Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“What’s this about?” I ask him.
Zack speaks first. “We caught a guy taking video footage the other night,” he says. “Specifically, of you and your girl.”
I swear under my breath. “Any chance he’s tall, gangly, pimply?”
“Ha. Seems he already showed his cards,” Braxton says. “And we know exactly who he is. Langston Prince, nephew of the dean where you teach.”
“Shit,” I mutter.
“Yeah. But good news, man,” Braxton says. “I took care of it for you.”
Zack growls and gives Braxton a withering look. “It’s against the law to physically intimidate someone, and as a member of the police force, my hands were tied.” He rolls his eyes. “Brax, however, has no such compunction.”
“He broke the fucking rules of Verge,” he says. “Members sign an agreement not to record anything without the express written consent of a member. He did no such thing. So Tobias destroyed his contract and revoked membership and I destroyed his ugly little face.”
I snort and give Braxton a fist bump. “Considering my own hands are tied as professor, much appreciated, man.”
Braxton cracks his knuckles. “Any time.” Zack rolls his eyes.
“But the reality is, even though he’s no longer a member here, for all we know, the footage he took is out there somewhere, backed up,” he says.
I sigh, shaking my head, as I tell them about Giada being threatened in the hall earlier today.
“Be careful, man,” Zack says. “Something tells me this hasn’t blown over by a long shot.” He shoots Braxton a look like an older brother chiding his kid brother. “Hopefully someone didn’t stir the hornet’s nest.”
Braxton flips him off.
“Fair enough,” I tell them. “Thanks, guys. I think Giada and I are gonna have to play it safe for a while.”
I take my leave, and despite every warning bell that’s in me, I shoot her a text. “Babe, let’s cancel meeting up tonight. I’m not sure if it’s safe.”
A moment later, her response comes, and it breaks my heart a little. The little sad face smiley thing and two words. “Yes, daddy.”
I feel like I just made a horrible mistake.
Chapter Ten
I go to the birthday party on auto-pilot. I can’t stand being separated from Geoff. It’s only been a few days but feels so much longer. And after the text he sent me… telling me not to come to Verge. I know he’s right, but it feels so final. Like we need to break this off, and I wonder if maybe I’m just too young for him. Maybe I’m too flighty, Maybe I pushed the brat envelope just a little too hard.
I wear a little silver dress and heels, and look in the mirror, but my eyes are lackluster and distant. My stomach aches. I miss him so badly.
I don’t want to be here, but if he’d at least come, I would have been able to bear it.
My brother meets me at the door to the restaurant where everyone’s coming, staring at me with the typical disapproval. Emilio wears a gray Armani suit, and looks as if he just stepped off the runway for some GQ magazine. I roll my eyes. Typical.
“Hey, baby sis,” he greets.
I roll my eyes. “Hey to you, too.”
“Looking good,” he says. “But you look tired. Everything alright?”
“Yeah,” I tell him with a sigh. “Everything’s fine. I’m just tired.”
When he opens the door for me, I step inside, and he leads me to a private banquet room to the left.
“You need a keeper,” he tells me, his voice laced with disapproval. “You go to bed too late and don’t eat enough food. You told me before you sometimes miss your classes, and sometimes don’t pay your bills on time.”
Here we go again. I’m so damn tired of the lecture.
And what he doesn’t know is that I had a keeper. Someone who cared about me. Who wanted to be sure my needs were met. Someone who actually had the balls to take me over his knee when I needed it. I smile sadly to myself.
“Dad spoiled you, Giada, and I want better for you.”
“God, save it, Emilio,” I tell him through gritted teeth, when I feel someone come up beside me and take me by the elbow.
“So sorry I’m late.” I recognize his voice and his signature woodsy, masculine scene that makes my body tingle before I even turn to look. My heart sings. Geoff.
Emilio’s wide eyes take in our familiar stance. Geoff is clearly older than I am, and hell, he’s still my professor, but in that moment?
I don’t care.
“Emilio, meet Geoffrey,” I tell him. “Geoffrey, my brother Emilio.”
Geoff gives Emilio a disarming smile that I swear I’ve never even seen before. “Pleased to meet you,” he says. The little girl in me dances.
I greet my family and food is served, but when I turn to Geoff, we’re the only two people there. I reach my hand under the table and squeeze his knee. Too high. He nearly chokes on his water.