Seeing Red (21 page)

Then, as if she couldn’t possibly feel uncomfortable
enough, Oliver noticed her silence and grabbed her left hand and
kissed the sensitive area under wrist where the delicate blue veins
slightly protruded from her skin. “Hey, what’s wrong with you?
You’re acting weird.” It was sensation overload. It was officially
a weird and creepy situation.

Her brain, common sense, and decency came back from
vacation and were angry and vengeful. Oliver’s voice and hand took
her over the edge, and she snapped out of her moment of insanity
with Alexander and bit down on his finger—hard—causing a yelp from
Alexander. She cleared her throat. “N-n-o, I—I’m fine. I was just
thinking about m-missing class t-today. I have to really catch up
on r-reading as soon as I get back home.” She was sweating—actually
sweating.

When they got to Alexander’s apartment, Alexander
grabbed Oliver’s bag and took it inside. He walked past Jill and
glared at her with his piercing blue eyes. She didn’t doubt that he
had bled from the bite. Jill pulled Oliver’s hand in an effort to
hold him back from going in the apartment too fast.

“What’s wrong with you, Jill? Was it my email?”

“No. Well, yes, but there is something else I need
to talk to you about, but I don’t want Alexander to know.”

“What is it?”

“I need your help with something.”

“Anything. What do you need?”

“It’s a long story. You want to have dinner tonight
and I can explain?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll pick you up at 6 p.m.”

“Okay,” he held her hand and caressed the top of her
palm with his thumb again. The sensation of his absentminded thumb
on her palm and Alexander’s deliberate thumb in her mouth inside
the car was making her crazy, confused, and desirous. She pulled
her hand out of his grip and got in her car. “You leaving?”

“Yeah, I have other classes and I have to study. Be
back at 6 p.m.” She drove off unsteadily.

She got back to school with plenty of time to make
it to her Contracts class. As Jillian opened the door to the class,
she saw Professor Black walking out of Criminal Law. “Ms. Stone, so
it’s just my class that you decided to skip?”

“Uh, no, I had to do something important. But Susan
is going to send me her notes. I think I’ll be fine.”

“Missing my class is unacceptable, Ms. Stone.” His
face was frighteningly intense.

“I said I couldn’t make it. I’m sorry.”

“What was the emergency?”

“I didn’t say emergency. I said something
important.”

“Okay, what was so important?” He pulled on his tie
as if it were too tight.

“Excuse me? Do you ask all your students that
question, professor?” she started to get a little irritated by his
inappropriateness.

“No. I don’t need to ask them. I’m only concerned
with what you were doing.” He stood uncomfortably closer to her
now, staring intensely into her eyes. Her heart pounded in her
chest, and although she felt like kicking him in the shins out of
frustration, she also had an urge to pull him by his tie into an
empty classroom and have her way with him. In fact, her tongue
somehow made its way out of her mouth and licked her lips.
Damn
tongue. It had a mind of its own.

An arm swung around her shoulders, snapping her back
to reality. Clearly staking a claim, Alexander said, “You left me
at home. It’s raining. You should’ve offered me a ride.” Alexander
was talking to Jill but intently staring at the professor.

“I . . . uh . . . What?” She couldn’t take her eyes
off Black.

“I drive a bike. It’s raining. You were at my place.
You should have offered me a ride, babe.” He was still staring at
the professor, his arm still around Jill’s shoulder. Alexander bent
down, planted a kiss on Jill’s cheek, and pulled her into class.
“Come on. We’ve already missed one class today. We’re going to be
late for this one.”

Jill was completely speechless. This would
definitely give Professor Black the wrong impression.

“Important, huh?” Professor Black said and turned
and walked away.

“What the hell are you doing?” She shoved
Alexander’s arm off her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He
smirked.

“Black’s going to think we missed class because we
were together or something.”

“We were together. In fact, your tongue was sucking
on my thumb. I may never wash it again.”

“You’re disgusting, Xander. We were together, but
not together, together. We were picking up your brother from the
airport. You just tagged along. Ugh!”

He laughed and went to class and grabbed a seat.
Halfway through class, she received an email. It was from
Black.

Ms. Stone,

I would like to reiterate the policy for absenteeism
in my class. It seems as though you have not read your syllabus. If
you miss more than two of my classes in a semester, you will
receive an “incomplete.” You have already missed one class. I
suggest you put your priorities in order. My class is crucial to
the success of your career as a law student.

Professor Black

She was angry.

Professor Black,

I am perfectly aware of your policy. Missing your
class today was a calculated risk, and I took all the necessary
precautions so that I would have all your notes impeccably
transcribed by the one and only Susan—the girl in the front of the
class that hangs on your every word and whose cleavage keeps
getting lower and lower and who, by the way, has missed a few
classes. But that is not the point, is it? I seem to be more of a
concern to you than any other student; I do not understand the
rationale behind this since you seem to loathe being around me. But
that is fine—it is helping me acclimatize smoothly into my
law-school career being that I always have to be on my toes in your
class (and out of your class, it seems). Unless, by some
inexplicable reason, I get the Ebola Virus, I will not be missing
anymore of your classes. There is only a week of class left anyway.
I am sure I will survive.

Sincerely,

Ms. Stone

PS: Not that it is any of your business, but I was
picking up someone from the airport. That was the “important”
matter.

Thirty seconds later . . .

Why were you with Mr. Jacobs?

Fifteen seconds later . . .

We were picking up his twin brother. That’s why he
was with me, if you must know.

Sincerely,

Ms. Stone

One minute later . . .

I apologize for my abrupt behavior earlier.

Yours truly,

Paul

Five seconds later . . .

Apology accepted.

Very truly yours,

Jill

Ten seconds later . . .

My Dearest Ms. Stone,

Just so that you know, I have not noticed anyone’s
cleavage—except one person’s in particular.

Very truly yours,

Paul

He was flirting! She was blushing. What a day this
had turned out to be. Her love triangle was turning into a love
square. Great! Just Great!

“What’s the matter with you?” Alexander asked at the
end of class. Her cheeks were crimson, and she had a huge grin on
her face.

“Nothing.”

She walked away, but he caught up with her and
leaned over to whisper, “You’re thinking about my fingers on your
lips and in your mouth, aren’t you?” With that, he kissed her cheek
and walked away.

There was too much sexual tension in her life. She
was about to explode. She had more pressing matters to attend
to—like the person who snuck into her place and left her a note and
was presumably looking at her—right now.

At 6:00 p.m., she parked her car at Alexander’s
place and noticed a little yellow VW Bug parked next to his bike.
Jill knocked on the door and Alexander was surprised to see
her.

“What are you doing here?” He was frazzled and
looked at her from her toes to the top of her hair. She wore her
hair the way he liked it—curly. She had on a little makeup, but
dramatic red lipstick. She had on a long red maxi dress and
sandals, looking more like she was ready for summer than an
afternoon in December. But December in Texas was no different than
any other summer day.

“Hello to you too.” She pushed him aside and walked
in but was surprised to see a tall blond woman sitting on the couch
comfortably and somewhat disheveled. “I’m going to dinner with
Oliver.” She would be fooling herself if she didn’t die a little
right then and there, seeing the blonde.

“Oh.”

Oliver stepped out of the spare room in jeans and a
white linen shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, looking
perfect.

“Baby, you look wonderful.” He gave her a kiss on
the cheek and from the corner of her eye, she saw Alexander cringe.
Good.

“Let’s go.”

“Have fun with your, uh . . . friend,” she said,
looking at the blonde.

“Oh, I intend to!” he scowled, slamming the front
door when Oliver and Jill walked out.

Over dinner, Jillian told Oliver about the argument
with Alexander, the journals, the letters, and the unlocked door on
Thanksgiving. She reached into her purse and handed him the letter,
relieved to finally be able to tell someone about it. He read it
twice, folded it, and gave it back to Jillian.

“I don’t know what to say other than Alexander is
absolutely right, Jillian. You can’t stay in that apartment. What
the hell is going on? What does the letter mean?”

“First, you have to swear to me that you’re not
going to tell a single soul about this, including Alexander. I
didn’t tell him about the letter. I thought he was overreacting to
begin with, and knowing about the letter would have sent him over
the edge.”

“Undoubtedly, but with good reason, Jill.”

“Promise me!”

“Fine, I promise. But, you . . . We have to do
something about this.”

“Okay, that’s why I asked you to dinner. I need your
help. I know, without a doubt, that the answers to all our
questions are in those journals, and to answer your question, I
don’t know what the letter means, but I have a strong suspicion
that Helen did.”

“Okay, so what can I do to help?”

“I’ve read enough of the journals to know a little
already. For one, Helen was my mother’s sister. Did you know that?
I didn’t.”

“Helen was your aunt?”

“Apparently so.”

“So why did she send you off to boarding school yet
kept us, whom she had no relation to?”

“I’ve been asking myself that same question. I need
to know more about RT. If he’s my father and he’s looking for me, I
need to know his name. Helen wanted me away for some reason, and I
think it was for my safety. I think this RT guy, my father, is the
reason. Oliver, there are too many journals. I can’t read them all
and finish anytime soon, and after seeing that note that was left
in my apartment, I think I need to finish soon. I need help. I was
hoping I could give you a box and you could do some reading on your
own too?”

“Sure.”

“No one else can know, Oliver. I mean it. I don’t
want anyone suspecting anything until I know what the big mystery
is. That includes Alexander. And, remember, someone might be
following me or watching me so we need to be careful, okay?”

“Fine. You already made that abundantly clear. You
can trust me, but you know Xander would never betray your trust
either, right?”

“I know.”

“Jillian, I won’t say anything to anyone, but I am
concerned. You should have called the cops. You have to come and
stay with me until we figure this out. Please—you have to.”

“Not you too! Listen, Oly, if I were in danger, I
would have known it by now. I’ve had those journals for four years.
Also, the note said that I was not in danger.”

“You trust someone who broke into your apartment,
rummaged through your things, and left you a creepy and cryptic
letter?”

“Yes. I don’t think he intends to hurt me. I promise
I’ll be careful, and if I feel scared or threatened, I’ll tell you.
Oly, if I didn’t feel safe, I wouldn’t let Heather stay in the
apartment with me or even tell you any of this. I wouldn’t put any
of you guys in danger.”

“There’s no changing your mind, huh?”

“What do you think?” She reached for his hand across
the table and squeezed the top of his hand with a smile.

“Okay, but I’m not exactly convinced about
this.”

“I know, but you need to trust me.”

The elephant was still in the room. Actually, it had
moved its fat elephant butt and planted itself right between them
on the table. He reached for her hand.

“You haven’t mentioned my email, Jill.”

She sighed. It was time to deal with the elephant,
which was scarier than the possible murderer who haunted her. “I
know.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oly. I have so much on my plate at the moment. I
can’t really make a decision right now. It wouldn’t be fair to you
or to Alexander.”

“Alexander? What does he have to do with this?”

She let out a huff. Shit! Maybe she shouldn’t have
brought Alexander into this. “I can’t hurt you guys by choosing one
over the other.”

“I didn’t realize you had a choice to make.” He
sounded irate.

“Maybe there isn’t. It’s not like Xander has
professed his love for me or anything, but I know that if you and I
start . . . you know . . . something—he’ll be hurt. He’s fragile.
He’s your brother. My friend. I . . . We can’t do that to him.”

“I’m not going to lie. This wasn’t the way I saw
this playing out. I don’t want to hurt Alexander, but do you really
think he has genuine feelings for you? I mean, he’s my brother. I
don’t want to hurt him; if I actually thought he was feeling
anything remotely close to what I feel for you, I would agree with
you. But, he’s with a different woman every day. For Christ’s sake,
Jill, you saw the blonde in the apartment earlier. You’re going to
jeopardize what could be something great for that? If you start
something with him, you and I will be ruined. I know it. He’ll do
something stupid, as he does with every woman, and you won’t want
to see me anymore either. We look too much alike.”