31. Delilah
Chapter thirty-one
Delilah
“ A ll right, girls! We will go from the top and full-out, please! No marking anything... I’m sure Delilah is tired of running the number constantly,” Madam A remarked, crossing her arms as she looked at us, and I sighed.
All of the girls gave me side glances, but I ignored them as I got into my starting position. We were back in our regular routines, and unfortunately, it was eight in the morning, and we had been in this room since six.
Our schedules changed for the next three-month semester, and we all had to endure Madam A early in the morning two to three times a week until our break in August.
Eventually, the fast-paced ballet music started, and I quickly began my opening routine. Soon, we were all in sync, and towards the end, we slowed, and the song came to an end.
“So that is all for today. I’m sure you all are tired. Many of you have a class scheduled soon, so I suggest you run along now.”
We bid her goodbye as we went to the locker room for our showers.
Stretching my arms and wrists as I walked to my locker, I heard someone call my name.
“Delilah...” she said, and I turned to see one of the girls from the class.
“Natalia, right?” I addressed her, and she nodded as she crossed her arms like I was the last person she wanted to see.
“I just wanted to congratulate you on the beginning solo that was given to you by Madam Alexandrova.” She spoke with much sarcasm, and I shrugged.
“Thanks, I guess.”
“It’s not like we were expecting anything else. Madam A is not exactly… discreet about her favorites,” Natalia muttered as she went over to her locker.
I rolled my eyes as I opened mine and grabbed my towel. “If you have a problem with me, just let me know,” I muttered, and she scoffed.
“Of course I have a problem with you. Or shouldn’t I? It could make me a bit of an outcast to dislike the new royalty of the school... No idea what Luca sees in you,” she muttered and walked away into the showers.
I sighed heavily as I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and made my way to the showers on the opposite side of the room.
I entered and was relieved that I was the only person there. Going into one of the stalls, I tried to force myself to relax my mind and muscles under the running water.
I was already used to this treatment. People always assume that I’m stuck up or full of myself when it couldn’t be farther from the truth—continuously having to find a way out of my father’s shadow and make a name for myself. One that wouldn’t have me labeled as a spoiled daddy’s girl.
After a few more minutes, I stepped out of the shower and walked to my locker. Once I opened it, I rolled my eyes and pushed my hair out of my face.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whispered as I frantically looked through my second school bag that had everything but my school clothes inside.
It wasn’t the first time something like this happened. Coming in before sunrise can take a toll on a person, and I guess luck wasn’t on my side today.
I checked the time to see I was already running late for class, and my relief from earlier vanished as I was the only one in the locker room. I could throw on my dance clothes, but that would just defeat the purpose of the shower I had taken. Holding the towel around me, I huffed as I approached the exit.
I was sure I left my clothes in Madam A’s office, which was thankfully only a few feet away and around the hall. It’s still early. Everyone should be in class, the professors will understand, and it will be quick.
This should be easy.. .
I braced myself and opened the door as I made a run for her office. She was thankfully now teaching a class, and with the spare key on the top of her door, I quickly entered and grabbed my bag before slamming the door shut.
Running back towards the locker room, I felt like I was about to cross the finish line as my heart raced. However, in the midst of that race, I imagined running into a brick wall as I turned the corner and virtually froze at the sight before me.
“Well, this is entirely unexpected,” I heard Luca say at the end of the hall with his other teammates, all in their fencing uniforms. They stopped walking and stared at me as if I was a circus act waiting to perform, and my feet stayed glued to the ground as the feeling of embarrassment went through my entire body.
Eventually, a few of the guys averted their eyes, and Luca gave me a small smirk as if he was happy that I’d caught myself at this unfortunate point. I gave them my best forced smile as I inched slowly to the girls’ locker room.
“Hey, guys. Really, really wish I could stick around.”
Luca tilted his head with a smile still on his face. “Leaving so soon, doll? I thought ballerinas knew how to put on a good show.” He bit his lip and looked me up and down. A few of the guys did the same and I immediately felt like dying in that moment. “What do we think, guys? I mean, we’ve already seen the opening act. Why not stick around for the encore?”
I heard more footsteps behind them, and I grimaced when I heard Sterling’s voice.
“Doll?” he said, and he and Archer made their way to the front of the group where Luca stood. The look on Archer’s face screamed anger, and I gulped slightly as the forced smile on my face faltered.
He stormed over to the locker room and ripped open the door.
“Get in,” he demanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.
I bit my lip as I scurried over, avoiding his intense gaze.
Luca’s voice followed us, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Gosh, Archer, with the way you’re acting... someone might’ve suspected you two were together.”
Archer looked down at me once again, and I walked into the room without question. He closed the door behind him, and I placed my bag down as I watched him from across the room. He didn’t say anything as he rubbed his temples and his eyes were closed.
“I... forgot my clothes out in Madam A’s office,” I whispered, and he chuckled.
“I could tell that you did, Delilah; I think all the guys could.” He approached me slowly, and I bit my lip again.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you.”
He smirked as he caressed my face with his hands. “You have no reason to be sorry. You simply forgot, Princess. I’m not upset, I’m fucking enraged, and that is only because I don’t want a bunch of guys looking at what’s mine. So, upset at you, I am not. Upset at the situation? That I am.”
I placed my hand over his and shrugged. “Good to know what it feels like to have a boyfriend who is jealous of other guys.”
He shrugged as he placed a kiss on my lips. “Well, now that you know the feeling, get used to it.” He winked, and I pushed him away as I grabbed my things to get dressed.
He stepped out of the room as he bid me goodbye, and I hurried to put my clothes on so I could at least get to half of the class that I already missed.
My phone buzzed, and I picked it up only to see a message from the last person I wanted to hear from today.
Calvin: Hello, Kitten. Today is your first day. Make a good first impression and don’t be late.
I sighed as I put the phone down. It looked like a harmless message, but knowing Calvin, this was much more of a threat than a note of good luck. My heart raced as I continued to realize my mistake of not even telling Archer that I would be working for him soon. So, upset at you, I am not. Upset at the situation? That I am. I couldn’t blame him if he didn’t give this same attitude towards me working for him... but I would hope that he did.
Sitting in Calvin’s office was always a new experience. Right now, I was organizing a few documents in his file cabinet as Andrew tossed a stress ball in the corner while looking out of the window.
Calvin had stepped out of the room to go get Archer and introduce him to his “new assistant,” and I was literally counting the seconds, hoping that all hell didn’t break loose. To relax my mind, I walked over to Andrew, and he side-eyed me as I did before looking back out of the window.
“Mr. Crawford?” I started, and he now gave me his full undivided attention as he gazed back over to me.
“Yes, Ms. Russel?”
“What are you looking at?” I asked, and he chuckled.
“The real question is who I am looking for... but I can’t tell you that. All I can tell you is that he stresses the hell out of me,” he said, looking back out of the window, and I made a face.
“And you expect to see him while we’re more than forty floors high?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not at all. The bastard is sneaky, but I’ve got eyes and ears all over this building and street... I’ll see him soon enough.”
I looked away from him as I walked back to my section. That wasn’t at all awkward.
Soon enough, the doors opened, and I stood as Calvin and Archer stepped into the room.
“Archer, because Killian and I are in a bit of a disagreement, Delilah has graciously offered to help me in return for giving her father sanity. And because you’re backed up with the work I’ve given you... She’s all yours .”
Archer only stared at me with an emotionless expression before he stepped out of the room with a sigh.
I quickly followed after him, ignoring his father and Andrew, and he opened the door to his office, allowing me to go in first. I stepped inside, and he walked to his desk as he leaned against it.
“You don’t seem to know how to play your cards right, Princess. Look who you ended up working for,” he muttered, and even with the somewhat stoic expression on his face, I could still see a tiny smirk on his lips. I gave him my best please-don’t-be-mad-at-me smile, and I could tell he fell for it immediately.
He made a come-here motion with his finger, and I went over. Once I was within arm’s reach, he placed his hand on the small of my back and pulled me in closer as he placed a quick kiss on my lips.
“Your father is starting to enjoy controlling every aspect of my life, and if I’m not mistaken, you seem to like it, too.”
“Well, of course I do. It would be absurd of me to object to such a fine offer from him...” He placed his hands on my hips, and I giggled as he gave my neck a small kiss. “And you heard what he said. You’re all mine .”
I pushed him away as I gave him a look. “Yeah, yeah. But what he doesn’t know is that I was actually yours to begin with, so let’s continue attempting to keep us a secret... It almost didn’t end well earlier, and I don’t want anything close to that to happen here.”
Archer gave me a look as if I was demented. “You expect me to watch you walk around here constantly acting like a tease with a flirty smile and not expect me to want to take you on my desk?” he asked as if it was a simple question, and I felt my face heat up.
I covered my face with my hands as my blush started to take over, and I turned out of his hold as I walked to the door. “We’re done with this conversation,” I muttered, and I heard his footsteps as he came after me.
“No, we’re not,” he said, and I could practically hear his smirk.
I opened the door, but he was quicker than me. He closed it and turned me as he pushed my back against it.
“Archer, we are done with this conversation.”
“Princess. You’re so adorable when you’re flustered. All you do is sit still and pretty, and you still drive me insane.”
“That’s because you are insane. It’s literally my first day on the job, and office sex is what you’re already implying. News flash, buddy: it’s ludicrous, and it will never happen.”
He chuckled, kissing my forehead as he walked back to his desk.
“You’re right. We need to do it at a sensible place first, and then we’ll see where it goes.”
I gave him a semi-disgusted face to mask my embarrassment as he sent me a wink, and I walked out of the room, rolling my eyes.
“Never going to happen,” I said before I closed the door and sighed internally. Thank God these walls are soundproof.