6. Elliot
ELLIOT
W hen class ended, I stood behind my podium until every last student exited the room.
Then I quickly moved back to my desk, where I dug through the papers until I found hers.
I tossed the rest aside as I stared at her cover page.
It didn’t have a title, which gave me no insight into what the paper was about.
It simply had her name, date, and the name of the class.
I took a deep, hopeful breath, holding it as I flipped the page.
My eyes landed on the typed-out paper, quickly skimming over paragraphs as I took it in word for word.
There before me was everything I needed.
She didn’t take the paper and just slapped a cover page on it.
No, she put her spin on things, reworded a sentence here and there.
She elaborated on a few key points, which ultimately improved the paper overall.
With my take and her take on the subject, all bases were covered.
If I hadn’t written that paper and I had just read it for the first time, I easily would’ve given it an A.
But I did write the paper, and I had a copy saved to my computer.
Saved and dated, so it was easy to see what came first, if things had to be investigated.
I knew it wouldn’t come to that, though.
I expected her to give me anything I demanded in hopes of staying in school.
I was so excited about the possibilities that my dick stiffened.
With it being a Friday and in such a good mood, I finished my day of teaching and decided to treat myself a little.
I deserved it after all, especially after putting up with entitled students all week.
I climbed behind the wheel of my Mercedes, and I left campus as quickly as possible.
I made the drive across town to my favorite steakhouse, and I headed inside to grab some dinner and a drink.
It was still too early in the day for most to want dinner, so there wasn’t any trouble with getting in right away.
I was shown to a table by a beautiful, dark-haired waitress.
Part of the reason I liked that restaurant so much was because of the uniforms the staff were required to wear—black heels, a black skirt, a white button-up shirt, and a black tie.
My eyes raked up the dark skin of her leg, over her rounded hip, and up to her chest that was threatening to bust out of her top.
She was attractive, but she was no Eve. Eve would put her to shame.
I pushed that thought out of my head.
“What can I get you started with today?” she asked, smiling down at me.
I didn’t know if she was interested or if she was turning on the charm in hopes of getting a better tip.
Either way, I didn’t give a fuck. I wasn’t the type who had to try hard to get laid, but I was the type who was probably a little too picky for my own good.
“McClelland, neat.”
She bowed her head slightly. “Right away.” She turned to walk toward the bar, leaving me to look over the menu. I decided on a steak with a baked potato, so when she came back, I placed my order and took my drink off her hands.
“I’ll get that put in for you.” She took the menu and turned away, but this time, I saw her looking back at me, as if to tell me that she was, in fact, interested. I didn’t give a shit, though. I had other things on my mind at that moment.
I planned on being balls deep inside a beautiful woman by the end of the night, but it wasn’t her. She didn’t fit the craving I had been trying to ignore. There was only one thing I wanted, and I would make her come soon enough.
Until then, I’d keep looking for just the perfect woman to keep me occupied until I got what I wanted.
I pulled out my phone to keep my mind busy until my food arrived, and then I proceeded to eat until I couldn’t hold down another bite.
When the waitress left me with my check, I noticed that she’d written her number on the back.
I smiled to myself and briefly considered asking her if she’d like to earn a bigger tip by coming outside with me, but in the end, I didn’t because I knew I’d have to wait for her to get off her shift.
I dropped two hundred dollars onto the table and left. That was enough to cover my bill and to leave her with a nice tip. I was making my way out of the restaurant when I passed by a couple walking in. The man called out my name, making me spin around to give him a double-take.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
He smiled widely as he took a few steps closer to me. “Yeah, well, I mean, you used to. I’m Tucker Bailey. We used to play baseball together way back in the day.” He held out his hand to shake.
“Of course, I remember you. How have you been?” I slapped my hand into his to shake.
“I’m good. I was just in the city for a meeting and decided to stop and grab an early dinner before my flight back home.”
“Yeah? Where are you calling home these days?”
“New York. I attended NYU and then stayed after being offered a job. What about you? What’s going on in your life? Last I knew, you left for college.”
I slid my hands into my pockets. “I’m living here in the city. I teach at CU.”
“Really? Good for you. That’s great. So, do you ever hang out with Gabe, Zack, or any of the guys anymore?”
Hearing Gabe’s name felt like a punch in the gut. “No, we all sort of went our separate ways. You know how it goes.”
He nodded. “I sure do.”
The woman who Tucker walked in with called out his name, so he glanced at her before turning back to me. “I have to get going since we’re on a bit of a time crunch, but it was good seeing you, Elliot.” He held out his hand once more.
“You too. Take care,” I said, shaking his hand and turning to walk away.
I felt every muscle in my back stiffen, causing me to square my shoulders.
My hands tightened into fists as I moved to my car, which was parked against the curb.
Climbing behind the wheel, I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in hopes of releasing some of the annoyance I was feeling.
I hated bumping into someone from my past. They always want to know if Gabe and I were still friends, and every time his name was mentioned, I couldn’t help but think of the night that ended our friendship.
I’d worked hard to separate myself from my old life.
I built something new when I took the teaching job at the college.
With as big as Chicago is, I never thought I’d bump into someone who grew up in the same tiny town as me.
I mean, what were the chances of bumping into a guy that I played baseball with back in high school?
What were the chances that the little sister of my ex-best friend would come to the same university where I was teaching?
Apparently, the odds weren’t in my favor.
I leaned my head against the headrest of my seat and closed my eyes as I tried to calm the anger inside of me.
The problem was that the moment I closed my eyes, all I could see was the memory of the night everything went to hell between me and Gabe.
His wide, panicked eyes and Rachel’s mouth that had fallen open the moment my presence made her speechless.
I shook the memory from my head, and I pressed on the brakes as I started the engine. I couldn’t wait to make Gabe pay for his crimes, and it was all falling into place perfectly. I just had to be patient for a bit longer.
I gripped the steering wheel so tightly that the skin on my knuckles turned white from the pressure.
I glanced into my mirror, and once I saw a clear spot in traffic, I stepped on the gas and pulled out of my parking spot.
I sped through the city, unsure of what it was I was doing.
I didn’t want to go home, but I wasn’t exactly in the mood to party either.
Not anymore, anyway. I felt like I’d been on an emotional rollercoaster this week. I needed to release some tension.
I drove across the city and parked in a parking garage before making my way across the street to a crowded nightclub.
I wasn’t in the mood to party, but I was in the mood to get drunk off my ass and fuck myself into exhaustion.
When the bouncer saw me approaching, he removed the red velvet rope that blocked the entrance.
“Elliot,” he said.
“Patrick.” I slipped him a twenty as I slid past, walking into the club while all the people in line bitched about being held back.
Inside, the music was loud and the overhead lights were off.
The place was lit only by multicolored stage lights that danced around.
There were bright lights behind the bar, illuminating the bottles of liquor that were on display.
Somehow, it was just dark enough and just light enough for what I had in mind.
I didn’t want to be too picky with my selection tonight.
I would settle for anyone who resembled her.
I needed her dark hair and someone who was roughly her size.
I didn’t want to take her home either. I wanted to fuck her hard and fast, and then I wanted to walk away and never see her again.
Usually, when I’d go to the club, I’d go directly to the VIP area and I’d stay there, but those women wanted too much. At the very least, they wanted to be taken back to my place. I wasn’t in the mood to wine and dine anyone.
I stayed in the lower level of the club because the women there were usually a little easier to convince to go outside with me. Outside, bathroom, dark corner, whatever worked in the moment.