at the paint. “It’s not coming off with water.” Reaching up with her other hand, she captured some of the hairs in his beard between her fingernails and pulled them to the end of the short strand.
“There.” She smiled briefly. “Got that bit. I forgot how bristly a man’s beard felt.”
A stab of something sharp pierced Valentin’s chest. Something that felt a lot like...jealousy?
No way.
But when he thought of the petite teacher running her fingers through another man’s beard, his gut clenched. “An old boyfriend?” he asked, not that he had the right to know.
She laughed. “My first boyfriend, when I was four years old.”
He blinked. “A four-year-old with a beard?”
Ouida Mae shook her head. “No. My grandfather. He pretended to be my boyfriend and took me on my first date. He wanted to set the bar for my expectations of future dates.”
“Smart man.” Valentin could picture a tiny, redheaded four-year-old with a name bigger than herself, all dressed up to go out with her grandfather.
The mental image almost made him reconsider his moratorium on children of his own. He’d want to continue Ouida Mae’s grandfather’s tradition of taking his granddaughter or daughter out on her first date. It was quaint, and something every good father should do to set the example of how a man should treat a woman.
“If you’ll have a seat, I’ll get the paint out of your hair.” Ouida Mae waved toward one of the metal and plastic chairs placed around the tables.
Though he was perfectly capable of getting the paint out himself, he obediently pulled a chair out and sat.
Ouida Mae stepped up in front of him, her knees brushing against his. “Lean your head forward,” she instructed.
Standing, Val was at least a foot taller than the science teacher. Seated, his gaze was eye-level with her breasts. Tipping his head forward, even slightly, gave him a view into the cleavage of her button-up blouse.
If he were a gentleman, he would close his eyes. No matter how quaint and morally correct her story of her grandfather setting the bar was, Val couldn’t resist studying the gentle swell of feminine skin and the taunting peek of a lacey pink bra. The science teacher had a saucy, feminine side Valentin wanted to explore.
While Ouida Mae scraped her fingernails across strands of Val’s hair, he sat on his hands to keep from reaching out and resting them on her hips.
“Just a little bit more,” Ouida Mae said.
Val opened his mouth to tell her she’d done enough. His cock strained against his denim jeans, making him very uncomfortable. If she didn’t step back soon, he’d physically set her back and hurry from the room before she saw the raging evidence of his desire.
“Ouida Mae!” a voice called out across the room. “Thank the mother, you’re all right.”
Val glanced up as a small young woman with long, wavy dark hair and exotic coloring sailed into the room.
He smiled when he recognized his teammate Rafael’s wife, Gisele, who happened to be the granddaughter of the local Voodoo queen. He’d been at their unusual outdoor wedding with Johnny, Gisele’s pet Macaw, in attendance.
Gisele ground to stop in front of Ouida Mae and flung her arms around her. “Rafael and I just got back from New Orleans when I heard what happened here yesterday. I can’t believe your classroom was attacked. Are you okay?” She leaned back, her gaze sweeping over Ouida Mae. “Did he hurt you? I heard about Jonesy. I hope he’s all right. I heard they transferred him to New Orleans last night. Had I known, I would’ve stopped by before heading back to Bayou Mambaloa. Talk to me. What happened?”
Ouida Mae laughed. “I’ll tell you as soon as you let me.”
“I was just so worried.” Gisele drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll be quiet now. Tell all.”
Ouida Mae gave Gisele the short version of the story.
Gisele shook her head. “Wow. That’s scary. I’m glad he didn’t come after you or your student. And what’s with all the vehicles in the parking lot?”
Ouida Mae smiled. “A lot of people showed up to help put my classroom back together before school on Monday morning.”
Her friend’s eyebrows rose as she glanced toward Valentin. “Why are you two here instead of in your room?”
Ouida Mae’s cheeks blossomed pink. “I got paint in Valentin’s hair.” She tipped her head toward Valentin. “But I got the majority of it out. You can put on the shirt now,” she said to him. “I’ll wring out your other shirt and put it through my washer this evening. I can get it back to you on Monday when you come to work.”
“What do you mean when he comes to work on Monday?” Gisele asked. “Did you hire him as a bodyguard?”
Ouida Mae quickly shook her head. “No. Principal Ashcraft hired him as a PE teacher, Misty Sutton’s temporary replacement. Misty won’t return to work until the attacker is captured and put away.”
Gisele grimaced. “Seems a bit like overkill, if you ask me.” She gave Valentin a wry grin. “Hey, Valentin.”
“Good to see the newlyweds are back in town,” he said. “Who was keeping Johnny company while you and Rafael were in New Orleans?”
“Lena, my part-time assistant, takes care of Johnny when I’m not there,” Gisele said.
Valentin grinned. “I heard Rafael taught Johnny some new words.”
“Yes, he did.” Gisele’s lips pressed together. “Every time I walk into the shop, Johnny gives me a wolf whistle and says sexy mama. ”
Ouida Mae laughed. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were.” Gisele’s disapproving frown turned upside down. “Although, it is kind of cute. Johnny took to Rafael from the beginning. He didn’t bite him like he’d bite other men.”
Valentin chuckled. “Glad to hear they’re getting along.”
Gisele’s eyes narrowed. “Speaking of getting along...” Her gaze bounced from Ouida Mae to Valentin and back. “You seemed to be getting along really well before I interrupted. Anything I should know about?”
Ouida Mae’s cheeks again filled with color. “No. We just met less than an hour ago.”
“Love doesn’t follow the clock,” Gisele said, a sly smile curling the corners of her lips. “You’ve heard of love at first sight.”
“Ha!” Valentin chuckled. “In our case, it would have been love at first snake sighting.”
Ouida Mae’s cheeks grew a deeper shade of pink. “Not that we’re in love or anything. He helped me catch Houdini.”
“A case of love me, love my snake?” Gisele teased.
“We’re not in love,” Ouida Mae insisted, her cheeks flaming red by then.
Valentin felt sorry for the petite science teacher. She’d been through enough. He opened his mouth to set the record straight, but Ouida Mae’s friend beat him to it.
“Okay, okay.” Gisele held up her hands. “I’ll leave you two love birds to finish what you started.”
Ouida Mae closed her eyes, her lips moving as if she were counting to ten.
“I’ll be in your classroom with my sweetie,” Gisele said. “Glad you’re okay and your new PE teacher has you covered.” She was halfway across the room when she stopped, turned and frowned. “I guess the poker game’s off for tonight?”
Ouida Mae opened her eyes, her brow twisting. “Why would it be off?”
“Well, with everything that’s happened, I would’ve thought you’d want some peace and quiet.”
“Actually, I’m looking forward to the company,” Ouida Mae said. “It’s still on, if you can leave your new husband for a few hours.”
“I’ll be there,” Gisele grinned. “With bells on my toes. I missed my girls.”
Ouida Mae cocked an eyebrow. “Your new husband is going to let you out of his sight for a few hours?”
“He’s got a date with his teammates at the Crawdad Hole.” Gisele shot a glance toward Valentin.
“That’s right,” Valentin confirmed. “We have a team meeting there tonight. Although, poker night with the girls sounds like more fun.”
Ouida Mae’s eyes flared wide for a brief second before she said, “Sorry. We only have seating for six, and all are accounted for.”
“Even if we had the room, men aren’t allowed.” Gisele sailed toward the exit. “It’s just us girls. Where else can we talk about our guys?”
“If your poker game cancels, you could always come to the Crawdad Hole and hang with the team,” Valentin offered. “We aren’t exclusive.” He shrugged. “I get wanting company after having your safe space attacked.”
“Thanks,” Ouida Mae said, as she twisted the T-shirt, wringing out the moisture. “I’ll keep that in mind. But I’m sure the poker game will happen. It’s our girl time. We’ve been doing it once a month for the past couple of years. It’s become a tradition.”
“It’s nice to have close friends like that.”
“One of the benefits of living in a small town.” Ouida Mae hung the T-shirt over the back of one of the chairs. “I’m ready to paint walls. How about you?”
“I’m ready.” Gisele’s timely arrival had given his body time to relax. He needed to get back to work with the guys before he had any more lustful thoughts about the pretty science teacher.
He waved a hand toward the door.
Ouida Mae led, and Valentin followed, once again, enjoying the sway of the teacher’s hips.
By the time they entered the classroom, half the room had a full coat of paint. All the windows had been opened to allow fresh air in and paint fumes out.
“Love the T-shirt, Coach Vachon,” Beau called out with a grin.
“Go Gators!” a tall, thin female called out.
Ouida Mae leaned toward Valentin and whispered. “That’s Donna Durand, our English teacher. She’s single if you’re interested.”
“Thanks, but I’m not into improving my English,” he whispered back. “It wouldn’t hurt to brush up on science, though.”
“About time you got back to work.” Beau handed Valentin a paintbrush. “You can take over on the corners and around the door frames. Landry and I will be checking over the desks.”
Valentin went to work painting the hard-to-reach areas, while Ouida Mae spread wide swaths of paint over the walls, covering the angry red spray-painted messages like a woman on a mission.
When they had completed covering the walls in the soft gray color, they all stood back.
Ouida Mae sighed. “One coat isn’t enough.”
“She’s right,” Donna, the English teacher, agreed.
“Anyone hungry?” a voice called out from the hallway. A dark-haired, slightly plump young woman wearing a white apron and chef’s hat appeared in the doorframe carrying a cardboard box.
Behind her was a tall dark-skinned woman dressed to the nines in a bright fuchsia skirt suit, matching high heels, with bold, shiny gold and silver bangles on her wrists and a chunky gold and silver necklace around her neck. Her fingernails were an inch and a half long and matched her pink, gold and silver outfit.
The chef gave the room full of volunteers a cheerful smile. “Lunch is on Baked with Love, and the beautiful, LaShawnda Jones.” She entered and moved aside to allow the other woman in.
LaShawnda carried a large paper bag in one hand and rolled an ice chest on wheels into the room with the other.
While Valentin rushed forward to relieve the chef of the heavy box, Landry and Beau hurried to help LaShawnda with her items.
Ouida Mae hurried to hug the chef. “Ah, Amelie, thank you so very much.” She hugged the other woman. “And LaShawnda, you two are too kind.”
LaShawnda patted Ouida Mae’s back carefully and straightened. “I’m no good for painting, but I brought drinks and chips. Amelie brought the good stuff.”
Amelie’s cheeks flushed a pretty pink. “It’s just sandwiches and cookies. The point is we all help where we can. So, please, eat up.”
“Yes, please.” LaShawnda patted her flat belly. “And don’t leave a single cookie behind. My waistline can’t afford it.”
“That’s very nice of you,” Principal Ashcraft said. “You can make use of the faculty lounge if you’d like.”
“Personally,” Ouida Mae said, “I’d like to sit outside and soak up some sunshine.”
“And fresh air,” Valentin added.
“I’m all for fresh air,” Landry pinched the bridge of his nose.
Ouida Mae frowned. “Will the paint fumes dissipate before Monday?”
“It would be best if we could leave the windows open and fans blowing air through them,” Valentin said.
“Don’t we have some big fans in the gym we could place in here over the weekend?” Ouida Mae asked the principal.
Ashcraft nodded. “We do.”
“After we finish all we can do in here, our guys will move the fans into this classroom,” Valentin said.
The principal frowned. “But that means we need to leave the windows open for the rest of the weekend.”
Remy Montagne passed through the door into the classroom. “We can have our guys do shifts to keep an eye on the classroom until Monday morning.”
“Oh, Mr. Montagne, you know the school can’t afford to pay you,” the principal said. “The Brotherhood Protectors have done so much already; I’d hate to ask for more.”
“You don’t have to ask.” Remy glanced around the room. “Do I have any volunteers to set up guard duty for the rest of the weekend? I can take the midnight to six o’clock shift.”
One by one, the other man of the Brotherhood Protectors raised a hand offering to fill another six-hour shift until all hours were accounted for until Monday morning. Valentin tried to take the last shift, sliding into the start of the school day on Monday.
“No way,” Remy said. “You’re going to need your wits about you come Monday morning and the students arrive.”
“But—”
Remy raised a hand. “No buts. You’ll need to be well-rested to manage a bunch of teenagers. They’ll be extra everything, having a new PE teacher. You, my friend, are off the hook for guard duty.”
Valentin didn’t like that edict for two reasons, the first being that if his teammates had to pull guard duty, he felt that he should as well. Second, he didn’t like that he had to consider the students as “extra.”
Extra annoying.
Extra dramatic.
Extra hormonal.
Extra trying.
Extra hard to manage.
“Are some of us still on for the meeting at the Crawdad Hole?” Valentin asked. Though he’d rather play poker with the girls, one in particular, he could use some relaxation time with his friends.
“Damn right,” Landry said. “I’m on duty at midnight. I’d like to catch a shrimp po’boy sandwich and a beer.”
“I’m in,” Landry said.
Beau raised a hand. “I’ll be there.”
“Since I’ll be wifeless tonight,” Rafael said, “I’ll be there.” He stood with his arm around Gisele’s waist. “Although why she would think spending the evening with a bunch of women is preferable to being with her extremely handsome husband who loves her dearly….?” He puffed out his chest and angled his chin like a model for an aftershave commercial.
Gisele elbowed him in the ribs. “It’s only a few hours. I’ll be home before midnight.”
Rafael leaned down and pressed a kiss to Gisele’s lips. “My mind will be consumed with you the entire time.”
“Ha! I know you. Out of sight, out of mind.” Gisele’s lips twisted. “Your thoughts will be redirected by the burger and beer you’ll consume with your buddies.”
The loving smile Rafael gave Gisele tugged at Valentin’s heart. He had never seen Rafael as happy as he was now that he’d found Gisele and convinced the independent business owner that he was the man for her.
Valentin had always shied away from commitment, much like Rafael had in the past. However, his friend had proven that it only took the right woman. Gisele was the right woman for Rafael.
Before he realized it, his gaze shifted toward the woman who had splattered paint on his beard. Was there a right woman for him?
Ouida Mae smiled at something Gisele said. Her glance shifted to him. When their gazes met, Ouida Mae’s cheeks flushed a pretty pink, and her green eyes sparkled.
Yeah, Valentin would much rather go to the girls’ poker night than drink beer with his buddies at the Crawdad Hole. He stood back while the volunteers and his teammates selected a sandwich, a drink, some of Amelie’s famous cookies and headed outside.
He and Ouida Mae were the last two people left in the classroom, with only one sandwich remaining in the box.
Ouida Mae chuckled. “You take it,” she insisted. “I have food in the refrigerator in the teachers’ lounge that I can eat.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said. “You should have the sandwich. Besides, I’m trying to watch my girlish figure,” he said with a smile. “And I’ll be gorging on shrimp po’boys and fries this evening. It’ll be a carb overload.”
Ouida Mae smirked. “You don’t have an ounce of fat on you. Girlish figure, my best Bunsen burner. There is nothing girlish about your figure.”
Valentin’s smile broadened. “So, you’ve been checking out my figure?”
Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. “It’s hard not to notice a man larger than life.” She reached for the sandwich. “Tell you what, we can share the sandwich. It’s too big for me to eat all of it anyway, and there are plenty of cookies left to fill us up.”
“Deal,” Valentin said. “Grab a drink; I’ll grab the cookies.”
They collected food and drinks and headed outside to the picnic benches near a sandpit with a volleyball net stretched across the center.
Ouida Mae found an empty space at the end of one of the picnic tables big enough for two and slid onto the bench.
Valentin dropped down beside her, his thigh brushing against hers. That spark of awareness ignited the blood in his veins, sending it hot and fast southward to his groin.
Ouida Mae unwrapped the sandwich and spread the paper out. The sandwich had been cut in two, making it easy for them to share. She took the smaller half and pushed the other toward Valentin.
If the sandwich was good, Valentin wouldn’t remember it. Not with his leg pressed against Ouida Mae’s beneath the table. All he could think about was how warm and soft it was and how it would feel to have both of her legs wrapped around his waist.
Was it a bad thing to be having carnal thoughts about a woman on a school playground?
Principal Ashcraft emerged from a side door of the school carrying a volleyball. She had changed into leggings, a school T-shirt, and tennis shoes, making her appear more like one of her students than the principal. “Anyone for a game of volleyball?”
“I’m in,” Landry called out.
“Me, too,” Beau echoed.
Before long, all of Valentin’s teammates were in the sand.
Ouida Mae consumed the last bite of her sandwich and dusted the crumbs off her fingertips. “Do you play?”
Valentin had finished his sandwich and was chewing on the last bite of his cookie. He swallowed. “I’ve played it a time or two.”
“Then come on.” Ouida Mae hopped out of her seat and hurried toward the sand court. “What’s it to be? Guys against girls?”
LaShawnda held up her hands. “If I hadn’t just had my nails done, I’d join you.”
Ouida Mae grinned. “Not in that amazing outfit—nails or not.”
LaShawnda gave her a crooked smile. “True. I have to show a house in an hour. You all play.”
Valentin counted. “That’s seven men to five women.”
“We can take you,” Principal Ashcraft said, bouncing the volleyball on her wrists.
“That’s too many on our team,” Remy said.
“Okay, then,” Ouida Mae said, “we’ll take the tall guy.”
The man chuckled and herded Gerard to the other side of the net where the woman had taken positions, with Principal Ashcraft in place to serve first.
“First round as warmup,” she called out and performed a neat underhanded serve.
Remy bumped the ball to Landry.
Landry set to Valentin.
Valentin hit an easy spike over the net to the back row consisting of the principal and the two shortest players, Ouida Mae and Gisele.
Ouida Mae bumped it to Amelie, who set to Gerard.
Gerard had never been the fastest or best when he played volleyball with the rest of his teammates, but he was the tallest. He easily spiked the ball straight down on the opposite side of the net.
Valentin dove and bumped the ball into the net. It bounced back at him. He ducked, and Beau set it to Landry, who went in for a killer spike. The ball landed outside the sand pit.
Donna Durand retrieved the ball and tossed it up and down in her hands. “Warm enough?”
Everyone nodded.
“Let the visiting team serve first,” Principal Ashcraft said.
Donna tossed the ball to Remy. He performed an overhand serve, not too hard, not too soft. Gisele bumped, Ouida Mae set to Donna.
The tall, thin English teacher leaped into the air and spiked it.
Four of the six men on the other side of the court dove. The ball hit the sand in a gap between them.
Remy’s brow wrinkled. “Fellas, I think we’ve been conned. Our opponents have some skills.” He tossed the ball to Principal Ashcraft. The female team, plus Gerard, rotated.
Ouida Mae served a hard overhand that flew straight at Remy’s head.
He ducked, apparently expecting it to fly outside the court. It skimmed over his head and dropped inside the boundary.
Valentin grinned.
No need to go easy on the “girls.”
“Game on,” he said softly but loud enough for his teammates to hear.
For the next thirty minutes, they played a rousing game of volleyball. The women won by three points.
“I’d say we let you win, but it would be a lie,” Remy said as he shook hands with the principal. “Good game, Principal Ashcraft.”
“Joyce,” she corrected. “Thanks. Your guys were worthy opponents.” She tipped her head toward Gerard. “And thanks for the added team member.” She patted Gerard on his back. “You can play with us anytime.”
“Good. I like being on a winning team,” he said with a smirk.
“Traitor,” Lucas called out.
“You have to admit my team was better looking than yours,” Gerard said, a grin spreading across his face.
“He’s not lying,” Beau said.
Rafael stood beside Gisele, his arm encircling her waist. “Agreed. I’d play with them anytime, especially this one.” He nuzzled Gisele’s neck. She tipped her head up for a kiss.
“Come on, Romeo,” Landry said, “we have another coat to apply before we can adjourn to the Crawdad Hole for an evening of beer, burgers and bullshit.”
They gathered their trash and made their way back to the classroom.
Valentin caught up with Ouida Mae. “So, what’s the scoop? Were we playing the Olympic sand volleyball team, or what?”
Ouida Mae laughed out loud. “Of course not. However, Principal Ashcraft did play a starting position on her college team, as did Donna. Gisele, Amelie and I played competitively on the Bayou Mambaloa High School team. We took it all the way to State and won the State Championship in my senior year.”
By the time the guys finished painting and setting the usable desks and chairs in place, the ladies had tacked up informational posters like the periodic table, the different layers of the earth’s crust and muscles, tendons and bones of a human body. The whiteboard had been scrubbed clean and rehung in its place on the wall behind Ouida Mae’s desk. Her metal desk had been stripped of red spray paint and moved back in position.
The glass man had been and gone, replacing the broken window with a fresh, clean pane.
Ouida Mae stood at the door. The tears welling in her eyes worried Valentin.
“Did we get it right? Is there something still out of whack?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. Everything is perfect. Even better than before the incident.”
“Then why the tears?” he asked.
“Other than Sophie, none of the other students have to see the horrible words that were spray-painted on the walls.” She looked up at Valentin with a watery smile and then around the room at the other. “Thanks to you, your team and the ladies who helped make this happen, I can resume teaching where I left off on Friday as if nothing happened.”
The men had positioned the fans in the room and were about to turn them on when sounds of chanting filtered through the open windows.
“What the hell?” Remy muttered.
Principal Ashcraft strode to the window and muttered a mild curse under her breath. “It’s Katherine Edouard and her most rabid PTA moms.”
Everyone in the room gathered around the windows to watch as Mrs. Edouard led a small group of women up to the schoolyard, carrying homemade signs proclaiming sex education should be taught at home, not at school.
A van pulled up behind them. A pretty blonde got out carrying a microphone. A cameraman exited the side of the van and followed her toward the marching women.
“Great.” Principal Ashcraft turned to Ouida Mae. “As much as the kids need your instruction on sex education, I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone Monday’s lesson. I’m sure the school board will want to have a say once they see our school plastered all over Louisiana news networks.”
Ouida Mae’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Understood.”
Valentin shook his head. The look on Ouida Mae’s face spoke volumes. He could tell that she hated caving into a self-righteous mama.
More than that, she hated that the students wouldn’t get the information they needed to make more informed decisions.
Witnessing the dynamics among parents, teachers and administration further drove home the realization that Valentin wasn’t ready or mentally equipped to face classrooms full of hormonal teenagers…or worse...their parents.