Page 18 of Bittersweet Revenge
“I can’t believe he marked you. I haven’t seen him do that before.”
Hearing her say that makes my skin heat. The sad part is, I can’t pinpoint the reason why. “I don’t want to talk about him. What’s up with you?”
“Why, Dean, I’m so glad you asked. I’ve been talking to this guy online. He goes to Ashford, but I haven’t met up with him yet. I’m giving it some time.”
“He hot?” I figure this is what most people our age do, how they talk to each other.
“Wicked hot.” She scrolls on her phone, then holds it out for me to see.
He definitely is—blond, blue eyes, and thick arms like he spends too much time in the gym.
“I’d fuck him.” I grin.
“Hey, this one’s mine.” She laughs, and for this one moment, I feel almost normal…but then I remind myself I’m not allowedto like her. That her family is my enemy, and it will break her heart when she finds out who I am. That I’m using her.
My chest tightens.
Sometimes I hate myself as much as I hate the O’Sheas.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tiernan
Isit outsidethe dean’s office, waiting for him to call me in. He’s the one who asked for this meeting, and he can’t be on time? That would never fly in our family. My father is brutal and cruel but always punctual. Well, maybealwaysisn’t accurate. If he doesn’t think a person matters enough, if he doesn’t respect them, he doesn’t bother with being on time.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Is that what this is about with the dean? Because if that motherfucker doesn’t have the respect for me that I deserve, I’ll have to teach him what a mistake that is.
I push to my feet, walk over, and open the door. Hal Winters looks up at me, his angry expression at the interruption morphing to resigned as he speaks into the phone. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to call you back. There’s an emergency I need to take care of.”
Crossing my arms, I watch him as he ends the call and hangs up.
“Don’t leave me waiting again.” I take a seat across from him.
“I’m sorry. I had an unavoidable phone call that—”
“I don’t care.” This is where I could tell him my father wouldn’t like it, but I don’t want Winters or anyone else to only respect me because I’m Sloan O’Shea’s son. I want it because I’m Tiernan. “What do you want,Hal?” I ask, using his first name.
He doesn’t call me on it, but the tic in his jaw tells me it’s a struggle for him. It reminds me of the new kid, the contempt he always has in his eyes and the way he’s clearly holdinghimself back from saying something that will get him in trouble. Hal, here, knows the exact dangers, while my new kid senses it without having a fucking clue.
Or maybe he does. Despite how well we play the role of upstanding citizens and wealthy Boston businessmen, one internet search would show the truth disguised as rumor. The stories played off as fabrications that are anything but.
“There have been whispers about you, Rory, and Cillian selling drugs on campus.”
I stare at him, waiting for him to continue, but as the seconds tick by, it becomes clear he’s not going to. “So? Deal with them. That’s your job, not mine.”
“There’s only so much I can do.”
“Are you saying you’re useless? Because if that’s the case, then why are we keeping secrets for you? If our business agreement is no longer beneficial—”
“It is,” he rushes out. “I’m doing my best here. I’ll work harder on my end. I just thought your father would like to know. Maybe it’s worth slowing down or finding ways to be more careful.”
I don’t respond right away, just sit across from him and watch as a bead of sweat rolls down his forehead. Then I get up, walk around the desk, and stand beside him. “Me. I’m the only one who needs to know anything when it comes to Ashford. And it’s your job, something I pay you well for, to make sure I can do that safely and effectively while I’m here. If there is a problem, fix it. If you can’t…well, that would make me very upset. You don’t want to upset me, do you, Hal?”
He flinches when I put my hand on his shoulder, then does it again when I squeeze tightly. “No,” he sputters.
“That’s what I thought. Can you imagine the headlines?Dean of prestigious university indicted for money laundering… And it would be even worse if they found out about your little habitof paying for sex, and that time you got too…eagerwith your breath play. Who got rid of the body for you? Who cleaned up your mess?” I let my hand trail to his throat and squeeze, the way he’d done with the woman. Hell, the way I’d done with my new kid the other night. I shake his pretty face from my head, annoyed that I’m thinking about him now. Or at all.
“The O’Sheas,” he squeezes out, voice broken.
