Speak No Evil: A Secret Society Student Teacher College Romance (The Society Book 3)

by Ivy Fox

  “Oh, the plot thickens. I didn’t expect that.”

  Yes, I did. Keep talking, Montgomery.

  “Not many people do, but there are many who still recall that night and waggle their tongues whenever they are short of current rumors to entertain themselves with.”

  “I take it your crush was one-sided then.”

  “Quite the contrary. After that night, Sierra and I became inseparable and fell deeply in love. So much so we schemed to leave Asheville and elope. I was ready to lie to waste all my hard-worked plans for the future because of one woman’s love. But her family had other expectations for her. When a person is born into such a dynasty, your will is not your own. Neither is your heart. I learned the hard way that some families will accept you at their dinner table but not into their family.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that. It must have been harrowing.”

  “It was. Her older sister found out of Sierra’s plans to run away with me and told their mother. If Colleen Richfield is a cold shrew, then their mother was a heartless wench. They used the fact that I took a summer job down in Atlanta to save enough for our marriage, to have a wedding of their own predilection. When I learned that Sierra married Crawford Hamilton, a man ten years her senior, it was such an excruciating pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I thought my world ended there and then. Even the rumors that Colleen hated Crawford more than she disliked me couldn’t mend my broken heart. But luckily, Dorethea came into my life and healed those wounds. And to Colleen’s bitter disappointment, I ended up being a permanent fixture in their lives anyway, since my wife was her best friend. It’s true I didn’t marry the woman I was in love with, but I had a suitable replacement—a friend and a righteous woman who was an excellent mother to my children.”

  “I can’t believe the Richfields would arrange a marriage in this day and age.”

  “Oh, I can tell you that they still do. I hate to confess to it, but I’ve also had a hand in doing something similar to my daughter. Crawford must have been at odds with either his wife or sister-in-law for one reason or another when he barged into my home one night wanting to arrange a union between his eldest son and my Kennedy. Out of spite, I conceded to the courtship, knowing Colleen would be furious at the match.”

  “Do you mean Theodore Richfield??” I ask, completely surprised at what he’s confessing.

  This I did not see coming.

  “One and the same, I’m afraid. I hate to talk ill of the dead, but I was relieved my daughter no longer had to continue with the romance when he overdosed. I know her heart was never in it, and it grieved me to put her in such a position. But my Kennedy has always been a good girl and knows how to live up to my demands. Thankfully this one she didn’t have to keep. However, if you ask the Richfields, that will not be their recalling of the events. They thought I was trying to get my hands on their fortune yet again. Since I had failed to wed Sierra, Colleen accused me of having stooped low enough as to have my own daughter do it for me by marrying Teddy.”

  “That’s quite an accusation.”

  “Yes. But that family always sees outsiders as enemies, unfortunately. Even Kennedy, who was Colleen’s godchild, I might add. Cold, unfeeling creatures, the lot of them. Ah, my poor sweet girl. Kennedy hasn’t had it easy. My pride has taken plenty away from her. When Teddy died, the poor thing came to me, begging that I talk to her godmother and arrange another Richfield match, thinking that was what I wanted, but I declined. It damn well broke her heart knowing she failed me, even though Teddy’s death was no fault of her own. But I made sure she understood that I was done with that family once and for all. I had my fill of them.”

  “Kennedy wanted you to arrange a marriage between her and Colt?” I stammer, feeling like someone just punched me in the gut.

  “Lord, no!” He laughs. “My daughter might have been enamored with one particular Richfield heir when she was younger, but Colt Turner was definitely not it. Kennedy has more sense than to fall for that pompous jackass. I meant Lincoln Hamilton, his cousin. I told her it was out of the question and began conversations with Senator Maxwell and his son as an alternative for my daughter.”

  I shake my head, not believing what I’m hearing.

  “So your daughter doesn’t want to marry Thomas Junior, either.”

  “As I said, Emma, the Northside does things differently. Every marriage you see here is a business transaction. There is rarely ever love as the foundation to matrimony. Even the high and mighty Colleen Richfield married under those same conditions. I’m sure she never wanted to marry a man like Owen Turner, who is known to have shared the bed of half the women in both the Carolinas, but when the time came, she did her duty and married him anyway because of his own prestigious family. I heard Colt is even more promiscuous, but as they say, like father like son.”

  “This is a lot to take in,” I choke, flattening the linen napkin over my lap.

  “Welcome to Asheville, sweetheart. It’s a world of its own. Not many make it here, and those who do end up scarred for it.”

  “I see that. So does this mean you no longer have any ties to the Richfields?”

  “I’m the dean of their university, a position granted to me while my dear Doreathea still was amongst us. But that is as far as our relationship goes.”

  “Oh.”

  “Besides, Colleen never forgave my shortcomings where her best friend was evolved. I must confess, I could have been a better husband to Dorethea. She didn’t deserve half the things I put her through early in our marriage. But when the heart talks, the mind has no say.”

  “Sierra’s recent unexpected death must have been painful for you.”

  His face turns somber.

  “As if my heart had been ripped from my chest.”

  “Is that the real reason why you never remarried?”

  “Again, very perceptive of you. I guess I always thought one day Sierra would gain the courage to leave her husband and find her way back to me, especially after Dorethea died. Unfortunately, I’ll never know if one day we could have had our happily ever after. Someone made sure to extinguish her beautiful light before she got the chance. I hope whoever did it gets the death penalty. I’ll be sure to be seated in the first row when that happens.”

  I swallow dryly, not expecting just spews of hate coming from him.

  “May I offer you some advice, Emma, on how to survive Asheville?”

  I nod, trying my hardest not to look too shaken by his vengeful gaze.

  “It’s all about perception in this town. Everyone has their way of perceiving things here. Don’t believe everything you see, don’t trust everything you hear, and don’t take what’s spoken to you as fact. Rarely the things seen, heard, or spoken are ever the truth.”

  “Understood. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, right?”

  “Exactly.”

  Chapter 18

  Colt

  I take stock of Emma’s stiff demeanor. Her back is tensely straight in her seat, and her neck is so taut she keeps constantly rubbing at its nape to relieve the pressure.

  “Any plans for Christmas? It’s just right around the corner, you know?” I ask, wondering if idle chit-chat will do the trick of getting her head out of whatever she’s obsessing about.

  “I’ll probably do what I always do. Read Wuthering Heights and order Chinese,” she responds mechanically.

  “Nothing says Christmas more than a story of revenge and take-out.”

  “Mm.”

  “Okay, that’s enough,” I say before closing my laptop and pulling her chair to face me.

  “What are you doing?” She gasps in shock.

  “Something is eating you up. I can see the wheels in that brain of yours turning nonstop. What’s wrong?”

  She chews on her bottom lip.

  “It’s time we continue our research back at Charlotte. I think I’ve overstayed my welcome with your mother here.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “
Just a hunch.”

  I follow her gaze to an empty bookcase where my family’s ledgers used to be. Either Meredith or my mother took them for some light reading, it seems. I swear I’ll never understand either of them.

  “Who’s L. Richfield?” Emma questions out of left field, bringing my attention back to her.

  “Huh?”

  She plants her palms on my knees, leaning in closer to me as if she’s about to tell me a secret.

  “Who was L. Richfield, Colt? It’s important. Please.”

  My brows furrow more at the desperation in her voice than the question itself.

  “I wasn’t expecting a pop quiz on my family tree, professor, but I’ll humor you. He was the pretentious genius who actually ordered this house to be built as a wedding gift to his wife. My family lived in the Hamilton Estate before then, but I guess my great-great—how many greats it is—grandpa was compensating for either a small dick or a wandering one if he needed all this to make his woman happy. Not that the poor bastard even saw it finished, though. He died in battle during the Civil War. However, legend has it that he didn’t die on the battlefield like the history books say but was assassinated down at Fort Macon by his superior officer when he found out dear old Lionel had been slipping confederate secrets to the Yankees.”

  Emma bows her head in deep contemplation.

  “What is this all about?” I ask, covering her hands with mine and giving them a light squeeze.

  “Nothing.” She slumps back in her seat, pulling her hands away from me.

  Okay, enough of this shit.

  “You need to relax, Em. You’ve been working nonstop, and it’s getting to you.”

  “You have no idea what I need,” she retorts, back to rubbing the pressure in her neck.

  “Don’t I?” I muse, running my hand up and down her thigh.

  “Colt, what are you doing?” She snaps her head, her amber eyes piercing through my emerald ones.

  “I told you. You need a break. You’ve been working yourself to the bone. When was the last time you did something just for yourself?” I ask, my hand continuingly creeping up her skirt.

  She licks her lips, her eyes going half-mast as they follow inch by inch where my hand is leading.

  “I don’t remember,” she whispers.

  “Then when was the last time you let someone do something for you?”

  “I don’t remember that either.”

  She lets out a soft laugh, but it quickly dies on her lips when my fingers brush against her panties.

  “Halloween, perhaps?”

  The soft pink that colors her cheeks narcs her out.

  “You need a release, Em. Just a few minutes where your brain goes blank, and all you feel is the nerve endings of your skin spark alive.”

  “Sounds tempting.” She licks her lips again, my cock instantly hardening, thinking about all the ways I’d love to use that gorgeous mouth of hers.

  “Close your eyes,” I order, stifling my grin when the good professor does what she’s told.

  Her breathing stills when I start playing with her clit over her underwear.

  “All work and no play is no way to live, Em.”

  “What makes you such an expert on how I should live?”

  “I think after you cum on my fingers, you’ll see just how knowledgeable I can be.”

  Her chest begins to heave as I draw in closer. I only stop when my mouth is right in her ear. Her sun-kissed marigold scent, filling my senses and tantalizing me further.

  “Open your legs.”

  She does as she’s told, her skirt rising up her thighs. I pull her underwear to the side, happy when my fingers find her pussy already wet for me. My lips never leave her ear as I continue to toy with her wet slit.

  “Does that feel good?”

  She nods, her lips opening just enough to intake air.

  “Tell me how much you need to cum right now.”

  “So much,” she whispers hoarsely, her temple finding purchase on my shoulder for balance.

  “Imagine it’s my tongue on you. I’m eating you out, and at any moment, someone could come in here and catch us.”

  It’s not a lie. Someone could pop in at any time. But then again, that’s half the fun.

  “Hmm,” she whimpers.

  “I’m on my knees while you’re holding onto my hair, depriving me of oxygen. But I don’t care because your pussy is all the nourishment I need.”

  She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, and I wish she were biting into mine. Her legs begin to quiver as I add pressure to her clit, while breaching her wet core with my fingers. My free hand grasps the back of her neck, my thumb brushing lightly over her skin. Her nipples hardened with each caress, making my mind wonder how they’d taste on my tongue.

  “Would you like that? My mouth on you?”

  “Yes,” she moans again, her arms wrapping around my neck, her fingers tugging at my shorthairs.

  “What about my cock, Em? Do you want that, too? Would you like to know how it feels to be properly fucked?”

  The way she shifts closer to my fingers tells me she does.

  “Tell me you want my cock inside you, and I’ll let you cum,” I tell her, adding pressure to her swollen clit.

  When she doesn’t say the words I want to hear, I pull away. She raises her head in astonishment, her eyes burning in both frustration and desire. I lean back, cupping my head with both hands, as I stare her down.

  “This could all be much simpler if you just do as you’re told.”

  The fire in her gold eyes takes my very breath away, and when I think she’s about to cave and give me what I want, she surprises me by doing the exact opposite. Instead of begging me to touch her, she raises her skirt a little more and widens her legs until I can see her dripping wet pussy in front of me.

  Fuck!

  She then starts fucking herself with her fingers, her head going back over her shoulders, as she strums her clit to perfection. I’ve never been so fucking turn on and pissed off all at the same time.

  “Do you think you can do that better than me?” I ask, to which the little temptress nods, keeping to her tempo. I slap her hand away, gaining a hostile snarl from her.

  My Em is a fierce wild animal when she’s horny.

  Before she has time to say anything, I insert two fingers inside her core, her eyes going wide with the intrusion.

  “You’re going to cum by my hand, not yours!” I growl, my lips so close to her mouth I can almost breathe the air out of her lungs. I add another digit, making sure my thumb is always rubbing her clit. I fuck her so hard that all her walls begin to seize around me. She’s so fucking tight I think I’m about to pass out with want.

  “Now you can cum, Em! And you better fucking cum hard if you know what’s good for you!” I order, the sounds of her wet core being viciously abused by my hand, making pre-cum coat the crown of my cock. As Emma’s lips part and her body begins to convulse around me, I breach the small gap between us, joining our mouths together. I eat up her cry of ecstasy as she plummets into one of the sexiest orgasms I have ever seen. I pull my lips off her, her body now sated and limp, and I lick her cum off my fingers.

  “Both your pussy and your mouth taste sweet, Em.”

  “We shouldn’t have done that,” she murmurs, leaning against her chair while still gasping for air.

  “Who says I’m done?”

  Her long lashes flutter, her eyes falling to the unmistakable bulge in my pants.

  “Sit on my lap.”

  When she doesn’t move, I pick her up by the waist and place her on my lap, cowgirl style.

  “That wasn’t a question. It was an order.”

  “I’m not having sex with you,” she proclaims steadfast, her beating heart as loud as my own.

  “Are you really going to keep fighting this?”

  She refuses to give me an answer, preferring to look away from my impenetrable gaze. I grip her chin and pull her whiskey eyes back on me, where they s
hould have never left in the first place.

  “Fine, have it your way. You want to fight this? Go for it. As long as you know that this,” I point to her chest and mine, “is a done deal. It’s happening, Em. So make your peace with it because sooner or later, you will be riding my cock to oblivion, and you know it.”

  “No, I’m not,” she states flatly, but the little she-devil begins to rub her pussy on my junk.

  “Yes, you are,” I choke, loving the feel of her on top of me.

  “Keep telling yourself that,” she taunts, as her hand goes to my zipper and pulls it down.

  My breath catches in my throat as I watch her deft fingers release my swollen cock from its confinement. The touch of her warm hand alone sends shockwaves to my system, but it’s when she places my cock just at the edge of her slit that I lose it.

  “You think you can play with me?” I slur, gripping her ass cheeks to speed up her tempo.

  “I think you’re all about the game, Colt. You love the chase. Isn’t that what this is all about?”

  “That all depends on who I’m chasing,” I groan when my cock slides perfectly against her folds.

  “What are you chasing now?” She breathes onto me, her teeth pulling on my bottom lip.

  “Right now? Fucking restraint not to fuck you raw,” I confess, fisting her skirt.

  She lets out a soft moan, her lids falling of their own accord before capturing my mouth in the sexiest kiss a woman has ever been able to give me. Emma keeps stroking my cock with her bare pussy, the intoxicating smell of sex in the air just adding fuel to the fire she lit inside me.

  “Em,” I groan when I feel I’m seconds away from cumming.

  “How badly do you want to cum right now?” she taunts, flipping the table on me. “How much do you want to fuck me right here and now?”

  “Shit! So fucking much.”

  Her shallow breathing reaches my ear before she bites my lobe, making my eyes turn to the back of my head.

  “This,” she whispers huskily while her pressured strokes pick up speed, “is all you’ll ever get.”