The Mistresses. Katherine Garbera

now that she had Adam’s attention, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it.

      She preferred him to continue to be her secret crush.

      “Grace …”

      “What?” she asked, not even aware of how long she’d been standing there staring at him.

      “Stop it.”

      “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, nibbling on her bottom lip and hoping he wouldn’t call her on her lie.

      “You’re thinking about this too hard. It’s just a meal.”

      There was a tone in his voice that made her feel really ridiculous but she knew she hadn’t imagined what he’d said to her. “Then why are you looking at me like I’m on the menu?”

      He laughed, a deep masculine sound. “Am I?” he asked, with his charming grin. The one she’d seen him bestow on other women but never on her.

      She felt giddy for a second at having captured his attention just by being herself. Not because of her made-for-sin figure, but because of who she was.

      Oh, my, she was in over her head. She needed to get this conversation back on to the topic of the school. She shook her head.

      “Malcolm wants this place closed down for good, doesn’t he?” she asked, desperate to focus on the school and not Adam.

      “Can you blame him?” Adam asked. He rose and moved closer to her, leaning one hip against her desk and crossing his legs at the ankles.

      It was a totally masculine pose and should have put her at ease, but didn’t. There was something measured, calculated in the way he stood there, waiting for her reaction.

      She sighed, wondering if he somehow blamed her for the downward spiral of the Vernon-Dawn-Malcolm mess. God knew that she blamed herself for not paying better attention to Dawn and Vernon, but to be honest they’d been two of her best teachers.

      “No, I don’t. That kind of betrayal would cut so deep. I wish I’d been more observant and realized what was going on.”

      “What would you have done?” he asked.

      “I don’t know. Something. Anything to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.”

      “You can’t control the actions of others,” he said. There was an emotion in his words that she struggled to define.

      “I know. Just think how nice it would be if I could. We wouldn’t have to go to lunch to discuss the school, you’d just agree to keep it open.”

      “Let’s go.”

      She followed him out of her office, trying not to wonder what it would feel like to have his lips on her skin.

      He put his hand on the small of her back again. She liked the feeling of his big hand on her. She stumbled a little and he steadied her with his other hand.

      “Are you okay?”

      “Yes,” she said, but inside she wasn’t okay. She’d been so careful for her entire life. Made sure to keep her private fantasies carefully tucked away from the reality of the life she carved out for herself.

      For the first time she understood that the lines between them were blurry. That they could be crossed. And she wasn’t prepared to deal with that.

      When would she be? She’d spent the twenty years since she’d turned thirteen running from her body and the way men reacted to it. When was she going to stop running?

      The bell rang while they were in the hallway and she drew Adam to a stop. She wanted him to see the camaraderie between the students. She wanted him to have a glimpse of what he’d be taking from the kids if he didn’t vote to let her try to save the school. She wanted him to see that there was something worth saving here.

      And nothing could serve as a stronger reminder of what she stood to lose if she let herself contemplate stepping out of the shadows she’d carefully built around herself.

      Adam looked down at her as if he wasn’t sure what to do with her, and she understood that. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She only knew that the life she’d been living wasn’t acceptable anymore. It was going to change, because of the situation at the school and because of this man. And if he was interested in her, the way he seemed to be, then she wasn’t going to retreat and let this moment pass her by.

      Adam had his driver take them to a local chain restaurant and soon was seated across from Grace in a booth.

      Something had changed in her demeanor since they’d left her office, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. She was starting to relax around him. She still had a barrier in place around her, a formality that she didn’t drop, but he could tell she was trying to be friendlier.

      “What should I do differently to win over the board members?” she asked after taking a delicate sip of her water.

      “Nothing. Most of them are tired of the problems that the school has,” he said bluntly.

      “Well that was honest.” She entwined her long fingers together on the table. He wanted to reach out and touch her, rub his thumb over her knuckles. But he didn’t.

      “I’m not going to get a chance if Malcolm has anything to say about it.”

      “You’re right about that. But I can override the board’s decision or possibly table the formal vote until the end of the school year.

      “Your plan has a lot of merit on its own. The board of regents will only be swayed by action and results. I’ll be happy to help you implement the changes personally. I think that will be enough to convince the board to give you some extra time.”

      She flushed as she stared at him. He wanted to know more about what made her tick. Why hadn’t he paid attention to Grace before now? “You’d do that?”

      She made him feel like a better man than he really was. Maybe it was the knowledge that he was only sitting across from her because she’d aroused his interest with her fictional story about being his mistress. There was something in her eyes that made him feel … well, not empty the way he usually did.

      “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

      “I’d heard that about you,” she said. “That you don’t tolerate lies.”

      “That’s right. I don’t,” he said, not willing to talk about why. “What else have you heard?”

      Not all of the stories that circulated about him were nice. In business, he was ruthless.

      “That’s all,” she said, smiling at him.

      He caught his breath as her entire visage changed. Grace Stephens was a stunning beauty when she smiled. A goodness shone through in that smile.

      “What have you heard about me?” she asked, her voice suddenly shy.

      Not much really. Commendations from parents and students prior to the incident but nothing personal about her. “I’ve heard very little about the woman behind the headmistress role, but I’d say that you are a woman of hidden depths and passions and that one day some lucky man is going to unlock those secrets.”

      She tipped her head to the side. “I’m getting a glimpse of that charm of yours.”

      He was a bit offended that she thought so little of his compliment. “I’m not flirting with you, Grace. Don’t belittle the both of us by asking for honesty and then reacting as if it were a lie.”

      She flushed. “I’m sorry. Anything too close to the truth unsettles me.”

      “Why?”

      She shrugged and looked away from him.

      “Look at me, Grace.”

      She lifted her head, her gaze meeting his squarely. A tendril of her hair had escaped the