W hen I walked into the café late Monday morning to meet Adelle for lunch, I had a much different attitude than when I'd last talked to her. Cade’s confrontation made me realize that while there was an element of being justifiably upset, my emotional upheaval had more to do with my own personal insecurities. And those were something Adelle could never be responsible for .

“Hi,” she said nervously as I approached the table .

When I smiled, I saw the relief cross her face. I sat across from her and placed my usual order with the waiter who came by just a few seconds later. This was my usual go-to place when I didn't feel like making a meal, so they knew me pretty well .

“So, how do you want to do this ?”

I didn't think I'd ever seen Adelle look so uncomfortable, so out of her element. As long as I'd known her – which was as long as I could remember – she'd been this confident, unstoppable force. It was that, the uncertainty in her eyes that raised my resolve to make sure we worked this out. There was no doubt our fighting was hurting us both .

“How about no bullshit?” I said bluntly. Her eyes widened slightly and I understood why. While I was a generally honest person, I also tried to be tactful. When she nodded, I continued, “I wasn't jealous. I mean, I'm not jealous. I know Cade has other clients. It wasn't that. Part of why I was so hurt…” I paused, exhaling the pain the words wanted to bring back. I needed to think with the rational side of my brain, not the side that wanted to scream and throw a tantrum. “I was hurt because you didn’t realize or care that I’d be upset for you to hire Cade while he and I were still sleeping together. Plus, you were clearly hiding it from me .”

I paused as the waiter brought out our salads and water. We ordered the same thing without thinking about it, a reminder of how connected I'd always thought we were .

“That's one of the reasons I was so angry with you when I found out what Cade was, too.” I picked up my train of thought. “Did you really know me so little that you thought I'd actually want you to pay someone to have sex with me?” I ignored the irony of how I'd ended up doing just that. “It was more about how you seemed to think I'd be okay and accepting with all of it .”

She reached across the table and put her hand over mine. “I am so sorry, Bree. I do know you better than that. I was just thinking of what I wanted instead of you .”

I covered her hand and let us have a moment before I continued with my confession. She deserved to hear it all. “It wasn't all your fault,” I said. “A big part of the blame is mine, especially this last time .”

She gave me a puzzled look, but didn't ask me to explain. She knew I would .

“The reason I was freaked out by the idea of you and Cade sleeping together while he and I were still having sex is because I was scared he'd compare me to you .”

The look on her face was real. She was surprised, shocked even, to hear this confession. I could tell she'd never had a clue how things had always been for the two of us. I had to smile at that. She was completely confident in who she was and how she looked, but she'd never seen herself as more desirable than me .

“That doesn't matter.” I waved my hand dismissively, while her open mouth continued to find words of rebuttal. “The point is, I was upset with you for something that was, in large part, my issue. Not yours. And I'm sorry I took it out on you .”

Adelle got up and walked around to where I was sitting. She crouched down and wrapped her arms around me. “Let's never do this again, okay?” She sniffled. “This has been awful, having you mad at me .”

I nodded and felt my own eyes welling up with tears. I'd decided to be with Cade because of how my friends treated me, but I could see now that I was partially responsible too. And none of it was worth losing my friends over. “Never again .”

Her arms tightened around me for a moment, and then she stood up. She wiped at her eyes as she went back to her seat and I took a moment to compose myself as well. After a few seconds of silence between us, Adelle took a bite of her salad and looked thoughtfully at her glass of water. “Do you think it's too early to order wine with lunch ?”

I chuckled and the tension between us disappeared as if it hadn't ever been there to begin with. By the time I left the café, the weight I'd been carrying since the end of August was gone. Adelle and I were okay. Cade was still going to teach me. And I was going to show everyone that I wasn't who they all thought I was .

When I went back to school on Tuesday, more than one of my students commented on how much happier and more relaxed I looked. Even the other teachers noticed and I got quite a few knowing looks from the staff. Well, knowing in the sense that they suspected I had a new man in my life. Mindy was the only one who knew the whole truth .

By the time Wednesday came around, I found myself wondering if it was the sex that had made the difference… or the companionship. I constantly found myself thinking about Cade, which was nothing new. From the moment he'd rescued me from that horror of a date, I'd been unable to stop thinking about him. The thing was, it was less and less the sex that popped into my mind. More often, I found myself thinking about his smile, the way his hair fell across his face. The artwork in his loft and the way he'd talked about the painting at the gallery .

And, of course, what he'd said to me on Sunday, how there was no comparison to me. I told myself that he was speaking professionally and with an artist's eye. Each person was beautiful in their own unique way. He'd told me before that he never took on a client he didn't find physically attractive. He was all about beauty and confidence. His statement meant all of that .

By mid-morning, however, I asked myself if the problem was that I wanted what he'd said to be real. Did I want it to be a declaration of feelings? Was I reading so much into it because I was doing what I knew I shouldn't do? Was I falling for Cade? As the morning progressed, I told myself that wasn't the case. It was physical attraction, an enjoyment of his company and mind-blowing sex. No emotions involved. I was safe .

Shortly before the bell rang for lunch, I heard my phone buzz with an incoming message. The students in the front row giggled and exchanged looks. I always made a point of making sure all of my students followed the rules about no phones on in the classroom. Catching me with my phone on, even on vibrate, was a reasonable source of amusement. Despite my curiosity, I waited until I finished the lecture and the students were either working on their homework or wasting time chatting before pulling out my phone. I kept it under the desk, not wanting to set a bad example, and hoped it wasn't an emergency, though I couldn't imagine why anyone would text me when they knew I was in class .

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Cade's name. Then my eyes skimmed the first sentence and heat rushed to my face. Fuck! I turned off the screen and shoved my phone back into my bag. What the hell was he thinking sending me a text starting with “Take off your panties ...”?

“Are you okay, Miss Gamble?” One of the students, a cheerful girl named Tracy, spoke up .

All eyes turned toward me and my flushed deepened. “I'm fine, Tracy.” I forced a smile, reminding myself that there was no way any of the fourteen juniors sitting in my classroom could know what I'd just read. “Just overly warm .”

She gave me a look that said she didn't believe me, but fortunately didn't press the issue. As soon as the bell rang, the kids hurried away and, as the last one left, I put my forehead down on my desk and breathed a sigh of relief. My phone buzzed again and I pulled it out, double-checking to make sure I was alone before opening the message .

You have three minutes .

What? I frowned at the screen, then scrolled up to read the previous message in its entirety .

Take off your panties and come to the parking lot. You'll be having lunch with me. A car will be waiting .

Shit. I stared at the message. He couldn't be serious, could he ?

Another message came through .

Two and a half minutes. Better not be late. Tardy girls get spanked .

“Fuck,” I said softly. Things low inside me tightened. There was no way he meant any of this, right? He had to be messing with me, seeing how far he could push .

Two minutes. If you don't tell me you're on your way, I'll come in there, and I doubt you want to risk anyone catching me bending you over a desk .

Oh, shit. He was serious .

I quickly typed “coming.” I jumped from my seat and practically ran out of the classroom. I was halfway toward the exit before I realized I hadn't done the first thing he'd told me to do. I was still wearing my panties. I looked around and quickly ducked into the janitor's closet. I leaned against the door as I reached under my skirt and yanked them off. Cool air brushed against my bare pussy and I shivered. This was so wrong .

I reached for the door before I realized my underwear was still in my hand. I had two choices: hide my panties in here and hope no one found them before I could sneak back in. Or I could try to hide them under my clothes. I swore, feeling time ticking away with every second I hesitated. Swearing, I shoved my panties down the front of my shirt and folded my arms across my stomach. I felt ridiculous and exposed as I walked out of the closet, but that didn't stop the coil of heat inside me. As much as I hated to admit it, knowing I was in public without underwear was turning me on .

A gust of cold wind hit me as I stepped outside and I suddenly realized I'd left my jacket in my room. It was too late now to go back inside and get it. Besides, I could see the Bentley Cade used sitting at the edge of the parking lot. I hurried toward it, hugging myself now because of the cold. A particularly icy breeze went up my skirt and I gasped. My nipples were hard already, chafing against the soft cotton of my bra .

The back door of the car opened and I gratefully climbed in, keeping my knees tightly together even though my skirt was long enough that I probably wouldn't flash anyone. Cade sat less than a foot away, but didn't say a word as I closed the door. He reached up and tapped on the divider between us and the driver .

I smoothed down my skirt nervously as the car pulled out of the parking lot. “I only have a half hour for lunch, but I do have a planning period right after, so I can be a little late, but not too much.” I snapped my mouth shut, realizing I was getting dangerously close to babbling .

Cade still didn't speak. He wore that blank mask that meant he didn't want me to know what he was thinking. The car drove less than a quarter mile and then turned into the driveway of a small tech business. We moved around to the space in the back and parked .

When the silence continued for nearly a minute, I couldn't take it anymore. “What are we doing here ?”

The mask cracked and Cade's eyes glinted. “Well, first, I'm going to have to punish you for being late, and I think you know what comes after that .”

Oh fuck .