Shuttered Affections (Cornerstone #1)

by Folsom, Rene

  With a pencil in hand, I bent over the tall table, very lightly marked the white border of each photo with a number, and gathered the prints into a pile while he walked over to open the classroom doors.

  I felt his gaze on me as I worked. I enjoyed the strength and confidence it gave me. Obviously, I affected him and it made me feel potent.

  Since I was still slightly bent over the table, I turned my head, looked back at him, and smiled.

  A smile lit up his face and he let out a little chuckle, while gliding his fingers through his silky hair. I thought I heard him whisper the word ‘tease’ but it was so quiet, I couldn’t quite tell. Either way, it made my stomach flutter again.

  He turned to shut off the glow from the light table and my trance was lessened a bit by the distance put between us.

  It was a good thing too because a student walked in a few seconds later. Thankfully, he set his bags down, grabbed his camera, and left the room to go to the studio across the hall. I was worried the severe blush on my face would have made my guilt evident.

  I quickly packed up all my prints and negatives, then glanced over to say goodbye. I realized then that I didn’t even know his name.

  I stood up straight and attempted to look strong and confident.

  Walking over to him, I stuck out my hand to shake his and said, “Thank you for taking the time to look at my work and speak with me, Mr. …”

  “Stone, Mr. Stone,” he said with a smile. Then he leaned in and quietly added, “But when we’re alone, you will call me Aiden.” His instructions were spoken with authority as he smiled a dazzling, heart-melting grin.

  Looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was paying attention, he grabbed my hand, brought it to his mouth, and brushed a light kiss over my knuckles.

  “And, Juliana? The pleasure is all mine.”

  Chapter 4

  “I was undoubtedly delusional.”

  My heart was pounding.

  I scrambled out of the classroom as soon as I could, racing for the glass double doors, freeing myself in the damp Florida air. I welcomed the refreshing spring shower that began to develop a mist in the outside halls. Raising my face, I closed my eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, attempting to recover my balance.

  I was in a complete state of shock as I stumbled to my Art History class.

  How could one man have such an effect on me? And he was my teacher for crying out loud! I had to get a grip on myself. There was absolutely no reason the man should be attracted to me. Even if I weren’t his student, he probably wouldn’t give me the time of day. I was undoubtedly delusional. But, what about that nickname… Angel? It seemed to be such a delicate, endearing sentiment and oh, so personal to me. Maybe he used that nickname for all the ladies. I rolled my eyes at the thought.

  Art History class dragged on. I usually enjoyed learning about all the art periods, movements, characteristics, famous artists, etc. but today, I just couldn’t seem to concentrate—not with thoughts of Mr. Stone swimming around in my confused, little head.

  What did he mean by ‘when we’re alone…’? Did he plan on us being alone a lot together? I shook my head, trying to get rid of my thoughts of the sexy man.

  Thankfully, I had a shift down at the club that night. Monday’s weren’t the busiest, but I enjoyed working there, especially since my best friend worked with me. So, hopefully I could bury myself into work and purge my thoughts of the man who stole my parking spot.

  The rest of the day went by a little better.

  After Art History, the sprinkling rain had stopped and I was able to peacefully enjoy my lunch in the courtyard.

  The courtyard was very large and spacious, with spokes of sidewalks separating the well-manicured lawns and leading to the various surrounding buildings. A few scattered oak trees provided minimal shade, but I enjoyed basking in the sun for a moment. The classrooms were usually cold and the sun provided enough warmth for my fingers and toes to thaw.

  March weather in Florida is perfect for courtyard lunches.

  Unfortunately, I then had to suffer through Calculus. I usually didn’t mind math, but Survey of Calculus was not my idea of a good time. Plus, my lab partner decided to drop out last week, so now I was stuck doing the labs on my own.

  As I reached for the handle to the classroom door, my phone went off, causing me to retract and head back out to the main corridor. Maddy’s smiling face flashed on my screen.

  “Hey, Mad.”

  “First of all, are you okay?” she asked, her worry evident through the phone.

  “Yes, I’m just fine. Why?” I knew why. She could tell how frazzled I was about my post-parking-spot encounter.

  “No reason to discuss it now. We’ll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow. I just wanted to tell you some really good news I just received!” she screeched through the phone, totally doing a one-eighty from worry to excitement.

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “Well, first—you can’t tell anyone, okay?” she asked.

  “Um. Okay,” I responded with skepticism, wondering where she was going with this.

  “I was just told by one of the judges I’m being accepted into the Innovations Magazine!” she said excitedly.

  “Oh, wow Maddy! How do you know that already?” I knew entry results wouldn’t become available for at least another week. “You’ve got some serious splainin’ to do.”

  “I realize I’m not supposed to know. But, I’ve been getting pretty chummy with one of the judges and he kinda let it slip,” she explained in an almost whisper.

  “Holy crap! You seriously need to spill. But, I have Art History right now and have to go. Promise me we’ll continue this tomorrow,” I prodded.

  “I promise. Oh, and make sure you keep a lid on this. He wasn’t supposed to tell me ahead of time and he could get in some serious trouble if anyone finds out,” she warned.

  “No worries. Your secret is safe with me, Mad. At least, until someone gets a few drinks in me. Then all bets are off,” I joked.

  “Yeah. We all know how loose-lipped you can be when you’re drunk,” she responded, knowing I wouldn’t really tell anyone, regardless of drunken mistakes. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Looking forward to it!” I replied before hanging up and bee-lining it into the math lab.

  In order to get through Calculus without losing my mind, I looked forward to my last class of the day… Ceramics.

  Because I had already taken all the other ceramics courses there were, this course was especially created for pupils wanting to continue at the University level.

  Ms. Roush took time in this class to customize our projects based on each of our specific talents and passions. So, you could say it was more of an independent study, but we were all fortunate enough to have a phenomenal teacher to guide us in the right directions.

  Today, I needed to continue working on my mural project. At six foot tall and over twenty-four feet wide, with high relief details, the entire mural had to be done in sections. It was a project to be incredibly proud of. I even took pictures at every step so I could document my progress and achievements. The high relief gave it a three-dimensional quality that brought the entire mural to life.

  I buried myself in my work until another class caused me to stop for the day.

  Just when I thought my mind forgot about him, realization slammed back into me when I walked out to the parking lot.

  Mr. Stone was leaning up against my white Grand Prix, arms crossed over his chest, legs crossed at the ankle, dark sunglasses on, and his head tilted back like he was enjoying the sun’s rays.

  I stood across the lane, cocked my head to the side, and studied just how damn good he looked. He had changed into jeans that molded to him in all the right places. And the simple, white, button-up shirt he wore spread tightly across his chest outlined every bulge in perfect detail. The sleeves were unbuttoned at the cuff and rolled up to just below his elbow, making the veins in his strong forearms strain against his m
uscles. Looking that good had to be criminal.

  When my mind began to wander into darker territories, he lazily brought his head up and looked in my direction. He flashed a quick grin as he lifted his sunglasses atop his head to sit perfectly into his golden hair.

  I quickly began to walk toward him, not wanting him to realize I was staring.

  “How was your day, Angel?” He stood and slid his hands in his pockets. Of course, that brought my attention down, which flustered me at the thoughts racing through my dirty mind.

  I knew I should answer soon, but my words were lost.

  I smiled and composed myself. “O-Okay. You?”

  Gosh! Why does he make me so nervous!

  “My day just got much better.” His words made me blush as he brought his thumb up to my face, wiping some clay from my cheek.

  I bit my lip nervously and looked down at my feet.

  When he finished wiping my cheek, he cupped my chin between his fingers and brought my gaze up to meet his. I heard him chuckle as he touched a strand of my hair that obviously had clay caked into it.

  “Are you in a hurry?” he asked me with hope in his eyes.

  “Um, sort of. Not really in a hurry, but I do have to shower so I can wash all this clay off before I have to be at work in an hour,” I said as I gestured down to my clay-covered jeans.

  Considering it was almost six in the evening, I should have been in a hurry. But, his stare caused my mind to go fuzzy. I just couldn’t think straight.

  His eyebrows lifted in pure interest. “Oh? Where do you work?”

  “I’m a bartender at H20.” Why was he asking me this? Was he just trying to make pleasant conversation?

  “Ahh. I’m new to the area and haven’t been out much. Is it nice?”

  “I think it’s nice. But then again, I’m biased. Of course, the clubs in town are never very busy on a Monday night, so tonight would be a good time to check the place out in a more relaxing atmosphere. Thursday through Saturday is extremely busy, but good money.” Why was I rambling? Did I really just invite him to come make me nervous at work too?

  “That sounds nice. I think I’d like…”

  Just as Mr. Stone stopped mid-sentence, an impatient glare forming in his eyes, I heard someone calling my name.

  I turned to see Vic running toward us. He seemed very giddy, until he focused on Mr. Stone, and then his expression hardened.

  “Hey, Vic. What’s up?” I immediately noticed the tension between the two men and I was baffled as to why.

  Mr. Stone was now possessively standing firm with both feet spread shoulder-width apart and his arms folded tensely across his chest.

  Without turning his head to look at me, his eyes still glued to the professor in front of him, Vic said, “Uh, I was just wanting to ask you a question before you left, but I can see your busy, so I’ll just…”

  “No, I was just leaving,” Mr. Stone interrupted. “Ms. Petersen, thanks for taking time to talk with me about your project. I will see you on Wednesday for class.”

  And with that, he slid his sunglasses on his face, put his hands in his pockets, and walked away toward his car in the neighboring lot.

  My heart sank even though I knew better than to become attached to my professor. Regardless of how my body reacted to him, I had to force my mind to stay clear and focused.

  I waited a long moment before realizing Vic was still standing there, staring at me. “So, Vic. How was your day?”

  “Oh, I just worked during lab time today, so it was rather relaxing and felt good to get stuff done. How was your day?” As he spoke, he looked back in the direction where Mr. Stone disappeared through the maze of parked cars.

  “My day was a bit odd. My photography teacher is no longer able to teach due to an illness, so I have a new teacher to get used to.” I pointed in the same direction Vic just pulled his gaze from.

  He seemed to calm a little and said, “Man, that sucks. And right in the middle of the semester too.” He looked contrite in his words and I just nodded in agreement.

  No need to tell this stranger just how the new professor affected me and flooded my head with lust.

  “So, Vic. You had a question for me?” I went on my tiptoes and raised my eyebrows, trying to signal to him that he needed to get on with it already.

  “Ahh, yeah. Um… I was just, well… just wondering if you maybe wanted to go out sometime? Maybe to a movie or bowling or something?” He looked so nervous as he rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at me with his head slightly bowed. His sincerity made me smile and I had an urge to mess with him a little.

  “Well, I did something last weekend and I already have plans for sometime,” I said with a sarcastic smirk.

  He had a look of shock on his face and quickly tried to recover. “Ahh, let me try again. I would love it if we could go to a movie tonight. I hear the new action movie that just came out is pretty good.”

  Vic looked very adorable at this moment. His bashfulness tugged at my heart and I felt bad for giving him a hard time with his semi-attempt to ask me out.

  “I would like that very much. But, I have to work tonight. How about Wednesday? I hear the Union on the university campus has a 2-for-1 bowling special and they also do a special movie night, although I’m not sure what movie they will be playing this week…” I rattled on, still feeling bad for my initial harsh response to his proposal.

  After several seconds, he still didn’t respond. “Vic?” I leaned forward and arched my eyebrows as I was trying to get his attention.

  “Huh? Oh, yeah. Wednesday sounds great. Whatever you want to do is perfect. Can I give you my number so we can figure out a time?”

  I nodded, feeling a bit confused with his distracted behavior.

  Honestly, I wanted to tell him he needed to be more confident when asking a girl out, otherwise he’d never get anywhere. But, I could tell Vic was probably thrown off guard when he saw Mr. Stone brushing away a strand of my hair and then quickly retreating when Vic came upon us.

  He must’ve thought I was a tramp for trying to hook up with my damn teacher.

  We took out our cell phones and exchanged numbers.

  I smiled and gave him a polite pat on the arm as I said goodbye and got into my car. I watched in my rearview mirror as he walked over to a large, red dodge pickup that had huge tires and was lifted high off the ground, so high I would need a ladder just to get in it.

  I grinned as I thought of boys and their toys.

  Chapter 5

  “I don’t mind a little flirting to make them happy.”

  Just as I began to pull out of my hard-earned parking spot, my phone started tickling my pocket and made me jump. Taking it out to look at the caller ID, I saw it was my best friend, Sid.

  Seeing her number puzzled me because her shift at the club should have started fifteen minutes ago.

  I frowned and answered her call with forced enthusiasm.

  “Hey Jules, I just wanted to call and let you know I won’t be at work tonight. Becky wanted to trade shifts with me and even offered to throw in half the tips she makes. I couldn’t turn her down.” She sounded excited and disappointed all in one breath. “So, she’s working tonight and I will be working her shift on Wednesday.”

  I rolled my eyes… Great. Now I had to put up with Becky all night. This day just kept getting better and better.

  “Sidney Anne! I was really looking forward to catching up with you. I’ve had one hell of a day and could really use some vent time!” I was really just trying to make her feel a little guilty for leaving me stuck with Becky.

  It’s not that Becky was a mean person or anything. She was just really clingy and constantly filled your ear with inane chatter. Always wanting to ‘chat-it-up’ in passing and constantly asking if we could hang out later after work.

  I tried to hang out with her before, but she would never shut up. Once, she overheard me tell Sid something rather private and the next thing I knew, everyone at the club was inform
ed of my personal business. So, it was best if I just tried to keep my distance before I ended up saying something to her I would regret.

  “I’m sorry, Julia. You know we’ll see each other at home after your shift. Plus, you’ve got me on the phone now anyway. So spill.”

  Could I tell her everything now? I was in a bit of a hurry if I wanted to get all this clay off and in my work clothes before I ended up getting docked a half hour for being late.

  “Nah, Sid. It’s okay. I’m going to be home in a few and need to hurry. I have clay stuck in my hair and I have less than forty-five minutes to get to work before Lib docks my time. We’ll catch up after my shift. Are you home right now?” I had to ask because I could hear some rowdy shouting in the background.

  “No, I’m at Sean’s. His buddies just walked in and it’s getting a bit loud. I’ll try to be home before you get off work though, okay?” I heard her giggle as Sean started mumbling something to her. “Love you, Jules!”

  “Ditto, Sid. See ya.” We both hung up.

  Dressed in my white, three-quarter sleeve, button-up blouse, a black skirt that fell to mid-thigh, and black, sheen pantyhose with black stilettos, I walked into work with two minutes to spare. I always had to pull my hair back for my sanity, so today I slicked it back in a braid while it was still wet. That should keep the curls under control… for now. I could already feel a few tendrils escaping around my temples and ears as my hair began to dry.

  “Hey, Julia!” Uh, oh. Along came Bubbly Becky.

  I smiled and secretly rolled my eyes as Becky ran to me and put her arm in mine. “Isn’t it great we get to work together tonight? We’re going to have so much fun! I had to practically beg Sid to switch shifts with me because I have a date on Wednesday night!”

  “Yeah. What a pleasant surprise,” I said, feigning excitement.

  The club was fairly empty. Only a few people scattered the bar and one guy waited at the door for someone. Dex wasn’t going to let him linger there for long.