Page 2 of A Lesson in Deceit
He placed a hand on his chest, his finger tattoos on display. “I’m not a stalker, I assure you. Give a guy a chance, Riley.”
I immediately shifted off my stool, putting a small amount of distance between us.He said my fucking name. “What the fuck!?”
He slowly got up and placed his hands on my stool, inclining his head towards me. “Isn’t that your name?”
“Yes,” I hissed, attempting to back up but a group of what looked like rowdy college kids were in my way. “I don’t know you, so it’s very stalker-like to just casually know things about someone. I really think you should….” I let my words fall away when I flicked my eyes to my drink. The fucked-up puzzle pieces of this situation started to come together. I pointed at my half empty glass. “This wasyou.”
He remained firmly in my line of sight. “I assumed a pretty girl would like a guy to buy her a drink. Herfavoriteif I’m not mistaken.” There was that glint of mischief in his eyes again. “You are quite a loud thinker; I would advise you to work on that.”
I opened and closed my mouth like a damn fish, trying to find my next comeback. My mind halted.You are quite a loud thinker.
I moved my body around my stool and shoved him, but not so aggressively that we caused a scene. My palm was flat against his stomach as I pushed him against the bar. His abs were easily felt through the comfortable fabric of his shirt. He looked down at me as my hands lingered.
His tongue poked out, licking at his bottom lip. “Fuck, your thoughts are going to kill me.”
He was taller than me to the point where I needed to get on the tips of my toes, but now was not the time to realize how much his height turned me on. “Are you reading my mind?”
He gave me a small smile, that dimple shining. It made his face light up in a way that shouldn’t have been cute. “Perhaps.”
“You want to get a girl to talk to you, try not to invade her fucking privacy,asshole,” I reprimanded, turning on my heels to get far away from the mental magic wielder.
This had to be my first negative interaction with a magic user, and I’d known about magic my entire fucking life. Magic users were an essential part of our society. They were key factors in hospitals, science labs, and even security. Learning about them was in our curriculum.
I was very aware that I’d gone to schools that integrated magic wielders, especially in middle school when a girl in my history class accidentally shifted in the middle of her oral presentation because of her anxiety. They weren’t hidden from the world, but after a few instances like the one I’d had, they started implementing dampeners, only to be worn while in school or in government facilities—unless you were an employee of some kind. Puberty tended to be a time when those that held magic may be a bit unstable—especially shifters and the ones that wielded elemental magic.
Magic only and human only schools were always a choice, giving individuals the option to separate themselves, which sometimes was better depending on the person. My parents had asked me once if I’d wanted to transfer to a human only high school and I’d given them a confused look and said, “Why the hell would I do that?” Marianne was staying at the integrated high school, so I would too. That was the end of the discussion.
There were a vast majority of magic only and human only colleges as well, but there weren’t many unified ones. There was at least one in every big city in the country, which included theone closest to me right here in San Francisco: Mystic Riegan University. I’d been there a few times, since my dad worked as their liaison for human-magic relations.
He made sure that everything was fair and that all students were taken care of and treated with the respect they deserved, regardless of their upbringing. He made sure all mediations went straight to one of the school counselors and even set up weekly meetings with students that transferred from schools that didn’t intermingle, just to make sure they were alright. I was more than proud to tell people where my dad worked and what he did. It also had everyone, especially my teachers, assuming I would attend in the fall. As beautiful as Mystic Riegan’s campus was, it wasn’t somewhere I saw myself.
Just like I didn’t see myselfhere, with a telepath that thought he could use his powers to win me over.
I felt a large hand grab my arm and suddenly I was maneuvered to a small, secluded hallway that led to the back entrance. A few employees, cigarettes in hand, were already moving towards the big steel doors. My back was pressed against the wall and my mental invader loomed over me. I didn’t feel unsafe, but that didn’t mean I was thrilled to be in this position either.
This area of the bar didn’t continue the purple strobe lights, but just maintained a purple hue of color around the ceiling and the overall lighting was still dim. I could make out that his skin wasn’t pale like Marianne’s, but he had a slight tan. He placed both hands on either side of my head, giving me a much better view of his tattoos, but any desire to admire them was gone now.
“I could hear your thoughts from outside the bar. That’s what I meant by being a loud thinker. They were coming off like nervous chatter in your head. When I heard you mention wanting a drink, I thought that might help and be my way to talk to you. A selfish endeavor, but it worked.”
“Still an invasion.”
“Hmm and practically daydreaming about me having my mouth on you makes you such a saint?” He tilted his head to the side, smirking.
I opened my mouth but quickly closed it. I attempted to settle my mind, not wanting him to find more incriminating things to hold against me. I took a deep breath, rubbing my lips together. “I’m sorry for thinking those things, okay? You shouldn’t have used your powers to try to hit on me, and I shouldn’t have been thinking about you inappropriately.”
He squinted at me as if he was trying to understand my words, as if what I said was in some foreign language he didn’t understand. “I’m flattered you think I’m attractive, Riley. The feeling is mutual.” His eyes moved over my face. “Very much so.”
His face was inches from mine, but he didn’t make a move to get any closer. It was like he knew how to build the right amount of tension by just his presence alone. “How about we go back to the bar and talk? It just so happens to be my birthday, so it would mean a lot if you kept me company.” He smirked at me. “And then maybe I’ll consider doing all those things you want me to do to you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Presumptuous. I’m sure you have friends coming to celebrate with you, besides there are a ton of women here that would love for you to read their minds and do all the right things. Please don’t waste your time thinking I’m some kind of prize to be won.”
He dropped his head, shaking it. “I’ve heard the thoughts of nearly every woman and man in here, but the only thoughts I even remotely want to consider are yours, gorgeous.” He moved his face back into my view, pulling one of his hands off the wall and cupping my chin. His thumb moved over my jaw in a gentle motion that sent an unwanted tingle down my spine. “The dirtyandthe tame ones.”
I narrowed my eyes, wanting to tell him to stop touching me, but the part of my brain that was seeming to malfunction didn’t want him to stop. I almost felt my body melt against the wall behind me—almost.
“Do you even have a name? Seems only fair since you know so much about me,” I asked, choosing to be polite, even though he didn’t deserve it. “Happy birthday by the way.”
He let out a small laugh, continuing to delicately caress my skin. “It’s…”
