Page 18 of Apparently, I’m Torture

Lilly

Monday Morning

Verra Convention Center

Manhattan, NY

Shawn’s jaw tightened as he lifted me to my feet, and my stomach flipped.

This was the first time Shawn had looked at me, let alone touched me, in years. Goosebumps raced along my skin as he ran his thumb across my knuckles. Then his glance dropped, and I felt his eyes all over me as I straightened my dress.

Nerves fizzled, and heat spread from the base of my spine to my cheeks as I said, “Sorry… that was my fault.”

His eyes found my lips, and he frowned. “Are you hurt, Miss Fares?”

His tone caught me by surprise. It was cold and firm, nothing like the warm clasp of his hand had been.

So, this was how we were doing things? Five years without a word, and now he was calling me by my teacher name? My embarrassment whittled down to frustration.

“No. I’m fine… Mister Jackson.”

His dark eyes glinted at the sharp edge of my voice. Did he think this was funny?

I swallowed and took a breath, watching his face shift as I put a hand to my stomach. So many emotions were rampaging, and I didn’t know how to feel.

Shawn was… here. Tall, broad-shouldered, chiseled Shawn. He had the kind of shoulders my teeth could sink into, the kind of hands that could dwarf the size of my waist. There wasn’t any point in denying that he was as devastating as ever, but I was so disappointed with this… this formality between us, that any lust I felt gave way to this helpless sense of defeat.

Then, as if on cue, he turned away from me and focused on Mia, and I flushed from head to toe. Did he just snub me?

“Miss Walker, this is a work event. You will behave as such. And you, Miss Atkins. This is not a sorority reunion.”

I watched as a prickled heat crept along my limbs. Our colleagues drew closer as he spoke, faces blank, like they weren’t even aware of it. I couldn’t blame them. Shawn was magnetic.

And I couldn’t lie. I kept tabs on him. After watching him speak at workshops, it was clear in our time apart that he’d grown calmer, more focused. Confident. His tall, broad frame took up space, sure. But it was his presence, his sense of self, that demanded attention.

When we were younger, working together at Tristy’s Coffee Shop, it was sort of the same. But instead of commanding rooms full of teachers, he was roping in phone numbers. He was the hottest guy at Pace University. And me? I was… just there, I guess.

“This fundraiser isn’t an excuse to act like–” he cut himself off and gestured to Mia and Stacey.

Mia rolled her eyes. “Oh relax, Shawn. Don’t get your panties in a–”

“What part of this don’t you understand, Miss Walker? We need this to go well. I won’t tolerate anyone who isn’t here to take this seriously. Do you understand that?”

I drifted closer, finding myself shoulder to shoulder with my fellow teachers. Mia’s glance ping-ponged around, settling on me as a bright pink flush crawled across her cheeks. Was Mia actually embarrassed? She never got embarrassed. I could tell it was making her irritable.

“Of course I do,” she snapped. “You’re not the only decent teacher here, you know.”

He turned away from her, his dark eyes taking in the small crowd. “We all know what this fundraiser is about, don’t we? We’re here to make this the best educational arts fundraiser New York has ever seen, aren’t we?”

There were nods all around. I tried to meet Mia’s eye, but she was too busy glaring at Shawn.

Ignoring her, he stood, straight and tall as his voice boomed across the center.

“Over the next six weeks, it’ll be our responsibility to make sure this fundraiser is a success. Our goal for this year is ambitious, but I’m confident we’ll get there.”

As his deep, smooth voice rumbled around the hall, the teachers around me hushed. “So. We all know why we’re here. But you don’t know what you’re going to do. Miss Atkins, could you please hand out the information I provided?”

Stacey straightened with a jolt, and quickly retreated to a nearby table, returning with an armful of papers. Threading through the crowd, her footsteps were soft as she handed out sheet after sheet.