Page 22 of Cruel Games

Mr. Burgh told me to wait, but I flung open the door and stormed out, not stopping until I reached the safety of the tower. The edges of my vision turned black. What the hell was all that about? Nothing about my background said I would whore myself for affection.

I stepped into my room and found Gideon posing like Naomi Campbell in front of the full-length mirror, wearing my mini-dress. “What the fuck?”

Chapter 9

I froze at the door, staring into Gideon’s wide eyes. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t explain what in the holy highlands he was doing wearing my newly tailored dress.

Sometimes when I lived in Billy Hancock’s house, I’d walk to the kitchen sink and find a cat perched on the outdoor table. The little creature’s muscles would stiffen, and it would stay locked in my gaze, waiting for my next move. Sometimes, I closed my eyes for a few seconds, open them, and find the cat gone; and other times, when I waved at the cat, it would bolt.

Right now, Gideon reminded me of one of those startled cats.

Voices coming from the central part of the building broke me out of the strange stand-off. I stepped inside and closed the door.

Gideon finally blinked. “I can explain.”

“You’re a cross-dresser?”

His posture sagged. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Done what?”

“I don’t know… Worn a girl’s clothes without her permission.”

My brows furrowed. The permission part was hardly the point. Nichelle used to try on my stuff all the time, and I never minded until she decided to try my man. Former man. I shook off those thoughts. That was my past.

Gideon bowed his head. “If you wish to report me—”

“For what?”

He glanced up. “The academy has rules against lewd conduct. I would say that finding a boy wearing your clothes comes under that definition.”

“Are you gay?” I asked.

Gideon’s shoulders stiffened. His form of bristling, I suppose. “What makes you jump to such outlandish conclusions?”

“I don’t know.” Folding my arms across my chest, I swept my gaze down his slender form. “Call it a hunch.”

The ruffles in the back gave him a semblance of hips, and if I sewed a few ruffles at the front, they’d mimic boobs. He didn’t look too bad in my dress. With some curling tongs, a bit of makeup, and some heels, he could pass for an athletic-looking girl.

“Are you going to tell anyone?” he whispered.

“Fuck, no.” I waved my hand. “Whatever you do behind closed doors is your business.”

Gideon’s lips tightened. “Must you use that kind of language?”

“So, what’s this all about, then?” I placed my hands on my hips. “You must have known I’d eventually return from the headmaster. Why did you take such a risk?”

He blew out a breath. “You seem a little more open-minded than the others at the academy, and I suppose part of me wanted to get caught.”

I walked to the desk, swiveled the chair around, and sat. Gideon stole a glance at himself in the mirror. The vain fucker.

My lips curled into a smile. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“There’s a club in Glasgow called Wank. I’ve been a few times but always in boys’ clothes. It has five different rooms, so there’s music for everyone’s taste.”

“A gay club?”

“Metro.” He raised a mahogany-colored shoulder. “It’s the hottest club night in town. I want to borrow your dress.”