by Alta Hensley
The truth was that I liked her right there in my arms. Her body warm, melting as I thought of all the sex we had shared over such a short but passion-filled weekend. Lots of slow, lingering kisses, mixed with passionate gasps and pleas for more. The woman drove me insane with her touches. I was far from inexperienced, but this girl knew how to light up my body like no one else.
“I’m not hungry,” she said. “Let’s just stay here.”
“I thought for sure we worked up an appetite. Is it time for another round?” I suggested. “A quickie before our showers?”
She laughed. “I’m not sure I can. I think you’ve truly worn me out.”
“Then breakfast it is.”
She raised her head to look at me. “You really are going to make us both go to school aren’t you.”
“You better listen to the principal… or else.”
“Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir.”
“Exactly,” I said and chuckled.
She sighed and collapsed against my chest once more. “I don’t want to face reality.”
“We have no choice. Playtime is over. Responsibility is calling.” I freed myself from her embrace and stood naked at the side of the bed. “Don’t make me have to discipline you like the naughty girl you are.”
Corrine laughed. “Promises, promises.”
I bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. “Promise me you won’t move. I have something I want to give you.”
She rolled onto her stomach, propped herself up on her arms, and smiled up at me. “Trying to bribe me so I’ll go to school and be a good girl?”
“Got to do what I got to do all in the name of education.” I smiled. “Stay right there. I’ll be right back.”
I kissed her in that slow, sweet way that always made her release a tiny mewl.
I came back in an instant with a simply wrapped gift in my hands.
I sat it on the bed in front of her. “Open it.”
She looked at the box with surprise. Looking up to my face, she searched my eyes for some hint as to what was inside.
“Open it,” I urged.
She slowly removed the wrapping paper. She lifted the lid and smiled. “What’s this?”
“You’ll see.”
She dug through the tissue paper, finally finding a silver key. She gasped. “Is this a key to...”
I pressed a fingertip to her lips. “To my place. I want you to feel like you can always come here whenever you want. I don’t want you to ever be afraid. And if your house makes you scared, then I want you to always feel you have a safe haven to run to. Whether I’m here or not, this is now your safe place.”
She held the key in her palm and stared with tears in her eyes. She nodded. “Are you sure?”
“It’s important for me to know you are safe. It’s also just as important for me to know you feel that way. So, yes. I’m sure.”
She tugged me down onto the bed. Forgetting about our time limit and being late for school, she kissed me with the same passion that exploded from within my heart.
Corrine looked back down at the key and held it to her chest. “You’ve made me feel like the most special woman in the world.”
I kissed her hand. “You are. And it’s long overdue for someone to make you feel that way.”
I reached for her, dragging her nude body into my arms, holding her with all my strength. She raised her face, waiting as I lowered my head, my lips coming down on hers for a long, ravenous kiss. A kiss that made time stop. She cuddled into my arms, taking a deep breath of my scent.
But it was time to face the outside.
“Shower time,” I said, reaching around and swatting her ass.
“Fine,” she said as she put her hands on her hips, “but only if you promise to make me those tamales you raved about tonight.”
I watched her walk to the bathroom completely naked, her brown hair cascading down her back. “It’s a date,” I called after her.
She looked over her shoulder at me and winked. “Care to join me?”
Fuck yes, I wanted to join her, but I also knew that if I did, we would be late. We still had to swing by the mechanics’ on the way to school because they had called and told her that her car was ready. Her having her own vehicle would make things easier. We didn’t risk being seen driving together, and we had already made room in the garage so she could pull in and keep her car concealed.
“Come on, hurry up,” I ordered, feeling excited to start the day only so I could end it with her.
But the day most definitely became your classic Monday. I had no idea how awful and long the day would be now that I had a taste of actual fun with Corrine. It seemed like one thing happened after another, students were acting up all over the place, and the drama was high in every corner of every hallway. To top it off, I had to confront Shelly and officially call off whatever it was that we had. I couldn’t risk any more surprise visits now that Corrine was staying with me, and though Shelly took it well, it sucked, and I wasn’t even entirely convinced she was taking me seriously.
It had been one hell of a day, and just as I was getting ready to start packing up, I decided to try calling Corrine’s mother again. We needed to do something. As much as I enjoyed having Corrine in my life, and even in my bed, I knew that we needed to address the stalker issue eventually. We couldn’t keep sneaking around with her living at my place. We were bound to be discovered… and yet, I didn’t want it to end either. But I did want her safe, and that would be my first priority.
But in addition to wanting Corrine safe, I wanted her fucking mother to give a damn about her wellbeing. Yes, I felt that Corrine and I had reached a level in our… relationship that I could help her vet some security guards and make sure we got the right person in place. I also could help her with updating her alarm system and adding cameras.
I could also keep a closer eye on that Kevin kid, because there was a high chance that this was just a matter of a pimple-faced boy having a crush and no balls to express it. I could be there for Corrine, and I planned to, but I also knew she needed her mother. She needed to know that someone out there loved her and would be by her side no matter what. She needed her god damn mother.
I was actually surprised when someone picked up the phone. So much so, that I wasn’t quite ready to speak.
“Hello?” The voice sounded jovial, loud, excited. There was some kind of party going on in the background.
“May I speak with Cora Parker?”
“Speaking.”
“Ms. Parker?” The loud music in the background made it very difficult to hear, and I could only imagine how hard it was for her to hear me.
“Hello?” She giggled and yelled at someone to lower the music.
“Ms. Parker,” I said again. “This is Mr. Dawson, the school principal at Black Mountain Academy. I’ve been trying to get hold of you for days.”
“Oh, sorry. We’ve been at sea, island-hopping. I sometimes get a signal on this yacht, and sometimes not.” The music lowered but was still loud enough that I was growing frustrated. “Who did you say you were again?”
“I’m the principal of your daughter’s school.”
“Where?”
“Black Mountain Academy,” I shouted, partly due to the loud music, but also because I wanted to jump through the phone and strangle the woman.
“Are you talking about Corrine?”
Who the hell else would I be talking about?
“Black Mountain Academy? When did she start going there?”
Was she drunk? High? Why was this conversation so fucking difficult?
“Ms. Parker, you would have had to sign papers for your daughter to attend the school. The tuition had to be paid. Uniform costs? Were you not aware that your daughter has been attending this school?”
“Corrine is free to do what she chooses. If she wants to go to Black Mountain School—”
“Academy,” I interrupted.
“Yeah, whatever. I’m fine with it. Is that why y
ou’re calling? To ask my permission or something?”
“No. I was originally calling because your daughter has been missing a lot of school. So much so, that her chances of graduating have been put in jeopardy.”
“Sounds like Corrine,” she said. “I don’t know what you expect me to do about it. She’s an adult now. She can make her own choices.” She giggled again, and I could faintly hear another man speaking nearby. “I’m on the phone, but I’ll be there in a sec.”
“Ms. Parker—”
“I didn’t even know she was in Black Mountain. I haven’t seen or spoken to her for—” She giggled again. “Give me a second,” she whispered off the phone to someone else.
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I continued, “There’s a much larger issue that has come up in all this. To make a long story short…” especially since I could hear people partying on the other end, and I figured Cora Parker was already losing interest in this phone call, “your daughter is in danger.”
“What?”
I wasn’t sure if she was asking the question because she couldn’t hear me, or because she didn’t believe me, or maybe because it seemed so unlikely.
“I said your daughter’s in danger.” My voice raised even more. “She has a stalker who’s been harassing her for quite some time.”
She remained silent for a few moments, and the music faded as if she’d moved to another area of the yacht. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
“Drew Dawson.”
“Mr. Dawson, I don’t think my daughter has a stalker, and she most definitely is not in danger.”
“Excuse me?” Her words were like a punch to the gut. What kind of mother would instantly doubt this? I expected some level of concern.
“There are things about my daughter you may not know about. Corrine is a compulsive liar among other things. This is just what she does.”
I clenched my jaw so tightly that I had to actually concentrate on relaxing it enough so I could speak. “She’s not making this up. I’ve seen it for myself.”
“Seen the stalker?”
“No, but I saw what the stalker was doing to her with my own eyes.”
“I know my daughter, and—”
“Ms. Parker, I wouldn’t be concerned and calling you if I had any doubt,” I cut in. “Your daughter’s in danger and needs more security. I don’t know where you are, but she really could use you right now.”
“Where is she now?” she asked flatly. “Is she still at our vacation house?”
It was time to jump off the cliff and hope my confession didn’t cause me to fall to my death. “She’s with me. We called the police, and they agreed she wasn’t safe at her house. Since she didn’t have anyone else to stay with, and since I was with her—”
“She’s staying with you?” She didn’t sound angry, but rather it sounded like more of a statement than a question.
I heard her release a deep sigh, but her response confused me. I had expected her to be alarmed, angry, even skeptical as to why a grown man my age would be concerning himself with someone of Corrine’s age. I had expected her to question my judgment, as well as my morals and professionalism. I even expected her to demand my head on a platter and want me fired.
I got none of that.
“It was a temporary solution until we could get hold of you. I didn’t anticipate it taking a couple of days.”
“Mr. Dawson, I’m not worried about my daughter.” There was a long pause. “I’m worried about you.”
Me?
“I don’t understand what—”
“This isn’t the first time Corrine has done this,” she interrupted.
“Done what?”
“This is a cry for attention.”
“Ms. Parker, with all due respect—”
“Has she told you she was committed for a time? In a mental hospital,” Cora blurted. “I’m sure it’s not mentioned in her records since we worked hard to keep those sealed, and I doubt she actually told anyone. But she was. About a year ago. Why do you think she is having to repeat her senior year?”
“Committed? For what?”
“For stalking, Mr. Dawson. She had a very unhealthy obsession. She was the stalker. Not the other way around.”
My ears rang, and my breath came out in short puffs of air. I stared down at Corrine’s file and tried to focus on the letters of her name in order to stay in the present.
There had to be some sort of mistake.
“I understand your concern, Mr. Dawson, but I can assure you that this story she told you is all made up. This is all part of her plan.”
Plan? What plan?
“Oh, and Mr. Dawson. I would be careful if I were you. The man she tormented and nearly destroyed his life was a teacher from her old school,” Cora added. “It sounds like you’re her next prey.”
13
Corrine
When I got a text from D asking me to come to his office NOW, I knew something was wrong. Maybe he had gotten hold of my mother and realized just how much of a flake she truly was. Maybe he’d had to deal with Bill which would put anyone in a foul mood. Or maybe I was reading into his text and he wasn’t in a bad mood at all. Maybe he just wanted to see me because he missed me. Maybe it was friendly mid-day flirting.
As I entered his office, I could tell there was nothing friendly about this meeting. He stood on the other side of his desk with his arms crossed, his jaw firm and his eyebrows angled down.
“I got your text,” I began, not really sure what to say.
“Sit,” he ordered.
I did so, not sure what I should ready myself for.
“I got off the phone with your mother.”
I raised my head and my heart skipped. “Is she coming home?” Maybe she would take Mr. D calling as to mean this situation was serious, and she would actually come home to help deal with it.
“Why would she come home?” he said, sitting down in his seat, never taking his eyes off of me. “That would mean that there was something she could actually come back to address. She told me she had given up on helping you a long time ago.”
His words hurt. Of course she would say something like that. I didn’t know why I expected anything more. But it hurt more hearing her thoughts come from D in such a harsh way.
“I don’t understand why you’re talking this way,” I began.
“You need to tell me the fucking truth. Now!” I had never seen D so angry before. If we weren’t sitting in his office, I would actually be more afraid. He appeared as if he were going to actually erupt.
“That’s just my mother. She never believes me,” I said, hating that my voice quivered so much as I spoke.
“Were you committed to a mental hospital for stalking?”
And there it was.
A blow to my face, to the torso, to my very soul.
D didn’t have to actually punch me for me to feel as if I had just been beaten to a pulp.
“Answer me,” he said in an even tone, but his face told me all I needed to know.
My mother had revealed everything. I hadn’t thought she would ever speak of it to anyone due to her overwhelming shame and how hard she tried to keep it hidden.
“It’s not what you think…”
I had no idea how to defend this. I had no idea what to say or do. Should I just run out of the office and never look back. Should I deny it all? Should I… should I… I had no idea what to do.
“I’m done playing these fucked up games with you, Corrine. It’s time you tell me the fucking truth. I’m not going to keep asking you.”
His warning was most definitely a threat.
“Yes,” I said. “For a short time. A couple of months to get my head on straight. I was just going through a lot and—”
“Did you stalk a teacher at your old school.”
“What did my mother tell you?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter what your mother told me. What I care about is what you tell me. I deserv
e the truth. So, I’m going to ask you again. Did you stalk a teacher from your old school?”
Stalk was such a strong word.
Did I hide in shadows outside his house?
Did I watch his every move?
Did I fantasize what it would be like to be with him?
Did I obsess over every little thing he did?
Did I manipulate situations so we could be together?
Did I stalk my old teacher?
“Yes,” I said.
D inhaled deeply, sucking all the breathable air from the room, and I nearly suffocated on what was left.
“But I got help for that. I realized that all I had for that man was an infatuation. Nothing more. Nothing like what you and I have,” I said.
D let out a laugh that sounded anything but jovial. “What we have? What we have?” He took another deep breath before asking, “Have you been stalking me, Corrine?”
I shook my head vigorously. “No, it’s not like that. I know how this might look, but—”
“Was there anyone really stalking you? Did you make it all up?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Fuck… was this some sort of play for attention? For my attention? Is this what you did to your teacher before?”
“D… I…”
“Stop!” he snapped. “You’ll call me Mr. D from now on. Having you call me anything else was a mistake. I’m your principal, and I expect the formal respect.”
I swallowed back the pain of his words. “Mr. D,” I corrected. “I know this looks really bad, and I understand why you’re upset—”
“Was there a stalker?” His voice raised an octave, but he still kept his outer shell cool and collected. Once again, I was happy we were in his office at school, because if we were in private, I don’t think he would have been half as calm as he was appearing to be.
Was there a stalker?
Was there a stalker?
Was there a stalker?
The truth would be a dagger to what D and I had created. Any chance of anything more would be over.
Lie or tell the truth?
Deceive or be honest?
“Corrine!” he said in a near hiss. “Was this some fucked up game? Was there ever a stalker?”
