Selene

“Miss West, please. We have to find it. It’s from my daddy,” little Katie cried. “Please, please. He gave it to me and then he died. Please, we have to find it,” she sobbed into my leg. I felt her hurt. I lost my parents too, but at least I didn’t have to process it at five. Her father died in Afghanistan a few months ago.

I bent down and told her it would be okay. Reassuring her was all I could really do at the moment. The bus was ready to be boarded and we had to be back at the school before the three-fifteen dismissal. “Don’t worry, Katie. I’m going to check with the lost and found.” I turned to Miranda, the other teacher on the trip, and asked, “Can you keep an eye on them?”

“Of course,” she said with a sincere nod. “Oh, my goodness,” she murmured as her eyes moved to the office I was going into. I followed her gawking face, seeing what she did. He was a stunning specimen of a man. I got a good look at his profile—dark brown hair, clean shaven with a strong jaw. About six foot-four in a well-tailored gray suit with a deep green tie. His frame was visible through it and the way he walked showed he was strong and muscular. Lord, the man could set a woman’s panties ablaze and send her ovaries into overdrive, but he wasn’t in the cards for me, no man was.

“Just go in and ask about the necklace—or I will,” Miranda warned, her eyes full of mischief.

“Oh, hush,” I said with a grin and a flick of my wrist waving her away. My pulse started to race and the thick sweater I was wearing suddenly made me feel bulky and underdressed. I didn’t have makeup on because I didn’t want to attract attention.

Taking my time, I entered the room just after the handsome man and the sophisticated woman with him. I saw them talking, but my entrance distracted him. I almost hyperventilated when his eyes immediately made contact with mine. He was more of everything up close.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for your lost and found area,” I whispered like a fool as I sheepishly dropped my gaze. I was so nervous that I couldn’t speak properly. I could feel his burning gaze on me while seeing the condescending look on hers. Her eyes narrowed as she took me in and then flashed back to her companion.

“Um… I don’t work in this area,” the woman said with an attitude when she spotted me staring at the devil in a gray suit. I couldn’t care less what she had to say. She seemed eager to be the one he was looking at.

“Well, can you direct me to someone who does?” I asked. Her attitude needed a readjustment. It was clear by her badge she worked here.

“No,” she replied rudely. I was ready to knock this broad out. I was high on emotion with Katie’s tears hurting my heart, then Mr. GQ over here making me wetter than a pool. Now this bitch wanted to piss me off. Two years ago, I would’ve been intimidated, but no one aside from Ken scared me now.

“Excuse me, Miss. I’m Devlin Jacobs. Is there something I could help you with?” The handsome man spoke to me. I felt like a school girl when the hot football player finally acknowledges her. My panties caught my first bit of juice. I calmed down as he continued to stare at me, waiting for an answer. I had a feeling he didn’t work here, but at least he seemed willing to help unlike the snobby bitch with the stick up her ass.

“One of my kids lost her necklace. It must have fallen off somewhere. She’s really upset about it,” I said emotionally. I didn’t understand why, but I felt he would do all he could to help me. It didn’t make any sense, but there was something in his gray eyes that made me feel special. He was staring at me so intently. I tried to hide my reaction to him, but that wasn’t going to happen. My attraction to him was involuntary.

I watched as his face changed. If I didn’t know better, I would suspect he thought I was the mother and was pissed about it. I caught him looking down at my bare fingers. I couldn’t make out his thoughts from his expression, but they weren’t pleasant ones.

“Don’t worry. Give us your contact information, and we’ll let you know when we find it,” he stated so firmly that I believed him.

I filled out a piece of paper and before I could hand it to Devlin, the rude Miss Kennedy snatched it from my hand. “Mr. Jacobs doesn’t work here. I’ll take care of it.”

“He may not, but at least he has manners,” I murmured before leaving the office. If I stayed I might have said something not very nice at all.

I returned to the group and Katie was still a mess. I let her lean on me when I sat next to her. We left the museum, and I hoped to hell he would find the necklace.

For the next two days I called and was told they hadn’t. It was that bitch that answered. Since she didn’t work in lost and found, I was sure her ass was full of it. I was tempted to take mine back up there and punch her in the face.

I called the museum a week after the last time I talked to the stuck-up cunt. I was glad it wasn’t her that answered. It was some young man who took down my information again. He said one of the supervisors found it and they would return it. Wow, I wanted to squeal at the news. This would make Katie so happy. I couldn’t wait to see her face when she got it back.

I was working on the lesson plan for my kids when I received a call I dreaded. He found me.