by Grace Reagal
Freak…
The word makes me cringe. I remember what Valentin had said that day in the locker room.
Maybe he’s right…
I mean what kind of rational person acts like that because some boy put his hands on her?
“Kitten, trust me. I don’t have to drug girls to have them drop by my feet.” His voice is dripping with arrogance. There is silence. “Maybe you drugged me.”
My mouth drops as I swirl around to face him. I fall into his bait without thinking. “I did not!”
There are gasps from students all around the room, even though they don’t know what we are talking about.
“Ms. Callahan!”
I turn slowly to the front of the room and squeak. “Yes?”
Mr. Mahor stops writing on the board and watches me with narrowed eyes. “Why can I hear you from all the way at the front of the room?”
“Uh…I…”
“Are you discussing your project?”
I blink. That’s actually a good cover. I nod like a bobble head and I know I look crazy as I quickly say, “Yes! We were just talking about which…places we could go to and things we could do. I mean, there are so many things that we could do you know? And you know that I don’t know a lot about this place like you said Valentin knows this place, and I don’t so…right now we were just having a small disagreement—” I can hear giggles around the room the longer I go on. I get even redder, but I can’t seem to stop.
Valentin pats my back, interrupting me before I continue to make a fool of myself. “We’re just talking, David. She can get a little…heated sometimes.” I can hear his grin when he says that, and the emphasis on “heated” doesn’t pass my radar.
I clench my teeth, forcing myself to nod. As soon as Mr. Mahor turns back to the board, I shrug off Valentin’s hand. I hiss, “Don’t touch me.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I just saved you, Kitten.”
“What are you talking about? You didn’t save me. I don’t need saving! What would you even save me from? Just leave me alone, gosh.” I know exactly what he has saved me from.
Myself.
And my mouth which just talks and talks and talks.
He chuckles. “You ramble. A lot.” I don’t know if he likes that or doesn’t like that and I don’t care.
I narrow my eyes.
For someone who’s supposed to be all dark and mysterious, he sure talks a lot too…a lot of crap.
Valentin turns so that he can face me and the board. Leaning back, he picks up the paper. “So, partner…what are we deciding on?”
I hate that I’m being called “partner.” I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. “What do you mean?”
“For this,” he waves his hands dismissively, “journey or whatever the fuck David is calling it.”
I cock my head. “Do you always call him by his first name?”
His lips rise, while his eyes still scan the paper. “Are you jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous?”
“Because you don’t have that type of relationship with anyone.”
“Of course I do!”
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
He looks up from the paper, his eyebrow rising. “Don’t give me that bullshit, Kitten. You’re the most sheltered person in this whole school. You know no one outside your family.”
I stop myself from replying.
Partly because he is right, and the other because I don’t want to keep bantering with someone like him.
How does he know so much about your life?
I pluck the paper from his hands, changing the conversation. “Let me see.”
He laughs, and I can feel him watching me while I read the paper.
Mr. Mahor has written out all steps of the assignment. First up is: finding the adventure.
I have spent the whole day today trying to figure out how to get out of this project. I have even emailed Mr. Mahor, but it seems like there is nothing I can do. It is either participate or get the most of a seventy-five percent in the class.
And the way to get through me is by my grades. I was s-e-r-i-o-u-s about grades. In fact, by the end of sixth grade, I was correcting my tutors on their errors.
I want so badly to go to a university, become a doctor, and make a life of my own. And I want to go to a university that accepts me because of me, not my family. I don’t want the Giovanni name following me wherever I go. It’s always, “You’re Mr. Giovanni’s daughter?” and never, “Are you Caterina?”
I have to come out of my shell.
Maybe this is the perfect way to do it.
Suddenly an idea starts forming in my head.
Something dangerous, risky. But before I blurt it out like I usually do, I need time to think about it for like a second.
And I sure as heck am not going to be able to think with Valentin right next to me. I raise my hand. “May I go to the bathroom?”
Valentin narrows his eyes. “What?”
Mr. Mahor nods. “Sure. Just give me your agenda book to sign.”
I stand up to leave.
Would it work?
Would I get what I want without getting hurt?
I’ve been so sheltered my whole entire life. But I am now sure, with 100% certainty that what I crave most is information. Mom and Dad have refused to tell me anything.
I need to know whatever Valentin knows. And if I have to play by his rules for now, that is fine. I can be vicious too, when I want. I’ve never had a reason to before.
Now I do.
Rawr, am I right?
Shut up.
I don’t notice anyone or anything as I walk out. The plan is falling into place in my mind.
As soon as I get out of the classroom, I shut my eyes and I lean against the closest wall.
“I can do this, I can, I can do—”
“You can do what?”
My eyes fly open. Valentin’s face is there, unbearably close to mine. His eyes search my face for any sign of what I had been talking about. Once it registers, I push him away.
“What the heck are you doing here? Did you just…did you just follow me to the bathroom?” My face twists up in disgust. Did this guy have no boundaries whatsoever?
He rolls his eyes, leaning against the wall next to me. “You didn’t go to the bathroom, Kitten.”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realize he hadn’t gotten angry when I pushed him off. And from what I know about him, he would be furious that some girl put his hands on him.
Did what we do this morning really affect him this much? He is almost…nicer?
I groan. Why am I being stupid? I am trying to make a heck of a lotta something out of absolutely nothing.
He leans forward, his eyes dark and narrowed. “What are you thinking about, Kitten?”
“What? What makes you think I’m thinking about anything? What plan? I’m not making any plan…what…”
I realize I had just revealed something he hadn’t ask for. Oh…shoot.
Okay, that one was not my fault.
You literally just blurted out—
Hey! He was, like, right there in front of me! I can’t lie. His eyes, I swear, it’s his eyes.
You better be able to lie better than this when you actually tell him the plan or you’re gonna get us killed.
I know. I know. I will!
“What plan?” He is suddenly back to the old Valentin. His voice is harsh, and his demeanor turns hard.
My heart flutters. I mean, I have to tell him sometime, right? He is part of it. In fact, he is a major part of it. None of this could happen without him.
But as he stands, a couple of feet away from me, my mind freezes.
Do I really want to play games with a monster like him?
He has already done horrible things to me without me doing anything.
What if he finds out your real intentions?
I’m gonna run.
And if he catches you?
You can shoot him.
> You keep talking about this like you have a gun.
I do have a gun!
“First, give me my gun.”
“Excuse me?”
I look straight at him, unwavering. “You’ve had my gun for way too long. Give it back and I’ll tell you the ‘plan.’” I am proud of how strong my voice is.
He watches me for a long moment, his green eyes focused hard enough to shake my soul. Suddenly, he leans back and laughs.
I’m kind of stunned for a moment.
He looks beautiful.
In a very objective way, he looks beautiful when he laughs. I know he is laughing at me, and there had been no joke made, but regardless, I can’t look away. I can’t look away and it bothers me to no end. How can someone so monstrous be so freakin’ attractive?
“Kitten, what makes you think I care about your…” He chuckles. “Plan?”
He looks at me like I’m a kid, trying to sit at the adult table.
I shrug. I force myself to turn away and start walking. I mutter, “Fine then. If you don’t want to know…sex…”
I just drop in “sex” in my muttering because I know that is what is going to get his attention. But I underestimate how much he will react to it because in an instant, I’m pressed up against the wall.
“Sex?”
I look up at him innocently. “Hm?”
His jaw, chiseled and sharp, ticks. “Now is not the time to mess with me, Kitten.”
He is probably right. He has me pinned, his hands pushing my shoulders against the wall. I take a deep breath, trying to get as much air as I can, like I do when people get too close. And suddenly, his whole smell surrounds me.
I don’t want to smell him.
I turn my face away. “You smell like smoke.”
And cologne. And soap.
“You have a problem with that?”
“Yes. It’s disgusting.”
I gasp as I feel his lips on my ear. “What the fuck is this plan you’re talking about and why the fuck does it include sex?”
I want to tell him right there. His voice is laced with a warning and I have no doubt he won’t hesitate to hurt me if I deny him what he wants.
A smirk grows on my face. That means he likes information too.
Maybe we can get along.
“Why the fuck are you smirking?”
Oh, how does it feel to be on the receiving end of arrogance?
I pretend like his hands on me is nothing major. I pretend like I’m not affected, like this is a normal occurrence. I don’t want him to see me rattled. But I do the same to him.
I shrug, making my grin bigger. “Gun first, Valentin.”
His grip on my shoulders gets tighter. He grits out. “Fine.”
My smile gets bigger. “What? I didn’t really hear—”
Anger washes over his face. “Don’t test me, Kitten.” The grip on my shoulder becomes even harder and if he presses any more, he might just dislocate something.
I cough. “Fine, but can you, like, let me go first?”
He doesn’t let go. “No.”
I roll my eyes. “You realize that this intimidation tactic doesn’t work anymore, right?”
Confusion lines his brows and I laugh inside. I shrug. “Yeah, I mean it kinda wore off after the first ten times you did it.” I lean forward, pushing him off me. He lets go. “If you have a question, just ask like a normal person. You don’t have to do the creepy-eyes-pushing-against-wall-angry-face thing.”
I straighten my shirt, looking calm and collected. Inside, I am trying to find a way to voice my thoughts without completely damaging me, myself, or I.
Valentin looks completely shocked. It makes me so happy, I want to jump up and down.
It is so fun rattling him!
I’ll have to do it again sometime.
I think he mutters something about me and “weird as fuck” but I decide to let it go. Finally, he shrugs off his surprise. “Just talk.”
I take a deep breath.
“It has to be romantic.”
“What has to be romantic?”
“As long as I’m going to lose my virginity, it has to be with a guy I like.”
Chapter 20
Caterina
There’s complete silence from Valentin. It’s actually kind of beautiful.
His voice is suddenly soft when he speaks. “But you fucking hate my guts…” He seems stunned.
I don’t deny it. Even I’m not that good of a liar. “I do.”
He watches me warningly, his eyes narrowed. “What’s your point, Kitten?”
I shrug, playing with the hem of my shirt.
If you lied to Dad, you can lie to anyone.
So I whisper, “I want you to make me fall in love with you.” I beam up at him. “And that can be our journey. We’ll get an A with this definitely!”
It is actually a perfect plan.
If he falls for it.
Please let this work. Please let him say yes. Let him say yes. Let him say yes.
As I watch his face change, I instantly realize that he’s going to laugh me off. Amusement fills his eyes. “You’re kidding…right?”
Those three words mortify me beyond belief, but I refuse to show it. I shrug, clenching my fist. “That’s my ultimatum. I’m not having sex with someone I don’t know.”
Valentin watches me, his eyes hooded, trying to figure me out. He bursts out laughing.
Anger fills me. This douchebag! “Why are you laughing?”
I am not amused.
I am pissed.
And okay, also embarrassed that this is all going worse than I had anticipated.
What am I going to do now, darn it!
He doesn’t stop laughing. “You think I am the type to give flowers and chocolates, Kitten?”
Despite my protests for my wellbeing, I do something that I regret as soon as I do it. I step forward and plant my hands on his shoulders, pushing him back. “Stop. Laughing!”
That does it, because the laughter immediately wipes from his face. Good. He doesn’t stumble back, but then again, I didn’t push him hard.
I take a step back, knowing once again he is going to make this so much bigger than it actually is. He takes every insult like someone killed one of his family members. It is quite ridiculous.
And very scary.
The only safety that I can rely on without my gun, and his skill to deflect my punches, is that he knows who my family is. He knows that my parents are billionaires. At least with that knowledge, he knows better than to kill me.
Let’s hope.
“Don’t ever touch me if I don’t tell you to.” Surprisingly he doesn’t try to put me in a chokehold.
Wow, he really is changing. Aw…
I nod, looking like I understand. But what comes out of my mouth is the opposite. “See that’s how I feel about you when you touch me without my permission.” I smile nervously. “I mean I apologize for putting my hands on you, but I’m just saying that was nothing compared to everything you’ve done.”
He simply watches me with his death stare.
My smile falters and finally drops. I shake my head. “The plan was ridiculous. Obviously. I was just saying so that we both get whatever we wanted out of it.” I turn away muttering, my body flushing completely red. “I don’t even know why I thought you would agree. I mean how stupid can someone—”
“Wait.” Valentin grips my arm and turns me back around to face him.
I stare at the ground, my hair falling to cover my face. If I look at him in the eye, he will see I had been lying. I mumble, “See what I mean about touching people without permission…”
He scoffs out a laugh. He doesn’t let go. Instead, his hand grips my jaw. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you, Kitten.”
He forces my face up, my chin in his grip. I avoid his eyes though. Softly I ask, “Why?”
“Because I said so.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I can’t keep making him a
ngry if I want him to fall into my trap.
Valentin leans forward and I can feel his eyes searching my face for any sign of a lie. I make myself completely blank. “Are you being serious about what you said?”
I nod, which is kind of hard to do in his hold. “Yes,” I whisper.
“You…are willing to give me your virginity?”
I gulp. “Yes.” I refuse to give eye contact.
He firmly jerks me into place. His eyes burn into mine. “What are you getting out of this?”
“An A?” I squeak out.
His eyes narrow. “I don’t give a fuck about an A.”
I roll my eyes, which I realize I shouldn’t have done as soon as I see a dark shadow pass over his face. “But you’re not me. And plus, I really need my gun back.”
If Dad checks in with me and finds out that it’s gone, hell will be unleashed. And Uncle Smoke is going to take me to a shooting range this weekend or the next and if I don’t bring my buddy, they are going to get suspicious.
Valentin speaks slowly and lowly. “You’re really going to give a stranger your virginity?”
I clench my jaw.
Never in a million years.
“Yes, but only if you make me ‘fall in love’ with you.”
There’s a flicker of a smile across his lips. “Why the emphasis on ‘fall in love?’“
I raise an eyebrow, scoffing, “Obviously I’m not going to actually fall in love with you. That would be ridiculous!” I look at him like he’s stupid. I shrug. “But if I really get to know you, then I’ll be able to trust you with my…” I squeak out, “vir…ginity.”
He chuckles and I know he doesn’t mean to because he quickly wipes it off. “Wanna bet?”
“Bet what?”
“That you’ll actually fall irrecoverably for me.”
I laugh. “That would never happen. And I thought you said you didn’t do…uh, lollipops and chocolates?”
There’s a strange look on his face as he looks down at me. He chuckles like I’m ridiculous. “First of all, that is not what I said. And there are other ways to make chicks fall in love.” His green eyes twinkle.
Curiosity fills me. My brows pull in. I chew my lip, thinking. “What are the other ways?”
Girls don’t fall in love because a guy is rude to them…right? I mean, not real people. Maybe in movies and books. But in real life? Hm…Do girls actually like guys like that?
