A Real Bad Boy(11)

It was the first time in a long time that I didn't feel terrified of what lay head.

So I let it happen. I held on to him and I let all of it just happen.





Zach



What was I thinking? How could a monster like me ever really get her to trust me? I knew that what I was doing was dangerous.

Foolish.

Willow had already been through so much. One night. That's all it  should've been, but I couldn't get over her. I couldn't get over it. I  wanted more than one night with her. I wanted another and another and  another.

There was no sign that it was going to change. That I was going to  change. I gave her a ride home then I collapsed until the phone rang.

My boss wanted me at his warehouse out in Cobb County, so I hopped into  the car and drove all the way up to Marietta just to stand there in  front of the old factory warehouse and wait. It looked like it hadn't  been developed. Like there were no plans for it in the near future, and I  wondered why he wanted me there.

"Hey, man, thanks for making it on such short notice."

"That's my job," I admitted. I'd gotten just enough sleep to be functional.

"I bought this puppy about six months ago. I'm three months into  developmental plans for it. It's going to be apartments; they'll start  the construction in another month after we've finalized.

"Apartments? Are you knocking it down?"

"No, these loft-style warehouse apartments are really popular these  days. Especially among artists and other creative types. Or at least  with people who want to think they are creative." He winked at me and  opened the door then started down the hallway. It led to a series of  stairs that went down into the basement, and then another set of stairs  behind a door went even further down. Into a sub-basement.

"What's this?" I asked as we descended.

"What I want to show you," he said as he plunged further down. I  followed him through the dimly lit pathway until we were at the bottom  and he turned on the lights.

Row upon row of weaponry, workout equipment and light armor stood there in that basement.

"What is this?" I asked, then I chuckled. "Your secret cave?"

"It's a warehouse. Not a cave."

"You sure?" I asked as I looked around. It was so deep into the ground I  would've thought it was a cave. "And this is what, your lair?"

"Kind of. I need a place to keep all this stuff."

"My only question," I asked, "is where are the bats? You can't have a secret superhero hideaway without the bats."

"It's for training. I'm not a superhero. I just want to be able to  defend myself," he said, but I could tell from the look on his face that  he had other ideas about what he wanted to do with his time. "I want  you to help me turn it into headquarters for our operation. I don't have  the appropriate technology and I know there are areas in which I am  lacking."                       
       
           



       

"So you want a base of operations? I can do that. It shouldn't be too hard," I admitted.

I inspected the room. He already had basic requirements, and what he was  asking for wasn't too much. I couldn't imagine what he was going  through, and I didn't want to. I wanted to kill a man just for touching  Willow.

I couldn't imagine if he killed her.

Leo deserved to get his revenge. And I was good at providing the right  equipment and men for that to happen. It was, after all, my specialty.

"I will need to bring a few people into it, though." I needed my crew. It was how I worked best, and it was part of the plan.

"Bring in anyone you trust. You have hiring power over the staff, but keep it small," Leo said.

I nodded. I had one specific person in mind. He was great with computers  and even better when it came to accomplishing the kind of goal that Leo  was looking at.

Plus, he gave me carte blanche. I was going to enjoy this job.





Chapter Seven



Willow



The last thing I wanted was to be bent over the toilet puking my brains  out. But after the third round I accepted that it was my life. At least  while I was sick.

I stood up and held my head, the pounding headache accompanying it too  much to bear. I must've caught something from the students because I  hadn't been drinking last night, and that was usually what caused these  "morning meetings", as I occasionally called them.

No, this was a virus. I brushed my teeth and looked at myself in the  mirror. I had to show up at work-I was still the new professor and I  couldn't afford to take the day off. I'd do tea and toast all day and  hope that my stomachache was a short-lived virus.

Two days since I'd seen Zach, and I swore I wouldn't text him or call  him. I wasn't going to be the one to talk to him first. I knew it was  risking a lot, but I didn't care. If he wanted to chase me, he could  chase me. Running into dangerous situations used to be my specialty, but  this time I wanted the man to come to me.

So when I grabbed my phone and saw that he'd sent me a text, I couldn't help myself. I let out a small squee.

Just a tiny one.



Meet me tonight at 7. Wear something nice. I'll meet you at the rink. - Zach



I fought the smile that lit my face and knew that I wanted to see him. I  had to play it cool, though. I'd already revealed so much that I didn't  want to overwhelm him.



Fine. I'll be there, waiting. - Willow



I was a little bit sick, but with something to look forward to, I was already starting to feel better.





Zach



I looked at my watch then up at the gravel driveway for the rink.

It was a silly idea.

I wanted to take her to the one place that stood out the most in my  teenage memory. The rink. It was a dinky old skating rink that was  filled with glow-in-the-dark carpeting and bad strobe lights. We used to  flock there on the weekends for a few hours of unsupervised dancing and  skating. With our friends.

It was the one place I'd see her outside of school, with my cousin.  Where we would talk and tease, and occasionally I would slow dance with  her, pretending it was a temporary truce. Denying any feelings I had for  her after.

I didn't know what I was hoping to accomplish other than getting a good  laugh out of her, but she wasn't going to show. It was already  seven-fifteen and there were no headlights coming up the driveway.

I looked around one more time then stood up and started towards my car.  I'd been an ass the other day and I should've known that ride home  wasn't enough to make up for all the shit I did. For the screaming, for  the anger.

For the way I scared her.

"Hey, you going somewhere?" a voice called out as soon as I opened the  door to my car. I turned to see here standing there in front of her car.  "Thought you had a date."

She looked so damn hot in her blouse and work pants.

I knew she probably hadn't had time to change, and I was okay with it.  She wasn't the girl I knew in high school with her jeans and graphic  tees. No, this woman standing in front of me had given up childhood. She  might've been barely twenty-six, but she dressed every bit the part of a  woman. Her curves made sure of it.

"Depends," I said as I made my way towards her. "Where do you want to go?"

I wrapped my arms around her and looked down at her.

"Well, I was thinking about making you skate with me, but I have a  feeling that we'd both end up on our asses." She smiled up at me and  said, "Why don't you just take me home."

"Mine or yours?" I asked.

"Yours." She sounded desperate as she said it, her breath heavy, her eyes lidded. She wanted me now.                       
       
           



       

I had a feeling she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

I could live with that.





Willow



I was positively exhausted.

It was crazy, but after the day I'd had, all I wanted was to be in  Zach's arms. I didn't care about the world around us. I just wanted to  be naked in his bedroom taking everything he had to give me. So when I  pulled him into his house, I was eager for him.

And he responded in kind.

"I didn't expect this from you, Willow. I thought you were still mad at  me," he said, his voice so thick it felt like velvet against my ears.

"You apologized. I forgave you. We don't need to talk about it," I said  as I pulled him down into me for a kiss. I didn't want to talk about it.  I didn't want to talk about anything. Not the angry student who told me  I was a horrible teacher, not the disappointed look I got from Ruby  when she asked if I was still seeing Zach, and certainly not the letter  from Elijah that I got in my mailbox when I got home to get ready for my  date. I wanted to pretend the rest of the world didn't even exist when I  was in his arms.

"Something is wrong with you tonight." He didn't sound angry or upset, just observant. And he was right.