4
Elvira
IN ALL MY TIME working with him as his TA, I had never been inside Levi's townhouse.
It was what I expected it to be. The main door opened into his living room.
It featured comfy, distressed leather sofas and a bare brick wall on one side.
A charcoal bookshelf stretched from floor to ceiling on the other side.
The ceiling was white with exposed trusses.
Beyond the living room and kitchen area, there was a Victorian-style kitchen.
Medieval artifacts accented the walls and tables.
There was a set of black wooden stairs that went down and another set that went up to where I assumed the bedrooms were.
It better be bedrooms, plural. When I agreed to come with him, I wasn't thinking clearly. He was my boss, after all. Imagine the campus gossip if people were to learn I walked out of his home in the morning. And not only that, people might have seen us leaving the campus together.
Levi had wandered to the kitchen, dropping his bag on a couch as he passed by. "Do you want some tea?"
I chuckled to myself. Levi, a very American man, had some British tendencies. One of them, his love for tea. He rarely drank coffee in the morning and always ordered tea. "Don't tell me you have Earl Grey in there."
He was in the process of taking out teacups. He paused and turned to face me. I was already making my way to the kitchen. "Is that what you want?"
I shook my head. "No. Just regular tea."
"I can make it. I have at least twelve different types."
"Why am I not surprised."
Color returned to his cheeks. It was not normal to see him like this.
In his environment. And while he still had his suit on, he looked stripped down.
As though he had removed the invisible cloak of professionalism he usually wears.
He was fluid. Not as stiff as he usually is at work.
He whipped up two cups of tea, one with lemon and the other without, and he handed me the lemon tea.
I took a sip. The lemon and sugar were just right.
"How did you know I would like it with lemon?"
He shrugged. "That's what you usually drink."
"And the sugar?"
"Pure guess. Is something wrong?"
"No. It's just that…" It's just that I never thought you saw me enough to care what my drink order is.
It meant nothing, of course. We've worked together for two years, and this was just a coincidence I was taking too seriously.
It must be the alcohol. "Nothing." I took another sip of the hot drink. "Thanks for letting me stay here."
He lifted his cup to his lips. "I don't mind the company."
We went to sit down in the living room, and that's when I noticed that there was no TV. Maybe he had a den with a gaming console, and gadgets, and stuff.
"What is it?" He said in a low, rumbling voice that knotted my insides. What was with me today? Levi was having an effect on me that he's never had before.
"You don't have a TV in here," I said.
He glanced around. "Oh yeah. Not a fan."
"Really?"
"I can get news on my phone. I'm not a sports fan, and I don't like movies or serials."
I rolled my eyes. Serials? No wonder he didn't watch TV. Who calls TV shows serials? I got up and strolled over to his bookshelf. "So, what do you do when you come home?"
He leaned back in his chair and put one leg over the other thigh. "I read."
Of course you do . I turned to the bookshelf, lazily reading the titles as I sipped my tea.
Most were history textbooks, the majority on medieval history.
Some fiction, also based on medieval history.
I know it was his expertise, but he was obsessed with it.
There were several copies of his first historical fiction book, White v Red, a fictional account of the War of the Roses.
The one that made his name in the History world for not only its accuracy but also entertaining enough that it became an international bestselling sensation.
Next to those were several more copies of his other bestseller.
The non-fictional account of Margaret Beaufort's life.
"Why the War of the Roses?" I asked absentmindedly.
He blanched. "You don't like it?"
"I do, but it's well-trodden ground. There are so many books about that war."
"I thought it would be a good idea to tell the story from the point of view that is usually neglected — the peasants."
"The mother of a king started as a peasant? One learns something new every day." I said sardonically, putting my cup on the shelf, picking one copy, and holding the book in my hand.
"Oh, I thought you meant the fiction book. Don't you find her interesting? A woman who was underestimated in a patriarchal society. Played her cards right where others failed and made her son King of England, and started a dynasty. Short-lived as it was."
"I don't know. I'd say one hundred plus years is a good run. Did not like your book though."
“Really?”
“I know popular opinion says it’s amazing, but I found it a little dry.”
He chuckled.
I put the book back, moved on to an artifact that drew me.
A sword mounted along the shelf. It looked like an authentic medieval sword, cleaned so well that light reflected on the steel surface.
I removed the sword from the mount. It was heavier than I thought.
"Where did you get this?" I swung the sword around, adjusting to its heaviness.
"It's so cool," I said. Only to be stopped still by a hand closing around mine.
"Don't." He was standing behind me, my back against his chest. "It's antique." I twirled out of his embrace and turned to face him. I lifted the sword until the tip was lightly pressing into his chest. He stared back at me. "Elvira."
"I won't ruin your precious sword. I just want to play with it."
He stood still without responding. He was trying to intimidate me with silence. It would have worked any other day, but I was drunk and feeling a little reckless.
"How old is this thing?"
"It's from the fourteenth century."
"Impressive." I raised the sword with both hands a little higher until I was pointing at his neck. I took a step back. "Who originally owned it?"
"A knight." He didn't elaborate like I expected him to whenever he's asked anything about his favorite subject. Instead, he sidestepped me, took to stride over to my side, and stood behind me to grab the sword. Only I was holding it firmly. "Elle…"
I turned to face him, only to slam my eyes into his chest. I gazed up at him. His eyes were dark, his nostrils flared. "You've never called me Elle before."
"Elle," he said slowly. "Give me the sword." His hands slid down mine in a way that could only be described as caressing.
"Why? Is it precious?"
"Very precious."
He practically whispered the words in my ear. I leaned against his chest, embracing the Levi Hawthorne scent that was enveloping me.
"Elle." His voice sounded harsh with emotion.
Hungry. His hand caressed mine again. It was an unmistakable caress this time.
I watched as his hand slid up my arm to encircle my waist, and suddenly he swiveled me until I was facing him.
The action was so fast, I slammed into his chest, and the sword slipped out of my hand and landed with a soft thud on the rug.
My body plastered against his, and I could feel every part of him.
Every. Part. Of. Him. My cheeks heated as his erection pressed against my stomach.
"Looks like you have a sword of your own."
He drooped down his head, and I closed my eyes, waiting for our lips to meet.
I've never thought about Levi as someone I wanted to sleep with.
Yes, he was handsome, but I've always kept my thoughts strictly professional.
Or at least tried to. I would be lying if I said I've never thought about kissing him.
I stretched up on my toes, and our lips touched. We didn't fully kiss, but that simple touch shocked me. It ignited a fire that spread from my lips through my body and to every part of me.
"Fuck," he said against my lips. He never swears. Professor Levi Hawthorne never swears. My tongue darted to caress his lips, coaxing him to open his mouth. He swore again and tightened his hand around my waist. Then, suddenly, he pushed me away.
"I can't. You're drunk."
I wanted to say I'm fine. I know what I am doing.
But my body had other ideas. And as though it wanted to contradict me, a bout of nausea returned.
This one tougher to repel than the first. I slammed my lips to my mouth, and Levi did not need another sign to know that I was about to hurl on his beautiful shag carpet.
He directed me to a downstairs toilet, and I closed the door and let out the contents of the night.
◆◆◆
WHAT WAS I DOING? I am not like this. I almost threw up in my boss's face, who I tried to kiss for some reason, because my boyfriend had cheated on me with my friend.
So instead of seeking therapy, I seduce my boss instead?
So stupid! And so mortifying. As the alcohol wore off, the thought of facing him tomorrow morning was not something I was looking forward to.
And I couldn't exactly sneak out of his place after what he had done for me.
After I came out of the bathroom, clean of the day's food in my stomach, Levi was waiting for me with a t-shirt of his and a bag of toiletries.
He directed me to a guest room and bid me goodnight.
He acted like a perfect gentleman. A perfect gentleman, I could not stop having lewd thoughts of.
His t-shirt didn't help. It had his scent, and that alone was enough to make my groin tighten.
What the fuck was going on? I don't like Levi Hawthorne.
He is a douchebag. He doesn't like me. It was the alcohol.
It was the help he had given me. That's why I was seeing him in a different light.
I tossed and turned in the sheets of Levi's guest bed until sleep found me.
I woke up the next morning with a start, as if I hadn't snatched a few hours of sleep.
The unfamiliar surroundings were probably to blame for my restless night.
And Levi. I ignored the stray thought and got out of bed, ready to shower and leave this place as soon as possible.
But just as I was about to enter the ensuite bathroom, I heard voices coming from downstairs.
It sounded like Levi was arguing with someone.
Someone whose voice was familiar. I marched downstairs to find Levi and Wyatt in the living room looking like they were squaring off for hours.
Wyatt was fuming, and Levi had his back to me, so I couldn't tell, but his arms akimbo stance didn't look too inviting.
They did not see me as I hovered on the stairs.
"I know she's here! People saw you!" Wyatt screamed.
"So?" Levi's voice was calm and controlled. "Doesn't mean you have a right to see her."
"Where is the slut?"
"Don't call her that. Elvira Edwards is my subordinate, and when I saw her alone and drunk, I brought her here. That's all." Levi's steely tone did not fool me. I could hear the anger underneath, but I don't think Wyatt caught it.
"You fucked her, didn't you? I knew it. I've seen how you stare at her. You want that piece of ass."
At that wild assertion, I decided I had heard enough and marched into the living room. "That's rich coming from you."
Wyatt was surprised to see me. His eyes widened only for him to control his reaction and say, "Ah, so I was correct."
Levi glanced at me as I came to stand by his side.
"You have some nerve."
Here he was, the man who cheated on me, acting like he was hurt over something he assumed I had done, when he was the bad guy. Wyatt's gaze scanned me like I was a bag going through airport security, noting the t-shirt I was wearing. His lip curled in revulsion when he realized it was Levi's.
"Here I was thinking something was wrong with you when I saw your car abandoned in the parking lot, but it seems like you were having some fun of your own."
A harsh laugh escaped me. "You were worried for me? When was that? Before or after you stuck your dick into Billie's pussy."
"You don't understand what you saw."
I guffawed. He was a master gaslighter. He has always been like this, but this was the first time I was reckoning with the fact.
I can't believe I imagined spending my life with him.
I recalled what Levi said last night. That he had seen the two of them together a few months ago.
Wyatt had been lying to me for at least that long.
Stringing me along and making me believe in fairytales whilst he was cheating on me.
"How long?" That's all I needed to know. I need to know how long I was a fool.
"How long what?" Wyatt narrowed his eyes as though he had no idea what I was referring to. It was infuriating. It made me want to punch his smug face.
"How long have you been fucking my friend, you bastard!"
He smirked. "As long as you've been a slut."
Levi punched his face.