The Heart That's Meant to Love You

Chapter 22: Conscience

Kieran flipped through another set of photos, but he couldn't focus on grading. He had tried. Unfortunately, other things weighed on his mind.

He never should have stayed at the convenience store the other night. Half of winning depended on mental stamina, and the convenience store incident had shaken his mentality. A hoodie and some junk food had forced Kieran to admit that the little rich girl he had targeted was... human. Not an object. Conscience pricked him now, but Kieran couldn't pay attention to it.

Friends? Why had he agreed to befriends? It had never been his intention. Kieran aimed for complete control when it came to his targets. Friendship didn't lend itself to the depth of emotion needed to gain that control, nor the passion required to blind Kieran's target to the truth. So, friends? Kieran shouldn't even attempt it. It would quickly tear away his perfect facade.

It had been days. Why couldn't he put it behind himself and move forward with the plan, like always?

Naomi's eyes had borne pain that he had never seen in the face of a rich girl. Her words had said more than what appeared on the surface. And on top of it all, it seemed like no one had ever told her that she was beautiful.

Kieran scrubbed his palms over his face. He didn't have time to deal with someone else's problems. He could barely handle his own.

"Focus," he commanded himself, tuning back in to the assignments before him.

A knock on the door interrupted any concentration Kieran managed. Perhaps for the better.

Kieran braced himself and closed out of the photos on the computer. "Come in."

The door opened. A bubbly blonde stepped into the office, all smiles and glittering eyes. If not for the paint splattered on her jeans and hands, Kieran might have assumed she came to stalk him like his other fans. But, no, he had a fairly good guess why she had come.

"Hi, I'm Maddie." The girl in question raised a hand to wave.

Kieran tamped down his annoyance at life in general and forced a smile to his lips. "Did you need something?"

"Me? Oh. Uh..." Maddie shot a thumb over her shoulder. "Ms. VanCamp is asking you to come over. She said the two of you had a deal? Something about modeling."

"Ah. It's that time already." Kieran rose from behind the desk. He didn't really like Professor McNally's office, anyway. Way too quiet.

Maddie's smile widened again. "Should I lead the way?"

She probably had to get back to class anyway, so Kieran nodded. Not like he couldn't find his own way to the painting studio, but Maddie didn't seem like the kind of girl that took no for an answer. Kieran had dealt with plenty of Maddies in the past. A few compliments here and there would keep her satisfied. At least for now. They could deal with any other misconceptions when they came to them.

Maddie fairly skipped ahead of Kieran, as if she won the lottery. True, that she probably had in a way, as Kieran didn't let girls get near him. He didn't need the complications, especially when he had his sights on something specific. But let Maddie think she had the upper hand. It wouldn't hurt.

Ms. VanCamp met them at the door to the studio, her smile almost as bright as Maddie's. "Maddie, get your things set up. Mr. Colburn, thank you so much for doing this for us."

"I'm sure you had no shortage of volunteers," Kieran answered with a shrug.

"Be that as it may," Ms. VanCamp shook her head. "None that would leave my class undisturbed. I trust your professionalism, Mr. Colburn."

Trust him? She shouldn't, but Kieran didn't have time to go into that. Besides, he would behave around anyone except one woman. Ms. VanCamp didn't have to worry about that. So he let the comment stand.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Do you mind costuming?" Ms. VanCamp asked hesitantly.

Kieran almost laughed. Did she not realize what field their work lay inside? "Depends on the costume."

"Regency era," Ms. VanCamp clarified. "They need to work with a live model to get the feel for it. Do you mind terribly donning a regency era costume?"

Kieran shook his head. Not much fazed him. Especially not something so trivial as a Halloween costume. "Point me to the dressing room."

Ms. VanCamp did just that.

The costume had probably been borrowed from the theater department, and the shoulders were a little tight on the jacket, but Kieran had made a promise. Besides, he could better acclimate the little rich girl to his presence if he became the model for the class she attended. Judging by her character, Kieran needed a reason to acclimate her to his close proximity or his plan wouldn't work.

Given Tawny's newest shopping spree, Kieran needed his plan to move faster, not slower. So he put up with the slight discomfort.

Except, when he reached the classroom, the little rich girl was nowhere to be seen.

Kieran stopped at Ms. VanCamp's desk. "You seem to be missing a student today."

"Oh?" Ms. VanCamp looked up and around the room. "Ah. Naomi. How did you know? Do you know her?"

"We..." Kieran chuckled to himself. Who knew their conversation a few nights prior would come in handy now? "We're friends."

"I see." Ms. VanCamp smiled again. At least she seemed chipper. Uptight art teachers were the worst, in Kieran's opinion. "Naomi took leave today."

"Do you know why?"

"Something about her mother's company. I'm sure she'll return next week." With that, Ms. VanCamp lost all interest in that line of conversation. Instead, she motioned Kieran toward the barstool in the middle of the room. "If you don't mind."

Kieran did as he was asked and took a pose leaning against the wooden stool, but his mind raced. The little rich girl had skipped class in favor of business. Maybe he had been wrong about her. Perhaps she didn't love art as much as he suspected.

Either way, his suspicions about Naomi had been confirmed. She came from money. Her mother owned a company. What kind of troubles could a girl like that have? Clearly, Kieran had blown it out of proportion in his own head. Naomi would never hurt because of him. She had enough provision to fix anything. So, the plan would progress.

And his conscience could hush.