Make-Believe Mistress

“Can you blame him?” Adam asked. He rose and moved closer to her, leaning one hip against her desk and crossing his legs at the ankles.

It was a totally masculine pose and should have put her at ease, but didn’t. There was something measured, calculated in the way he stood there, waiting for her reaction.

She sighed, wondering if he somehow blamed her for the downward spiral of the Vernon-Dawn-Malcolm mess. God knew that she blamed herself for not paying better attention to Dawn and Vernon, but to be honest they’d been two of her best teachers.

“No, I don’t. That kind of betrayal would cut so deep. I wish I’d been more observant and realized what was going on.”

“What would you have done?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Something. Anything to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.”

“You can’t control the actions of others,” he said. There was an emotion in his words that she struggled to define.

“I know. Just think how nice it would be if I could. We wouldn’t have to go to lunch to discuss the school, you’d just agree to keep it open.”

“Let’s go.”

She followed him out of her office, trying not to wonder what it would feel like to have his lips on her skin.

He put his hand on the small of her back again. She liked the feeling of his big hand on her. She stumbled a little and he steadied her with his other hand.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, but inside she wasn’t okay. She’d been so careful for her entire life. Made sure to keep her private fantasies carefully tucked away from the reality of the life she carved out for herself.

For the first time she understood that the lines between them were blurry. That they could be crossed. And she wasn’t prepared to deal with that.

When would she be? She’d spent the twenty years since she’d turned thirteen running from her body and the way men reacted to it. When was she going to stop running?

The bell rang while they were in the hallway and she drew Adam to a stop. She wanted him to see the camaraderie between the students. She wanted him to have a glimpse of what he’d be taking from the kids if he didn’t vote to let her try to save the school. She wanted him to see that there was something worth saving here.

And nothing could serve as a stronger reminder of what she stood to lose if she let herself contemplate stepping out of the shadows she’d carefully built around herself.

Adam looked down at her as if he wasn’t sure what to do with her, and she understood that. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She only knew that the life she’d been living wasn’t acceptable anymore. It was going to change, because of the situation at the school and because of this man. And if he was interested in her, the way he seemed to be, then she wasn’t going to retreat and let this moment pass her by.

Adam had his driver take them to a local chain restaurant and soon was seated across from Grace in a booth.

Something had changed in her demeanor since they’d left her office, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. She was starting to relax around him. She still had a barrier in place around her, a formality that she didn’t drop, but he could tell she was trying to be friendlier.

“What should I do differently to win over the board members?” she asked after taking a delicate sip of her water.

“Nothing. Most of them are tired of the problems that the school has,” he said bluntly.

“Well that was honest.” She entwined her long fingers together on the table. He wanted to reach out and touch her, rub his thumb over her knuckles. But he didn’t.

“I’m not going to get a chance if Malcolm has anything to say about it.”

“You’re right about that. But I can override the board’s decision or possibly table the formal vote until the end of the school year.

“Your plan has a lot of merit on its own. The board of regents will only be swayed by action and results. I’ll be happy to help you implement the changes personally. I think that will be enough to convince the board to give you some extra time.”

She flushed as she stared at him. He wanted to know more about what made her tick. Why hadn’t he paid attention to Grace before now? “You’d do that?”

She made him feel like a better man than he really was. Maybe it was the knowledge that he was only sitting across from her because she’d aroused his interest with her fictional story about being his mistress. There was something in her eyes that made him feel…well, not empty the way he usually did.

“I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

“I’d heard that about you,” she said. “That you don’t tolerate lies.”

“That’s right. I don’t,” he said, not willing to talk about why. “What else have you heard?”

Not all of the stories that circulated about him were nice. In business, he was ruthless.

“That’s all,” she said, smiling at him.

He caught his breath as her entire visage changed. Grace Stephens was a stunning beauty when she smiled. A goodness shone through in that smile.

“What have you heard about me?” she asked, her voice suddenly shy.

Not much really. Commendations from parents and students prior to the incident but nothing personal about her. “I’ve heard very little about the woman behind the headmistress role, but I’d say that you are a woman of hidden depths and passions and that one day some lucky man is going to unlock those secrets.”

She tipped her head to the side. “I’m getting a glimpse of that charm of yours.”

He was a bit offended that she thought so little of his compliment. “I’m not flirting with you, Grace. Don’t belittle the both of us by asking for honesty and then reacting as if it were a lie.”

She flushed. “I’m sorry. Anything too close to the truth unsettles me.”

“Why?”

She shrugged and looked away from him.

“Look at me, Grace.”

She lifted her head, her gaze meeting his squarely. A tendril of her hair had escaped the barrette she’d used to clip it at the back of her neck.

“Why?” he asked again.

“Because I’m afraid of that kind of truth, Adam. I’m not sure how to act around you. You’ve never looked at me this way before.”

“I’m looking now,” he said.

“Yes, you are, and I’m not sure why.”

He knew that he should come clean and tell her he’d found her erotic story, but his gut said she’d shut him out and he’d never see this Grace Stephens again. Instead he captured her hand, tracing his finger over her fragile wrist and the veins running under her pale skin.

“Does there have to be a reason?”

“I guess not. But I’m sure there is one.”

“You’re passionate about your students and your school, Grace. There’s something different about you when you’re defending them, fighting for them.”

She licked her lips and he tracked the movement, realizing she didn’t wear lipstick. Her mouth was lush, her top lip bow-shaped and the lower one fuller. He wanted to draw her across the table and taste her. To see how she’d react to a kiss. How long would it take to shatter her composure?

“I just know how hard it can be to lose your school at that age. To have to move to a new place.”

“Personal experience?”

“Yes.”

“I had the feeling that you were practically rooted to Texas.”

“I am. I’ve always wanted to find a place where I fit in and put down roots and I found that at Tremmel-Bowen.”

“You didn’t grow up in Plano?” he asked, realizing how little he knew about her. It made him feel a little ashamed that they’d known each other for more than three years and he’d never paid any attention to her before this moment.

“No. I didn’t.”

There was a quiet note in her voice that made him realize there was more to her past than she’d probably want to tell him. “Where’d you grow up?”

“West Texas.”

“What city?”

“Why does this matter? I’d rather discuss the school—”

“I give you my word that I’ll step in and delay the vote. There’s nothing left to discuss about the prep school. I’d rather talk about you,” he said.

“Is that the only reason you’re willing to help me convince the board to keep the school open? A personal interest in me?”

He was a smart man and knew there wasn’t a good answer to this question. But he realized he’d pushed too hard and too personally for her. “No, of course not.”

Grace didn’t want to talk about herself. Men rarely wanted to know about her. She had no idea what she’d say. She stunk at making small talk and if they weren’t going to talk about the school then she was going to have to be sparkling or interesting and, frankly, she didn’t think she had that in her.

Luckily their food arrived and she gave it more attention than it deserved. She closed her eyes and offered a brief prayer of thanks for the food. Some of the preacher’s teachings she’d never been able to shed.

Okay, none of his teachings, but she didn’t like to dwell on the fact that her father was still controlling her behavior years after she’d left him behind.

She tried not to be nervous as their lunch progressed and Adam coaxed the conversation through a lot of different topics. She was surprised by how much he revealed about himself. He didn’t seem to have the barriers she always kept in place between herself and everyone else.

She felt a twinge of embarrassment at how professionally he was now behaving toward her. Had she completely misread his interest earlier?

She tucked a strand of hair back toward her clip while the waitress cleared their plates and Adam reached over to capture her hand in his.

“Isn’t this cozy?” Sue-Ellen Hanshaw asked as she approached their table.

Grace jerked her hand from Adam’s and tried to remind herself that they weren’t doing anything untoward. “Adam was giving me some input into the presentation I made earlier.”

“I’m sure he was.”

“Can we help you with something?” Adam asked.

“I hope you can help get our school back on track,” she said. “My son has a year and half left at Tremmel-Bowen and I’d hate to have to pull him out before he can graduate.”

“We all want to avoid that situation,” Grace said. “I’d love to talk to you and get your input.”

“Adam, will you be helping Grace?”

“Not that Grace needs my help, but yes, I’m going to be an active part of the school community until the end of the year.”

“I’ll be happy to serve on a committee with both of you.”

Grace had absolutely no idea how this had happened. She didn’t work well in groups. There was no way she wanted both Adam and Sue-Ellen in her office on a regular basis.

“We can work out the details of our committee after the board meets this afternoon,” Adam replied.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Sue-Ellen said and walked away.

Grace glared after her, hating the fact that Sue-Ellen had bullied her way onto a committee that Grace wasn’t even sure she wanted to be a part of. If she was on a committee with Sue-Ellen, she’d have a hard time holding her tongue and being the nice little headmistress she was supposed to be. Of all the parents she dealt with, Sue-Ellen was the one who pushed her buttons.

Sue-Ellen glanced back over her shoulder with a smug half-smile. Grace had the feeling Sue-Ellen knew exactly what she did to her.

“Will you do something for me?” Adam asked.

“In return for your help at the school?” She didn’t want to say no since he was doing her a huge favor but she’d learned a long time ago not to agree to something without hearing all the details first.

“No. I’m going to help you without you being in my debt.”

He seemed a little offended that she’d thought she’d have to pay him for being nice to her. But he was a savvy businessman, and she knew he didn’t just donate his time to help anyone out. Even the school that was his family’s legacy.

“Then why?”

“Curiosity,” he said.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked after a few seconds.

“Have dinner with me,” he said.

Dinner with Adam Bowen…oh, my God. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to run and hide at the same time. Her resolution to change herself and not wait for her life to change around her was still so new that she had a moment’s thought that she’d just forget about it and sink back into her old life. After all, it was Monday night and she didn’t have TiVo. She’d miss her favorite television show.

This was it, she thought, glancing up at him.

“You’re staring at me,” he said.

She blinked and realized she had been. Just looking at that perfectly formed mouth. Wondering for the millionth time what it would feel like pressed to hers. “Am I?”

He quirked one eyebrow at her. She fought to keep her expression serene. To somehow keep him from guessing that he had any effect on her. But she knew that he was used to being around much more sophisticated women and a small-town girl from west Texas was going to be no match for him.

“Yes, you are,” he said.

“You’re a very attractive man.”

“I can’t believe you’re just noticing,” he said.

Startled she had to laugh. “You aren’t going to deny it?”

“Women seem to find the arrangement of my features pleasing.”

She shook her head. An innate charm imbued everything he did and said. She wondered if it stemmed from his childhood. She knew he was the pampered son of older parents. And her own childhood had been very different. Was that the key to adult success?

“I wish I had your confidence,” she said before she could stop the words. She’d gone to school this morning knowing she was going to have to fight to keep her career going, never imagining that she’d find herself in a different relationship with a man she’d fantasized about for a long time.

“Have dinner with me and I’ll teach you how to get it.”

She nodded, unable to say more. This was a fantasy come true. So why did she feel as if she were about to start something more potentially scandalous than the mess she was already in?

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