12. Elliot
ELLIOT
T he anger was back, tenfold. I wasn’t sure who I was angry at, though. Myself or her. She didn’t do anything wrong. She did everything I told her to do. Why’d she have to go and ruin shit by crying? Why couldn’t I have just let her walk out of my office without demanding an explanation?
I had a plan. I was going to use her, break her, and then deliver all the pieces to her brother for the ultimate revenge.
When I came up with the plan, I thought it would be too much to ask for her to be a virgin still, but I knew being the one to rip it all away would be the icing on the cake.
Finding out that she was still a virgin and the reason why made things hit home in a way I didn’t expect.
I told myself to stick to the plan, to stay strong.
I was struggling because strong wasn’t what I felt.
I had guilt eating me alive, and that was infuriating, but I couldn’t let go of my need for revenge.
It went further than that. I wanted more than revenge.
I wanted her. I wanted all of her firsts, and it didn’t have anything to do with Gabe or revenge.
It was only about her, me, and the way I felt when those big green eyes were on me.
I loved the high that consumed me when she looked up at me from beneath her lashes.
When she’d bite down on her plump lower lip, it was something I’d never felt before. Not even with Anna…
Fuck.
I went home that night, and I drank myself stupid until I passed out.
Even that wasn’t deep enough, though, because I dreamed of her all night.
I dreamed of claiming all her firsts, of watching her choke on my come as I buried my cock in her throat.
I dreamed of slamming into her tight little pussy and feeling her muscles convulsing around me.
When I woke, I was painfully hard, and apparently, I’d come once in my sleep.
As much fun as I was having with her, I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out. I needed a taste of her. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep jacking off. I’d lost count of how many times I’d fucked her in my head.
I went to the shower to add one more time to the list.
I couldn’t wait to get to class that day.
She’d been on my mind since she ran out of my office, and I needed to see her.
I needed to ensure that she was OK and that our deal was still in effect.
I waited anxiously for her to claim her seat by the window, but she never arrived.
I even stalled for several minutes, wanting to give a little extra time, but eventually I had to accept that she wasn’t coming.
I started class, suddenly in a hurry to get through the hour.
In the back of my head, I worried that maybe I’d pushed her too far. I was scared that perhaps she’d packed her things and left campus, not wanting to wait for me to turn the Dean on her.
When I finished with my classes, I went to the Bursar’s office and convinced the secretary to give me Evelyn’s address, saying that I had some assignments to drop off.
She didn’t want to give me the address, but I explained how her academic scholarship relied on getting today’s assignment, and she quietly slid it over.
I wasn’t going to go there. Well, I wasn’t going to go inside. I just wanted to watch, see if she was still around or if she’d turned tail and run off.
There was a small coffee shop across the street from her building, so I went inside and bought a cup of coffee. Then I took the table by the front window. It was the perfect view of the front door of her building. I only wish I knew which window was hers.
I sat there for a couple of hours, watching every single person who went inside or left, and I never saw her.
The longer I waited, the more impatient I became.
I was about to give up and take off around six p.m. when I finally saw her.
She was dressed in a pair of sweats and a hoodie.
Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and she was wearing running shoes.
She wasn’t going out for a jog, though. She stepped up to the curb, and when a maroon car pulled up, she climbed into the backseat.
Sure, part of me wondered where she was going dressed like that, but I told myself that I got what I came for. She was still in town. She hadn’t dropped out yet. Meaning, she was still mine at least for the time being. I pulled out my phone and typed out a text.
ELLIOT: Skip again, and I’ll fail you. Don’t test me. Evelyn.
I got up and exited the coffee shop. I climbed behind the wheel and started toward home. I grabbed some dinner on the way, and then I ate on the couch while watching TV. I made myself a stiff drink, and I checked my phone. She didn’t even bother to reply. That irritated me to no end.
ELLIOT: New rule. When I text you, I expect a reply.
I dropped my phone into my lap before I took a sip of my whiskey. Minutes passed before my phone chimed.
EVELYN: Sorry, Professor West.
That made a smile form on my lips. I loved how obedient she could be.
I tried to keep my attention on the TV, but I couldn’t.
I kept finding myself going back to reading her text over and over.
I thought about her sitting topless in my office, grading papers like a good girl.
I thought about how wet she became when I spanked her with my ruler or how sweet her arousal smelled when I was making her nearly come on my fingers.
I could smell her delicious scent in my office for an hour after she left—apples, flowers, and something distinctly Evelyn.
I shook my head to clear it, deciding I was done for the night. I turned off the TV before I went into my home office to put the bottle of whiskey back on the drink cart. I was turning for the door when a thought crossed my mind.
I moved to my desk and had a seat as I pulled open the bottom drawer on the right-hand side.
There was a small box full of memories, mementos, pictures—that sort of thing.
I dropped the box into the drawer the day I moved in, and I hadn’t looked at it since.
I didn’t know why I wanted to look at it all of a sudden, but it felt like it was calling me.
I took out the cigar box and placed it on my desk, opening the lid.
Sure enough, there was everything I tossed inside it when I was back in college.
I had tickets from dances I attended, wristbands from special events, and pictures from random moments in my life.
I picked up the stack of photos and started flipping through them, unsure of what it was I was looking for.
I stopped about halfway through the stack, staring at the picture of Gabe, Evelyn, and me hanging out at their pool the summer their parents died.
“So, where are your mom and dad?” I asked Gabe as he led the way to the pool in his backyard.
“Dad is gone on a business trip, and my mom’s at work. She won’t be home until later,” he answered. “I’ll open the gate on the fence so that the girls can come back when they get here.”
I took a seat on the deck chair. “Where’s your sister? Won’t she be here?”
He waved his hand through the air. “Who knows? She started dating some guy, so she’s been spending all her time with him.”
My brows lifted. “She’s dating? Isn’t she too young?”
He shrugged as he kicked off his slides. “She’s fifteen. How old were you when you started dating?”
“I don’t know. I just figured your parents would be hard on her about dating and school and all that.”
He started unbuttoning his Hawaiian shirt to jump into the pool. “Well, Dad says she can’t date until she’s thirty-five.” He chuckled. “Mom said she can date as long as they meet the guy first.” He tossed his shirt onto the deck chair.
“So, who’s the guy?”
He dived into the pool. Once his head broke the surface, he said, “His name is Justin.” He smoothed his wet hair back and ran his hands over his face.
“I guess he works at the food court in the mall or something. Total douchebag if you ask me, but whatever. It’s keeping her busy and out of my hair. Hey, turn some music on, will ya?”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and hooked it up to the wireless speaker. Music started to fill the air around us, but even with as loud as it was, we still heard the sound of someone slamming a car door.
“No! I told you to leave me alone! Just go!” Evelyn yelled.
My head popped up, and I looked over at Gabe.
His brows were arched in surprise, and we both jumped into action at the same time.
We started toward the gate, coming to a sudden stop when Eve walked through.
I hadn’t seen her all summer, but she had grown a lot since the year before.
Her hair had gotten longer, and her face had a light layer of makeup.
She wasn’t into overalls anymore either.
She was wearing a white sundress that showcased curves I didn’t know she had.
“What’s wrong?” Gabe asked his sister.
“Tell him to leave me alone.” She pointed toward the car in the driveway and the blond guy standing between it and the open driver’s side door.
Gabe immediately went after him while Eve pushed past me.
I looked at her, at Gabe, and back, wondering who I should follow, but from the looks of it, Gabe had things handled.
He was twice the size of the kid he was going after.
I turned and followed after Eve instead.
I walked in the back door and found her in the kitchen, making herself something to drink.
I put my forearms on the countertop, leaning against the island. “Did he do something?”
She frowned. “Yeah, he made me mad.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Obviously.” I shook my head. “No, I mean… Did he hurt you? Did he touch you or try to force you to… You know?”
She shook her head. “It’s stupid. I’m dumb. Maybe I overreacted.”
“Evie, tell me what happened.” I used the nickname I’d given her.
“He was t-touching me. I didn’t like it. I mean, I did at first, but it was too fast. Too soon.”
I swallowed hard, bristling at her words. “Then what did he do?”
“I don’t want to say. It’s embarrassing.” She diverted her eyes to the floor in front of her.
“How bad could it be?”
Slowly, her eyes met mine. “You’ll tell my brother.”
“No, I won’t,” I promised, praying beyond anything I wouldn’t have to kill this little prick.
She put down her glass of water and rubbed her arms nervously.
“Evie?”
“Does it make me a whore if-if I let him touch me a little?” Her cheeks flamed red as the words tumbled out of her mouth.
My eyes widened at her question. I shook my head. “No, Evie, it doesn’t.”
“He said it does,” she whispered. She looked at me from beneath her lashes, her face red. “He said he was going to tell everyone I put out for him if I didn’t let him…”
I took a deep breath, fury burning my chest. It took everything I had not to march outside and beat the piss out of that motherfucker.
“He’s being a dick. If he starts talking shit, then you come tell me, OK? I’ll handle his ass.”
She bit down on her bottom lip and nodded before wiping quickly at her cheeks. The tears fell quicker than she could keep up with.
I went to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace.
“Not all guys are dicks like that. I promise. Let this one go. He doesn’t deserve you.”
She nodded against my chest, her fingers twisted in my shirt.
“H-He didn’t touch me… there,” she whispered. “I was too scared. He kissed me and tried to squeeze my-my boobs. He said I was too small, and that Angie Reynolds was bigger.”
Prick. Fucking novice.
“I-I never want to talk to guys again.”
I sighed, pulled away, and stared down at her. She was growing up too fast.
“Don’t let one asshole ruin it for the good guy,” I said gently, swiping away her tears. “OK? I promise you’ll meet a decent one, and he’ll show you how you deserve to be treated. Promise.”
“Yo, Elliot. The douchebag is gone. Come on. The girls will be getting here any minute,” Gabe yelled from the patio door.
Eve looked up at me, tears still clinging to her long lashes.
“Are you a good guy, Elliot?”
I frowned at her question. I’d had countless women beneath me. Was I a good guy? I certainly wasn’t making girls kiss me and groping them in the front seat of an ’03 Buick while telling them their tits were too small.
“I’m a good guy, so I have it on good authority we’re out there.”
She gave me a smile and wiped at her eyes again. “Thank you. For this. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re a good guy too. I believe that all the way to my soul, Eli.”
“Of course,” I murmured as she stepped away from me before going upstairs and leaving me alone.
I dropped the pictures into the box before closing the lid. She seemed bound and determined that I was a good guy when she was a kid.
She’d listened to me, too. She’d not seen that guy again. When I’d asked her why she really decided not to after he begged her to go out with him again, she told me I’d set the bar high. That she was going to save herself for the good guy.
I couldn’t believe that she actually listened to me. And here I was, doing the same shit I told her was wrong all those years ago.
I’m not the good guy,” I whispered thickly into the silence, hating myself a little bit more.