Boys of King Academy

by Rose, Louise

  “Can’t wait.” Lucas smiles and heads off in the direction of the cafeteria. I waits until he turns the corner, then wait some more, wanting to be sure he isn’t going to double back and follow me to check I really am going to see the music teacher.

  Once I am absolutely certain no one is paying any attention to me, I walk to the gym, desperate to find out what Archer has to tell me.

  The gym is a large, redbrick building which stands on its own away from the main building that houses most of the classes. Behind it is a small copse of trees which provides perfect cover for clandestine meetings. It is also out of bounds, since those same trees meant it would be easy for students to be snatched without anyone noticing, and the Academy is marketed as a safe environment for rich students. If we get caught, we’d be lucky not to be suspended.

  I glance around, checking no one is watching before I walk around the side of the gym building and out to the back where Archer is already waiting for me.

  When I see him, my stomach flips. Damn, the man looks fine.

  “Archer! What’s all this about?”

  “Not here.”

  Archer puts his arm around me and guides me, moving further away from the school to where no one would be able to see or hear us. My skin tingles at the feel of him being so close to me. This man has always been a danger to me in more ways than one.

  A horrible thought suddenly occurs to me, and I stop dead in my tracks.

  “Where are you taking me, Archer? Is this your twisted way of getting revenge on me for what my father did to you? Are you going to take me somewhere you’ve got men waiting to hurt me?”

  “What?” Archer looks at me, confused. “No. Of course not. I’d never hurt you. I can’t believe you’d think that about me.”

  He looks so downcast I immediately regret what I said. “I’m sorry. But you can’t blame me for thinking about all the possibilities. This town seems to run on a diet of vengeance. What are we doing out here?”

  “There’s a CCTV camera that monitors the back of the gym,” Archer tells me. “I have to get you somewhere it wouldn’t be able to see us. In case you haven't noticed, I am standing directly beneath it in the blind spot, but with both of us there, there is a chance it might have caught the edge of one of us and have the guards come check us out. We need to be somewhere completely safe.”

  “That makes sense. But haven’t we gone far enough yet?”

  “Not quite.” Archer shakes his head. “We need to go deeper into the trees so no one can see us. The guards patrol the path round the back of the gym and they can still see us from here. If we go a little deeper into the woods, there’s a large dead tree which has been hollowed out. We can sit inside it and no one will be able to see or hear us. Then I’ll explain everything. I promise.”

  “Okay.”

  Archer reaches out his hand to me, and I take it, following him down a narrow path through the trees. It takes about five minutes to reach the hollow tree he told me about, but once we get there, it’s obvious it’s the perfect place for a secret meeting. A few cigarette butts dot the ground, evidence that some other students snuck out here when they wanted to do something which would be frowned upon by the faculty, but we are the only ones here as Archer leads me inside the tree.

  The ground is soft and comfortable, the tree surprisingly large enough for the two of us to sit next to each other and stretch our legs out without being crisped.

  “All right, Archer,” I say. “So what’s so important you had to bring me out here and risk us both getting suspended?”

  “Jeez, Ivy. Nice to see you too.”

  “Of course it’s nice to see you, Archer. We haven’t really had a chance to spend much time together since I came back because I’m with Romy. But you made such a big deal about how we had to meet in private, I thought you’d want to skip the pleasantries and get straight down to business.”

  “I’m sorry, Ivy. I’ve just missed you. I didn’t realise how much until we got out here. But you’re right. I should just tell you the news and not expect you to be happy to spend time with me.”

  He looks so miserable. I want to pull him into my arms and let him know how much I’ve missed him, too, but I have a feeling anything I say would just dig me even further into the hole I am already in, so I say nothing and let him continue.

  “What do you think about the new guy, Lucas?”

  “Not an awful lot. Not yet. We’re meeting for coffee later and I thought I’d pump him for information then.”

  “Good luck with that,” Archer says.

  “Why? What do you know?”

  “The guy’s a liar. Whatever he tells you won’t be the truth.”

  “How can you know that?”

  “Because his name’s not Lucas Donatello.”

  “Seriously?” I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. I feel sick. “But I thought he is supposed to be a friend of my father’s?”

  “I have no doubt he’s in your father’s back pocket,” Archer tells me. “But he’s not one of the Donatellos. I’ve had my family’s spies on the case and they confirm he definitely isn’t related to them.”

  “So, who is he then?”

  “We’re still trying to figure that out. There’s no doubt your father has been in contact with the Donatello family. They’re one of the most influential business families in Italy, so his time out there would make sense if he’s trying to build links with them. But whoever this Lucas is, he’s not one of them. He’s something altogether different and when your father does something this shady, it’s something we should all be worried about.”

  “We have to tell Pilkington about this.” I scramble to my feet, ready to go marching into the head’s office here and now.

  “No, we can’t.” Archer reaches up and pulls me back down. “If your father’s paying Lucas’s school fees, he’ll already have paid off Pilkington to keep his mouth shut. I bet he knows exactly who Lucas really is or, if he doesn’t, he’s been paid enough not to care. If we start throwing accusations around, we’ll be the ones to get in trouble.”

  “But you must have proof that Lucas isn’t who he says he is,” I plead with him. “We get that, plaster it all over school. Stick it on social media. Tell everyone Lucas is a fraud. Pilkington can’t keep him here if we do that.”

  “I understand why you’d want to do that, but we can’t.” Archer shakes his head. “Sure, we could get Lucas chucked out of school, but what good would that do? It would let your father know we know he’s up to something, so he’d just fall back on Plan B and we have no idea what that might be.”

  “We have no idea what Plan A might be!”

  “A few of us went to the pub with him last night to welcome him to the Academy and it was all he could talk about. Says he is really looking forward to getting to know you better and implied Romy isn’t going to be on the scene for much longer once he worked his charms on you.”

  “Good luck with that.” I snort. “I might be getting married to Romy under pressure, but I’d still choose him a million times over before I ever go near Lucas.”

  “Well, you might have to suck it up a bit and let Lucas think he’s in with a chance,” Archer says. “Out of all of us, you’re the one who has the best chance of figuring out what he’s really up to. You can get him to talk. All you need to do is bat your eyelashes at him and he’ll be putty in your hands.”

  “Oh, puh-lease. I’m not that irresistible.”

  “Ivy, have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently?” Archer casts a pointed glance down at my chest.

  I blush. “Okay, so I made sure the girls were on display today. Funnily enough, you weren’t the only one to have the idea that I ought to pump Lucas for information. I didn’t realise there is so much at stake though. Now I really don’t want to go out with him. The thought of being anywhere near him gives me the creeps. He’s in all my classes, Archer. Says my father advised him which ones to take. I don’t even know how he managed to get into music. He can b
arely play an instrument and you don’t want to hear him sing.”

  “That’s what money can do for you.” Archer shrugs. “But you don’t have to be on your own. I can come to the coffee shop with you, sit nearby, make sure he doesn’t do anything he shouldn’t.”

  “Romy already offered, and I said no,” I told him.

  “That’s because Romy’s your fiancé and it would be weird to have him there. I’m no one special. Lucas isn’t going to give me a second glance.”

  “Of course you’re special. At least… you’re special to me.”

  I bite my lip and look away. I shouldn’t be talking like this, but Archer is special. My body responds to being around him in a way I’ve never known before. It is weird, but just sitting here makes me ache to be with him again. I want to kiss him, feel his hands on me…

  “You’re special to me, too.” Archer reaches and gently guides my head around to face him. “You have no idea how special.”

  He kisses me, and I let him. As his lips meet mine, I moan. This feels so right. Archer and I fit together perfectly, as if we were made for each other.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Ivy,” he says. “There isn’t a day that didn’t go past without my thinking about you and wanting to know where you were. I hated being apart from you and then when you came back and moved in with Romy-”

  “Shhh.” I place a finger on his lips. “Let’s not talk about him right now. It’s… complicated. I’d rather talk about you and forget about everything, everyone, else.”

  “Who says we have to talk at all?” Archer grins at me and I grin back, knowing exactly what he is thinking.

  I lean forward and kiss him, his lips warm and soft. His tongue probes my mouth and I feel my pussy clench with desire.

  I am going to have him right here in the middle of the woods where anyone could walk in on us. This might be my last chance to enjoy his body and I am taking it with both hands.

  “Are you sure about this, Ivy?” Archer asks when we break apart. His face is flushed and I can tell he wants me as much as I want him, but he is trying to be a gentleman.

  “I couldn’t be more sure,” I reply, pulling him to me to kiss him again. He put his hand inside my blazer, cupping my breast to rub my nipples through my blouse. There is something truly erotic about having him touch me through my clothes, a promise of pleasures yet to come.

  I reach down and caress his groin, feeling how hard he is through his trousers.

  “I need you,” I whisper. “I need to feel you inside me, even if this is the last time. I have to have you, Archer.”

  I pull off my blazer and Archer follows my lead, the two of us quickly stripping off our clothes. Archer lays them on the ground as a makeshift bed, and I sneakily watch his cock out of the corner of my eye, loving how large it is when it is standing to attention.

  “I’ve got a condom in my wallet,” he tells me.

  “Good. We’re going to need it. But right now, I need you to suck on my tits.”

  “I can do that.” Archer smiles and winks at me.

  He kisses me, cupping my left breast as he rained kisses down the side of my neck, down my front until he reaches my right breast. He takes my nipple in his mouth and sucks on it hard, letting his tongue flick over it. I gasp as my nipples become erect, sending shudders of electricity through my body.

  I reach between his legs and grab his cock. Gripping it hard, I massage him and he moans, moving his body so I can hold on to him as he kisses his way down my body to my clit. He lays on top of me, his cock in my face as he licks my clit. I grab his butt with both hands as I take his cock in my mouth, sucking on him hard while he continues to eat me out.

  I grip his bum harder, my nails digging into him as his tongue sends me spiralling off into ecstasy. My whole body shudders as I come hard, but Archer is nowhere near done with me yet.

  “You taste so good,” he says, as he pulls out of my mouth, his cock hard and slick. “But I think I’m going to need that condom now.”

  I am so not going to argue. I prop myself up on my elbows, watching him as he gets the condom and puts it on. He climbs between my legs, plunging into me with a single thrust. I cry out as Archer slams into me, lifting my hips to meet his every move. He pulls out until only the tip of his cock is inside me before going in deep, his balls slapping against me to add to the pleasure. His pace is unrelenting. He is like a machine, determined to fuck me until I am beyond satisfied, and I am happy to take it.

  Suddenly, Archer pulls out all the way, and I sigh with disappointment.

  “Get on your knees,” he orders, and I am more than happy to oblige, loving not having to think about anything other than enjoying myself. I think I hear a noise outside of the tree, but I am too lost in sensation to care if someone is out there.

  Archer enters me from behind, his hands reaching around to play with my nipples. The extra stimulation makes me cry out, unable to keep quiet. I reach down for a handful of clothes and stuff them in my mouth, knowing that although we are a distance from the Academy, someone might still hear us.

  Archer’s cock seems to grow even larger as he fucks me, filling and stretching me as he pounds at my pussy. My body seems to dissolve into waves of pleasure as I come over and over again. I feel high and will never come down again as long as Archer is inside me.

  Archer’s movements become more urgent as his own need to come takes over, I push back against him, wanting to make him feel as good as he is making me. He cries out as his orgasm hits, collapsing against my back when he is done.

  The two of us fall to the ground together, our legs intertwined, Archer’s arm around me holds me to him, spooning me. His cock stays inside me and I love that feeling of intimacy. You can’t get closer than we are in this moment.

  “I told you that you were special, Ivy,” Archer murmurs in my ear. “No one else could ever make me feel like this.”

  I’m beyond speech, but I know what he means. Archer has an effect on me that is unlike anything I’d ever experienced with anyone else. Romy is a skilled lover, amazing. Declan seems to care about nothing but making me feel good; but Archer and I have a connection you can’t manufacture.

  In the distance, I heard the sound of the school bell. Lunch is over and I am due back for a business class.

  “Shit.”

  Archer and I break apart, scrambling to get our clothes back on so we won’t be too late.

  “Wait,” says Archer, as I turn to leave the tree and go outside. He reaches up and plucks a leaf and a couple of twigs out of my hair. “I’m so sorry, Ivy. I’ve ruined your makeup and you most definitely look like you’ve just been having sex. Not exactly the kind of look you want when you’ve got a class to go to.”

  “I’ll just have to detour via the cloakrooms on my way to business then,” I say lightly. “I’ll be a bit late, but it is worth it.”

  Archer grins when he hears that and kisses me again, taking my hand in his before leading the way out of the tree. As we stand up, we see a couple of younger students standing on the edge of the clearing, unlit cigarettes in hand.

  “Hope you enjoyed the show,” Archer jokes as we hurry off in the direction of the gym.

  “Did you mean it when you offered to come to the coffee shop later?” I ask.

  “Of course,” he says. “I don’t trust Lucas, even in a public place. If you want me there for backup, I’ll skip class and be there. I’m acing maths, so it won’t matter if I miss a lesson.”

  “Thanks, Archer. I really appreciate it.” I kiss him one last time as we hit the gym. The two of us separate to go to our respective classes, running off before the CCTV alerted the guards we were there.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  It is hard enough to focus in classes I hate at the best of times, but after Archer’s revelation, I struggle to take in any of what Mr Robson is saying.

  Why is Lucas lying about his identity? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. This whole town is built on subterfuge and deceit,
but this is taking things to a whole new level. Not only has Lucas lied about who he is, my father has placed him in my school to get close to me, or at least, that’s how it looks.

  “Everything okay?” Lucas asks, as the bell rings for the end of that session. “Still up for our coffee? We can always make it another day if you prefer.”

  “No, no. I’m fine. Might as well get it over and done with.”

  “Wow. Talk about making a guy feel welcome.” Lucas’s tone is light and he doesn’t seem to take offence, but I feel bad about being rude.

  “Sorry, Lucas. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “Maybe you can tell me all about it over our coffee.” We walk together out of the Academy and in the direction of the coffee shop that is a favourite among Academy students.

  “I thought I was supposed to be helping you catch up in class?”

  “I’ve got a high IQ.” Lucas shrugs. “I’m sure I’ll pick it up pretty quickly and then we can spend the rest of the time getting to know each other before you have to run back to your boyfriend.”

  “Fiancé,” I correct.

  “Ah yes. Don’t you think you’re a little young to be getting married?”

  “When you know, you know,” I tell him. “Why wait?”

  “Because there’s a world out there waiting to be experienced?”

  “Like I’d get to see any of it. I’m the heir to House Archaic. I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life in this miserable town.”

  “It doesn’t seem that bad to me,” Lucas says. “And your dad’s house is pretty impressive. I wouldn’t mind inheriting it.”

  “You can have it then,” I tell him. “I don’t want any of my father’s dirty money.”

  “So, that’s why you’re marrying Romy? To let him take care of you so you don’t have to take anything from your dad?”

  “No, I’m not marrying him for his money, if that’s what you’re trying to say,” I say. “And if you’re just going to insult me then you can forget about coffee.”

  “Hey, no offence intended.” Lucas holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m just trying to understand you better, Ivy. You’re a real enigma. I’ve asked around about you and nobody knows much. You didn’t grow up here, so you don’t fit in, which is something I can relate to. We moved around a lot when I was younger.”