CORINNE
He c****d his head at me when I didn’t answer. Those dark, piercing eyes tracking my every movement like he could see into the corners of my mind. The quiet attention made my skin feel too tight.
I let out an awkward laugh, the sound thin even to my own ears. “Of course not, Mr. Delacroix,” I said quickly, before the silence swallowed me whole. “This is my first time meeting you and there’s no way a mere teacher like me would ever be found in the same… circle as yours.”
The words landed and died.
The corners of his mouth stayed flat and I could feel the weight of his scrutiny pressing down on me.
My hands twisted together in my lap beneath the table, fingers tightening until my knuckles ached.
There’s no way he knows who I am, I told myself, trying to convince my nerves as m
