Chapter Twenty-ThreeRoe
Chapter Twenty-Three
Roe
"Which one of you teacher's pets invited this fuck-" West winces, "I mean… Mr. Foster , to sit with us?"
Mr. Foster glares back at West. The hate is mutual, apparently.
"That would be your sister, Mr. Mazzuchelli," Mr. Foster says casually. East's cheeks burn red but she keeps her chin raised defiantly, seemingly happy with her decision still. "Roe, lovely to see you."
I smile hesitantly. How the fuck are you supposed to react to seeing a teacher in public again?
"Likewise, Sir," I respond, going for short, neat and casual.
Mr. Foster's eyes laser focus on me as his title passes my lips. His eyes flash with an emotion I can't place before his indifferent mask is back in place.
West and I take our seats, with me somehow being wedged between West and Mr. Foster. The testosterone oozing from each tense body has me pinning my arms to my sides in an attempt to make myself smaller .
West places a warm hand on my thigh, and I relax slightly, leaning my body towards him.
"What brings you to the city this fine Saturday afternoon, Foster?" Law asks casually, leaning back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head.
I turn to hear his response and am surprised to find a blush coating the handsome, older man's chiseled cheeks.
"Oh, well, I- uh… I had a date, if you must know."
Law grins widely at his awkward reply. East beams, eyes alight as she waits for some romantic tale our teacher is obviously reluctant and unlikely to give. Brett raises an eyebrow and even West's lips curl up on one side.
"Sir!" I gape with a grin, my uneasiness seemingly evaporating. "Come on, now. Don't leave us hanging. We need details!"
East cuts in as Mr. Foster's cheeks burn impossibly brighter. "Uh, maybe we don't need all the details," she says awkwardly.
I find my own cheeks heating as I realize how my comment must have sounded. Groaning, I slap a palm to my forehead.
"I have absolutely no control over what comes out of my mouth, Mr. Foster," I say. "Minor details will be fine. ”
"Speak for yourself," Law says. "I want to know all about them titties!"
Thankfully, the waitress chooses that moment to start dumping plates onto our table. She doesn't bother asking which plate is who's, just places them unceremoniously onto the table before she heads back to the kitchen for the next lot.
"Baby girl, that chicken burger with the lot has your name on it," Law says, pushing said burger towards me.
The thing is huge, and that's ignoring the massive pile of chips on the side.
"How the hell is my mouth going to fit around that thing!" I gasp, turning the plate this way and that as if that was going to help at all.
"Baby girl, if you can fit Brett’s cock in that pretty little mouth, you can fit the burger."
My eyes practically bug out of my head as Law's words register. I send an alarmed look next to me, hoping Mr. Foster had somehow missed that comment.
No such luck.
His eyebrows have practically disappeared into his hairline, and his jaw has dropped.
"Law!" East hisses. "Mr. Foster and I have absolutely zero interest in hearing about your little orgy! Zip it! "
I let my head hang in shame.
After an awkward silence, Mr. Foster clears his throat.
"I believe that pie is mine."
He leans across me to get his food, pausing briefly as he realizes how close we suddenly are. Too close for a student and teacher to be. He clears his throat awkwardly and pulls his plate in front of him, digging in unceremoniously to avoid any further questions.
The guys start chatting mindlessly about tits and football, but I am barely listening as I practically inhale my meal. I groan, patting my bloated belly after popping the last chip into my mouth.
"So good."
East’s phone chimes, and she snatches it off the table, her face alight with anticipation. I don't have to guess at who she is waiting to hear from. West grunts beside me. Yup, he noticed it too. I throw him a grin which he responds to with an eye roll.
"Oh."
East's disappointed sigh has my attention returning to her. She places the phone gently onto the table before clearing her throat .
"Trent is running late," she says. "Said something about his grandfather needing help. He won't be here for another couple of hours."
Conscious of our teacher listening intently to our every word, we glance at each other helplessly. The guys need to get to the hotel to go over the plan, await instructions from The Den, and prepare for the night.
"East and I could just chill out here until he arrives," I say. "Our plans don't have to change just because Trent isn't here."
West is shaking his head. "No," he says. "I'll stay with the girls, you two," he nods at Brett and Law, "go ahead to the hotel."
"Don't be ridiculous, West," I groan. "Have you forgotten where I come from? I can look after myself. And I would die before letting anything happen to East."
"I said no!" West growls. His eyes are hard and molten lava as he glares at me. I glare right back, not giving him an inch.
A throat clears beside me, and we all whirl to face Mr. Foster.
He adjusts his collar anxiously. "I, uh, I'm not sure exactly what is going on with you lot, but from the gist of it, I gather Western, Lawson, and Brett have somewhere to be, but they don't want to leave you young ladies alone in the city?"
I glance back at West briefly, watching as he slowly nods.
"I was going to mark some papers while I was here," he holds his laptop bag up for us to see. "They have free internet, and their coffee is the best in the city," he admits sheepishly. "I can sit with Easterly and Roe until- Trent, was it? -Until Trent arrives."
I turn in my seat.
"It's not a bad idea," Law starts.
"I don't like it," West cuts in.
I roll my eyes. "I swear you argue just for the sake of arguing. Does it get you off or something?"
He glares at me, so I smile prettily and bat my eyelashes.
"I'm ok with it too, West," East says. "I mean, we miss out on our pampering session, but I can live with that. I am positive we will have plenty of opportunities in the future for spa days."
"You bet," I grin.
West looks to Brett, obviously waiting for his opinion.
"It's the only option that's not going to disrupt our plans," he says .
We all turn to face West. I can see the indecision in his eyes as he makes eye contact with each and every one of us, leaving Mr. Foster for last.
"If anything happens to either of them, I don't care if it's as minor as a damn paper cut, I will come for you," West's voice is like fire and ice as he stares down our teacher.
For his part, Mr. Foster doesn't look away or shrink under the glare of a Duke. Color me impressed.
"You have my word, Western Mazzuchelli.”
The guys leave not too long after, West pressing his lips to my temple gently with a murmured, "Be careful."
"You too," I reply, squeezing his hand. He nods, sending Mr. Foster a final glare before trailing after Law and Brett.
East, Mr. Foster, and I share an awkward glance.
Mr. Foster clears his throat. "Well, I guess I should get a start on these papers."
"I've got some candy crush to catch up on," East says, tapping madly at her phone.
My lips tip up in amusement, and I throw Mr. Foster a grin as he does the same. Teenagers , we both seem to be saying .
"I'm going to find a magazine," I say as I stand.
Mr. Foster stands too.
"Seriously?"
He shuffles awkwardly in place. "Western was very clear on the whole protect-her-or-die thing."
"They are literally just there," I point to the wall with old magazines chucked carelessly onto the rack.
Mr. Foster glances at the rack, then back at me. He smiles almost guiltily.
"I suppose you're right," he says before sliding back into his seat.
I grin to myself as I browse the limited options. Fashion, home renovations, cooking, and gardening seem to be the choices. My lip turns up as I snatch a gardening one and flick through it, already knowing I have zero interest in it. With a huff, I chuck it back onto the rack.
My phone chimes before I can reach for a second option.
I glance at the screen and roll my eyes.
West: All good?
Roe: You literally just left!
West: Answer the question, or I’m coming straight back
Roe: Far out, I’m fine, asshole. Besides the dismal selection of magazines in this place, everything is dand y
West: Good. Keep me updated
Roe: You’re the one in potential danger tonight, remember?
Roe: East and I will be fine. I will let you know when we are settled in our rooms
West: Fine
Roe: See you tonight x
I cringe as I send the last message. Are we at that stage yet? Will we ever be at that stage? Why am I overthinking this like a little bitch?
My phone pings once more, and I close my eyes and take a deep breath before chiding myself for being a coward and open the text.
West: Be safe xx
My heart flutters like a damn butterfly before I shut that shit down, shoving my phone into my pocket and snatching a random magazine off the shelf. The magazine behind falls to the floor so I bend to pick it up, glancing at the title as I reach for it.
"Yes!" I exclaim, ignoring the eyes that swivel to me as I gush over the four-year-old gossip magazine. I drop the other magazine back to the shelf and shuffle back to the table, already flicking through the pages.
"Found a good one, hey?" Mr. Foster asks, smiling as I retake my seat beside him.
"I almost died when I saw the selection I had to choose from."
Mr. Foster chuckles, tapping away at his keyboard. "I'm not surprised."
We sit in companionable silence for what feels like hours as I lazily turn page after page of the magazine, admiring this celebrity’s dress while cringing at others, rolling my eyes at the typical drama of the elite. I flip my phone over after a while and scoff when I see it has been just fifteen minutes.
I finger rapidly through the next ten or so pages, barely paying any mind to what is on the pages, when I spy something curious. Quickly, I flip the page back to what had caught my eye.
"No fricking way!" I whisper gasp. Mr. Foster glances over curiously, but I move quickly to sit beside East. "What the hell is this?" I whisper, leaning close as I point to the page of some charity ball back when the magazine had been published .
Besides the main photograph, some movie star and his supermodel wife, there are a bunch of smaller photographs of other couples attending the event. In one of these photos is a lovely, curvy redhead staring starry-eyed at her date, a well-groomed, greying at the temples, and a few years younger Vincent Mazzuchelli.
East rips the magazine from my hands and practically slaps the page to her face as she takes a closer look.
"Who is that?" she whispers, placing the magazine back on the table between us.
"You’re his daughter, you tell me!"
"I honestly have no clue!" East says, her eyes squinting as she skims the article. "There is nothing in the story about him."
I point underneath the photo. "All it says here is 'Renowned businessman Vincent Mazzuchelli and his date'," I quote. "He has never mentioned a woman before?"
"Never," East sits back in her seat, eyes glazing. "Do you think she is a prostitute or something?"
I raise an eyebrow. "Your father doesn't seem like the type of guy to stoop to taking a prostitute to a charity ball. Besides, look at how she is looking at him. She looks like she’s in love."
We look at the photo in silence, considering .
"How old is this thing anyway?" East asks, closing the magazine to see the date. "Four years ago…" she trails off. "There was while there when he was more absent than usual, come to think of it. I thought it was for business, but that was more of an assumption. I mean, he never tells me anything."
I nod absentmindedly, and we fall silent, each lost in our own thoughts.
After a moment, Mr. Foster closes his laptop loudly. "Did I hear something about a day spa earlier?"
East and I glance up at him questioningly.
He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Look, grading sucks. I can't say I've ever had a pedicure before, but I know men who have. A good foot massage and scrub sounds delightful right now."
"Fuck yes!" I howl, causing the few customers remaining after the lunch rush to glare at me.
"Wait, Roe," East places a hand on my arm. "West will be furious if he finds out we left."
"So we don't tell him," I shrug, pushing the chair back with a screech and skipping to where I had left my bag. I shove the magazine into it, smiling and winking at the hostess when she opens her mouth to give me cheek about stealing a dinosaur-aged magazine. She shakes her head with an eye roll and continues cleaning the table she had been working on.
"Bit hard to hide when our toes will be shining beacons of our dishonor," East says grumpily.
"We tell him we did it ourselves in the hotel. Trent will play along; he would do anything for you."
East stares at the table. "Fuck it," she announces suddenly.
I shriek and do a little dance. "Easterly Mazzuchelli, everyone! Breaking rules and swearing? What in the world will we do with her?"
"Shhh!" East hisses, cheeks redder than a well-slapped ass.
A small smile plays at Mr. Foster's lips, and I bump my shoulder against his, or his arm, rather, considering the height difference.
"Aye, even Sir gets my humor," I laugh. "Let's go!"
We gather our stuff and head out the door.
"This way," the teacher says, guiding us in the opposite direction of the Hotel. "I've parked my van down a side street."
Said side street is a creepy-ass pathway between two buildings, dumpsters lining the walls, and a few cars parked up .
"Geesh," I say as I spy what I assume is Mr. Fosters van. "This is straight out of a horror movie, you know, Sir? Shadowy and secluded laneway, disturbingly plain white van, two witless damsels, and the mastermind behind it all. Good thing I trust ya', hey?"
East laughs nervously. "Man, I hate how your mind works, Roe."
"Look out for the vampires lurking in the shadows," I snap my teeth at her.
"Well," Mr. Foster says, gripping the handle of the sliding back door. "I can assure you there will be no vampires this afternoon, ladies. Maybe later, though." He winks as he pulls the door open.
East hops in first, and Mr. Foster steps up behind me. A shrill squeal has me rushing up the single step where I stop, my heart sinking into my stomach in a sickening avalanche. Four men are grinning at me, eyes wickedly bright and eager. One holds East against his front, a hand lazily stroking her belly as the other clamps over her mouth. Her chest rises and falls in rapid succession, and I meet her wide, terrified eyes.
A hundred thoughts whirl through my mind as panic sets in my bones, but the most prominent one is that I have failed East and, in turn, West .
A hard, warm body presses into me from behind, a tender hand swiping my fringe from my face and down my throat, almost tenderly.
"As I was saying, the vampires will come out later, and I am certainly no mastermind, but you were spot on about the rest, love," Mr. Foster says. I feel his nose run through my hair as he breathes in deeply.
I turn slowly, my entire body quivering. "Mr. Foster?" I whisper. I plead .
A horrifying smile splits across his usually so carefully constructed face.
"Call me Sir," he says.
Something hard hits me across the back of my head, and everything goes dark.