Mouth Watering
EVERYTHING SHE NEEDED…
Looking to change her life, Corey Cooper moves across the country to a remote town in Colorado to become the new guidance counselor at St. Leasing, a prestigious all-boys prep school. But soon she learns her attraction to the gorgeous head coach, Dominic Hardy, is more than the usual chemistry, and that her students are more than the typical randy teenage boys.
WAS WRITTEN IN HIS SOUL
Dominic Hardy loves his life at St. Leasing. As head coach, he’s fulfilled by his career, and in the small Colorado town outside the school’s gates he has all the entertainment a man could desire. No complications, no attachments, life was good. Then Corey Cooper comes to St. Leasing and Dominic’s instincts kick in—she is his, and that’s for life. Throw in a troubled teen, a tyrannical parent, and a mysterious disappearance, and all of a sudden everything at St. Leasing has become a matter of life or death for his kind.
MOUTH WATERING
Book One of St. Leasing
L.P. Maxa
www.BOROUGHSPUBLISHINGGROUP.com
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Boroughs Publishing Group does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for author or third-party websites, blogs or critiques or their content.
MOUTH WATERING
Copyright © 2017 L.P. Maxa
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Boroughs Publishing Group. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of Boroughs Publishing Group is illegal and punishable by law. Participation in the piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights.
ISBN 978-1-944262-79-2
E-book formatting by Maureen Cutajar
www.gopublished.com
This book is dedicated to me, but I’m not being selfish or anything. St. Leasing was my first attempt at writing, it’s my baby. This story was born in my head and nurtured on paper. For no other reason than that I simply felt compelled to write.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When I originally sat down to write St. Leasing, I didn’t tell anyone. I would wait until I was alone in the house or everyone else was sleeping. And then, when I was halfway through, I told my mom. She was so happy, so excited for me. Thank you for your initial reaction. I can still remember how happy it made me. When it was almost done, I told my husband. He was so supportive, so proud of me. So, thank you to my amazing family. And thank you to everyone who read this book a few years ago. Sue, your love for these shifters warms my heart. Thank you for loving these characters, for loving my first attempt at being an author. I’ve come a long way, and I couldn’t have done it without any of you.
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
About the Author
Also by L.P. Maxa
MOUTH WATERING
“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter One
Dominic
Dominic stopped dead in his tracks when he saw an unfamiliar car pull up, then something shifted in the air around him. Like the light spring breeze changed directions. A woman climbed out of the newer-model SUV and stretched her arms above her head, revealing a strip of tight, toned stomach. She arched her back and inhaled deeply. A small smile lit up her beautiful face, like clean mountain air made her happy.
She was absolutely breathtaking.
Literally, looking at her stole the air from his lungs.
Whoa. What? Stole the air from his lungs? Who was he, John Legend? Nope. Looking at her made his dick hard. There, that was more like it, and he nodded to himself.
The woman had parked in front of the administration building, but Dominic was sure he’d never seen her on campus before. He definitely would have remembered her. There weren’t many chicks his age roaming the grounds of St. Leasing. She couldn’t be the new guidance counselor. Nah. Dean McCormick would never hire such a young gorgeous woman to take on that job. The boys would be way too hard for her to handle, what with their hormones in a constant state of overdrive.
Dominic wouldn’t blame them. He was a grown-ass man and he was having trouble controlling himself. As it was, he’d been staring at her for a socially unacceptable amount of time. He watched as her eyes took in the architecture around campus. He knew what she was seeing, knew the feeling of tradition and history the old stone buildings and ancient trees inspired. Maybe he should go over and ask if she needed help. She didn’t really look lost, but it was getting close to dusk and she needed to get inside.
He crossed the street, coming up beside her. “Excuse me, ma’am? Could I point you in the right direction?”
The woman whirled around, almost tripping in surprise. “Oh, wow. You scared me.” She laughed a little at herself, and the sound went straight to his heart. “Actually I was looking for the dean’s office.”
Dominic’s smile grew. She was even more beautiful up close. She was so petite her head barely came up to his chest. She had long reddish-brown hair, stunning emerald green eyes, and there were freckles wildly scattered on her nose. She appeared younger than him, but those eyes? Those gorgeous green eyes held some depth. “The dean’s office? Are you here for the counselor position?” He hoped like hell her answer was no.
“I am. I have an interview in about ten minutes.” She looked down at her watch, checking the time and pulling her bottom lip between her straight white teeth.
Damn. She’d never get the job. Which meant he’d never get a taste of that sweet little mouth of hers. Dominic gave himself a mental shake. This girl was messing with his brain. He
didn’t need her sweet little mouth. He had plenty of willing and able mouths at his beck and call. But still, he couldn’t deny that the thought of her disappearing from his life as quickly as she had appeared upset him.
She cleared her throat. Shit, he was staring again, lost in confused thought. “I drove into town, and was hoping to get here early enough to explore the campus a little, but I got so turned around trying to find this place. It’s almost completely hidden from the road.” She flailed her arms toward the big, gated entrance.
That’s cute. She’s so animated and friendly. Cute? Motherfucker, his brain needed to rein in those sweet thoughts. “Yeah, we like it that way. It’s better for the boys, better for all of us really.” Where the hell had that come from? He couldn’t let things like that start slipping out. St. Leasing’s secrets were none of her business. She was frying his brain with her dazzling smile. Luckily, she chose to ignore his odd comment. “If you want, I can walk you over to the dean’s office. I was kind of headed that direction anyway.” Total lie, he had been headed to his truck in the opposite direction. He was due at practice in like two seconds.
“Really? That’d be great. Thank you so much. I’m Corey by the way, Corey Cooper.”
Dominic turned and took her outstretched hand. It felt small inside of his, but her handshake was firm. Good, he loathed a weak handshake, even from a woman. “I’m Dominic Hardy.”
They walked in silence for a ways, it wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was definitely charged. Dominic could feel that she was attracted to him, even if she wasn’t admitting it to herself or acknowledging it. He could feel it coming off her in subtle waves, and smirked to himself. Perfect. Maybe he could get her to meet him for a drink before she headed out of town. And she would be leaving soon. There was no way she’d get that job. Not here. Not at a school like this.
“So, Mr. Hardy, I take it you work here at St. Leasing?”
He nodded. “I do. I coach varsity baseball. And please, call me Dominic.”
“Have you been coaching long?”
“This was actually the first place I coached right out of college. Playing pro ball was my dream, but that didn’t pan out. I was good enough to get me my job here though. What about you? What brings you to an all-boys boarding school?”
Corey took a deep breath. “I grew up in Louisiana. It’s the only place I’ve ever lived. I needed a change and I came across this job online. I’ve been emailing back and forth with Dean McCormick for a couple weeks now.”
Dominic nodded, realization dawning on him. They had been emailing. They hadn’t even talked on the phone yet. He’d bet that the dean thought Corey was a dude. As soon as McCormick got one look at her, he wouldn’t give her the job. Women were rarely hired to work on this campus, and for good reason.
He stopped in front of a large mansion. It had a circular tower on the right side and was built with weathered stone. It was one of the oldest buildings on campus. “Here we are, the dean’s office is on the third floor.” She turned and smiled up at him, causing his heart to skip a beat. Stupid heart, what the hell was it thinking? He was used to thinking with his dick. His dick seemed smarter.
“Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help.” Corey reached for the large brass door handle.
“Wait.” Dominic groaned at the desperation he heard in his voice. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder, smiling again. Why did she keep grinning at him like that? “Would you like to meet me for a drink later? After your interview? There is a small bar in town, well, it’s the only bar in town. But it’s got cold beer and no students. You had to have passed it on your way in, it’s called Moon Bar.”
Corey nodded. “I would like that. I can meet you there in about two hours?”
Dominic doubted her interview would take longer than two seconds, but he had to get through practice so a couple hours would work for him. “Sounds great, I’ll see you later, good luck.” She smiled at him one more time before she disappeared into the building.
He glanced at his watch; he was so late for practice. Hopefully his assistant coaches had started the boys on their warm-ups. The team tended to get antsy and reckless without direction and something to occupy their minds.
Did he really ask that girl out? Dominic doubted Corey would be good company after she got turned down for a job she had driven days to interview for. But then again maybe he could send her on her way with a fond memory of Colorado.
Chapter Two
Corey
Corey entered the building and took the wide dark wood stairs up to the second floor. She had to get this job. Truly, she had no other options at this point.
She had packed up her whole life and run away from home. Well, ran away was a little dramatic. She’d needed to get away. She needed a change of scenery, a change of pace. Corey had known only one way of life, and she was ready for an adventure. Plus, her loving family was suffocating her, and her ex-boyfriend was the worst.
She wouldn’t admit that she was lonely, because she wasn’t that girl. She wasn’t wounded. She wasn’t broken. What she’d been through with her ex had made her cautious, that was all. She had chosen to move her life across the country for a fresh start and a fresh perspective. See? Not broken, and not dwelling on past mistakes. Not today, not ever.
Quickly, she shoved those thoughts away and focused on Dominic’s sexy smirk instead. Dominic Hardy. Corey had been dealing with men like him since the day she turned sixteen. It was obvious Dominic was a man who got what he wanted. He probably had women falling all over him and never had to work too hard to get them in bed. She chuckled to herself. He could be a lot of fun.
But right now she had a future to think about and a job interview to get through. She squared her shoulders and knocked lightly on the door to Dean McCormick’s office.
“Come in.” The voice that answered sounded warm, weathered, and slightly gravelly. It reminded her of her grandfather’s, minus the deep Cajun accent, of course.
She opened the large heavy wood door and turned her sweetest smile on the man standing before her. He definitely looked like someone’s grandfather: a rounded midsection, thinning gray hair, and kind, crinkly eyes set behind rimless glasses. And, no joke, he was wearing a tweed blazer.
“May I help you?” Dean McCormick returned her smile with one of his own, warm yet utterly confused.
She put her hand to her chest, cocking her head slightly. “Yes, I’m Corey Cooper. I’m here to interview for the counselor position. We had an appointment at five?”
His confusion faded into surprise. “Oh. Uh, well, please come in, Ms. Cooper. Sit down, dear.” He motioned to a leather winged-back chair that was angled in slightly toward his large mahogany desk. “Ms. Cooper, I have to say, you weren’t exactly what I was expecting. Please don’t think I’m trying to be rude here, but I assumed you were a male Corey.”
She laughed lightly. “That happens sometimes. I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to apologize for her name. “That doesn’t change anything, does it? I mean, does it make a difference if the counselor you hire is male or female?” Surely not, she thought. This was 2017. He couldn’t refuse to hire her because she was a woman. She became nervous, biting her lower lip.
The dean sat behind his desk and folded his hands on the surface. “Actually, Ms. Cooper, it does make a difference. St. Leasing is an all-boys boarding school. I was looking to hire a male for this position due to the fact that it requires a pretty personal relationship with our students. These boys, they are teenagers with hormones and tempers. There are no girls or women here, other than a few older teachers. I don’t want my students to be embarrassed to come to you with their problems because they find you attractive.”
She jerked back slightly. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I can assure you, Dean McCormick, that I am great at what I do. And I would never let a student feel embarrassed or uncomfortable in my presence. I can do this job, and I can do it well. I understand where yo
u are coming from. I understand that I would be working with a large group of teenage boys, but I know I can help them.”
“I have no doubt that you are good at your job, Ms. Cooper. Your experience and schooling alone speaks for itself. But that doesn’t change the fact that I was looking for a male for this position. My boys here, they are isolated from their families and from girls for a reason. Both tend to be a distraction for them. Their education and success is my top priority. I don’t need them thinking about how pretty you are, when they should be confiding in you.”
Her eyes went large. Okay, now she was pissed. Pretty, but incapable? “Look, Dean McCormick, with all due respect, that’s bullshit. I went through four years of college, plus two years special training dealing with troubled adolescents, then I worked at a school full of dangerous teenagers. I have helped drug addicts, gang members, young pregnant girls…you name it, and I’ve seen it. There is nothing your privileged boys can throw at me that I can’t handle. And the fact that you think otherwise is sexist. I am a grown woman. I’ve had ‘boys’ hitting on me my whole life. Believe me when I tell you, I know how to shut them down.”
Silence.
Corey started to chew on her lip again but then thought better of it. She didn’t need the dean to see that she was nervous or unsure. Her little outburst had shocked even her, but she didn’t want him to know that.
McCormick leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples like he had a headache coming on. “Well, Ms. Cooper, in truth, I need to hire someone to fill this position quickly. We don’t currently have a counselor on staff, and there are some urgent matters that need attention.”
Corey stood her ground, tilting her chin up, determined to make him say he’d hire her.
He leaned forward, lacing his hands back together on his desk. “The job is yours. You can have it as long as you can handle it. However, if I hear of one instance where you are put in a bad position, or one of my boys comes across too aggressively, or if someone is hurt because he was too embarrassed to come to you, I’ll send you on your way. Understood?”