Page 15 of Wicked Ends (Hellions of Hade Harbor #4)

Arianna

Unsurprisingly, I had yet another sleepless night at the Night Owl.

I was plagued with terrible dreams of men knocking at my door, police coming to arrest me, and worst of all, the shadowy figures of my past. I eventually gave up trying to sleep and sat at the window, headphones on, and listened to the old Walkman I’d picked up on my travels.

My crappy phone didn’t have any music apps. You could call or text and that was it.

I agonized over Marcus and what had happened. How could I have been so reckless? My act of liberation and spontaneity had cost me my chance at a fresh start here.

The morning rolled around slowly, and I downed a vat of coffee to get my brain to work.

I was jumpy, anxious, and certain that as soon as I got to school, the authorities would descend on me and drag me off to jail…

or at the very least, the dean would be waiting to fire me, without pay, for my awfulness.

I pulled into the lot half an hour before class, and it was deceptively quiet. My hands shook—from the caffeine or the adrenaline, I had no idea.

I made my way into the building, flashing my new ID card for security. No one stopped me. I walked down the hall toward the staff lounge. I hesitated outside and tried to get a grip.

Come on, Ari. It wasn’t a crime… just a huge mistake. Grow a pair and get on with it.

It was better to know now if my reputation was about to blow up than wait to find out.

I raised my chin and pushed the door open.

It was still pretty quiet at this time. A few teachers were at the coffee machine, and Wade, the English Lit professor I’d met yesterday, was at the watercooler, and waved to me.

“I promise I’m only passing through on my way to Humanities. You guys have the best coffee. Also, I see we didn’t scare you off yesterday,” he joked when he reached my side.

I nodded tightly. “Nope. I’m still here.” For now.

“I’m glad. We’ve been needing some new blood around here, especially in the music department… and a young talent is just what the doctor ordered.”

I raised an eyebrow at him in question.

“If you think all of us aren’t in fierce competition behind closed doors, I’m sorry to say, you’re wrong. We are a dog-eat-dog group.” Wade grinned and rocked back on his heels. He had struck me as the kind of person who liked to hear himself talk. Today confirmed it.

“Ah, yes, I suppose I’ll watch my back,” I joked lamely, wishing he would clear a path to the coffee machine. The shakes were wearing off, and I was in danger of falling asleep on my feet.

“Don’t worry, I can watch it for you,” Wade said.

I paused and turned to look at him.

He smirked. “Since we’re not rivals, of course… different departments.”

“Ah, yes, I see. Thanks for that,” I muttered. “Excuse me a second.”

I saw an opening at the coffee machine and made a beeline for it.

Wade was still waiting for me when I made my way back to my jacket and bag, but there was nothing I wanted less than small talk. I needed to calm down and face the day, since I didn’t seem to be fired yet.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to run to class and get settled.”

Wade raised an eyebrow. “Ah yes, the industriousness of the recently hired. Godspeed!”

I nodded and made for the door. Wade’s archaic and flowery way of speaking felt like an affectation. It was a little much all at once. I wasn’t in the mood for it today, that was for sure.

I reached my classroom, relieved to see the hallways were still empty. Thank God. I opened the door and went inside, switching the lights on with my elbow and carefully shutting the door with one foot, all while holding my bag and a steaming-hot coffee cup.

“Careful, beautiful. You’ll give yourself a nasty burn like that.”

I jumped, and the coffee sloshed out of the mug and over my hand.

“Shit, are you ok?” he asked across the room.

“I’m fine,” I swore softly and set the dripping mug down, shaking my scalded hand, and stared down the steps that led to the lectern.

Marcus sat at my desk, to the side of the teaching platform. Leaning back in my chair, feet up on the desk, he was the picture of ease.

Worry skittered through me.

Marcus jerked his head toward the door. “That door lock?”

“What? I don’t know… why?” I stepped to the side and glanced at the door skittishly.

“Because you’re going to want to lock it for this conversation.”

“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Marcus chuckled. “Believe me, you wouldn’t want anyone walking in on us. I’m concerned about your reputation, Teach.”

“Mr. Bailey.” I tried my best to sound stern.

“You should know… I fucking love it when you call me Mr. Bailey.” He smirked. “Do it again.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to lock the door, but Marcus held all the goddamn cards, and we both knew it. I reached behind me and locked the door. The sound of the metal turning was like a gunshot.

Marcus waved at me, beckoning me forward.

I descended the stairs, shaking again from tension… or maybe it was my tenth coffee hitting.

“Well, what is this all about?” I asked stiffly once I stood in front of him.

“Exactly what you asked me for yesterday… my decision on what I’m going to do with you.” He stood slowly and stretched, his black T-shirt riding up his rock-hard, sculpted abs.

I looked away, crossing my arms and trying my best to seem unmoved and disinterested.

“You mean your decision on what you want me to do,” I said.

He tutted. “You keep trying to correct me, birthday girl… but I’m not the one in the wrong. You are, remember? You’re the one who fucked a student,” he said.

Heat burned my cheeks. I stared at a point on the wall to the side of him, stubbornly refusing to meet his eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to.

His fingers found my chin, and I jerked away.

“Don’t touch me. Someone could see,” I admonished.

“Hmm, not with the door locked, they couldn’t.” He gripped my chin harder and forced me to make eye contact with him.

“What are you doing?” I demanded when I tried to move my head but couldn’t.

“I’m delivering my verdict, so be a good girl and look at me when I’m talking to you, beautiful.”

My mouth dropped open in shock at his words. He was outrageous. He was infuriating, and he was… sliding his thumb between my open lips. I bit down on his digit as a warning, and he chuckled. I bit harder, my anger at how he was playing with me overflowing.

“Bite harder, baby. You know I like it rough.” He stepped closer.

I attempted it but couldn’t bring myself to. I softened my bite, defeated. He smiled like he knew I’d do just that.

“It’s okay, Ari. You’re too sweet to bite, but that’s okay. Some of us are sweet… and some of us aren’t. I guess opposites attract.”

“Ari? I told you my name was Anna,” I muttered when he pulled his thumb from my lips.

“Hmm, Anna doesn’t quite suit you. Does anyone else call you Ari?”

I shook my head. I’d always been Arianna, but never Ari.

“Good. Then it’s mine, from now on. No one else gets to call you Ari but me.”

“You should call me Ms. Moore or Professor,” I muttered.

“Mmm, how’d you know I had a thing for teachers?” He appeared far too amused for this harrowing encounter. “I promise I’ll call you Professor later, when you take me home with you and let me do all the things I didn’t have time to do to you the other night.”

“Marcus, be serious. You need to tell me what you want me to do about all of this. No jokes, no teasing… I’m older than you.”

“We’re both adults, and it’s perfectly legal, if frowned upon here at HHU—but I won’t stop your pointless self-flagellation if that’s what floats your boat.

In fact, I’ll even indulge you… If you don’t agree to my terms, I’ll need you to leave Hade Harbor and never come back…

and I’ll be telling the dean everything that happened.

How’s that? Is that what you were wanting to hear?

” He had walked me back against the desk, and the hard edge pressed into my ass.

“You need a threat to uphold your uptight morals and sense of propriety? I have no problem with that. Happy to do it.”

Beyond the walls there was a gradual escalation of sound, signaling that students were arriving and time was running out.

“What? What do you want?” I rushed out.

He smiled, and there was something dark and wicked in it. “Nothing too strenuous… just you, whenever and however I want you.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

“You heard me. I want you. Your attention, your time, your mouth, your cunt… all parts of you. I want it to be available to me whenever I want it.”

“Are you insane? I’m hardly going to make up for our indiscretion by committing more.”

Marcus simply shrugged. “You don’t have a choice, Teach. You told me you’d do anything… so, do anything.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“You’re assuming that I had a lot to work with before I met you,” he quipped. “I didn’t.”

“Marcus, I can’t go along with any of this. I have to tell the dean myself?—”

My words were swallowed by his kiss. He cupped my face and met my lips with his.

I froze, shocked that he was kissing me at my desk while students were passing by right outside.

While I stood stock-still, processing the madness that was Marcus Bailey, his tongue slid over my lips and surged inside.

His kiss was ruthless, just like him. Heat pooled at the base of my spine.

My skin felt tight all over, my nerves tingling.

It was like standing in an electrical storm.

Being touched by this man was like nothing I’d ever felt before.

His touch raised the hair on my arms. He was a force of nature.

Unstoppable. Unrelenting. Undeniable. With a groan, I surrendered to the heat.

My heart was beating out of my chest, and it made it hard to think.

It made it impossible to be reasonable… to remember why all of this was a fucking terrible idea.