Chapter 6

Chase

" H ey, man, you coming to the happy hour after work at Frankie's?" Jeff Richter asks, standing in the doorway of the teachers' lounge and looking at my plate of cafeteria food like he's shocked an adult eats it.

I love cafeteria food. It's probably the weirdest thing about me. There's nothing like one of those rectangular school pizzas from back in the day. I'd always eat the cheese first, scrape off the sauce, and then fold the soggy crust over like a taco. Throw in some greasy corn and a scoop of applesauce, and you have the perfect meal.

I stare at Jeff for a moment, thinking. I should go and mingle. My chief is friends with the superintendent of schools and has asked me how it's going here. The only answer I've been able to give my boss is that it's quiet. It's quite the change from my usual drug busts. The only drug issue I've had to handle here isn't even drugs. Kids like to vape in the bathrooms.

I've gone from drug task force cocaine ring busts, undercover investigations, and getting most of my informant information from hookers to walking the halls and sniffing the air for apple-scented vape.

I can't wait until Liam is cleared to work. I still look forward to the coffee selection every day, but I miss my real job. The days I go in for an hour of counseling are the best parts of my week. Just walking through the bullpen and seeing the office staff makes me happy. Temporarily working here is like going to an exotic location for vacation. It's fun for a few days of beach time, but you miss your own bed and routine after too long.

Then again, I'll miss her . Not that I've seen her that much, but I do position myself by the upstairs window at arrival time and watch her walk into the building, her lunch box in her hand and a cloth grocery bag over her shoulder. I watch the sway of her hips as she casually glides up the sidewalk, smiling and greeting other teachers. Those same hips that I gripped while I thrust into her tight, little –

"You coming or what? If you're my wingman, you can help me win that bet with Leo. Lipshitz is coming."

I raise my head with renewed interest. I could talk to her outside of work. Would she let me buy her a drink? More importantly, I could piss a circle around her in front of Leo and Jeff and let them know their stupid bet is a pipe dream .

"How do you know?" I ask, mentally praying she hasn't been talking to him. That's one thing I wished we would have done more of – talking. I want to know more about her, especially after watching her walk into work the last few days. She looks so happy and is kind to other people, including her students. That's rare in women I've dated. I don't think I've ever been with a woman who is so willing to look an acquaintance in the eye as she sincerely greets them instead of staring at her phone and giving a curt nod.

Sincere. That's a word I'd use to describe Kailee. Other words would be kind, gorgeous, smart, great with kids, and smells good. If I wait to enter a room until she leaves, I can always smell a hint of her perfume. That's just her perfume, though. That's not the scent I remember from between her legs – the scent that makes my mouth water whenever I think about it.

"Leo asked her," Jeff explains.

Fucking Leo again. This guy needs to fall off a cliff.

I nod and take a bite of corn, trying to remain calm. "Is everyone driving there right after work?"

"Yeah, and we're already at a loss right off the bat."

"Why's that?" I ask.

"Leo's driving Kailee. He'll be working on her the whole way there."

Jeff Richter probably thinks I'm a psycho. I would think someone's a psycho if they squeezed a milk carton with so much force that the custodian has to be called to clean milk off the walls.

***

Frankie's is like being in neon hell. Televisions line the top of the walls, showing soccer and amateur basketball games. Golf is on a big screen in the corner, and men in pleated pants gather around the television like they're watching the Super Bowl. Pink neon signs point the way to the bar and the bathrooms. Blue neon arrows point to the pinball machines in the back of the joint.

When my eyes finally adjust, I head to the bar and order a simple beer. I should stick with one tonight. I sure don't need a drunken repeat of what happened with Kailee the first time we were in a bar together. Not that I'd be opposed to another good roll in my bed. I just want to get to know her more before we go there again. Call me a sap, but this one is girlfriend material, and part of me regrets that we got a few things backward.

"Hey, man," Leo says, sidling up to the bar and slapping me on the back. He must have just got here. The hair on my arms immediately stands at attention. If he's here, she's also in the room. "You coming to sit with us so we can get this humiliation over with?"

I turn and face him, leisurely resting on my elbows and intentionally not looking around the room. I don't want Kailee to think I only came for her by looking for her. "What humiliation is that, Leo?"

He runs his hands over the front of his shirt like he's proud he got to drive her here. Hell, I'd be proud to cart her around, but something tells me Leo feels exceptionally good about it. He doesn't strike me as a ladies' man. The fact that he got to drive her and is showing off to me is so fucking quaint I could cry. It almost hurts the one feeling I have for the guy to have to burst his bubble.

I sip my beer and sigh when he doesn't answer me. "You may have brought her here, but let's take a side bet on who she goes home with."

The smile wipes off his face as the reality of the situation sinks in. He grabs his beer, slides a five-dollar bill across the bar, and sneers as he turns to walk back to the large booth where our coworkers are mingling. "I was just playing. No need to be mean."

"Yeah, bragging about driving her here probably wasn't the best way to get on my good side."

Jeff Richter is an irritating gnat. Leo is a douche, and I don't want him to lay one finger on my girl.

My girl? Where the fuck did that come from?

There she is, sitting elegantly at the table and smiling at one of the female math teachers as the other woman tells her a story. I tilt my head and just watch her while I sip my beer. I could stand here all night. I won't though – not with Leo's arm slung over the back of the booth behind her like he owns her. He smirks at me when he gets settled, and he makes a pointing motion above Kailee's head, indicating to Jeff that he's sitting next to her. Jeff good-naturedly shakes his head and shrugs, apparently accepting defeat.

I'll never surrender her to the douchey shop teacher.

"Hi, Kailee," I say, sliding into the booth next to her. Leo is on her other side, and Kailee's eyes momentarily widen like she's stuck between a rock and a hard place. "How was your week?"

My words are clipped and short. I smile to reassure her that I'm not pissed at her. She probably thinks I'm a jealous monster right now. As I wait for her answer, I run my eyes over as much of her body as I can without seeming pervy. She's in a cream sweater with wide holes on both shoulders, black jeans, and black heeled boots I'd like to peel off one at a time before pulling her naughty little panties down.

And that smell. Her smell.

"Fine, Chase. How was your week?"

I lean forward and whisper in her ear, intentionally grazing her jaw with my cheek. "I thought you should know that the guy next to you started a bet with Jeff about who can get your panties off fastest."

Kailee blinks and silently looks at the table for a few moments as she grits her teeth. Her fingers grip the hem of her sweater and she turns so our noses almost bump. Her breath smells like peppermint gum. " What?"

"The guy has a major crush on you."

"I know that," she whispers so Leo can't hear. "He asked me out."

I run a finger up her leg under the table. She startles a little but her eyes momentarily flutter before she controls herself. "Are you going to go out with him? Because honestly, I'd like to take you out."

I'm suddenly pushed roughly out of the booth as she grabs the glass of wine in front of her and pushes me out of the seat. "Move. Back there," she says, pointing at the pink neon above the bathroom.

"What? Why?" I ask, confused.

"We need to have a chat," she hisses, her teeth clenched.

Behind her, Leo frowns like he doesn't like me getting any alone time with her. Fuck that dickhead. He got to drive her here. I turn and let her frog march me to the back of the bar, and I hold my hands up like her hand on my back is a gun. "Careful, Pussycat. People may think you're taking me back here for a quick shag." I smile at my own joke. "And I can make that happen if you ask nicely."

We enter the bright bathroom hallway, and she spins me to face her. "Number one, there will be no more shagging. Number two, don't call me Pussycat. Nicknames are my thing. Number three, what the fuck are you talking about with a bet?"

"Just what I said. Jeff came to me on the first day and told me that he and Leo have a bet about getting in your panties," I say, leaning my arm on the wall and propping my head on it. I hope I look sexy. "I didn't have the heart to tell them I've already won that bet." Her face reddens, and I squint in confusion. "Why are you so mad at me? I'm telling you about it so you know."

She inhales sharply. "Chase, did you take the bet too?"

"No. I didn't need to. I already won." She scowls at me. Backpedal. Backpedal. Abort. Abort. "I just told you so you'd know and could be safe."

"This is the most immature bullshit I've heard from adult males. Have you all been sniffing the art room glue?"

"I haven't done that since my own high school days."

She shakes her head a moment. "I've seen better maturity from my high school classes. Hell, this is something that happens when I sub fifth grade. What the fuck is wrong with you people?"

"Go out with me." The words just pop out, mostly because I have no idea how to defend myself now that I've heard someone say how immature their bet is, and I'm immature for telling her. "Seriously, Kailee. We had a great time when we were together, but let's go out for dinner and actually get to know each other."

"You want to get to know me?"

I step closer to her. If I lean down just a little, I could kiss her. Memories of those warm lips on mine fill my mind, and my heart pounds in my chest. "Have dinner with me. One dinner. No sex on the counter. No face riding. I mean, that was fun, but let me get to know the cowgirl inside," I say, pointing to her heart. She rolls her eyes. "If nothing else, we can clear the air since we'll be around each other more with Lorelei and Liam dragging us places together. Let's at least be friends, Kailee."

Friends, my ass. I swear to fucking God, if this beautiful creature puts me in the friend zone, I'll scream into a pillow. Dear Christ, don't let me have to see her hold hands with the fucking shop teacher.

She puts her hands on her hips and taps her foot. "Thanks for telling me, but I'm a big girl and can handle my own shit."

"So you won't go out with Leo?"

She smiles an evil grin that would be at home in a horror movie. "Like I said, Chase. I'm a big girl and make my own decisions. He asked nicely."