Ashton
As I wave Cassie off, I smile to myself as I see her walk inside hand in hand with Imogen. They are like two peas in a pod and their friendship has deepened over the last few weeks. Jennifer has also become a good friend and we often meet for a coffee after dropping our kids at school. Today we have the usual meeting and head off to the inevitable.
Jennifer groans as we near the doors to hell. “God, I hate this every week. It’s so boring and if I have to pretend to be some sort of Stepford mom for much longer, I’m going to be driven to bringing Vodka in a water bottle just to get me through.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “Don’t pretend you haven’t already got one in your bag. I’ve seen you taking swigs of it when the going gets tough.”
Jennifer grins wickedly.
“Busted! Well, what do you think it’ll be today? I’m guessing they want us to arrange the mid-term fundraiser. If they do, I’m so not on decorating duty. We all know that Millie Summers is dying to get her planning folder out and take charge. She’s such a kiss ass.”
Laughing, I nod in agreement. Millie Summers is always the first to show up and the first to volunteer for anything. She has surrounded herself with the elite moms whose whole life is to elevate their child to greatness. They wear the smartest clothes and drive the smartest cars. There are many social get-togethers at one of their houses where they compare children and their accomplishments. High achievers only need apply and they can make you feel extremely small if you suggest something that doesn’t fall into their acceptable categories.
I’ve grown up with people like them all my life and hate everything about them. I was always a target because my father was so wealthy and high up in the community. I wouldn’t play their games though and this is no exception. Jennifer is the only real mom among them and I try to shy away from their invitations and offers of friendship.
We take our seats and I sigh inside. If it wasn’t what Ryder wanted for his daughter, then I would take her out of this school and send her to the local one with the other Reaper’s kids. Cassie would be fine there and we wouldn’t feel we had so much to prove all the time. Ryder is adamant though. Cassie gets the best start in life she can get and that’s an end to it.
My heart sinks as Principal Armstrong comes into the room and scans it with his creepy gaze. He smiles and nods with satisfaction at the eager faces around him.
“Good morning, ladies. It’s good to see so many of you here and raring to go. Now, today we need to arrange a little social fundraiser that we put on every semester. I will need ideas and volunteers to take on the extremely challenging roles. We rely on this to raise funds for equipment and the last group excelled themselves by raising $2000.”
He looks around with a smug smile on his face. “Don’t let them beat you, ladies. Prove to them and the school that you are the most formidable team we have ever had.”
Jennifer reaches for her bottle and I stifle a giggle. She’s got the right idea, this next hour is going to be draining in every way possible.
And it was. I almost fall asleep through boredom and Jennifer’s bottle is alarmingly emptying by the minute. By the time the hour is up I have promised to design the flyers and sell tickets. Jennifer is baking cakes and helping me and as thought, Millie Summers is the team leader.
As the meeting closes, I push back my chair with a haste that mirrors Jennifer’s. However, as I turn to leave Principal Armstrong says sharply. “May I have a word, Mrs. King?”
Jennifer throws me a sympathetic look and whispers, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Nodding, I feel my heart sink as I walk towards the slimy man looking at me with a very hard expression.
He waits until the room has emptied before saying brusquely, “Follow me to my office if you will.”
He doesn’t speak as I hurry to keep up with him and I start to worry what it’s all about.
As soon as we reach his office, he closes the door and looks at me with a blank expression.
“Please take a seat, Mrs. King. I’m afraid I have an unfortunate matter to discuss with you.”
I feel my heart hammering as I see the sharpness in his eyes. Maybe he’s discovered that we’re not the usual ivy league parents and disapproves. I can’t think of any other reason for his stern face.
He takes his seat opposite and fixes me with a stern look.
“It has been brought to my attention that Cassandra was involved in a serious incident yesterday.”
I feel the blood draining from my face as I say with worry, “What happened, is she ok?”
He sits back and says harshly. “She’s fine but I’ve had a complaint from the parents of Samuel Buckland. They told me that your daughter assaulted their son at recess yesterday.”
The shock hits me and I struggle to form any words. Shaking my head, I stutter, “Cassie never said she had been involved in anything. What is she supposed to have done?”
He shakes his head. “It appears she punched Samuel in the face for no reason whatsoever.”
Just for a minute, I don’t know what to say. Then I whisper weakly, “Are you sure about this? She never told me she had a fight.”
He leans forward and looks at me with a piercing look. “I’m not sure what you think acceptable in your home Mrs. King, but fighting is a very serious offense at Harvey-Vallard. It can lead to the exclusion of the pupil responsible and we take our children’s safety very seriously.”
I feel my voice shake as I whisper. “I’m sorry. I’ll speak to Cassie and find out what happened. If she’s in the wrong, she will be severely punished and of course, apologize to the poor boy involved.”
Principal Armstrong looks at me for a moment and then a sly smile breaks out across his face.
“You know, I may overlook this unfortunate incident just this once if you promise me something.”
I feel my eyes widen as I see the purpose in his eyes and I know that look - it’s the predatory look of a man who wants something. Marshall Emmerson looked at me in the same way and I feel the blood run cold in my body.
He licks his lips and smiles. “You know, I often turn a blind eye to certain events that involve my special friends. You have every chance of making that list my dear Mrs. King, or may I call you Ashton?”
I say nothing as my brain struggles to catch up with what’s happening.
He moves across and sits on the edge of his desk much like Ryder did on that first day. This time, however, the fear within me is genuine. I look at him with fear and he obviously recognizes my weakness because the excitement sparks in his eyes. He carries on in a low, husky voice.
“Lets’ just say, if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. As soon as I saw you, my dear, I knew we would strike up a great friendship. All you need to do is give me what I very much want and I will teach you what it means to be one of my most favored parents.”
He reaches his hand towards me and I watch it disappear up my skirt towards my panties. He licks his lips and I see the lust in his eyes as he leans further in towards me. Instinctively, I push him away and I don’t miss the surprise on his face as I stand up and glare at him with anger.
“How dare you? What sort of man are you? You’re supposed to be trustworthy and above any form of manipulation. I’m not the woman you thought I am if you think any part of what you’ve just implied is ok with me. You’re disgusting and I’ll take great delight in reporting you to the authorities. I’m sure the other parents would also be interested to know what sort of monster runs their school.”
Shaking, I turn to leave but he grabs my wrist in one surprisingly strong move and hisses.
“Not so fast Mrs. King. You may want to reconsider your rash decision when faced with the possibility of explaining to the police why you are reported as missing and yet parading around Washington with a child who is obviously not yours.”
The shock hits me like a tidal wave and my legs buckle. I sit down heavily in the chair and look at him in fear.
He moves even closer and says roughly.
“I’ve seen your daddy begging for knowledge of your whereabouts on the news. He obviously doesn’t know where you are and has offered a very hefty reward for information on your location. Now, I could just make a phone call and put him out of his misery, and pocket the cash after having carried out my civic duty. But then I thought of a much greater reward for my silence. I’ll keep your secret in return for your favors. Not a difficult choice as so many before you have discovered. Let’s just say that power is a powerful aphrodisiac, my dear. The number of women I’ve had bent over this desk ready to face their punishment would make your eyes water. They relish my attention and nobody need ever know. Cassandra enjoys a school life without fear of trouble and is ensured good grades and the perks of being the teacher’s pet. You get to enjoy a bit of excitement away from the kitchen sink and the demands of a bored husband who goes through the motions every night. What I’m offering is excitement, danger and the hottest sex you will ever experience. Think about it, my dear. The choice is being shipped back to your daddy or living a free life with more excitement than your pretty little body can cope with. If you decide to proceed with your foolish plan to report me to my peers, then it will be just your word against mine. I mean, there’s nobody who would believe you, anyway. You’re a fugitive and running scared, whereas I’m a well-trusted pillar of the community who happened to discover your situation and challenged you. You blackmailed me into silence by offering me your body which, of course, I turned down due to the fact that I’m a happily married man and respectable professional.”
I can feel the walls closing on me as his words take effect. He’s right, who would believe me anyway? I have no proof, it’s as he said, his word against mine. All it would do is alert my father to where I am. He would be here quicker than I could blink and drag me home to an inconvenient marriage, taking me from my family. I picture Cassie’s face and the tears spring to my eyes. She would be devastated, as would I. Then there is Ryder, and it hits me like an atom bomb. The pain is stifling as I imagine having to leave him and replace him with the abhorrent Marshall Emmerson. He would be no match for them. He may be invincible here but daddy’s network stretches the country. No, it’s up to me to protect what we have and not allow anything to interfere with it.
I look up and see the sparkling eyes of the Principal and nod, lowering my eyes in defeat.
“What do I have to do?”
I can almost touch the anticipation in the air and smell his triumph. Before he can reply, however, the phone rings on his desk causing him to frown.
He answers it gruffly.
“What? I said I wasn’t to be disturbed.”
I watch as he listens and see the irritation wiping out the previous triumphant look. He nods. “Ok, I’ll be right there.”
Sighing, he replaces the receiver and looks at me with regret.
“This will have to wait until tomorrow. Duty calls and I must put that first against what I would much rather be doing.”
Then he stands up and reaches me and pulls me from my chair. He leans towards me and I feel his hot breath fan my face. He whispers, “I’ll see you here at 9am sharp. Don’t be late because I love to punish my students who disobey me. I would like nothing more than to rip those panties off your ass and bend you over my desk while I cane you to within an inch of your life. What’s more, you will love every minute of it and plead me to fuck you. So, with that thought in mind, have a nice day, Mrs. King and I will very much look forward to our meeting tomorrow.”
As soon as he releases my arm, I sprint from his office like a deer in flight. The panic rises and I choke on my tears as the enormity of the situation hits me. Lou’s words ring in my ears as I go
“The guys like their women, hot, sexy and independent. It’s why they teach us how to defend ourselves and encourage us to sort things out in our own way.”
I can’t go to Ryder with this. He would be forced to defend me against the very people he wants his daughter to aspire to be. He would head in all guns blazing and Cassie’s future would be ripped away from her faster than we could enroll her in the state school. All my life I’ve hidden behind others who fight my battles for me. First Tyler and now Ryder. It’s time I stood on my own two feet and grew a backbone. The only trouble is—how?