Page 215 of The Invite
I’m glad he didn’t. I wouldn’t have gotten a wink of sleep.
“Ness, who is it?” asks Augustus from behind.
I face him, and reply in a neutral tone, “I have to drive to the school to meet Mr. Crane.”
His jaw grinds. “I’ll come with you.”
“What? No!”
“Yes, I will.” He struts to my side and stares down at me with determination. “I told you we’re not hiding.”
“That doesn’t mean I’ll let you flaunt our relationship in front of my angry boss.”
His face goes taut and those sinister eyes of his narrow. “Protecting you isn’t flaunting. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to walk in there together so he knows you’re mine.I’m going to tell him you’re innocent in all of this and make sure you your job.”
“He’s your principal, Augustus,” I argue softly. “He can expel you if you piss him off. So, why don’t you let me handle it?”
He smiles at me like I’m so naïve, and darkly says, “He may be behind the desk and wearing the title of principal, but he sure as fuck doesn’t run the school, little prey. He’s there because my family’s donations and support put him there. So, when I tell you your job is safe, it’s a done deal.”
“Then why would he suspend you?”
“Corruption works under an illusion. We all have to play our part.”
I seriously miscalculated the power and influence his last name holds. I’ve barely scratched the surface.
The knowledge terrifies me.
CHAPTER – 55
Nessa
“Don’t be nervous, Ness,” says Augustus as he navigates the SUV through the morning traffic.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
“Glad you did.” Flashing me a smirk, he confesses, “The second option was following you.”
I glare at the passing trees and huff. “I’m starting to think you’ll always look for excuses to chase me.”
“Always knew you were a smart girl.”
I pretend to be annoyed by his arrogance, but there’s a smile on my face. I also know he’s trying to distract me, for which I’m grateful.
After our earlier conversation, he had driven me back to my place after we showered together in his gigantic bathroom. I was awestruck and gaping as he guided me through the richly decorated hallways and the living rooms to the front door.His place is an enormous mansion, bejeweled with modern paintings and chandeliers in almost every room.
When he said he was done hiding us, he meant it. Because he made sure we ran into the staff and introduced me to the head housekeeper named Bertha. She is a pleasant lady in her mid-forties, who was as stunned as me to see someone on Augustus’s arm.
The truth was plain as day.
I was the first woman he had brought home.
It gave me butterflies and shot another dose of deranged possessiveness through my system.
After reaching my place, he watched as I dressed in a cream-colored power suit from my collection of formal wear. His eyes lightning up with primal heat seeing me in the clothes he bought. Afterward, he fed me breakfast. A bowl of cereal and a hot cup of coffee. The latter was served with a casual but firm comment about replacing my slow coffee machine with a new one and ignoring the sputtering protest I made.
I blink out of the memory as he turns onto the hill by the school. The closer we get, the harder I squirm on the plush leather seat. My mind is filled with the worst-case scenarios. A set of iron doors with the school’s insignia—an eagle in a circle—is wide open and we easily enter.
As soon as Augustus parks in my spot—no clue how he knows—my nerves are frayed and I twist my hands in my lap.
