DEPRAVITY: KING UNIVERSITY Page 4

  There are two fewer than Monday night. What did I do to deserve that? Maybe it’s because I already cleaned the kitchen for him.

  My phone pings with an incoming text. Tugging my cell from my back pocket, I expect to see Miles’ name on the screen, but it’s Tenley.

  Tenley: So? Details.

  Me: What are you talking about?

  Tenley: Is he hotter than you remembered?

  Oh shit. Our conversation from the night before comes back to me.

  Me: No. He’s older than I thought.

  There. Hopefully, that will shut her down. I don’t want to think about Miles anymore. I’m still feeling rattled about my unexpected physical reaction to him. It had to be a onetime thing.

  Why didn’t he have the same affect on me the other night? If it was attraction, wouldn’t I have experienced it from the first moment I saw him? It had to be because I was so nervous about tonight and I confused that with being attracted to Miles.

  Reassured by my own explanation, I return to Joey, settling down beside him to watch the rest of his show.

  4

  Miles

  “That’s a wrap for tonight. I’ll see you guys on Friday. Make sure you go over chapters one through six. You never know when I might decide to give a quiz.” I look at the members of my Forensic Psychology class pointedly. I’m not out to bust anyone’s balls. I want them all to do the best they can and many of the students are adults seeking higher education after working full-time jobs all day. If I can drop a hint and help them get a better grade, I’m all for it. They still have to take the initiative and put in the study time.

  Chairs push back as they rise to their feet. Desks are cleared of laptops and iPads before they file out of the room. Some of them take the time to throw a wave my way and some of them are so eager to leave they practically charge from the space. I don’t take it personally. School is not for everyone and for some it’s only a necessary means to an end.

  “Professor Decker, I have a question.” Laurie James, a thirty-something buxom redhead approaches.

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “I was wondering if you offer extra help?”

  “As I stated in the syllabus, you can take part in the online review class that’s available every Tuesday and Thursday night. It’s an excellent free resource to take advantage of.”

  “I learn better with one-on-one tutoring,” she coos, edging closer to me. Subtle she’s not.

  This isn’t the first time I’ve been hit on by a student and it probably won’t be the last.

  One thing’s for sure, I’m never going to do anything inappropriate with any of them. I value my career too much. Sandy leaving me doesn’t make getting my dick wet by any willing pussy an option. Joey is what matters most and I’m not going to do something that could put his future in jeopardy.

  I step backward and maneuver around my desk until I’m standing behind it. Neatening my folders and stacking my papers, I reply, “That’s the only option there is. Unless you can find one of the other professors who teach this class to tutor you. I don’t offer one-on-one instruction.” I glance up at her and drive my point home.

  She presses her lips together and nods. “Very well. I’ll see if the online review helps. Thank you for your time.”

  “You’re welcome.” I exhale with relief when she’s gone. Not because I was tempted, I wasn’t. I don’t like when those situations arise at all.

  Glancing at my watch, I notice I should’ve left ten minutes ago. I don’t want to keep Sophie longer than I’m supposed to. Hurriedly shoving everything into my briefcase, I turn off the lights and lock up.

  * * *

  Home sweet home. I’ve loved this house since the first time I saw it five years ago. Sandy and I were living in D.C. and I was ready to move to a more suburban area. I wanted to start a family and although she wanted to remain in the city, I convinced her to buy this house. That was probably one of the bigger mistakes I made in our marriage. Sandy liked the excitement of the city, and living in the suburbs didn’t agree with her. She wanted to be surrounded by places to shop and upscale restaurants to dine at. Having grown up in an extremely wealthy family in Potomac, Maryland, Sandy was given anything and everything she asked for. I used to joke that she was a spoiled princess as if it was a cute and admirable quality.

  Over time, I came to realize that growing up in that environment made it impossible for Sandy to do without anything she desired. No wasn’t in her family’s vocabulary when it came to her.

  In order to get her to move to the suburbs, I had to agree that her father could buy her a brand new Range Rover as a consolation prize.

  As a professor, that vehicle was way above my pay scale and her father purchasing it was insulting and disrespectful to me. I did the best I could to ignore how much it needled me. Choosing to focus on how much I loved my wife, I made her happiness top on my list of priorities and focused on the good things.

  When we split, I got to keep the house because I was the one who saved every spare penny for the down payment. Not that Sandy wanted it anyway. She couldn’t wait to take off for Australia, and by the time she went I was happy to see her go. But every dollar that went toward paying off our mortgage came from my paycheck. Neither Sandy nor her family had to chip in toward any of our bills. I may not have had the kind of money she was accustomed to, but there was no way my wife was going to have to worry about a roof over her head. And there was no way I was going to allow her family to foot our bills. My pride would never allow that and neither would my self respect.

  Shaking free from the ghosts of the past, I kick off my shoes and push them under the table. My keys go in the bowl before I amble into the living area. Sophie is focused on her kindle, completely engrossed in whatever story she’s reading.

  “Hey,” I call out softly, so I won’t startle her.

  She still twitches with surprise. “Hi. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  “So I noticed.”

  She frowns. “I wasn’t sleeping,” she reassures me.

  “I know. What are you reading?”

  “Oh.. uh… it’s a romantic comedy.”

  “It must be good. You were lost in the story when I came in.”

  “Yeah, it is, but I tend to lose myself in whatever I’m reading.” Her shoulders hike and lower in a simple shrug. “Chalk it up to being a book nerd my whole life.”

  “That’s not a bad thing. Reading strengthens your mind and develops your imagination.”

  “Yep, and it helps with concentration. As you can see I don’t need to improve mine anymore.” She laughs, a tinkling sound bubbling from her berry colored lips.

  It’s cute, and I smile in reaction as I study her. Fair cheeks kissed with a hint of pink on the apples make her milk chocolate eyes stand out. Her brown hair skims across her forehead, some of the strands hanging lower, grazing her eyelashes. I want to sweep them away, so I can see her more clearly. She’s pretty in an all-American way.

  Sophie shifts her position on the couch and sets one of Joey’s toys on the coffee table. My lips curl downward as guilt assails me. I haven’t even asked how Joey is. What kind of father am I?

  “How did the night go?”

  “Everything was fine. Joey behaved like an angel.”

  “Now, I’m sure you must be lying. An angel he’s not.”

  “He was really well behaved for me. We played some of the learning board games you had on the shelf. He seemed to enjoy that a lot.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to pull those out much. I’m glad you did.” Another thing to feel bad about. It’s great that the new babysitter found time to play them with him, but his own father barely has. Dammit. I try so hard to do the best I can, but I always manage to fall short one way or another. Is this the way every parent feels, or am I in over my head?

  “Thank you for watching Joey. I’ll pay you for the three nights of sitting on Friday. Does that work for you?”

  “Oh… sure.”
She seems surprised by my sudden change of mood. I watch as she puts her kindle in her bag and fishes around for her keys before rising. She slings the bag strap onto her shoulder, holding it with both of her hands and walks by me. “Have a good night,” she calls out, heading toward the door.

  Hurrying behind her, my hand reaches the knob before hers and I tug the door open for her. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for helping me out the other night.” Sophie’s feet pause on the porch and she peers at me over her shoulder. “I panicked when Joey locked me out and I couldn’t think clearly. I should’ve looked for another way in like you did.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, embarrassed by my less than heroic behavior. “I should’ve grabbed a ladder and climbed up onto the roof.” I meant to thank her Monday night when I came home from work, but she was asleep and that annoyed me enough that I forgot.

  “It was my pleasure. You should be proud. He’s a great kid.” She gives a slight nod and then walks down the stairs. My eyes follow her all the way to her car and I hold my hand up in farewell as she pulls away. I watch until her vehicle disappears from sight.

  What a strange night this has been. I scrub my hands up and down my face. I need a beer and some sleep.

  * * *

  Walking into Across the Pond, a favorite D.C. bar of mine, on a Thursday night can be intimidating. The wall to wall bodies make it difficult to search for my two friends. As punctual as I tend to be, they’re even more so. I’m sure they’re both already here.

  Wandering toward the back, my eyes seek out Tanner’s red hair and Sam’s sure to be wearing a Red Sox baseball cap. He’s a huge Boston sports fan and no matter how many times we call him a traitor, he won’t budge on it.

  The three of us get together fairly infrequently these days, but back in the day, a few times a week would have been the norm. Former college roommates and fraternity brothers, our history runs deep and these two were instrumental in helping me get through the demise of my marriage. Neither of them were fans of Sandy’s from day one, but I didn’t listen. Too bad, because I could’ve saved myself ten wasted years and some huge ass lawyer fees. But then I wouldn’t have Joey and he makes everything I went through with his shrew of a mother worthwhile.

  I find them at a table in the back corner. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Miles, my man. Good to see your ugly mug.” Tanner jumps to his feet and clasps hands with me before pulling me in for a one armed back thumping. A firefighter by trade, he’s larger and stronger than the average person, but somehow doesn’t realize it.

  “Okay, okay, enough. Dude, Miles will have a broken back by the time you’re done saying hello,” Sam jokes. He steps in to grip my hand and give me a hug, minus the pounding. “How’ve you been, man?” Eyes shrewdly studying me, I know he sees more than I care for him to. Employed by the FBI, in a capacity we’ve never really discussed, he notices details the average person wouldn’t. It’s one of his best qualities when I need to talk and don’t know how to begin. It’s the worst when something’s on my mind and I’m not ready to talk about it, though. He has a way of prying the details right out of me.

  They drop back down into their seats and I take one at the end of the small table.

  “Here.” Tanner pours beer into a glass and slides it over to me. “We grabbed a pitcher of beer and we ordered nachos and buffalo wings in case you’re hungry.”

  “Thanks.” Raising the glass, I take a long pull of the cold liquid and swallow it down with a groan of appreciation. “Ahh, this was needed. It’s been a weird week so far.”

  “What’s going on?” Sam asks.

  “I started teaching a course at Alexandria University three nights a week. After being on days all year it’s hard to get back into the grind of working at night. The class I’m teaching isn’t bad, but I miss putting Joey to bed. I kind of hate that I’m not there.”

  “Who’s watching the little guy for you? Miranda?”

  “No, she can’t. She’s busy with her own work. She found a babysitter, one of her employees from the bookstore.” My brows dip toward the middle of my forehead as I think about Sophie. Last night things were a little off between us. I don’t think I’m imagining it. There was a moment where I swear I caught her staring at my lips and I know I was looking too long at her.

  “So what’s the problem?” Sam cuts to the chase as usual.

  “There’s no problem. So far she seems great.”

  “How old is she?” he asks.

  “I’m not exactly sure, but I know she’s going to college in the fall. Not sure what year she’s in, but she has to be over nineteen.”

  Tanner slaps the back of his hand against my forearm. “Is she hot?”

  Is Sophie hot? I picture her wholesome visage. “No, she’s not hot.” She’s beautiful in a natural way that isn’t seen much these days and is probably underappreciated by the guys in her generation.

  “That’s too bad,” Tanner comments. “You could definitely use some TLC from the opposite sex.”

  “Yeah, because it worked out so well for me with the last woman. No thanks. I don’t need anything.”

  “You might not, but your dick does,” he guffaws.

  “Why are you thinking about his dick so much?” Sam jumps in.

  “Right?” I ask, my brow quirked questioningly.

  “Screw both of you,” Tanner grumbles, but he’s smiling.

  “No, thanks,” I reply.

  “Yeah, I’ll pass on that,” Sam laughs before raising his glass of beer to his lips for a deep pull. Lowering the glass, he wipes the back of his hand over his mouth and glances at me. “What’s the status of your divorce?”

  “It’s final. I’m free.” I flash a grin.

  “Dude, congratulations. It must feel great to have it behind you.”

  “For sure. And she signed over her rights to Joey, so I don’t have to worry about her coming back for him.”

  “Hallefuckinglujah. Glad that bitch is out of your life,” Tanner, grouses. He holds up a hand. “Don’t even tell me to be nice. She put you through hell. If I ever see her or that pussy boyfriend of hers, I’ll give them a piece of my mind. He’ll get my boot up his ass too.”

  “He’s her fiance now,” I mention.

  “What?” both guys chorus.

  “You heard me. They’re getting married soon, I think.”

  “He deserves her. She’s got his balls locked away somewhere and he’s never getting them back,” Tanner states.

  “Is that what you said about me when I was with her?”

  “Nope,” he ticks his head to one side and then the other. “The reason why you didn’t last with her was because she couldn’t walk all over you. She likes to be in charge and you wouldn’t let her.”

  “I don’t know if she likes to be in charge so much as she likes to get her way. She’s never had anyone, aside from me, to keep her from getting whatever she wanted. Now that we’ve been apart and I can see clearly, I realize we were doomed from the start. She’s a selfish brat and that’s all she knows how to be. And it’s all she wants to be. You can’t grow into a better person if you’re not willing to change or see things from a new perspective.”

  The waitress drops off our appetizers and we order another pitcher of beer. Conversation dries up while we make short work of devouring the food and my thoughts drift to Joey. Glancing at my watch, I notice it’s after his bedtime and I wonder if he went to sleep for Miranda.

  The guilt of not being there to tuck him in hits me. It’s one thing to miss putting him to bed when I have to work, but tonight is just about me getting together with friends. Shooting the shit shouldn’t take precedence over Joey, but I also realize that as much as I’ve grown to love Paw Patrol, I still need to have adult conversations. Hanging out with these guys is like a dose of medicine that’s needed to keep my sanity.

  “Are we still on for our weekend at the beach?” Sam inquires.

  “It’s doubtful for me with Joey,” I explain.

  �
��Why don’t you get Miranda to come with you? She could watch Joey and you can hang out with us.”

  I laugh, “You guys have no idea what being a father is like. People don’t line up offering to babysit for you. And I don’t like to impose on others. Besides, little man’s at a really fun age right now and if I go away anywhere I’d want him with me.”

  “What about your babysitter? If you ask her now, that gives her a couple of weeks to prepare,” Sam suggests.

  Should I ask Sophie if she’d be willing to spend a weekend in Ocean City? I’d have to pay her to watch Joey, but I could make sure she still had time to herself. I won’t be with the guys every minute. She’d have to be there in case we wanted to go out on a boat fishing, or hit a few bars some night.

  “What do you think?” Tanner prompts.

  I nod. “I think it’s worth considering.”

  “Hell yeah.” Sam raises his glass to the middle of the table. “To weekends at the beach, beer, and beautiful women.”

  I smile and clink the side of my glass to his and Tanner’s. “I’ll drink to that.”

  5

  Sophie

  “How’s work been, honey?” My mom asks as she removes the roast from the oven.

  “It’s been okay. I wanted more hours from Miranda, but she didn’t have any available.”

  “You’re already working full-time for her. She can’t give you more hours without paying you overtime.”

  “I don’t think she has the room, even if she could. Everyone wants to work at the bookstore. It’s a great place and she’s the best boss.”

  “I’m glad that job has worked out so well for you. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to handle the long hours when you first started.”