Forbidden (The Soul Mates Book 4) by Victoria Johns (14)

“How did your… date go?” Jack visibly swallowed, like saying those words was causing him physical harm. “Did you analyze him and come up with a better picture of your beau?”

“It was interesting.”

Jack raised what was definitely a puzzled brow. I mean, who the hell described a date like that?

I’d worked like a madman to switch my brain from Jack mode to Xavier mode. It shouldn’t have been hard. It wasn’t like Xav and I were anything more than friends, but still, it wasn’t fair on him for me to have dinner with his parents and dissect every word, using every morsel of my mentor session.

When Xav came to collect me from my dorm, he approved of my conservative choice of clothing. It was then that I noticed that he, too, was dressed like he was attending a job interview rather than seeing his parents who he hadn’t seen for some time. I thought back to my own family dinners—they were loud, brash and one step away from a food fight. My little brother would be eating his food in the manner of whichever animal costume he was wearing, and my mom would be shouting at him for eating off his plate like a dog, or using his hands like an ape. Sophie would be goading him and laughing at the fallout. My dad would be sitting just gazing at us all in wonderment, no doubt relishing the atmosphere and love he held for everyone at his table.

“You seem nervous,” I joked, desperate to break the tension in the car.

Xavier pulled into a parking bay and turned to look at me. The valet approached from outside his station and I watched as Xav held up a finger, asking him to wait for a moment.

“My folks, they’re…proper, as in structured and formal, that kind of proper. My dad has come to believe that he is the most powerful man in his profession, and he’s possibly right. My mom will believe exactly what my dad wants her to. I doubt they have a happy marriage. He’s never there and neither is she if I start to look too closely at her mental state. The only thing they have in common is me. My dad is desperate to launch his bright son into the world of finance and commerce, and my mom is desperate to protect me from it.”

The way he communicated this was interesting. It was like his life’s path was simply a foregone conclusion and overall, he’d accepted it. It didn’t make him unhappy. He just appeared to have dealt with the reality of it in a methodical manner and was prepared to make the best of it. Xav’s body language was open and I could tell he was being honest with me.

“My mom will be pleased that I’ve brought a friend, and that’s how I will introduce you. If I go near the girlfriend route, my dad will become a whole different animal and he’ll flip into what I call ‘gold digger research mode’.”

“Well it’s a good job we are just friends then. I have nothing to worry about.” I smiled, but I knew if Xavier could read my body language he’d be able to tell that I was shitting it.

The valet came to open my door first and then handed Xavier a slip before driving off. I smoothed down the simple shift dress I was wearing and took a deep breath. I felt like I was about to be examined under a microscope. Was my hair too bright red and feisty? Should I have worn it up to make it seem less… just, less?

“You look beautiful,” he whispered as we followed the maître d’ to the table his parents were already sat at. The way Xavier and I were now was how my mom and Jake were. They’d grown up together, along with Jack, but they had something closer. It was the best kind of friendship a boy and a girl could have. There were no confusing mixed signals or complications about feelings. It was open and honest, and I hoped that whatever happened in our futures that Xav and I remained in each other’s lives after college. I wanted to be the normality he could depend on when things got too much in his organized world, and I wanted him to be someone I could call on when I needed a friend or a chat.

“Son,” his father said, grasping Xavier’s hand in what looked a very formal handshake. I cowered behind them, taken aback by just how handsome his father was. He was graying with a seriously clipped beard and had a large toned frame, hidden beneath a tux so sharp it could probably have given you a paper cut. Next up was his mother, who waited patiently for the two men in her life to finish greeting each other. She was dressed in a plain silk, royal blue ball gown with a neat, simple bolero garment, designed to complement what was clearly an expensive dress. The hug she gave her son was genuine and I suspected that the after dinner theatre trip they were going on was something she wasn’t looking forward to at all. This dinner, seeing Xavier, made her eyes sparkle and was clearly the highlight of her evening.

“Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet my best friend and study partner, Carly Sevens.”

The introduction from him was all his mom needed to come and meet me. Her smile was genuine and the way she clasped my hand in between hers showed warmth and relief. At that moment, I couldn’t be sure whether it was relief that an extra person, an outsider, meant the dinner would be less dull than usual or she was pleased that her son seemed to be finding a life of his own.

His dad waited in the background. At first I thought he was observing me, trying to figure me out, but I knew in a heartbeat he was assessing me. Did I look like trouble? Was I going to upset his son’s grand life plan? Was whatever we had serious? When he stepped forward to shake my hand, he was overly powerful in his grip, ensuring I understood he was king of his domain and that I was simply an intruder he was trying to put back in her place.

“Carly, my mom, Katherine, and my dad, Xavier Senior.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

We all sat down at the table and to my surprise, I found forgetting about Jack and the atmosphere of our last session relatively easy. The dynamics of this small family unit were fascinating. Xavier became a compliant person who I could tell didn’t agree with his father, but sucked it up for the sake of the two hours they were together. He constantly looked at his watch and his demeanor eased up the closer it got to being over. His mom was interested in every aspect of his college life. She wanted to make sure her son was enjoying the whole experience, while his dad constantly worked the conversation back to the plan for his future.

In effect, I’d already been dismissed at the introduction stage. His father was openly dismissive of me, and when Xavier tried to include me in the conversation, it wasn’t long before it was steered to some topic that was only relevant for Xavier Senior and his son. Interestingly enough, Xavier Senior didn’t even attempt to include his wife. She was the homemaker who made it possible for him to be a financial mogul, yet she was relegated to insignificance.

The dinner did nothing but make me proud of my own family.

So, when I told Jack it was interesting, I wasn’t lying.

“Imagine you’re a stranger and you’re about to do business with the boy’s father, would you?”

As we sat in the grubby office, I had to suppress my reactions to the way he constantly referred to Xavier as a boy. It was like he needed to belittle him at every opportunity.

“Yes.”

“Interesting,” he responded, using my own term. “Why?”

“Because, as a businesswoman, he could hold the key to my success and if I had the opportunity to observe him like I did last night, I’d be able to adjust my approach and manipulate him.”

“Very good. I think we’re—” Jack stopped talking suddenly when a rusty old pipe in the corner of the room began to bang and clank, like someone had turned a faucet on somewhere that hadn’t been used in a while. The pipe seemed to protest being called into action after being in retirement for ages.

“That doesn’t sound—” The pipe creaked and cracked before finally giving in to the pressure and splitting at an exposed right-angled junction, spraying water everywhere.

I watched as Jack took a sudden spurt in the face and the white shirt he was wearing started to dampen with black tinged water. “Fuck. Lesson over.”

“I guess it is.” I chuckled, feeling thankful that he’d been the one to sit in that chair.

“You head off for the day. I’m off to find maintenance.” Jack ushered me out of the room, completely distracted, and pulled a sweater from his bag, casually draping it over the front of his shirt. It was see through now, and I was having a hard time averting my eyes. He didn’t bother locking the door before he took off, leaving me feeling cheated and deflated. We’d only had forty minutes of our mentor session and I wanted more. I needed to spend more time with him. It was the one part of the day I’d been looking forward to. I was impressed by his knowledge and I wanted him to teach me more.

I watched as he thundered down the hallway like someone on a mission. I knew he was desperate to get the leak reported, but I allowed my soppy female brain to tell me that he felt the same way as me—pissed that our time together had been cut short.

I headed home and picked up some take out on the way. I had a few bits of outstanding coursework to complete, and I knew Rebecca wanted me to start looking over the studio stuff. Sitting in my room, I could hear the girls milling about downstairs. One of them had stuck her head round the door earlier and asked if I wanted to go out for a few beers. I’d declined, though, and stuck to my plan.

I had a quick Facetime call with my dad and sister. Isaac was already asleep, but I was pleased to see that he was consistent where she was concerned, and she was running him ragged like a daughter should. Mom was out at Grove House and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to kick back with a cold beer rather than be shouted at for not paying attention to her girl drama. I was happy to see his face. I’d never really thought about missing people when I was younger. My birth mother had disappeared often so it wasn’t an emotion I’d felt until I came to live with my dad and Lacey and saw what a real family should be like.

A notification appeared at the bottom of my iPad, telling me I had an email. When I spotted the name Jack Griggs, I felt my face flush and my heart strum double time, effectively ending my conversation with my dad. There was no way I could concentrate now. Wondering why he was emailing was too much of a distraction. I ended the call and quickly tapped on icons to open my mailbox, getting frustrated that the machine wasn’t working as fast as my heart needed it to.

Oh, this looks formal and worrying.

I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath. As soon as my eyes clapped on the word ‘unfortunately’, I’d feared the sessions were being cancelled altogether. The library it would be then.

I opened an email and replied.

I typed the words and felt a frisson of excitement bubble inside. The thought of calling him Sir did things to me. I deleted it and typed Mr. Griggs, then got rid of that and stuck with Sir.

I saw a read notification appear in my mailbox almost immediately and I suspected he was poised by his laptop like I was. I hung around, watching and waiting for a reply, desperate for some sign that he was thinking of me like I was of him.

My cell chimed on my nightstand and I grabbed it in frustration. I was frustrated that our little email chat had been so succinct and formal, and frustrated that someone was interrupting me. I opened the text from the unknown number distractedly.

I took a huge inhalation of air, elated by this unexpected contact, and hit reply immediately.

I hit send and held onto my cell, desperate for him to keep this going.

I was pushing my luck now and I knew it, so I pushed send before I chickened out. The things he’d said to me when we were sat in the courtyard were inappropriate. It was time for him to have a bit of his own medicine.

My tummy was coming alive with the fluttering of emotional butterflies. I could visualize him sat in some lonely apartment wearing sweat pants and getting annoyed with my replies. My boundary pushing was a dangerous idea on every level, but if it was working for him, I was just going to keep going for it.

We’d be in the library for our next session, it wasn’t like he could admonish me in public. I watched as the three little dots on my iPhone told me he was typing, my excitement building. The dots stopped suddenly and then began again. I knew that whatever he was typing. he was warring over it

When I finally got his reply, I felt my hands shake with excitement. This guy had the capacity to turn me on with just a few simple words without even being near me.

I suspected his delayed response was because he was having to google my sext speak. I was amazed at how brave I was feeling and I knew it was because we weren’t in the same room together.

Holy hell. I was beginning to wish I was naked and exposed now.

When I received his response, I burst out laughing. I could visualize him, sat with google open, looking for some form of appropriate sext speak to send back to me. The laughter quelled the moment of desire and reminded me that I was sending highly inappropriate texts to a teacher at my college. I forced myself to backtrack somehow and see the sense in retreating from what I’d started. I switched my phone off and tucked it under my books. Seeing it would only cause more of a distraction.

I continued to study until tiredness claimed me for the night. As I lay on my bed drifting off to sleep, I knew I was doing it with a smile on my face. I’d stepped over the line tonight with Jack and got the confirmation my heart had been secretly looking for. He still wanted me.

And library or not, I was going to make his little fantasy about me wearing no panties come true.