Page 111 of Devil's Bargain

EIGHTEEN

Rick.

My move in the bathroom was either genius or the most stupid thing I’ve ever done. I either enticed her enough to drop the other guy or sent her straight into his arms.

The palm of my hand still tingles from the blow. Just thinking about her reaction makes my dick harden in my pants. It was one thing trying it out on Maddie. She pretended to be into it, but April… Shit!

I tap my pen on my notebook while Jared, the substitute teacher, leans back against the desk, gesticulating as he talks.

He pulls up the sleeves of his navy-blue shirt and points to the girl in the front row. “That’s one theory, yes.” He sweeps his eyes across the room. “Any other ideas of what the seven theories of the origin of life are?”

Maddie and her friend giggle in the front row.

“Yes, Madeleine? Anything you would like to share?” Jared’s smile is indulgent, but it’s obvious he wants to roll his eyes.

“What happened to your neck?”

I stop tapping my pen and look from Maddie to Jared. He’s got a long cut on his neck—almost as if it’s been inflicted by a knife.

I grow deathly still.

He chuckles and rubs his big hand over his mouth. “I had a shaving accident this morning.”

Bullshit!

April has an identical cut on her neck. I watch him closely as he scratches the back of his head before pointing to one of the guys on the row next to me.

“Yes, James.”

“Deep-sea vents is another theory.”

Jared slides his hands into his trouser pockets. “Correct. What can you tell us about the deep-sea vent theory?”

My blood boils. I don’t have proof, but something tells me deep down that this is the guy. His smile is too fucking smug. I try not to imagine him naked on top of her with his hands around her neck. Images flash through my mind at such a rapid pace that I’m powerless to stop them. I could take him. He’s a tall man with age and experience on his side, but I’m bigger thanks to countless hours of football practice.

“Are you going to see him again?”

“Yes.”

I want to punch something.

How hard does he hit her?

“I want you to call me a dirty little whore and force yourself on me.”

Is that what he does to her? I’m envious. I can’t believe that I’m jealous of a guy who demeans and hits women.

I feel this way because I want to be the one to do those things to her. No, that’s not true. It’s not that I want to hit her. I want to fulfill her desires and make her forget her own name. This is the stuff she’s into. As it turns out, I am quickly learning that my own desires aren’t so black and white. How I felt when I struck her earlier and saw with my own eyes how much it turned her on… God!

“Anyone else. Rick? Do you know any of the theories?”

Snap!

I look down at the pen in my hand. It’s in two pieces. “Electric spark.”

He nods, crossing his ankles. “Correct. Want to tell us a little bit about it?”

“No, I don’t.” My jaw grinds as I stare him down.

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