Please note: (18+) This story includes adult content that may not be suitable for younger readers.》


I suck in a sharp breath. Not expecting that and blindly pull a stool out to sit down. I stare at him as he shakes his head saying, "The authorities were quick to launch an investigation. I immediately took a leave of absence to hire a lawyer and deal with her lies."

"She... I can't believe she would do something like that. Why?" I ask, looking at him just as the coffee maker chirps.

He turns, opening a cabinet and pulls out two mugs, shrugging a shoulder. "I wish I knew. Her father arranged for private sessions at his home, but I refused, making it clear I didn't tutor girls individually. So, he went above and beyond to get Samantha's friends involved and I agreed to the group sessions."

He pours us each a cup and moves around the kitchen, procuring sugar and creamer from a fridge hidden in plain sight by false cabinet doors. Closing it he sets it all on the island between us. "I hope you don't mind regular cream."

I shake my head. "It's fine," I say offhandedly, my mind spinning with visions of Samantha. "So, you tutored her and her friends for the summer, and what happened?"

"Nothing, at least I had thought. She made her friends believe we were sleeping together, that I'd sneak her in and out of her house under her father's nose. It was all lies, but she was convincing," he says grabbing the mugs and setting one before me. "At least, for a little while."

I add sugar and a lot of cream as I wait for him to continue. Tasting a sip before setting it back down. "I'm guessing the school didn't want the bad press or this would have been something we heard about."

"They wern't happy to say the least, but it was actually her father that kept it quiet. I was lucky, both the gym and school had cameras at the time. That, combined with my own home surveillance, is what kept me in the clear. They took her story, times and dates, and compared them to video of me entering and leaving those places. None of her information matched, except when you were with us," he says.

I go still, and he continues, saying, "The school noted the times you both entered and exited the classroom, scrutinizing every detail. You were always on time, arriving before her, and always left five to ten minutes after her."

"No one ever asked me about it," I say, my thumb rubbing the outside of the warm mug.

"I made a deal to keep you out of it. I didn't want you involved, questioned after I kissed you that day," he says, running a hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have done it, but you were so..

I frown, recalling the one time I was late, but she hadn't been there that day- the day he kissed me and flipped my world upside down. I recall the way he acted, the day she refused to make time for group tutoring, but was more than happy to do one on one when he offered to do it with me present. I blink, finding myself staring at the pretty green coffee mug. "You used me as a buffer," I say flatly, the pieces clicking together.

"It wasn't meant to be that way," he admits, taking a long sip of his coffee while peering at me over the mug. Setting it down, his fingers still wrapped around the handle he says, "I've never allowed a single female to be alone with me. Ever. You were different. I wanted to be...