BARE SOULS: A STEAMY TEACHER/STUDENT ROMANCE

CHAPTER 58 | HARPER

I would lie if I said that I felt very comfortable having him for dinner at my house. In all honesty I was worried sick; Not about him fitting in nor getting along with Mark since I knew that Zane was a charismatic and charming person that everyone he met ended up liking, like my Aunt Lorie who was already under his spell from the first time she met him. What worried me was my lack in confidence in my capacity to act as if he was just a regular Joe. With just one look, he could literally set my body on fire and make me turn purple with just at the sole thought of what this man could do to me. I knew I would have to work hard that night and avoid looking at him at all cost.

    "At what time should we expect him?" Mark asked me, while seating on the couch as he was reading the paper with a scotch in his hand.

   "He should be here soon... he said he would be here by 8" I said, trying to hide my nervousness. 

While Lorie sat on the couch next to him, I headed to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine from the open bottle standing on the kitchen island and gulped in one shot, hoping it would help release the stress. I poured myself a second one and drank it even faster before joining my uncle and aunt on the couch, more anxious as the minutes were passing by.

    "Have you already booked your tickets?" Mark asked as he turned the page of his newspaper.

    "Not yet. But I will, first thing in the morning. Are you stressing out?" I asked, amused by Mark's sudden pressure to book my trip when I literally just found out about the interview a few hours ago.

He dropped his paper and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course I am baby girl!" He sighed. "You are about to head to Sin city and we can't come with you. It's a prestigious school and I want to make sure you have your trip organized right away so you can focus on preparing for your interview next week. I can have Sofia planning it for you..." As he spoke, I could sense how important this interview was to him and I wondered who was more anxious about it between him and I.

I could understand his feeling since I was, too. But strangely, I seemed to take it more easily than him, a grown man with a settled business and reputation who has had an outstanding career and who everybody was looking up to. It was maybe because it was the first time I expressed any kind of interest in pursuing my studies... or maybe it had to do with the fact that was following my father's path...

   "Thank you Mark. But I want to do this on my own. I definitely want to nail this interview and you can be sure that I will do my very best". I patted his shoulder to reassure him.

    " Look at you becoming a beautiful self-confident woman..." Lorie said with teary eyes.

I rolled my eyes and laughed, amused by how emotional these two could be sometimes.

When the bell rang, my heart stopped and my anxiety level skyrocketed. Mark slowly got up and made his way to the door to let a very classy and more handsome than usual Zane in, who vigorously shook Mark's hand with an honest smile, as if not bothered at all by this awkward situation. "Good to see you Zane. Glad you could make it on such a short notice" Mark warmly said as Zane stepped in to shake Lorie's hand.

   "Thank you for having me tonight. It's an honor" he smiled at Lorie who I swore had sparkles in her eyes and slightly blushed.

    "Oh please Zane... It's our pleasure. I took the liberty to invite your brother and Sofia as well. However, they told me they are running a little late but they should be here any minute now". She said with her hand on his wrist. I swear if she was not my aunt, I would have told her to back off.

    " Oh that's fine" he said before glancing my way. My heart jumped in my chest and I was trying hard to keep my composure. "Harper..." He then said with a nod toward me and an incredibly sexy smile.