Teaching Her a Lesson (Class is in Session Book 1) Read online

  Teaching Her a Lesson

  REMI GREY

  Copyright © 2019 Remi Grey – All Rights Reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Cover Created By Embrace the Pace Designs

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  EPILOGUE

  PREVIEW: BOOK TWO

  CHAPTER 1

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  About the Book

  An Alpha Male and Curvy Woman Romance

  Owen:

  Chloe Rivers, sometimes referred to as Miss Rivers during our meetings, instantly hooked me.

  After moving states, I didn’t exactly strive to get people to love me but was drawn to Chloe the first day I met her.

  Voicing the way I really feel didn’t always come out right.

  It seemed we bickered more than we really talked, so imagine my surprise when I fell in love with her.

  Chloe:

  Owen Masters, “The Ginger with the accent.”

  That’s what I called him in my head the first time we met, but then I really got to know him. Then it got shortened to “asshole.”

  It seemed that everything he said just aggravated me.

  That was until I got to know him outside the conference room.

  Falling in love with him was never a part of the plan.

  Teaching Her a Lesson is a sweet and steamy romance between two elementary school teachers who butt heads in the beginning, but learn that nothing is what it seems when you take a chance on someone and really get to know them. This is the first story in the Class is in Session series.

  Chapter 1

  Chloe

  I set my coffee on my desk. The deep aromas of hazelnut and vanilla rose around me and hugged me almost as tightly as the comforter I had left this morning in my bed. I slipped out of my coat, hanging it over my seat and settling into it. The creaking of its spine and wheels jolted me from my morning fatigue even more. From my desk in the corner, I scanned my classroom with its twenty or so empty desks, the stillness a sign of the early hours. I took a minute to shut my eyes, taking in deep breaths, a short meditation before I started my routine.

  Then, there was a sharp knock at my door. I sat up immediately, eyeing the figure standing at the threshold. He was a small but round man with glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose and graying hair that adorned his head up to his receding hairline. He smiled big, unaware of how much of an inconvenience him being here actually brought me.

  “Miss Rivers, I’m glad to see you here so early. Right on time for the fifth-grade meeting!” Principal Max Thoreau bolstered.

  I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down at my desk calendar. There it was. Monday, meeting at seven AM. “Of course,” I said with a smile. I hoped I seemed more prepared than I was for it. I stood up and moved to the door to meet up with him. “Since we’re fifteen minutes till, I’ll just join you now.”

  I remembered to grab my coffee before following him to the nearby conference room where there was a small breakfast set up on a side table. My stomach growled at the sight of the donut holes and muffins.

  “Help yourself!” he insisted as he sat down at the head of the table. I did so, placing a few of the donut holes on a napkin and then settling into one of the seats. It seemed that as soon as I did, a few more teachers came in, helping themselves before sitting down.

  Jamie Watson, one of the fifth-grade teachers at the school, sat beside me. She was the epitome of an elementary school teacher—fresh out of college, bright eyed with blonde hair, a sweet smile playing on her lips at all times. “Hey, Chloe,” she said with a muffin in her hands.

  “Hey!” I chirped with a smile. If you weren’t careful, she could make you look like the grinch. “I wonder what this is about...”

  “Me too, but I’m so grateful for this breakfast. I rushed out of my house so quick, I barely had time to stop for coffee!” She laughed deeply. I returned the gesture but also felt my fingers anxiously strumming the side of the coffee cup. I pulled it to my lips, savoring the warm taste as she turned around and started chatting with one of the other teachers.

  When my gaze landed on the figure in the door, I instantly rolled my eyes. Owen Masters. He was paused across from Max with a slight smile on his face and a mug in his hand. He moved across the room and settled into the seat across from me, glancing up at me briefly but saying nothing.

  “Alright, seeing as how everyone is here, I will go ahead and get started,” Max said pulling out a folder and opening it up before him. “First thing on the agenda is the obvious elephant in the room.” He gave the small crowd of seven teachers a thin-lipped smile that characterized him. “Bethany. Unfortunately, we are faced with the whole, erm, fiasco from last week which left a lot of parents wanting to pull their children from her class. Thus, I am left with the decision on whether or not I should terminate her employment to appease parents based on rumors or allow her to continue teaching. So, I wanted to bring the matter to you guys as a community of teachers with differing opinions rather than relying on myself to make a decision. After all, I like to have open dialogues when it comes to the well-being of our students and staff.”

  I refrained my urge to roll my eyes, but couldn’t help but slip out, “Bethany Morris is literally a bully and shouldn’t be allowed around kids at all.” I managed to say it calmly but instantly felt the judgmental glares from my fellow teachers.

  “Bully? I think we’re taking it a little too far. Some kid got their feelings hurt because of something and their parents are blowing it out of proportion. Come on, Chloe, you know how it is,” one of the teachers insisted.

  Jamie, still wide eyed and innocent, interjected with, “I don’t think she shouldn’t be around kids or anything, but her actions need consequences. Termination seems extreme.”

  “It is. It’s way too extreme.” A clear voice came from in front of me. I turned my head to face Owen who was looking right at me. “I think parents can be just as bratty as the kids frankly.” He brought his mug to his lips, concluding his statement and leaving me speechless. I narrowed my eyes at him, contemplating how he could be so crass considering his profession.

  “I think what Mr. Masters is trying to say is a discussion with the parent and child is more warranted than castigating Ms. Morris.” Max flipped to another page on his notes, shifting gears. “Next week—”

  “Actually,” I said, stopping Max short. “I think Owen meant exactly what he said. It’s sad that an elementary teacher can have this kind of outlook on both children and parents when they should be our priority, not some second-rate, inconsiderate teacher who doesn’t uphold the simple val
ue of no child left behind.” I took a breath, feeling the frustration rising in me but trying not to lose it at seven in the morning in front of all my peers.

  Owen’s straight face didn’t help my patience either. “She sent requests for a potluck celebration and singled out a student for not bringing anything because her policy was ‘don’t bring, don’t eat,’” I spat. The thought of a child not being able to eat and watching their peers celebrate without them made me sick. It even made me sicker that I was the only sane one in the room who saw this as so. “It’s bad enough that certain schools in our county are implementing policies that allow kids not to be fed breakfast or lunch because of whatever debt they racked up—a couple dollars maybe—but to see this in our own hallways...we have to stand up for better.”

  “That was a great speech, but I think Principal Max would agree the school has neither the money nor the resources to lose a teacher over some cookies,” Owen said. I clenched my teeth, feeling the heat of anger rushing to my face. “I think we all can agree we’re stretched pretty thin as it is.” A series of agreements came from the group.

  “Which leads me to my next point,” Max took the opportunity to move on. “Our annual Spring Gala is coming up which is a fundraising event hosted and arranged by fifth grade teachers this year. Last year, it was our lovely fourth grade teachers. This is a task, but during the next six weeks if we work together there is no reason why it shouldn’t be a success.”

  He finished up the meeting and then allowed us to leave with me steaming from my ears. I sipped the rest of my coffee, the caffeine surging through me as effectively as water now that I was pissed.

  “Chloe,” I heard from behind me.

  “What?” I shot out, aggression stemming unwillingly. I took a breath, reminding myself to settle down, then turned around to address whoever had called my name. When I saw Owen standing in front of me, my face fell again. I raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to speak.

  “You know, too much coffee isn’t good for you. You should try green tea.” He was referring to my empty cup. A sharp look was all he needed to get back on topic. “We got paired together.”

  “You must be confused. We’re all working together. There aren’t partners,” I said, turning around.

  “We all are, but for specific things like decorations—which is what me and you got—it gets split off.” I turned to face him. He seemed so unbothered, but there was also another look in his eyes—teasing. I took a deep breath. He already appeared as though he won and me getting upset with him would only make me look crazy.

  “Okay, so how is this gonna work exactly? I order all the stuff and we meet in six weeks?”

  He laughed; it was deep, full. Then, he shook his head, “Do you have any idea what goes into a gala at this school?” I furrowed my eyebrows. “We’re gonna be seeing each other way more often, Chloe.”

  With that, he walked away, leaving me with the feeling of dread plaguing my entire body. And I was fucking wet.

  Chapter 2

  Owen

  Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine. One-hundred. I pushed off of the floor and stood up, feeling the burning tension in my biceps. It was both a painful sting and a welcoming surge for the morning hours. I stopped at the mirror behind my dresser and ruffled my ginger hair, styling it the best way I knew how. Just as I was about to pull away, I noticed a photo framed on the surface.

  There were six of us pictured with me being in the middle, a smile on my face as I wrapped my arms around the figure next to me. We all had our uniforms on, me with a white shirt tucked into the pants. I clenched my jaw, suddenly taken aback as the memories came flooding in. I moved to my kitchen and poured a hot cup of green tea, mixing in lemon and honey, just before throwing on my jacket and heading out the door.

  I arrived at the school fifteen minutes later. After parking my car and entering the building, I was immediately greeted by Max. “Owen!” he beamed.

  “Max,” I repeated. I hoped the slight smile I was giving him was enough to contain him for the morning. Upstairs was where the fourth and fifth grade was. From afar, I could see Chloe unlocking the door to her classroom. Getting closer, I would end up right next to her being as our classrooms were grouped in fours.

  She looked back when she heard me at my classroom door. “Good morning,” she said. Her tone was neither pleasant nor malicious.

  “Good morning.”

  She was about to walk in her classroom, but she stopped and turned around, sighing slightly as though inconvenienced. “Come in here. I want to show you something.”

  I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion but shut my door again before following her into the classroom. She set her belongings down at her desk. It was cold outside so she had to slip out of her coat before she could settle into her seat. She ruffled her short brown hair, barely looking up at me as she opened up her laptop and let her hands fly across the keys.

  Her small nose was dipped in a rosy red. She sniffled slightly, rubbing her hands together and then reaching for the mug that she had set on her desk. During the five months that Chloe and I had worked together, I had always seen her with the same mug and it was always coffee. You could smell the lingering aroma of the grounds whenever you walked past her in the morning. But today, it was different.

  “What kind of tea is that?” I asked her.

  “Oh, um,” she looked down. “Green.” She returned to her laptop. I couldn’t help but smile a little at the influence that I had had on her, but she stopped me. “Don’t get too excited. I ran out of coffee and I had some of this stuff lying around.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “It isn’t too bad.” She raised an eyebrow at me. The slight smile pulling at her lips made me feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Nervous.

  “So, what’d you want to show me?” I asked in an attempt to divert my anxiety.

  “This.” She pointed at a Pinterest board. All I saw were a whole lot of pictures.

  “Is this a presentation of some sort?”

  “No, it’s our theme. India! It’s fun, it’s extravagant. Since this is a private school, a lot of the parents are expecting a certain level of class.”

  “We still have to stay within budget.”

  “And we will!” she exclaimed happily. “Elephant rentals shouldn’t run more than about five hundred an hour...” My eyes widened. “I’m kidding! We won’t do elephants.” Her eyes brightened when she spoke, but as soon as she turned away her smile melted and she got serious again. She started pointing out things that she liked and for a long while I just watched her talk.

  “We could get the powdered paint things that are popular during Diwali, oh and some lights that I’m thinking could be strung over the canopies and—”

  “How much would this all cost?”

  She stopped short and turned to me. “It’ll be within budget,” she said with a straight face. I didn’t mean for my words to come out so blunt, but I could tell I had ticked her off. She turned back to the computer and began to close out the tabs. “Do you always talk down to people?” she questioned, swiveling around in her chair and facing me. Although confused, I said nothing. “I feel like you do. You jump at the opportunity to talk down to everyone around you. Me especially. Like at the meeting. You made me feel like I was making the wrong decision by thinking reasonably.”

  Now, I was really confused. “If you thought you were thinking reasonably, then what does that have to do with me?”

  “Because—” she started but paused suddenly as though unsure of what to say next. She sighed then said, “Forget it.”

  Chapter 3

  Chloe

  I could see the confusion still paining his features, but it was quickly replaced by that same apathetic expression he always seemed to carry. What did how I felt have to do with him? I couldn’t confess it to him, but it was because I cared. I cared about what he thought, and I hated that. After shutting down my laptop, my signal to him that I was done with this little meeting, I stoo
d up and walked toward the door.

  “Chloe, wait.”

  He pulled my hand to get me to stop walking but the familiar feeling on my wrist made me panic instinctively. I jerked my hand back and eyed him, immediately praying he couldn’t sense my unease with touch. The expression on his face revealed it all and I sunk in my skin. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to touch me. I wanted more than anything for him to touch me. For him to really see me. It all just seemed like deja vu. Chloe and another emotionally unavailable man... I hated that I was attracted to him in that way, but I couldn’t help the way my heartbeat began to speed up looking at him.

  For it being just before seven in the morning, the entire hallway was clear of students. With his icy blue eyes lingering over mine with such intensity, my body began to tremble. I could hear my breathing coming out uneven, short little breaths as I took a step closer to him. I could tell that he felt the heat too as he moved in and closed the space between us, letting his hand slide down my torso and hover near my hips.

  In his embrace, I felt safe and secure. He leaned into me as he pulled me close with his hand resting on my lower back. I kissed him softly on his lips, feeling a second heartbeat arising in me. He pulled me onto the desk with a swift motion. Instinctively, my legs wrapped around his waist as he let his tongue dance with mine. My thoughts ran a million miles an hour but all I could think was: I’m kissing the Ginger with the accent!

  Every embrace he gave me was drenched in passion. The shuffling on my desk as my notes and binders shifted to make room for me nearly pulled me from the trance I was in, but it was all futile when his lips were on mine.

  He started to plant kisses on my neck, making my breath speed up. I could hear it coming out in huffs as my pants tangled with his, a beautiful medley of music. I cocked my head up to the ceiling, my eyes still shut and taking in the sensations flowing through me.

  His hands traveled around my waist and down the bottom of my button, fiddling with it. I froze suddenly and pulled away from him. “What are you doing?” I questioned him.