Charm School After Dark: Lesson 1 (31 page)

He’d set her straight on violence and the vow he’d taken another time. Right now, he wanted to see this Devil guy, and he wanted to see him
now.
“Move over, sweetheart. I think it’s time I introduced myself.”

“I knew it, knew it,
knew it!
It was so hard to keep the secret. Are you going to pulverize him? No, like,
annihilate
him? Take him apart piece by piece?”

“Why does everyone think I’m so violent?” he muttered to himself as both Caelen and Dacey passed him with Ms. Hattie following slowly behind them. When he made a beeline for the room, Ms. Hattie stopped, switched course, and placed a soft, dark hand on his arm. “Oh my!
Dare.
You’re here. I—”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Hattie. I’ll take care of this guy.”

“No, sir. No, no, no. I need your help out here. I fear these old bones won’t support me. Could you help me to the sitting room?”

“All the way in the back? Didn’t you just come from there?”

“Why, yes, dear. I wouldn’t be comfortable anywhere else but there.”

Dare looked helplessly at the door, but his manners were ingrained. No way he’d leave Ms. Hattie alone. He spotted Ms. Belle’s crew, hanging on every word, silently sitting in the ballroom. He tried one last time. “But wouldn’t you be more comfortable with your friends. Sitting here?” Dare gestured toward the group.

“What a good idea! I
would
be more comfortable sitting with them. Why don’t y’all join me? In the sitting room.”

Dare waited impatiently for the group to stand, determined to escort them wherever they needed to go, so he could get back in that office and confront The Devil.

What the hell kind of name is The Devil?

“No, don’t get up, Scarlett. Dare can’t possible walk the whole group of us together. I’m sure Dare won’t mind leading us back, one by one. Wouldn’t want anyone to fall and break a hip. You wouldn’t mind, would you, Dare?”

The niggling doubt exploded into full-blown suspicion over Ms. Hattie’s behavior. “You wouldn’t be trying to keep me out of that office, would you, Ms. Hattie?”

The large woman with the lined face that showed every hardship she’d experienced over a very long life, smiled serenely. “No idea what you’re talking about, dear.”

Just before he blew his top, the doorbell rang. The four note siren gave him the opportunity he needed to distract the crafty octogenarians. “Ms. Hattie. I’ll be with you as soon as I can. Please sit down with your friends and let me get the doorbell for you. If you’re feeling so weak, there’s no way you can make it all that way.”

Her smile faded. “But—”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as I can. Please, take a seat.”

“Hurry back.” The small group huddled together, no doubt scheming up another plan to distract him. As soon as he answered the door, he’d make a detour to Mr. Brown’s office, and then eventually return to help Ms. Hattie, if she still needed it. He said he’d return as soon as he could. He needed to have a little chat first with the infamous Devil.

He swung open the heavy oak door and stood blinking, eye to eye, with a man who looked to be in his mid-forties, with a large bouquet of flowers and a shopping bag in hand. The bag was baby blue, small and looked really fancy, like the kind you see on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

The guy greeted him with a blindingly white smile; Dare stood and waited. He hardly noticed the perfectly ironed dark blue jeans, soft blue sweater with collar and tie underneath. Nope. He wasn’t interested in the outside trappings that screamed money. He was checking out the medium build, the slight paunch, and the way the man’s gaze never really met his.

Lessons from his past: size up your opponent, find his weakness, use it to your advantage. And there was no doubt in his mind that this man was an adversary. He knew. He knew with one look that this was the guy who’d stolen Caelen’s heart.

The quick perusal told him everything he needed to know. In two seconds, he could take him. Flatten him. Knock him out with a punch. An elbow to the face. His vow of peace, taken the last time he’d seriously hurt someone in a bar fight, might not even save this guy. Caelen, in tears on her bedroom floor, had cut him in half… and now he was face-to-face with the guy responsible for her pain.

But she’d made him promise.
Just like Janie had.
Why were all the women in his life defending these
assholes?

He wanted to take him out so bad, his fists clenched. To calm himself, he drew in long deep breaths. Suddenly, having to work with the prick who cheated with his wife seemed like child’s play compared to how bad he wanted to end
this
guy.

“Hey, man. I’m looking for Caelen. She here?”

Dare didn’t bother to answer. Instead he stepped forward, closing the door behind him with a soft snick. No need to involve The Ladies. Standing with crossed arms and narrowed gaze, he waited for this loser to make a move.

Wonder how long it takes him to figure out he isn’t making it through this door, even if he hotwires a Mac Truck?

Chapter 30

‡

C
AELEN RUSHED INTO
Mr. Brown’s office, Dacey a few steps behind. As predicted, Athena was seconds away from throttling the tall man. The Devil stood with his hands on his hips, behind the giant Mahogany desk, acting as if he owned the place.

Athena was leaning on the desk, both palms face down, with a scowl only matched by the man who stood across from her. Brynn stood to the side, her arms crossed, waiting. When she took the time to actually study him, Caelen gasped. There was something so striking about his face, and then she realized it was the ice-blue eyes that caught her attention. They could have been a matching set to Ms. Belle’s. And the rest of him, was… stunning.

He really is a handsome devil
.

Like Rob Lowe in his twenties, beautiful. Like the prettiest man she’d ever seen in the flesh. He was tall and slender, with black hair, fair skin, and those lovely, lovely eyes framed by lashes that seemed to stretch down the street. The only thing that should have made him look like a nerd was the black-rimmed glasses perched on his impossibly straight nose, but even those seemed to lovingly frame his face.

“Oh my God.” Dacey placed her hand against Caelen’s arm. “He’s
gorgeous.”

“I noticed.” Luckily, Caelen had a thing for busted noses and plump lips. She also noticed this guy had a lean strength that was dwarfed by Dare’s bunched shoulders, so she recovered relatively quickly.

Dacey, on the other hand, looked like she was in a waking coma. “So pretty,” she whispered.

“Beg pardon?” The Devil spoke directly to Dacey, who finally seemed to snap out of her haze when he asked the question.

“Are you
English?”
Athena asked as if it were one more crime to add to his growing list of misdeeds.

He adjusted his frames with a push of one finger. “No.”

Athena looked to Dacey and raised a brow. “This true?” There was no doubt in everyone’s minds that Dacey had all the “down and dirty” on this guy.

“He lived in England until he was twelve years old, but he was born in America. I was hoping he still had some of the accent left. Although, it’s really more the phrasing of your words rather than the way you say them.”

The Devil looked livid. “That is none of your business.” His eyes swung over to Dacey, and he froze for a moment, his breath catching in his throat. Her baby sister’s cheeks blushed from the attention. Willem adjusted his glasses and then narrowed his eyes. “Wait. Why did you say you
hoped
I still had an accent?”

“Because,
obviously
it ramps your hotness factor up to, like, the nth degree,” Dacey said with a huge smile on his face.

The Devil looked genuinely confused. “My hotness factor?”

Athena snapped her fingers and broke the spell. “Eyes up front, pretty boy. Please explain to me in two seconds flat why I shouldn’t call the cops and have your lily white ass hauled straight out of this school.”

“Because I have every right to be here. More right than any of you.” He laser-beamed each sister with crystal, blue clarity as he said, “I’ve decided to take back what’s mine.”

“And this school is yours?” Brynn asked softly. “Why?”

“Because Belle Charles was my grandmother, and by law I have the right to claim my inheritance.

Athena stilled and Brynn looked back at Dacey and Caelen. “Why aren’t you two reacting? Did you know about this?”

“Dacey just told me his name five minutes ago. I put the pieces together.”

“I found out this morning. That’s what I was trying to tell you guys. But I much prefer person to person explanations, though, don’t you?” She addressed the question to Willem who just blinked. As was usual with most of the human population, he seemed to have no idea how to deal with Dacey.

“I assume you have something in writing to back up these claims?” Athena leaned back from the desk, murder still lurking in her gaze.

Caelen’s heart sank and the fragile hope that had bloomed sank lower than her toes. “Just look at his eyes, Athena. It’s like seeing Ms. Belle all over again.”

“Don’t say that! You’re going to give me the skeevies. There is nothing about that tall drink of water that reminds me of Ms. Belle. Nothing.” Dacey elbowed her sister while continuing to stare at The Devil.

“I’m going to need more proof than his baby blues,” Athena demanded.

The Devil looked temporarily confused, his head bopping back and forth from one sister to the other, as if having a hard time keeping track. He seemed to latch onto the menial task of retrieving his proof, with both hands. He quickly reached into a soft leather briefcase slung over one shoulder, and pulled out a stack of paper. “This is just the beginning.”

Athena reached forward and started to flick through the pages.

“What interest do you have in this school? What do you really want?” Brynn’s head was tilted slightly to the right, studying him intently. Caelen knew she’d have all sorts of interesting comments about him when they pow-wowed after the meeting. Her observation skills were legendary.

“I want what is owed me.” He slammed a hand against the desk, his breathing uneven.

“Dacey?” Caelen addressed the question to her hyper sister, hoping beyond hope that she had something they could work with. Something they could fight this with.

“According to what I’ve uncovered, his father was given up for adoption over sixty years ago. As far as I can tell, ol’ blue eyes, over there, only found out about Ms. Belle recently. I think some of the sour grapes might have to do with the fact that he only discovered his grandmother after she’d died.”

Caelen actually started to feel some sympathy for him until he started spluttering and getting all red in the face. “What the hell do you know about it?”

“He’s not so hot anymore, is he?” Athena smirked but continued to rifle through the paperwork.

“What do you mean? Look! His muscles are getting all bulgy, and the red of his cheeks is making his eyes look even bluer.”

“You’re all bloody mad. It doesn’t matter why, does it, when it comes down to it? All you need concern yourself with is that I will tie this school up in knots until I get what I want. And I
always
get what I want.”

“Are you having a tantrum?” All four girls started to laugh in response. It was never smart to take them on together. They could shred a man to pieces in seconds, especially a whiny baby like him.

“Am I having—Did you just—?” He ran both hands through straight dark hair, took in a deep breath, and narrowed his eyes. “I am going to make you pay for that.”

The door opened with a whoosh, and Ms. Hattie barreled through the tight space. Not even bothering to acknowledge anyone in the room, which was a serious manners no-no, she zeroed in on Caelen, her breathing labored.

“Ms. Hattie. What’s wrong? Do you need to sit down?”

Athena looked up again and shot Willem a dirty look. “I knew it. I knew it! It’s the stress of
him
showing up, isn’t it? I swear to God, I don’t know what kind of upbringing you had, but Ms. Hattie is like family, and if you’ve upset her—” The threat was left hanging in the air. “Do you get your rocks off by upsetting eighty-year-old women?”

“Eighty-two, dear.”

The Devil suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable, almost like a lost, little boy. “No, never! Of course not. I didn’t mean to…”

“Well, you did. Just look at her.” Athena swung her arm in a dramatic arc that would have made Vanna White proud. “Do we need to call an ambulance?”

Ms. Belle’s grandson continued to splutter, his face blotchy red. The English Lily suddenly looked quite wilted. “Ambulance? I assure you, it’s nothing to do with me.” His accent seemed more pronounced when he was upset.

Athena made her way toward Ms. Hattie and she winked at the octogenarian, her back to The Devil. Ms. Hattie covered her smile with a weathered hand. How Ms. Hattie loved mischief. “I think,” she took a dramatic pause, “I should be all right. For now.” She glared ominously. “But oh my, yes. I have to speak with Ms. Caelen. Come forward, dear. I couldn’t possibly get up.”

Caelen actually started to worry. Something wasn’t right. “What is it? Are you okay?”

“A private matter, dear. Come close.”

Caelen leaned in, and Ms. Hattie whispered. “You have a gentleman that’s here to see you.”

A wave of worry blanketed Caelen, slowly swelling until it threatened to become a full blown tsunami of panic. She pretended to laugh so the rest of the group wouldn’t get suspicious. Most of them were too busy arguing with Willem, but Caelen did feel Brynn’s gaze dance between the two of them.

“Do you know who it is?” She knew who it was.
Please, let me be wrong.

“No. I didn’t get a chance to ask him.”

Caelen frowned. “Why not?”

The old woman wrung her hands in agitation… or delight? “Because Mr. Dare was kind enough to answer the door for me. I tried to get him to take me back to Ms. Belle’s office, but he would hear none of it.”