Page 35 of XOXO, Valentina

A horrible thought occurred to me. My clothes were by the front door. What if someone saw them? My gaze darted to the door, fear paralyzing me.

“Don’t move,” he said, bending to kiss me.

I scrambled into a sitting position. “No one can know I’m here.”

His brows pulled together, and his dark eyes narrowed. “Just hide back here,” he said sharply. “No one will know.”

I knew he was angry by the set of his shoulders and the tension in his jaw. He marched out of the room and disappeared into the hall. I heard the door open and then a woman’s voice.

The sound of her voice cleared the haze in my brain. My logical thoughts came rushing back.

Having sex with Joey had been a terrible idea. Now I was naked and trapped and possibly caught. Guilty feelings about Montel were the least of my worries.

18

Chapter 16

Joey

When I opened my door, I saw one of my students, Kaylee Taylor, accompanied by her mother, who was one of those hovering types of mothers who demanded monthly conferences even though their child was making As. Ms. Taylor was dressed in a tight dress and boots with a thin high heel.

“Hello,” I said warily.

“You have a cat?” Kaylee squealed, dropping to Frodo’s level.

Frodo wound his way around my ankles and made his presence known with a loud meow. Frodo technicallywasa cat, even if he didn’t act like one.

“Do you remember how to say cat in Spanish, Kaylee?” Ms. Taylor asked.

Kaylee beamed up at me.“Gato!”

“Good job, kiddo,” I said.

“We brought you brownies!” Kaylee thrust a covered dish at me, her blonde curls bouncing.

“That’s very nice of you,” I said. “Why don’t you take them into the kitchen and give Frodo a treat? His bag is on the counter.”

At the mention of treats, Frodo’s tail twitched, and he strutted toward the kitchen. He pranced out of the room, turning his head to make sure Kaylee followed.

“He only gets five,” I said. “Cinco. And he must do a trick each time.”

Kaylee’s eyes went wide. “He does tricks?”

“Of course. Doesn’t your cat?”

“We don’t have a cat,” Kaylee said, frowning. “Mommy’s allergic.”

When Kaylee was gone, Ms. Taylor wrinkled her nose. “I’m not really allergic. I just don’t like all the hair.” She swept past me into my apartment and glanced around curiously.

I followed Ms. Taylor into my living room. I hated being the bad guy, but I didn’t want parents or students showing up on my doorstep.

“Ms. Taylor,” I said. “I don’t know how you found out my address, but you absolutely cannot come to my apartment. It’s wrong.”

Her face fell. “Kaylee was the one who found it. And she made these brownies for you. She was so excited! She couldn’t to wait to give them to you.”

“I appreciate it,” I said, trying not to come off like a jerk. “But this is my home. My students need to respect that. I wouldn’t come to your home.”

Her eyes widened. “I would never disrespect you,” she said, batting her eyelashes as if blinking back tears. “You’re a wonderful teacher. The best. I just wanted you to have the brownies Kaylee made. She’s been so sad since the divorce.”

---