Page 2 of The Marriage Deal
"Those gorgeous gray eyes and that jawline don't hurt,"Jess sighed. I turned my attention back to the lecture just as Levi turned off the projector, turned on the lights, and asked the audience for questions. A student in the front row asked something that I didn't quitehear.
"Well, if you were listening to the words coming out of my mouth, Chester, you would haveheardmy opinion on that."Levi's snarky response is not lost on the class. Snickers and giggles rumble in the hall.
"And then he turns into a dick,"I whispered to Jess.
"Still would fuck him, though."
I rolled my eyes.
"How do you do it?"Jess sighed, rested her chin in her palm, and leaned forward as Levi answered another question."How do you work under a man this hot and not try togetinto his pants every day?"
That's because Iknewhow irritating hecouldbe. Being Levi's teaching assistant was not for the weak. Plenty took the job thinkingit wouldbe a good way to start their academic careers. And like naïve squires, not a single one lasted more than a few months. They left scarred, dazed, and broken. The only TA to reach two years and not quit was me. And I hated my job.
"I don't need to do anything. I have a boyfriend, remember?"
Jess nodded dismissively, and then her eyes widened."Speaking of which, Iheardyou have dinner tonight. Do you think he's finally gonna?"She wiggled her ring finger.
"Who told you Wyatt and I are going out tonight?"
"Billie."
I sighed. "Are there no secrets in this department?"
Jess shook her head."We're history buffs. We love gossip."
I sent a text to Wyatt.
Me: You told Billie about our dinner plans?
I didn't expect him to respond immediately. He usually took forever to reply to me, even though he barely took his eyes away from his phone.
Wyatt:There's something I wanted to ask her, so I had to spill. Was I wrong?
As I was about to respond with a 'no', Jess gasped."Oh, he's definitely proposing."I flung my phone away from her face."Privacy!"I scream-whispered. She mouthed 'sorry' with a smile playing on her mouth. I sent the text to Wyatt, and another text popped up.
Jess: I'm so happy for you. You didn'thearthis from me, but apparently Billiesawyour man in a jewelry store looking at something-something.
My heart leaped with joy, and another unsettlingfeeling. Apprehension. I ignored it. Things are going well right now. Wyatt and I had been distant lately, but that must be because of our schedules. He was busy, and so was I. We had little time to do stuff together.
Me: It's going to be funny when the gift turns out to be a pair of earrings!
Jess: It's not.
She added a GIF of Beyoncé doing the “Single Ladies” dance.
I swallowed a laugh and put my phone away. I glanced at Jess, who was staring at Levi as though she cared about what he was talking about, but Iknewbetter. She was mesmerized by him, forgetting she was a whole-ass married woman.
"Why don't you like him?"Jess asked. I didn't need toknowwhichhimshe was referring to.
"He hatesme.I'm just returning the favor."
She frowned and whipped her head to face me."No! He doesn't hate you!"She spoke so loudly that Levi stopped speaking, and his gaze snapped to us. A scowl marring his handsome face when he spotted who had disrupted his train of thought.It wasJess who had spoken, but his gaze zoned in on me. As though I were the one at fault. My cheeks heated a contradictory reaction to the cold room we were in. Icouldnot tear myself from his captivating gaze and remained still, like prey confronted by a predator.
Jess shrank."Sorry,"she mouthed, and he returned to his lecture. She had broken his cardinal rule. Be silent or be banished.
"See? He always thinks I am the one in the wrong."Jess looked like she was about to rebut me, but I asked,"What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I need to speak to him. Hopefully, he can give me a letter of recommendation that I can use when I apply to Yale?"
