Free vittanos willow by Aliyah Burke Page A

closer to his desk, he saw his first appointment wait-
    ing. Mikhail. The senior was back for a second meeting. At the table he
    noticed his box of pamphlets. Well, there goes my excuse to see CJ.
    “Good morning, sir,” Mikhail said with a smile. “I was early and
    Ms. J said to bring you the box.”
    “Not a problem. And good morning to you as well,” Osten said,
    shrugging out of his thick coat. “So, I brought the rest of the informa-
    tion you asked about for Annapolis.” Osten pulled some brochures out
    of the pocket of his coat and handed them over to the young man. Until
    the first bell rang, Osten talked with the student and gave him all the
    information he could.

    CJ waited impatiently for the last bell of the day to ring. Looking
    across the large room, she noticed her charges were all talking quietly
    among themselves, waiting for the same thing. “Okay everyone. I’ll
    have your exams for you on Monday. Guys, good luck at the game.”
    “You aren’t’ coming, Ms. J?” one football player asked.
    “I wish I could, but I’m going to be out of town.”

    Vittano's Willow
    63
    “You’ll be here next week though, right? For Winter Formal?”
    Mikhail voiced the question the other students had.
    She nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll be around for the game and the
    dance after. I’m chaperoning.” Chantoya sent her room of seniors a
    mocking glower. “So make sure you are good.”
    The room erupted into laughter and cheers. Chantoya was a fa-
    vorite teacher among the kids. The bell rang and her students began to
    file out of the room. As the last one left, she looked around and smiled.
    Her kids were the greatest. All of them had pushed in their stools and
    cleaned up after themselves. Sometimes she had problems with fresh-
    men, but by the time they were seniors they were wonderful.
    Grabbing her jacket and the bag holding the exams, she closed
    and locked her door. Sliding her sunglasses on her face, CJ headed off
    down the hall.
    “You look good enough to eat,” a deep voice uttered in her left
    ear.
    “Ah!” she exclaimed and jumped. Spinning around, CJ saw Os-
    ten beside her. “How do you do that? Sneak up on me?”
    He flashed a handsome and roguish grin. “Sweetie, that’s what I
    do.”
    CJ stuck her tongue out at him. “Well, it scares the crap out of
    me.” He sent her an apologetic smile. “I bet you are glad to be done
    with your sentence here.”
    Falling into step beside her, he lifted one shoulder slightly. “I’ll
    miss seeing you, but I don’t belong behind a desk.”
    “I know you don’t. It’s a bit blasé for you, isn’t it? Not dodging
    bullets and all that?” Her eyes cut to the side and admired the way that
    coat he wore draped so perfectly over those broad shoulders of his.
    “A bit. Although, I’d heard that high school was rough.”
    One side of her mouth lifted in a cynical motion. “Many are. We
    are really lucky that we have amazing teachers and great students.”
    “That you do,” he admitted easily. “Go out with me tonight.”
    Osten reached out with one hand and halted her at the front doors.
    “I can’t. Sorry,” she replied.
    “Tomorrow?”
    Placing her hand over the one he had on her arm, she explained,
    “I really wish I could, but I’m leaving town for the weekend. I’m going
    with Dez to a car show.
    Swinging open the door, Osten chuckled. “Should’ve known it
    would be too late to ask you.”

    64
    Aliyah Burke
    “Well, what are you doing next Friday?” she asked as they
    walked out into the cold afternoon.
    “Nothing that I am aware of. Why?”
    “It’s the Winter Formal and since I have the distinct honor of be-
    ing a chaperone for the dance, I would be grateful to have a handsome
    man on my arm.”
    His eyebrows rose with faux curiosity. “And you want that man
    to be me?”
    “Well,” she drawled. “I was hoping to have The Rock on my
    arm, but…I’ll take you as an acceptable replacement for him.”
    “I’m