Page 23 of Crown of Thorns
“We all gamble, Noah. It’s called life. By choosing an option, you automatically eliminate all others. I’m curious about your choices. Why did you move to Paris when you were only sixteen?”
“That’s none of your business.” The knife breeches me once more. It hurts like a motherfucker, but I don’t care. Not when I can see the craze reflect his inner turmoil. It looks fucking glorious. “What do you want from me?”
“Other than tasting your cock again?”
“Stop this madness,” he grumbles. He sounds desperate. Releasing my throat with a heavy sigh, he pulls away and walks to the window, throwing a punch at the bag on his way. “I’m an honest man, Louis, a good teacher. My intentions are right. You caught me at the wrong moment, for which I apologize from the bottom of my heart. If you’d like to hear it again, I’ll tell you again. But I will not be blackmailed. I won’t be your victim. If you don’t drop this after today, I’ll go to your father and tell him the truth about you.”
“The truth about me?” I give him a puzzled look, genuinely curious. “Did you search the internet for me, Professor? If you want, I can give you my links to social media.”
“Stop it, Louis. I’m serious.” But his face flushes. Hmm, interesting. Taking off his glasses, he rubs his eyebrows and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“And what is the truth about me?” I ask.
“That you like…That you like…”
“That I likeyou?” I grin when he flinches.
He lets out a swear and grunts. “That you’re into men.”
“That I’m into men,” I drawl. This is the anti-climax of the fucking century. I thought he’d come up with that one time Iburned down that club in Marseille—which was an accident, by the way—or that time I fucked my ex’s boyfriend just to watch him cry. Yeah, of all the things he could have on me, he comes withthat. But I play along, because I’m a good sport. And because I’m curious where he’s going with this.
“You would tell myfather?”
“If you don’t drop it, I will.” He swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing. “I don’t want it to come to that.”
“You’re right. Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?” Noah stays facing the window, shoulders rigid, breath uneven. He hasn’t turned since I started talking, but he needs to. He has to. If he keeps his back to me much longer, I’ll think he’s actually afraid. He’s still staring outside the window at the darkening forest, but I don’t miss the hope in his voice. Poor baby really thinks I’ll go away.
“Yes. Let’s say, a secret for a secret.”
“Explain yourself, Louis.”
“You don’t tell my father that I dance in a gay club. And I won’t tell anyone that I danced for you in that same club. Swallowed your cock and had you trembling in my arms.”
“Trembling,” he scoffs, still not looking at me. I grin. If he wants to pretend that never happened, I’m okay with it. As long as he accepts my next offer.
“You want to change the world. Beat inequality? Have some champagne.”
That has him turning around, looking suspicious. “Champagne? What’s that?” He glares at the bottle in my hand.
“This? Champagne. And that is a fridge. If you ever want to surprise me, it’s my favourite everything. And blackberries.” I toe the mini-bar closed with my shoe. “Don’t worry, I also got you freshly pressed orange juice. You seem to love that.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
I shrug. “I have my ways.”
“You…you…” He gulps, shaking his head, forcing back his calm. “What about this secret?”
Ahh, now we’re talking. I pop the cork and take a long sip, moaning against the bottle. His attention on me is unwavering. At my mouth, to be precise. He doesn’t seem to realize it, so I won’t call him out on it. It’s kind of cute. Wiping it clean with the sleeve of my jacket, I put the bottle back onto his desk and sit down next to it. “You majored in the impact of group behaviour in the modern world.’
“So?”
“What is it about inequality that fascinates you the most, Professor?”
He blinks, clearly not expecting such sharp questions out of my mouth. “I believe people deserve a second chance. We are still so young when we have to make big decisions and don’t realize that those can affect the rest of our lives. It shouldn’t be like that. The poor should be given access to education. The rich—” Our eyes meet and he licks his lips, hesitating, “Let’s just say I’ve been trying to incorporate more rights for equality.”
“And, have you been successful?”
