Page 39 of Notorious Park Avenue Prince

“It wasn’t just East, though.”

“What do you mean? Someone else was with him? Someone from the list?”

“Yes, my TA, Zac. He was there too.”

“WithEast?”

“Yes.”

I could see the wheels spinning behind Archer’s eyes. “You’re not being very forthcoming right now.”

“When am I ever forthcoming?”

“True, but I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me. Why was Zac with East?”

“They…hook up on occasion.”

Archer’s eyes widened, and his disbelief would’ve been comical if I didn’t know where this was leading.

“Zac Fletcher? Your star pupil and the menace to Manhattan are…together?”

“Togetherwould be too serious a term for the arrangement I believe they have.”

“Okay, so fuck buddies?”

My mind instantly conjured up Zac’s hips slapping against East’s bare ass cheeks, and I nodded. “Yes, that’s much more accurate.”

Archer blew out a breath and shook his head. “I mean, good luck to Zac with that one. Personally I’d be too scared to fall asleep in the same bed as East, but to each their own.”

The waitress stopped by our table with our entrees, and then Archer leaned over toward me, a knife pointed in my direction.

“That still doesn’t explain why they were there in the first place. Why you moved up their recruitment.”

No it didn’t. And I’d run out of ways to avoid Archer’s question.

“They were there to see me. Or should I say, they were there trying to find me.”

Archer cocked his head, clearly trying to decipher the real meaning behind my words, and then a smile slowly spread across his lips. “And why would they want tofindyou out of school hours, Professor Kingston?”

Oh, he knewexactlywhy. He was living with a prime example of the why. Not too long ago, I’d been the one giving him advice on what to do after getting involved with an Astor student.

“It seems that they concocted a plan to track me down and invite me to one of their hookups.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.” I cut into the perfectly cooked filet on my plate. “They thought they were arriving at a sex club and were, of course, denied.”

Archer chuckled and took a bite of his dinner. “I almost wish I could’ve been there to see that rejection in person.”

“It’s recorded if you really want the pleasure. But as you know, we can’t have outsiders sniffing around and getting curious, especially ones like East. He’s aggressive, resourceful, and goes after what he wants. It’d only be a matter of time before he uncovered something he shouldn’t.”

“I understand that, really I do, and Zac? He’s ready. You work with him on a daily basis, so you’ve seen the growth there. East, on the other hand? I was kind of hoping you’d all change your mind about him.”

I’d often wondered myself whether East was a smart choice. But everything I’d just said was true. He was a wild card, but then again, that was how a lot of us had started out—some with even worse track records.

“East requires a close eye, I’ll give you that, which is why I think this is the smartest option. I figured, let’s get him under our control before he getsoutof control.”

“Damn.” Archer reached for his drink. “James Easton. Well, you never do anything without thinking ten steps ahead.”

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