“Inherent force of matter is the power resisting by which every body, so far as it is able, perseveres in its state either of resting or of moving uniformly straight forward.”
~Isaac Newton
“The key to resisting the sexy, silver fox is to keep it moving.”
~ Julius Shepherd
Over the next two weeks, ignoring my growing attraction to Rome, as I’d come to think of him, was easy. I had tennis practice or matches at least six days a week, and I spent my evenings grading papers and composing music for Inside Out. I suspected Rome knew I returned his attraction just as he’d picked up on my reluctance to act upon it. For the most part, he respected the boundaries I’d set in place and only reached out to me through emails to talk about the play we were both reading and helping to develop. I very well couldn’t ignore his communications, but I could choose not to acknowledge the personal notes he added to the bottom that complimented me on the tie I’d chosen to wear that day or mentioned he regretted missing me in the teachers’ lounge during lunchtime on the days he joined us.
I had to give the man credit; he was serious about fostering a great relationship with the teaching staff in the three buildings, which included bringing catered lunches once a week. It’s true that I happened not to attend, but if he’d asked around, he would know I usually spent my lunch break in my classroom. I knew it made me look standoffish to the rest of the teachers, but my workload was going to be heavy enough without adding the play to my teaching and coaching responsibilities. I wouldn’t say I felt overwhelmed, but I had enough on my mind that I didn’t need to add fending off unwanted advances to the list.
Unwanted advances. That made me snicker. In the stillest hours of the early morning, I would dream of Rome and wake up hard, hot, and yearning for him. I started running more in the morning, and if that didn’t drive him out of my system, I took care of business in the hot shower that followed. I used the excess energy in my classroom and on the court which meant my students were engaged and my tennis players were motivated. I was winning at this avoidance thing until Rome decided to step up his game on the third week of school.
“Knock knock,” he said, standing in my open door with a carryout container in his hand. “I thought I’d take a chance and catch you before you ate your…” His words trailed off as he tried to see what I had laid out on my desk from across the room.
“It’s leftover chicken Caesar salad from dinner last night.” The smells wafting across the room intrigued me, making it easy to put the lid on my Tupperware container and shove it aside. “What did you bring me?”
Rome accepted my question as the invitation I intended and entered my room. His stride was casual but powerful at the same time. The man moved with a natural grace and confidence that hinted at tightly controlled power. Was he that controlled in bed too or was it the one place he felt safe enough to free the beast he tried to hide from the world? The closer he came, the faster my pulse raced, answering the power that hummed beneath the surface of my tormentor. Rome’s blue eyes locked on mine, and that crooked smirk returned to his face because there was no way he missed the desire he stirred within me. I should hate that my body betrayed my true desires and the smug expression on his face, but I had to focus all my energy on not letting my imagination run wild. Getting a boner in my classroom was a big no-no, even if the only other person in the room was a consenting adult who would love seeing the way my body reacted to his nearness.
“I brought you a little of everything since you’ve been so elusive in both your attendance at the weekly lunches and your email responses when I bring it up.”
“Is that like Mohammed going to the mountains when they wouldn’t come to him?”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever compared me to a prophet before, but there is a mountain of mashed potatoes in here.”
I couldn’t help the little hum of pleasure that escaped me. Carbs were my only vice. “Gravy too?”
“What’s Salisbury steak without mashed potatoes and gravy?”
“A life not worth living,” I said vehemently, rubbing my hands together as Rome set the Styrofoam container on my desk. I eagerly opened it and saw he’d brought me honey-glazed carrots and a yeast roll also. “Who is going to teach my class and coach the tennis match after school once I fall into a carb coma?”
“I could take it back and you could eat your—”
My playful growl cut him off, stunning us both. Rome’s eyes widened in surprise then closed as a delicious shiver worked its way through his body. Yes, I knew the sexy man was envisioning all the ways he could make me growl. When Rome reopened his eyes, his icy blue gaze burned with intensity.
“I don’t want to keep you from working,” Rome said, taking two steps back from my desk. I couldn’t stop myself from raking my eyes up and down his lean, muscular frame. When my eyes returned to his face, I saw that all traces of the smugness from a few minutes before were gone. Rome’s jaw was clenched as tightly as his fists, and I saw his internal struggle reflected in his expressive eyes. He wanted to stay in the room with me but didn’t trust himself to do it. I liked that I affected his control; I liked it more than I was willing to admit to myself. What would he do? Lean across my desk and kiss me? I wasn’t ready to accept the ramifications of meeting him halfway if he did. “I just wanted to be sure you didn’t miss out. Again.”
His subtle rebuke made me smile. “It’s not personal, you know,” I said. “I rarely eat lunch in the lounge.” I gestured to the stack of papers on my desk. I had started entering the grades into the website the school used to share real-time updates with parents and students before he stopped by. “These honor students fret if their grades aren’t updated regularly.”
“So do their parents,” he said with a sly grin. “Good luck tonight.”
It would be our stiffest competition of the season against our county rivals. Whoever won the most points would be in first place for the league. The highest Blissville had ever finished was second, so our team was hungry to prove we were the real deal. “Thank you, sir.”
“Please call me Rome,” he said. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked me to be less formal with him, but it was the first time I gave it serious consideration. Of course, calling a man sir in certain circumstances could be very personal, but it wasn’t something that had ever appealed to me.
“Thank you, Rome.” I loved the way his name felt on my tongue, and his flared nostrils said he liked it too. “Will you be there?” I’d heard he attended as many high school events as he could but had yet to see him at the tennis events.
“I wasn’t sure you would want me there,” he admitted.
He was right; I hadn’t wanted him to attend. Had one kind act changed my mind? It shouldn’t have because I would find it even harder to ignore his presence and concentrate even after such a brief exchange. “I think the kids would appreciate your support.” The kids, huh?
“I would hate to disappoint them. See you this afternoon.”
“Thank you,” I said, gesturing to the food I had yet to taste.
His answer was a quick wink before he turned and left my office without a backward glance. I didn’t have time to contemplate what had transpired between us because I only had fifteen minutes before my next class, and I wouldn’t waste it waging an internal battle when I could be eating. The steak was tender and flavorful, and the mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious with the brown gravy on top. I ate and entered grades until not even a single carrot remained. The bell for my next class rang just as I tossed the empty container in the trash.
“Mr. Shepherd, I have a question about my most recent grades,” Angela Hightower said when she entered the classroom.
“Angela, you shouldn’t know what your recent grades are because you’re not supposed to have your phone on you during school,” I said.
“It’s in my locker,” she replied. “I checked my grades between classes.”
I was proud she took her education so seriously, but I also wanted her to laugh and live for something other than her updated grades. “We went over my policy on the first day of school, Angela. I won’t use classroom time to discuss individual concerns over grades. That’s not fair to the other students because it cuts into my lesson. I have a tennis match after school, but I will make myself available until three fifteen if that works for you.” The young lady was upset because she earned ninety-seven points out of a hundred. As ridiculous as it may seem, I knew it was important to her, and I wouldn’t belittle her concerns.
“I’ll be here,” she said with a firm nod before she went to her desk.
I stood in front of the class and waited for the desks to fill before I spoke. “Now that we’ve covered the basics of atoms, we’re going to move on to atomic mass and atomic mass numbers.” My announcement was met with a mixture of excitement, grumbling, and indifference. I freaking loved my job.
“Oh, yay,” Ellie said excitedly. “Dr. Bradley came to cheer us on. I was starting to think he was like the rest of the pricks in our community and only cared about the football team.”
“Language, Ellie,” I admonished. “We all know he’s been making his rounds to all the fall athletic events. It means more that he’s here to cheer us on when we claim first place in the league for the first time in school history.”
“You really think we’re going to do it?” she asked, sounding less precocious and confident than usual. She and her teammate, Sara Devers, were our best individual players and were practically unstoppable in doubles competition.
“I know so,” I assured her. “Let’s make sure we have a good warmup and let’s take down East Carter High.”
I supervised warmups and met with the head coach from East Carter while managing not to look in Rome’s direction. I needed to be at my best which meant I had to pretend he wasn’t there. I couldn’t ask my players to focus if I was distracted. I’d seen him when he first arrived and noticed he’d changed into a pair of gym shorts, sneakers, and a Blissville High T-shirt with our bulldog mascot on the front. I didn’t need to look in his direction when I knew he had those baby blues beneath his aviator sunglasses trained on me.
Every match against East Carter was a dogfight, but I knew the night would be ours when we went into the final set. Ellie and Sara were playing their best tennis of the season, and I saw the determination on their faces when I spoke with them before they took the court.
“I see how badly you want this, but do you know what I want from you as your coach?”
“A first-place trophy at the end of the season?” Sara asked.
“I want you to enjoy every serve, volley, and point. Play as a team and have fun, ladies.”
“Winning is fun, coach,” Ellie said with a sly grin before she looped her arm through Sara’s and pulled her toward the court.
Those ladies at East Carter didn’t stand a chance against their determination. Ellie and Sara coasted to an easy victory because they played together like a well-oiled machine. We lined up and exchanged high fives with our opponents over the net before I took my team off to the side to celebrate.
“Congratulations, everyone. You played your hearts out this afternoon, and I’m so proud of you. That doesn’t mean we can slack off. We might be leading the league, but East Carter is going to be hungry to reclaim the top spot. If we falter, they’ll do just that. I want you to celebrate tonight but be ready to practice tomorrow after school. Bulldogs on three. One…two…three…”
“Bulldogs!” we all shouted together.
The parents who were able to attend came over and congratulated me on the victory, and I assured them the win belonged solely to the kids. I was aware of Rome’s presence on the periphery and knew he was waiting for the right opportunity to approach me which didn’t happen until the last parent, student, and coach left.
He slid his glasses to the top of his head and offered me a warm smile. “Congratulations, Julius.”
“Thank you, Rome.” I thought I was prepared for the energy that would blast through my body when I accepted his handshake, but I was wrong. It was so much more intense than the first time. “My friends call me Jules,” I found myself saying.
“Are we friends?” he asked huskily.
“I…um…” I rubbed the back of my neck while trying to figure out how to answer that. We were friendly, but I couldn’t say we were friends. Could we even be friends with the attraction sparking between us?
Rome began to chuckle. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward between us. I guess I’m just rusty.”
“Rusty at being friends with someone?”
“With someone I find attractive and would like to get to know better. Romantically,” he added.
“As in date?”
“I would settle for you not avoiding me and would love to work my way up to a cup of coffee and a pastry. See where things go from there. Is that something you’re willing to entertain?”
I had no damn clue how to approach the situation and decided honesty would be best. “Rome, I’m very attracted to you, but I’m not sure pursuing a relationship with you is good for me.” I could tell he was trying to figure out the reasons I felt that way, but he didn’t press me.
“I respect your honesty, Jules. I hope you respect that I don’t give up easily.”
“Fair enough.”
I didn’t hear from Rome for the rest of the week. He didn’t email me or stop by my classroom. I thought maybe his parting words to me after the tennis match were just bluster, but it turned out he was just gathering his second wind and biding his time.
I reported for duty at the concession stand on Friday night because it was the tennis team’s turn to volunteer. The kids would rather watch the game, but many of their parents volunteered their time to serve nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, walking tacos, and an assortment of candy and drinks during the football game against our biggest rival. The boosters were on hand to show us the ropes and determine which of us would be best with money. One of the moms was a bank teller and one of the dads was an accountant, so they were elected. I would work with the food, assembling hot dogs, hamburgers, and walking tacos. Just before the service windows opened, our final volunteer for the night showed up.
“Back again for more punishment, Dr. Bradley?” one of the moms asked.
“This is like the fourth home game in a row,” another chimed in. “We’ve never had a superintendent work the concession stand one time let alone four times in one season.”
“I enjoy it,” he said. I was disappointed to find out he didn’t volunteer solely to have an excuse to be with me until he turned his twinkling blue eyes on me. “I see you already have someone doing my usual job.”
“I’m sure Mr. Shepherd could use your help. It’s a lot for one guy to keep up with during a normal game, but things will really be hopping tonight.”
“Want some help?” he asked, coming to stand beside me. God, he smelled delicious. I wasn’t the only one who noticed how damn good he looked in his tight, dark wash jeans and the navy blue, long-sleeved T-shirt that clung to his biceps and pecs. That damn bulldog had never looked so fine.
“Sure,” I said, playing it off like it was no big deal. “Do you prefer the hot dogs, burgers, or walking tacos?”
“Doesn’t matter to me. Put me wherever you want me,” Rome said softly enough that only I heard him. I had my back turned to the rest of volunteers, so they didn’t see the heated flush creeping up my neck. Rome’s eyes widened like he couldn’t believe what he’d just said.
I handed him the tongs for the hot dogs as a chuckle rumbled out of my chest. His laughter joined mine, and I knew the rest of the volunteers wondered what was so funny. Our laughter died soon enough when the service windows opened because the boosters hadn’t been wrong about the projected crowds. We didn’t have a slow moment from the first customer until the final seconds of the fourth quarter when we all gathered in the window to watch our kicker send the game-winning field goal through the uprights as time ran out on the clock.
We erupted into cheers and high-fived each other as the marching band blared the fight song and the home crowd went wild. We had about an hour of cleanup once we shut the doors, but it passed by fast when we were in such high spirits. Afterward, we all walked to our cars in the parking lot which was pretty deserted by then.
“Hey, Jules,” Rome said when I stopped at my car. “I’ll be at Books and Brew for coffee tomorrow morning if you’re free.” He knew damn well I didn’t have a tennis commitment in the morning. “I’ll even let you buy.”
I wanted to say yes, but I kept thinking that getting involved with him would be a big mistake. It was more than the fact he was the superintendent of schools where I taught; there was the age gap and race thing to consider. I would be a liar if I pretended like it didn’t matter to me, but a man didn’t forget the prejudices he faced growing up because his black mother happened to love a white man. On the other hand, I was never one to back away from something just because it was hard. All I owed the man was honesty, and right then, I only had one answer. “Maybe,” I said, opening my door.
Rome chuckled warmly. “Fair enough. I’ll be there at nine if you decide to join me. Sleep well, Jules.” I knew damn well sleep would elude me.