by Mia Ford
“It’s not happening,” I said firmly.
Marlene’s eyes flashed with anger. “You’re being a cheapskate,” she said. “You don’t even want to spend money on our son’s education!”
“It isn’t about that,” I said hotly. “It’s about his attitude! I don’t want to reward him for this shitty behavior. Like, oh, son – you’ve been acting out but it’s okay because Daddy is going to put you in an expensive school full of other little rich shits!”
Marlene and Hannah were both staring at me.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Dealing with all of this is really fucking stressing me out at the moment.”
The rest of the meeting didn’t go much better. Hannah and Marlene turned on each other, and then I was suddenly the mediator. By the time we were done, I was exhausted. I felt a huge amount of resentment towards both of the women in my life, and I knew it was irrational, but I didn’t care.
“In the future, you’re not coming to these meetings unless you can behave,” I told Hannah sharply as we left the building.
Hannah batted her lashes at me. “Oh, Thomas,” she said sweetly. “I just want what’s best for you and Brett.”
I stared at her. My anger was rolling over me in strong, palpable waves.
“I trust that you’ll let me make those decisions,” I said sharply. “Because I’m sure as fuck not going to let you start parenting my son.”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed and eventually, she dropped her gaze.
“Fine,” Hannah muttered. “God, I was only trying to help.”
“We’re done for the day,” I told her. “I’m going home to see Brett, he’s been waiting for me and I know I’ll be late if I don’t hurry.”
“Want me to come?” Hannah looked hopeful. “We can order a pizza, I’ll watch Brett while you work out?”
“No,” I said sharply. “I need to start spending more time with my son.”
Hannah looked at me expectantly.
“Alone,” I added in a sharp voice. “Without you around, got it?”
Hannah nodded meekly. “Fine,” she snipped. “I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”
I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. I hadn’t looked in a mirror all day, but I could tell that the stress was really getting to me. My skin felt puffy and old, and when I closed my eyes, a dull ache began to spread through my whole head.
I knew that I was going to have to do something about Hannah, but for the moment, I was stuck with her. I couldn’t find another personal assistant who would be as knowledgeable and helpful as Hannah – at least, not without weeks of searching. And with a big project coming up at work, I wasn’t going to be able to take that kind of time off. I supposed I could always organize a committee and put them in charge of finding me a new person, but that would have to wait until things calmed down, just a little.
And Marlene! She was a fucking cipher – she always had been. When we’d first divorced, she’d been almost pleased to be out on her own. But I could tell that it was taking a toll on her, too. She obviously hated the fact that she was “forced” to work in order to maintain her luxe condo, and I knew she probably blamed me.
I also knew that I shouldn’t care. But it was difficult – after all, we had a child together. And Brett was the most important part of my life. I wasn’t going to write off his mother just because she’d been a shitty wife. That would have been incredibly unfair to him.
It was dark by the time I got home. Isabelle, Brent’s nanny, was just starting dinner in the kitchen and the delicious smell of chicken enchiladas flooded my senses when I stepped in the door. When she saw me, she smiled.
“Hi Mr. Thomas,” Isabelle said. She grinned at me. “We had us a nice long day, didn’t we baby?”
Brett nodded and smiled. Isabelle had been with us since shortly before the divorce, and Brett really cared for her. Some of my friends had joked about her – she was young, curvy, and a lot of fun to be around. But dating the nanny was such a cliché…I wasn’t going to become that kind of man.
“I’m glad,” I said.
“Dinner almost ready,” Isabelle said, swinging her hips as she flung a dish towel onto the counter. “Just bake for twenty more minutes and you’re good. I’m going to clean up and then I’ll head out.”
I nodded. “You want a ride home?”
“No, thank you Mr. Thomas,” Isabelle said.
“Alright, then,” I said. “Thanks for everything.” I pulled out my wallet and handed her a crisp fifty. “This is for a good week,” I said, handing the folded bill to Isabelle. She tucked it inside her pocket and smiled.
“Wow, thanks!”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said dryly. “Work is really ramping up, and I think things are only going to get busier from here on out. You okay with spending a lot of time here next week?”
Isabelle nodded. “We’ll have fun, won’t we, Brett?”
“Yeah!” Brett looked ecstatic. It was hard not to take it personally – he was obviously closer to Isabelle than me or Marlene. But I knew I shouldn’t care – at least the boy had someone to be a positive role model, even if she was the nanny.
Isabelle grabbed her coat and left, leaving a wake of heavy orchid perfume behind her. As soon as she’d left, Brett seemed to clam up. He hopped onto a barstool at the island and slumped over a piece of paper, furiously scribbling with a crayon.
“Hey buddy,” I said, walking over and taking off my jacket. I loosened my tie. “How’s it hanging?”
Brett barely glanced up. “Fine,” he said.
“Just fine?”
Brett sighed. “Dad, I’m fine,” he said.
I forced a smile. “Okay. You hungry?”
Brett shrugged.
“How was school today? And don’t say it was fine,” I added quickly. “Because I know it wasn’t.”
That got Brett’s attention. When he turned to face me, his cheeks were pink with guilt.
“I’m trying, Dad,” he said after a long pause.
“I know.” I cleared my throat. “I know you’re trying, but sometimes that’s not good enough. Brett, you know I want the best for you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
It was difficult not to get angry, but I took a deep breath and tried to let my frustration drain.
“I know I haven’t been around as much as I should be,” I said. “Things are really busy at work, but I’m thinking of taking a really long trip over the summer.”
“Oh.” Brett sounded glum.
“With you, together,” I said. “I was thinking about Disney World. Or maybe San Diego, wouldn’t that be fun?”
Brett looked up and nodded. He smiled. “Yeah, Dad. That would be great.”
I tried to smile back. I knew that I shouldn’t be bribing him like this – with offers of a fancy vacation – but sometimes, it was too easy.
“Well, you think about it and let me know,” I said. “I’m going to check on dinner and then get changed.”
“Can we order a pizza?”
“Brett, Isabelle made this just for us.”
“I know.” Brett wrinkled his nose. “But I want a pizza. It’s Friday, Dad. Come on!”
I sighed. “Only if you promise you’ll eat the leftovers,” I said. “We’re not going to be wasting any more food in this house.”
Brett nodded enthusiastically. I stared at him for a final minute, hunched over his paper in concentration and scribbling hard. He was such an intense kid – I knew he’d gotten that from me – but I hoped we wouldn’t ever get to the point where he refused to talk to me. Growing up, I hadn’t been particularly close to either of my parents. But they’d never really tried, either. It had always been about them.
Today, we practically had no relationship save for when they wanted to see Brett. They adored Brett, of course – sometimes it was hard not to feel resentment when I saw how clearly they preferred him to me.
I whistled as I walked through the condo. It was big – four bedrooms – I�
��d had it since before I met Marlene. It felt like too much space for two people. But moving was a pain in the ass, and this was centrally located right in Manhattan. I wasn’t about to give that up, just for the sake of a cozier condo.
Impulsively, I picked up my phone and dialed Brett’s teacher, June. I didn’t expect her to answer, but she picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi June, this is Thomas March. How are you?”
“Oh! Hi! Um, I’m good,” June said quickly. I could tell she was blushing and fumbling. Strangely, my cock began to stir and twitch inside my boxers as I listened to her breathy voice.
“Look, I was calling to ask about Brett,” I said. “He’s gotten a new tutor, but I’m worried he still isn’t doing very well.”
June paused.
“That can’t be good,” I joked. “Don’t worry about offending me, June. Just be honest.”
“Well, um, Mr. March, Brett is still acting out,” June said softly.
“Please, call me Thomas.”
“Oh, sir, I couldn’t,” June said quickly.
My cock stiffened and I had to suppress a groan. I had no idea what it was about this woman that turned me on, but every time we spoke, I felt a thrill of excitement shooting through my body. She was so young, so submissive – I wondered what she’d be like in bed. The idea of a blushing virgin was somehow appealing.
“Please, June,” I said.
“Okay, Thomas.” June’s voice was a high-pitched squeak. “Brett continues to pick on his classmates, and I sent him to the principal.”
“Good.”
“You’re not mad?” The relief in June’s voice was palpable. I grinned as I imagined her begging my forgiveness, on her knees, with my cock in her pouty little mouth.
“Of course not,” I said. “I want you to let Brett know that you’re in charge, and if that means sending him to the principal, then that’s what I want you to do.”
“Oh,” June said breathily. “Okay, Mr. March. I’ll do that.”
I chuckled. “Please, June, call me Thomas.”
There was a pause.
“Look, Mr. March – Thomas, sorry – I should be going, I’ve got a lot of papers to grade.”
I grinned, picturing her in a t-shirt and panties, surrounded by a mountain of schoolwork. The image of June’s stiff nipples through thin white cotton excited me tremendously. I wondered what kind of panties she wore. Probably prim little cotton bikinis, in white and pastel shades. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the scent of her sex – probably musky, and young, almost like talcum powder. I wondered if the crotch of her panties was wet. I wondered if she’d let me push those young thighs apart and lick her juicy pussy until she squirted right in my face.
By now, my cock was throbbing. My balls were starting to ache. I longed to be buried deep inside June’s pussy, to make her moan and writhe with pleasure.
“Okay,” I said. “You have a good night, June.”
“You too,” she said softly. I grinned. I might have been imagining it, but something told me that she was just as turned on as I was.
Oh, how I wanted to fuck her!
Chapter Four
June
Days passed and I didn’t hear anything from Mr. March. As much as it pained me to admit, Brett was doing much better in school and that meant I didn’t have any reason to interfere. Oh well, I thought one afternoon as I dismissed my class. That’s probably for the best. I’ve already embarrassed myself enough around him. No need to make a bigger idiot out of myself.
“June, I’m going to go,” Ruth said. “You okay to wrap things up on your own today?”
I nodded. “I’m fine,” I said. “Thanks, Ruth. You’ve been a big help – I really appreciate it.”
I’d intended to leave school early that day – before four – but once Ruth was gone, I realized that I felt like working. I pulled my schoolbag up to my desk and shuffled through papers. Normally, I didn’t feel much motivation at the end of the day, so I decided to seize it and grade that week’s math quiz.
I was almost halfway through the papers when my door banged open. My heart leapt. Thomas! I thought irrationally. He’s come to talk to me about Brett!
But when I glanced up, I saw that a gorgeous redheaded woman was making her way through the desks. She wore a luscious fur coat, sunglasses perched on the top of her head, and her pointy features were perfectly made up. She was beautiful in the way that an older movie star is, the kind of woman who would play the “hot mom” in some stupid teen comedy. But she wasn’t smiling. Her face was a tight mask of anger.
“I need to speak to my son’s teacher,” she said, her nostrils flaring. “Can you call her in, please?”
I frowned. “Who is your son?”
“Brett March.”
I cringed. “I’m Brett’s teacher,” I said. “My name is June.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Marlene,” she said. “Marlene March.”
I bit my lip. “What can I do for you, Mrs. March?”
“I demand to know why my son has been acting out,” she said sharply. “Why aren’t you taking more of an effort to reign him in? Do you know that he’s barely even speaking to me about school anymore?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not really sure those two problems are relat—“
“Shut up,” Marlene growled. She put both hands on my desk and leaned close, glaring at me with her icy green eyes. “I demand you help him!”
“I’m trying,” I said quickly. “But Brett – your son – has been an incredible disturbance in class, and I can’t spend as much individual time with him as I should.”
“Why not?” Marlene’s voice was high and indignant. “This is supposed to be the best public school in the city!”
“It is,” I said. “But ma’am, I have over thirty students in my class. If one of them keeps acting out, I have to send them to the principal. I can’t just pause the education of twenty-nine other children because one of them is misbehaving!”
“You’re a bad teacher,” Marlene said. “My child is in school to learn, not to get pushed aside just because he’s acting out!”
“And he will learn, as soon as he can behave himself and control his anger,” I said firmly.
“You little bitch,” Marlene spat. “You don’t give two shits about these children!” She crossed her arms over her chest and tossed her red curls. “I should have you fired!”
A stab of cold fear pierced my belly and I shivered.
“Yeah, you don’t like that idea at all, do you,” Marlene growled. “But I think it’s only fair. You’re pushing my son to the side, I push you to the side.”
My lip began to quiver and I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes.
“Please, ma’am, I’m doing the best I can with your son,” I said quickly. “I really, really am! I swear!”
“I bet you are,” Marlene said. “You’re weak. You can’t even handle an angry parent! How the hell am I supposed to trust that you’ll handle my son?”
I stood up and glared at her angrily. Hot tears streamed down my face. I’d never felt more humiliated in my life.
“Your son is a child,” I spat. “And children listen to their teachers, unlike you!”
“Oh yeah?” Marlene smirked. “Then explain why you have to keep sending him out of class! My son is a perfect little boy, and you and this goddamned school have been treating him like he’s some kind of delinquent!”
When I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. In frustration, I buried my face in my hands and cried.
“You can’t even handle the lightest of criticism,” Marlene spat. “You are not fit to teach my son!”
I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to slap her, to stamp my foot, to throw a fucking fit. But I knew that wouldn’t accomplish anything. I knew that would only make myself look worse, and possibly open myself up to a lawsuit.
“I’ll be in touch,” Marlene said smugly. She turned on h
er heel and clacked her way out of the room, humming under her breath.
I flopped down in my chair and wiped my face with tissues. Just as I was starting to calm down, the door burst open again and my heart sank.
But this time, it wasn’t Marlene.
It was Thomas March.
He strode towards me, smiling and looking sexy…until he saw my face. Once he realized how distressed I was, he rushed closer.
