9781618858368ForbiddenDeceptionlLeveyNC

FORBIDDEN
DECEPTION

Mahalia Levey

Erotic Romance

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

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A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

Erotic Romance

Forbidden Deception

Copyright © 2013 Mahalia Levey

E-book ISBN:
978-1-61885-836-8

First E-book Publication: November 2013

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Stephanie Balistreri

Proofread by Ariana Gaynor

All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Secret Cravings Publishing

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dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

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Dedication

To my readers, thank you for making me smile, and loving the
characters in my books. Beta’s where would I be without you? To my family who
love me even when I’m absorbed in my own world and don’t give them as much of
my time as I’d like, and to Louie who gives me fond memories of the past.

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A
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FORBIDDEN DECEPTION

Mahalia Levey

Copyright © 2013

Chapter One

The
blare of sirens followed by the swarming entrance of fire personnel swamped St.
Augustine’s preparatory school. Red and orange flames danced against the panes
of the second floor windows. Teachers corralled their students at their pre-organized
spots away from the building. Ailyn put a hand to her racing heart as she gazed
from the fire to her worried students. Stealing a fortified breath with no time
to panic, she averted their attention from the surmounting danger by telling
them a story.

Bright
red trucks with Rescue One painted on the side zoomed into the cleared parking
lot. A battalion of sports utility vehicles, police cars, emergency responders and
more ladder trucks from other stations trailed behind. Entranced, her group
watched as dozens of personnel grouped together for initial instructions. Her
lackluster story became irrelevant once the hoses came out and her group of
seventh graders became immersed in the rescue scene.

“Building
ventilated,” one man yelled and the others paired off into teams. From protocol
she knew a suppression and rescue team would enter, one to battle the fire, the
other to clear the building. Although all of the teachers escaped the fiery
trap, she wasn’t sure who from administration or the office staff might be
missing.

Ailyn
watched in avid fascination at the smooth way each individual worked together
as a team, followed instructions and entered the fiery fray on the second
floor. “Ms. Dominguez, do you think there are still people inside?”

“No,
Jennika at least, I pray no one’s in there. The other teachers all did a
headcount and we’re all in our designated spots. But they have to go in to
check for anyone who might not have made it out, and to put out the fire.”

“How
will anyone know who’s missing?” Jennika asked with a soft voice.

“Dear,
all the staff members wear a magnetic badge for this reason—we swipe in and out
of the building. Visitors sign a login sheet. A company outside of our school
monitors, so we can keep track of how many people are in our building at all
times. The company that tracks us will work directly with the police and
firemen and contact them if anyone is missing.”

“That
is so cool. I want to be a fireman,” Jefferson piped up as a fireman carried
his axe into the building.

“Saving
people is an honorable job. But you have plenty of time left to decide what you
want to be when you grow up.” Jefferson’s overprotective mom constantly
objected to him playing what she considered dangerous sports, such as football
or hockey. If she didn’t get a grasp on reality, she’d lose her son. Jeff
possessed the keen abilities of a leader, and a personality any athletic team
would snap up. As one of her brightest students, he got his work in on time,
didn’t take the easy road out and excelled in sports played during gym.

“Ms.
Dominguez? Will we be able to go in to get our things from the lockers?”

“Good
question, Jessica. Right now I don’t have an answer. The firemen have to secure
the building and make sure it’s safe for reentry. All of the smoke billowing
could cause respiratory issues and we don’t want anyone getting smoke
inhalation.”

“This
sucks. My phone is in the classroom. I can’t even call my mom and tell her I’m
okay.”

“Why
don’t you all take a seat along the curb? The Board of Education has an
automated system that calls parents with updates for any situation. Since you
want to talk to your family, I’ll give you my phone to call your parents one at
a time. Pass it to the next person when you’re finished.” She handed the phone
to Jeff. “Why don’t you call your mom first? Keep your conversation short. Just
let your parents know you are safe and how we’re waiting for the firemen to
assess the situation. “I am proud of all of you. How quickly you lined up, like
we practiced, following our drill routine. Organization and precaution can save
lives. Good job.”

“How
is your class holding up?” Martin James, history teacher for the eighth graders,
meandered over to her. She found his good looks disarming, but didn’t feel that
pull of attraction in the absence of his personality.

“We
are doing okay. How about your class? Everyone seems to be at their cluster
spot.”

“Kids
are resilient. Mine are complaining that they can’t call their parents.”

“Then
give them your cell phone. It’s important for them to feel safe at a time like
this. Look at our
school,
this isn’t a simple smoking
oven or some wacky accident in the chemistry room. This will hit the news,
might as well let parents know.”

“We
have to follow protocol. There is no room for panicking parents.”

“I
guarantee you, that archaic rule existed before social media exploded. We
really need to update the protocols. Trust me, this disaster is already online
and will hit the local news. Take
control,
let them
feel like you have their best interests at heart.”

He
seemed to ponder her words before coming to the conclusion she made logical
sense. “Well, I don’t see what it’ll hurt. Just don’t want parents showing up.”

“We
can’t stop their untimely arrival any more than we can stop the rain from
falling. I have to check on my students. Thanks for inquiring.”

“Jeff,
how is everyone? All calls made?”

“Yes,
Ms. Dominguez. Our parents wanted to know if they are supposed to come pick us
up yet. You didn’t say so, so we told them we’d call back when we had more
news.”

“Great
answer. Next time feel free to interrupt me. Can you take my phone over to the
other
teachers,
make sure they have a way for their
students to contact their parents. Instruct them to keep each call short, then
come right back to me. You don’t have to wait.”

“Yes,
ma’am.”
Jeff grinned and bee-lined for
the next cluster of students and teachers.

Curls
of smoke dissipated under the flood of water being sprayed.

In
full gear, members of the rescue team came out and whipped off their oxygen
masks to report to their bosses. Intrigued, she watched their body language and
mannerisms as they gave their well-executed explanations. She turned to her
left to see a group of firemen conversing with her boss, Principal McAllister.

“Ma’am,
does this one belong to you?”

Ailyn
frowned at her student. “Jeff, didn’t I tell you to deliver my phone and come
right back?”

“Yes,
Ms. Dominguez. I swear, I came back, but then—I just had to touch the truck. I
know this is what I’m going to do when I grow up. I was born to do this.” He
looked so apologetic and unwavering with resolve that she sighed.

“I’m
sorry Mr.—I’ll keep him where he belongs.”

“Lieutenant
Mahone, Seth Mahone.” He clapped her student on the back. “Concentrate on
school son and listen to Ms. Dominguez. There’s always room at the fire
department for good men down the line.”

Ailyn
forced herself to remain calm and pretend his name didn’t ring any bells, she
only hoped she pulled off the coup. With a polite smile, she extended her hand
to Officer Mahone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” In the background, she
noticed the district superintendent vying for her attention.

“I’m
sorry, but I need to see what she wants. Thank you for returning Jeff to me.
Jeff, please go stand with the class. Be the leader I need you to be right
now.”

Her
aloofness paid off. She crossed the short distance to the superintendent. “Mrs.
Stanwick.”

“The
firemen have concluded we cannot return to the building today. There is no idea
of how extensive the damage is, or what caused the fire to begin with. What
we’ve gathered is the area that billowed with smoke is in the main corridor
where the lockers are. Busses will arrive within the next half hour to take the
bus riders home. The walkers may
leave,
those who need
a ride will need to use an available teacher’s phone.” The take-charge woman
adjusted her bifocals and strode off to the next set of teachers to no doubt deliver
the same lengthy dialogue.

When
Ailyn turned, she found Officer Mahone sizing her up. She flashed a smile and a
half wave, still using the pretense she’d never met him before. Then she clasped
her hands behind her back, pivoted and strode over to her students and broke
down the situation.

One
by one her kids left, either on bus, in carpools or walking. Once her
responsibilities were taken care of, Ailyn moved over to the other teachers to
help them get their kids where they needed to be. In the background the firemen
began folding up their equipment and returning to their trucks.

She
wiped sweaty hands on her skirt as her heart pounded in her chest. Seeing that
man broke her
heart,
lacerated her soul, all over
again. Fathoming how he and she came to live in the same town threw her for a
loop. She’d hoped to avoid running into him for the rest of her mortal life,
but Fate refused to allow her to move on and put the past behind her.

Seth Mahone.
Fucking
Seth Mahone
.
The first boyfriend she gave her heart and virginity to. The one who she
thought she’d marry one day. Then a boy, but now the man she apparently
couldn’t escape. The last of the students left, giving her a chance to make a
break for it. She flipped on her sunglasses and walked to her car, trying with
each step to forget how handsome he’d grown. The way his green eyes crinkled
still when he smiled. Broad shoulders covered by gear. Hell, even the fact that
he smelled the exact same underneath the stench of smoke. He hadn’t finished
growing for sure, gaining at least another inch and a half. The only aspect about
their relationship she couldn’t regret was the exact female replica of his
green eyes and ears, waiting for her at home.

Eva
had dance and cheer tonight. Thankfully, she’d have Mia to chat with, hopefully
gain some perspective too. Maintaining privacy, her main concern, worried her.
For months after the split, Seth relentlessly attempted to reach her. Once she
found out she was pregnant, she fled town and enrolled in a college half the
country away. Lucky for her the school’s public housing had a small apartment
vacant. She didn’t have to stay in a dorm, giving her the opportunity to earn
her degree without dropping out or giving her daughter up for adoption.

Earning
her master’s in education took longer than she’d expected. However, she’d
survived. Now she worked for a private Catholic school on the swankier side of
town. Her salary and benefits gave her a large discount on sending her daughter
to private school, next year she’d be teaching her daughter’s class.

Eva
didn’t know much about her father. Of course her curious daughter wanted to
know why her
papi
wasn’t around. To
skirt around the issue, she’d told her, they were young and in love. Adding how
when she moved away to college they lost contact. His unwanted reentry into her
life scared the shit out of her. Ten years later, she couldn’t deny the
gravitational pull she fought or the instant curiosity of wanting to learn
about the take charge man he’d become. As she got settled, her phone rang.

 
“Hey, Ailyn, I tried to text you this
afternoon to make sure you were okay.
Any news on the
school?”

“Thanks
Mia. The kids had my phone to call their parents for most of that time. No new
news yet, I’m sure I’ll get a call tonight or tomorrow. At least there are no
planned classes tomorrow. I imagine the administration will be setting up some
portable classes for a short time.”

“You
on the way here?”

“Yeah,
climbing into my car now.
I’ll be there in a
jiff.” The dance and gymnastics academy was located a few minutes away from the
school.

“I’m
just glad everyone got out safe.”

“Me
too.
What an exhausting day.” Ailyn sighed and navigated
through the traffic.

“I
bet. How is Eva adjusting to a new dance instructor? I know she’s new to
competitive cheer but not dance.”

“I
think she is doing well, thanks to Ashland taking her under her wing. Eva
idolizes her, which is a good thing. I can’t think of a better role model than
Ashland. You must be proud to have such a well-rounded daughter. Ah, I see
you.” She waved as she pulled into a parking spot. “I told you I’d be right
there.”

“Ash
just turned seventeen. I’m not out of the hell years yet. She enjoys helping
the teachers with the younger students. Everyone’s the new student at some
point. Plus as captain of her high school cheer squad, it’s important that she
sets an example and shows she can lead others. My girl lives and breathes
cheer. But your daughter glows on stage. She’ll be a great addition to the
cheer team, especially for the choreographed dance sections they’re required to
perform. They can just put Eva center stage and let her shine.”