Page 6 of Her Indecent Tutor
Harris’s other friend snorted. “No one likes a cocktease.”
“Excuse me,” Ryan’s cold voice cut through the conversation. “We’re in the middle of something right now, so I’d appreciate it if you’d let us get back to it.”
Harris and his friends looked at Ryan like they only just noticed he was there.
“Who’s this?” Harris asked. “Your boyfriend?”
“Another guy you’re leading on?” One of the guys said.
“He’s my tutor,” I said.
“If you think helping her will mean you can get into her pants, think again,” Harris said. His gaze fell on me, eyes hard. “I’ve been asking around about you, Tessa Davenport. Everyone says the same thing. You let them think they’re going to get lucky, and then you disappear.”
“This is none of my business,” Ryan began.
“You’re right, it isn’t,” I told him. This was so humiliating, and I didn’t want him to witness it.
“But,” Ryan continued, as if I hadn’t spoken, “people can change their mind whenever they want. No one owes you sex.”
“I ain’t arguing that,” Harris said, putting his hands up. “But I’m saying it’s happened often enough, it’s like some sort of game.” He gave me a steely stare. “Does it get you off, giving guys blue balls?”
“Fuck off, Harris,” I said.
“Does it make you feel powerful —”
There was a loud screech as Ryan pushed his chair back and stood up. He was taller than Harris and his friends, and he looked down his nose at them. “She told you to fuck off,” he said in a slow, icy voice.
Harris hesitated, and I could sense the cogs in his mind turning. In the end, he seemed to decide it wasn’t worth it to start a fight in a coffee shop. He and his friends walked away, muttering to each other.
Ryan watched them leave only sitting down again when they’d stepped out of the cafe. I buried my head in my hands. My cheeks were hot. I felt humiliated and upset and even a bit guilty.
“Tessa — ” Ryan began.
“I don’t want to talk about,” I said.
“Okay.”
I didn’t want to remove my hands from my face. I didn’t want to look at Ryan, to see his thoughts on his face. At least my friends hadn’t been here to see this.
I wondered if Harris and his friends would spread rumors about me. Probably. From what they said, it sounded like there already were whispers about me. Tessa the cocktease.
My stomach churned. I felt small and worthless, like I had in high school.
No. No, I wouldn’t think about that.
I lowered my hands and straightened up, rolling my shoulders back. “What question were we up to?” I asked Ryan, thankful my voice sounded neutral.
He raked his gaze over me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he looked concerned.
“This one,” he said eventually, tapping his pen on the textbook page.
I worked on the question. I tried my best to concentrate, but after a few minutes I found myself staring at nothing, my thoughts swirling over and over and over.
“Tessa,” Ryan said softly, bringing me back to earth.
I blinked at him.
He held my gaze for a moment, then reached over and closed the textbook. I frowned, confused.
