Page 11 of Hard Lessons
“Thanks,” I told him, tipping my cup to him before taking a drink.
“For making the drink or for getting him off your ass?”
“Both.”
He nodded. “Anytime.” His gaze seemed to intensify on me, and I felt the awkwardness take over from being the center of attention.
I nodded toward the door.
“I should go find my friend, but thanks again.” I turned to walk away.
“Hey,” he called out, causing me to stop and look back at him. “My name is Chase.”
I smiled. “Eve,” I replied.
“I know. Enjoy the party, Eve.”
I couldn’t help my smile as I turned and walked away. I really might enjoy this party.
ELLIOT
When class ended, I stood behind my podium until every last student exited the room. Then I quickly moved back to my desk, where I dug through the papers until I found hers. I tossed the rest aside as I stared at her cover page. It didn’t have a title, which gave me no insight into what the paper was about. It simply had her name, date, and the name of the class. I took a deep, hopeful breath, holding it as I flipped the page. My eyes landed on the typed-out paper, quickly skimming over paragraphs as I took it in word for word. There before me was everything I needed.
She didn’t take the paper and just slapped a cover page on it. No, she put her spin on things, reworded a sentence here and there. She elaborated on a few key points, which ultimately improved the paper overall. With my take and her take on the subject, all bases were covered. If I hadn’t written that paper and I had just read it for the first time, I easily would’ve given it an A. But I did write the paper, and I had a copy saved to my computer. Saved and dated, so it was easy to see what came first, if things had to be investigated. I knew it wouldn’t come to that, though. I expected her to give me anything I demanded in hopesof staying in school. I was so excited about the possibilities that my dick stiffened.
With it being a Friday and in such a good mood, I finished my day of teaching and decided to treat myself a little. I deserved it after all, especially after putting up with entitled students all week. I climbed behind the wheel of my Mercedes, and I left campus as quickly as possible. I made the drive across town to my favorite steakhouse, and I headed inside to grab some dinner and a drink. It was still too early in the day for most to want dinner, so there wasn’t any trouble with getting in right away. I was shown to a table by a beautiful, dark-haired waitress.
Part of the reason I liked that restaurant so much was because of the uniforms the staff were required to wear—black heels, a black skirt, a white button-up shirt, and a black tie. My eyes raked up the dark skin of her leg, over her rounded hip, and up to her chest that was threatening to bust out of her top. She was attractive, but she was no Eve. Eve would put her to shame.
I pushed that thought out of my head.
“What can I get you started with today?” she asked, smiling down at me. I didn’t know if she was interested or if she was turning on the charm in hopes of getting a better tip. Either way, I didn’t give a fuck. I wasn’t the type who had to try hard to get laid, but I was the type who was probably a little too picky for my own good.
“McClelland, neat.”
She bowed her head slightly. “Right away.” She turned to walk toward the bar, leaving me to look over the menu. I decided on a steak with a baked potato, so when she came back, I placed my order and took my drink off her hands.
“I’ll get that put in for you.” She took the menu and turned away, but this time, I saw her looking back at me, as if to tell me that she was, in fact, interested. I didn’t give a shit, though. I had other things on my mind at that moment.
I planned on being balls deep inside a beautiful woman by the end of the night, but it wasn’t her. She didn’t fit the craving I had been trying to ignore. There was only one thing I wanted, and I would make her come soon enough.
Until then, I’d keep looking for just the perfect woman to keep me occupied until I got what I wanted.
I pulled out my phone to keep my mind busy until my food arrived, and then I proceeded to eat until I couldn’t hold down another bite. When the waitress left me with my check, I noticed that she’d written her number on the back. I smiled to myself and briefly considered asking her if she’d like to earn a bigger tip by coming outside with me, but in the end, I didn’t because I knew I’d have to wait for her to get off her shift.
I dropped two hundred dollars onto the table and left. That was enough to cover my bill and to leave her with a nice tip. I was making my way out of the restaurant when I passed by a couple walking in. The man called out my name, making me spin around to give him a double-take.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
He smiled widely as he took a few steps closer to me. “Yeah, well, I mean, you used to. I’m Tucker Bailey. We used to play baseball together way back in the day.” He held out his hand to shake.
“Of course, I remember you. How have you been?” I slapped my hand into his to shake.
“I’m good. I was just in the city for a meeting and decided to stop and grab an early dinner before my flight back home.”
“Yeah? Where are you calling home these days?”
“New York. I attended NYU and then stayed after being offered a job. What about you? What’s going on in your life? Last I knew, you left for college.”
