Page 22 of Tempting the President (Oro Nero MC)

Dear Ashton,

I think...I think I’m dating. Yuck, right?

Love, Your Big Sis

“WOW.” PROFESSOR EDISON had an amazed look on his face when he saw what I was working on.

I scribbled on my board. GOOD WOW? BAD WOW?

“What-happened-to-you-wow,” was the prompt reply. Witty, my art professor was, and according to him, it was all because he was gay.

I looked down on my current work-in-progress. It didn’t seem any different from my past works.

Mmm ...maybe because I had used a different style today? Lettering was my passion, and I tended to gravitate towards casual-styled fonts. But this time, I had gone for the old school look, mixing elegant swirls and aristocratic curves as I aimed for Old English calligraphy with a twist.

Professor Edison clucked his tongue above me. “You don’t get it, do you?” He took my drawing pad and flipped to the previous page. “What did you write?”

I frowned.

Start tomorrow right with a good day’s work today.

I had written the words entirely in uppercase and using only block letters.

“And what did you write before that?”

I flipped back another page. This time, I had create a heart-shaped variant of a word cloud.

Every person’s destiny starts with the choice to believe in one’s dream.

My frown deepened as I scribbled on my board. I DON’T GET IT.

“Go back to today’s WIP.”

I did as asked. My eyes widened.

He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me!

And to make matters worse, I had used hearts rather than tiny plain circles for my exclamation marks.

Yuck.

This was what I got, for tossing and turning the whole time last night, replaying the way we kissed and touched in the cafeteria over and over in my mind.

When I tried to tear out my current page, Professor Edison burst into laughter. “Don’t you dare!”

I made a face. It was so yucky. I had to get rid of it.

“Seriously, don’t. The message may be too prosaic for you—-”

I shook my head and wrote on my board. PROSAIC = NICE WORD FOR YUCK.

“Possibly. But I’m the teacher so you’re supposed to do what I say. So finish that and don’t throw it away. I’m going to include it in the exhibit.”

As my art professor turned to leave, I lowered my head to the desk.

*Head desk*

My life was over.

Beside me, KC peeked at my work. “Oh. Wow .”

Eyes still closed, I just fumbled for my phone and typed. IT’S GROSS.

“I think it’s sweet.”

I typed again. You’re sweet. This is gross.

“I take it things are going well between you and Kellion Argyros?”

I shrugged.

“Details please?” KC was practically begging.

With a sigh, I opened my eyes and started typing. I just want to make him smile.

KC inched her chair away from me.

I frowned.

And then she said, “That is so sweet.” She laughingly inched her chair further away right after, knowing her words would tempt me to shake some sanity into her.

I was not sweet. Ridiculous . I was just being properly...grateful, on behalf of the people he had helped in his life. I was sure they were many.

“You know,” KC began, making me glance her way. “I think I know what you have to do...” She paused then took her phone and started typing.

KC: Draw a photo of him—-

Me: Yuck.

KC:—- naked.

Me: That is your forte, not mine.

KC: Haha. I know. Wait, I got it. Tell him he’s the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen in your life.

I nearly gagged. Looking at KC, I drew an imaginary line across my throat. I’d rather kill myself than say that.

Her eyes lit up. “Oh my God, I know – I really mean it this time.” She typed the words.

KC: Be grumpy.

Me: YOU ARE NO HELP. GRR.

KC laughed. “See? You’re already making me laugh.”

The bell rang, saving her from being killed and saving me from being sentenced for murdering my seatmate. When we came out of our classroom, the first thing I saw was... him.

He wore a simple black shirt and jeans, but somehow, he still managed to look like a fashion model in them. Seeing me, he immediately crossed the distance between us. “You’re scowling,” were his first words.

Before I could tell him why, he grinned and said, “This is going to sound strange, baby, but I like seeing you scowl. Major turn on.” He bent down and placed a brief, toe-curling kiss on my lips as if to emphasize his point.

When he lifted his head, I saw KC laughing silently behind him. Told you, she mouthed before walking away.

Kellion turned around to see who I was looking at. “Your friend?”

I nodded.

“You actually have a friend?”

I wrinkled my nose. Ha-ha.

He kissed my nose.

Gaaaaah.

He always, always took me by surprise.

Kellion took my hand, and I almost tried pulling away before I reminded myself that it wasn’t like that between us anymore. Sort of. As we started walking, Kellion asked, “Did something bad happen in class?”

I shook my head, typed on my phone, and showed it to him.

Me: She told me the way to make you smile is to be my usual grumpy self.

Kellion said cheerfully, “That’s true.”

I glared at him while typing my answer.

Me: That can’t be true because I am NOT grumpy.

“All right, whatever you say, baby.”

Hmph. His face showed how much difficulty he was having, keeping a smile off his lips.

“If you really want to make me smile...”

I looked up.

He said softly, “Just be happy.”

This time, I gagged. Yuck.

Kellion laughed and squeezed my hand. “Anything else that happened today?”

Me: We have an exhibit tomorrow.

“Can I go?”

It took me a while to answer. I didn’t want him realizing just how ridiculously happy I felt at the way he readily expressed his interest in attending. That was sweet. Kellion Argyros, no matter what other people thought, was sweet. I wasn’t. Nodding, I typed again, adding an important caveat.

Me: Just you though.

He frowned. This time, he took my phone from my fingers and began typing.

Kellion: Why? I was hoping to bring my brothers with me and have you finally meet them.

Me: I already know who they are.

Kellion: Not officially.

Me: I just don’t want others to think...you know?

Kellion: What?

Me: They might think I’m just using you and the club to make myself popular.

Kellion: It would really make me smile if you allowed me the honor of introducing them to you tomorrow.

Gaaah. When he said it like that—-

Me: You win.

Kellion: I knew I would.

Me: Shaddap.

Kellion: Your friend was indeed right. The grumpier you are, the more it makes me smile.

When we reached a particularly secluded part of the campus, Kellion suddenly stopped and faced me. “Aria?”

Mm?

“I really don’t understand, though.”

I frowned. Don’t understand what?

“Why you want to make me smile. I’m not the one who doesn’t smile.”

Oh.

My fists clenched at what I wanted to do, but I forced myself to relax. Forced myself to speak because I wanted him to know how much this meant to me. “I...want the... smiles ...that...come...from here.” Carefully, I placed my hand over his heart.

After a beat, he said, “It’s decided. I’ll have the entire club with me at your exhibit.” Kellion bent down, stealing a kiss from my lips. “They have to know I’ve got the sweetest girl—-”

My hand on his heart turned into a claw. Kellion!

He laughed as he tried to avoid my scratches.

I shook a fist at him. You will NOT bring them.

Kellion cupped a hand over his ear even as he continued walking backwards, dodging and evading my punches. “What?” he said laughingly. “I caaaan’t heaaaar yooooouuuu.”

Grrrrrrrr.

I ran after him, not like how couples ran in romantic comedies, where one or the other was really itching to get caught. I ran after him, more like how good cops ran after bad guys.

I just wanted to kill him so bad.

But of course he was too fast for me.

When we reached the street where my dorm building was, Kellion suddenly halted and spun around to face me. He knew what it would do to me, of course, and he was smiling with his arms wide open as I crashed into his chest.

Before I could snarl and kill him, he was already cupping my face, his mouth devouring mine.

Aaaaah.

That was me, sighing an embarrassing, toe-curling sigh as his kiss once again made me feel like it was just the two of us in the world.

When he pulled away, I was swaying on my feet.

Kellion cursed.

My head jerked up. What?

“I want you,” he bit out. “And when I see you like that, almost drunk with wanting me—-”

I gasped, automatically slapping his mouth with my hand. How could he say something like that, I wanted to wail. Yes, it was true. I did feel drunk, intoxicated by his beauty, his passion, everything that made Kellion who and what he was. But he didn’t have to say it!

Kellion was dragging me now, and I tried my best to keep up with him. I tugged on his sleeve, wanting to know where we were going since this was not the way to my dorm.

But Kellion only just kept walking, his stride brisk and powerful, his body stiff with purpose. He was a man on a mission, and his mission was—-

“Thank fuck.”

My eyes widened when Kellion suddenly stopped in front of an ATM center, its door and windows made of frosted glass, preventing anyone from seeing the people inside.

His mission was to withdraw money? He didn’t have cash with him? Couldn’t he have just asked me instead?

Kellion pushed the door open, his body noticeably relaxing. “Good.” Pulling back, I was even more confused when he flipped the sign to Closed. Then he was pulling me inside.

Click.

Did he just lock us inside?