Taming Alec (2 page)

When I caught him staring at my chest again, another emotion coursed through my body—annoyance. “My eyes are up here, you know,” I said, surprising myself for speaking up.

His eyes found mine again, and he smiled. “Oh, I know where they are. I just wasn’t concerned with looking at them.”

My mouth dropped open in shock. I felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over my head, effectively ending my lust-filled thoughts. “Seriously?” I asked incredulously.
Asshole.

The grin never left his face, as he stood there without saying a word.

“You know, as far as first impressions go, yours sucks,” I told him flatly.

He laughed before glancing down at the box by my feet. “Can I make it up to you by helping you carry your stuff up?”

I shook my head as I narrowed my eyes at him. “No, thanks. I think I can handle it.” I picked up my box and opened my apartment door without looking back at him.

He chuckled under his breath. “Looks like this building finally got interesting.”

I couldn’t sleep. Between my fear of what tomorrow would bring and my encounter with my new neighbor, my mind refused to shut down. My visions alternated between my students lighting me on fire while dancing around me to Alec’s blue eyes and dangerous smile.

I had no doubt that his smile had brought many women to their knees. Even I, Miss Priss, had been affected by him—at least, at first—but his arrogance and womanizing demeanor had put an end to my lust-filled thoughts.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel shocked over my initial reaction to him. I’d spent the last eight years of my life surrounded by the popular crowd, which was full of beautiful girls and sexy guys. I’d even gone out on dates with a few of them—the guys, that was. I wasn’t into chicks.

None of them had affected me the way Alec had. It was as if his mere presence had shot lust signals down to my lady bits. I hated that he’d gotten to me so easily. I wasn’t into bad boys. I never had been. While my friends had taken several rides on the wild side throughout the years, I’d never felt inclined to do so. In fact, I’d been the one warning them that all they’d end up with were broken hearts. And I’d been right every time.

I closed my eyes again and forced thoughts of pyromaniac students and Alec from my mind. I had to sleep, or I’d never survive tomorrow. After a few minutes, I finally felt that wonderful feeling just before sleep takes hold, like my body was weightless. I relaxed further into my bed and smiled to myself.

Sleep. Finally.

I sat straight up in bed when I heard the most god-awful sound of my life. I strained my ears and realized it was music—no, not music. It was heavy metal–screaming crap. Music did
not
sound like that.

Where the hell is it coming from?

I stood and began walking toward the living room. With each step, the screaming music became clearer.

Is it coming from inside my apartment?

I stopped next to the front door. It sounded like it was coming from the hallway. Annoyed, I threw the door open, expecting to see a band playing right outside my door. The hallway was empty, but I knew exactly where the sound was coming from.

I glared holes into Alec’s door, noticing the tiny amount of light escaping from under his door. It had to be past three in the morning, and he was blaring that shit. I stomped across the hall and stopped in front of his door. I raised my fist to beat on the door, not caring that I was in a ridiculous pair of pink pajamas. My fist hit the door, and I sucked in a surprised breath when it opened. Apparently, he hadn’t shut it all the way.

The reason for the half-ass closed door became obvious as soon as I caught sight of what was happening in his apartment. My hand covered my mouth to keep me from crying out in shock. His apartment was set up exactly the same as mine with the living room right inside the door. I stared in horror as I watched my new neighbor pound into a chick lying underneath him on the couch. I couldn’t look away from his bare form. He was facing me, so I couldn’t see
everything
, but it was enough.

I could hear the woman crying out, even over the loud music pouring from the sound system a few feet away. I took a step back, desperate to escape. I just knew I would be scarred for life over this. My movement caught Alec’s attention, and he looked up. We stared at each other—me in horror, him in shock—but his hips never stopped thrusting into the woman.

“Enjoying the show?” he finally asked, his voice strained from his current activities.

If the girl below him had heard him speak, she didn’t acknowledge him.

My eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as I took another step back.

He grinned. “Either join in, or get the fuck out.”

Common sense finally caught up to me, and I turned and ran back to my apartment.

Dear God, I’ll never get that image out of my head.

As I slammed my apartment door shut, I knew one thing for sure. I would never be able to look at my neighbor again for as long as I lived.

“It was horrible, Arie!
Horrible!
” I told my best friend as we settled down into two chairs at Starbucks. I sipped my caramel latte as I stared at her.

“What was? Your first day of teaching? Or the porn you witnessed in high definition last night?” Arie grinned across the table at me.

I frowned. “My first day wasn’t bad, except for the fact I was so sleep deprived that I almost fell asleep after lunch. No, I was talking about my neighbor and his three in the morning activities.”

Arie chewed her lip thoughtfully. Even as a girl, I knew her lips were nice, just like the rest of her. Arie wasn’t classically beautiful. All our lives, she always lived on the edge when it came to her looks. Our junior year, my mother had been horrified when Arie showed up at our house with hot-pink hair and black lips. Thankfully, she’d gotten rid of both. Now, she sported black hair with blonde-and-blue streaks through it. Her makeup was dark, which only made her look paler than she was, but it’d been years since I caught her wearing black lipstick. I counted my blessings daily for that. Her face was slim, and her nose was tiny but cute. It made her rich brown eyes look bigger than they were. They were her favorite feature, and I had to agree. She was as tall as me, but she lacked my curves.

“What are you going to do about him?” she asked.

I sighed. “What can I do besides avoid him at all costs? After last night, there’s no way I could ever look at him with a straight face again.”

“He sounds like an ass,” Arie said.

I’d filled her in on his attitude when we first met along with The Couch Encounter—my name for the horrible scene I’d witnessed last night.

“He is an ass. I’ve never met such an arrogant dick before in my life,” I said grumpily.

She laughed. “Oh, honey, men like him are everywhere. You just haven’t had the displeasure of meeting one of them.”

“I made it twenty-three years without meeting one. Why couldn’t I have gone another twenty-three?” I grumbled.

“You’re so naive, Rebecca. It would be cute if it weren’t for the fact that you’re an adult now. It’s time to grow up and face the big bad world.”

I stuck my tongue out at her. “I’m not naive, and I’ll gladly face the big bad world as long as I don’t have to face Alec.”

She shook her head. “After yesterday and last night, hiding is what he expects you to do. Guys like him can smell innocence a mile away.”

“So? What’s your point?”

“I say, make him squirm. Beat him at his own game, and knock him down a few notches. He’d never expect that from someone like you. If you fight back, he’ll leave you alone. If not, he’s going to purposely embarrass and torment you.”

I was almost offended by the “someone like you” comment, but I knew Arie well enough to know that she wasn’t being mean.

“I don’t even know what his game
is
—let alone, how to beat him at it,” I grumbled.

“Make him want you. It’s as simple as that. Then, when he thinks he has you where he wants you, turn the tables on him and walk away.”

I shook my head. “You’re crazy. I’m not going to flirt with someone who acts like him.”

“I’m not telling you to flirt with him. I’m telling you to throw yourself at him like a cheap hooker,” Arie said calmly.

My mouth dropped open in shock. “Arie! You’re freaking insane!”

She didn’t seem fazed by my outburst. “What? It’s the truth. You need to make him
want you.
If you listen to me, that boy will be down on his knees, begging you to take him to bed in a matter of weeks. Once he does, you can laugh in his face and walk away.”

“That’s not me!” I practically shouted.

“Who cares? No offense, but you are boring. I’ve never seen such a squeaky-clean person in my life. You need to stop standing on the sidelines and dive into the game!”

“I’m in the game,” I said stubbornly. “My game just happens to be in a time-out. I don’t have time for guys right now. I’m focusing all my attention on my new job.”

“You’re always focusing on something else. High school and college were all about grades. Now, it’s your job. You’ve got to stop letting your goals keep you from having fun. I’m not asking you to settle down and marry someone. Just take time to actually enjoy life.”

I frowned. She had a point, not that I’d ever admit that to her. All I did was work. Even in college, I hadn’t gone out and partied like most of my friends. I’d spent my evenings studying or working on my homework in my dorm. I never truly enjoyed life.

“He’s not even interested in me, Arie. Yeah, he checked me out in the most disgusting way possible, but that doesn’t mean he’s interested in
me.
”

“He doesn’t have to be interested in you, dumbass. All he has to care about are your looks, and I promise, you have more than enough of those to keep him interested. Come on, let me teach you the ways of womanhood.” Arie pouted.

I sighed. “I’m not agreeing to this yet, okay? But if I do, what would you want me to do?”

She squealed and did a ridiculous happy dance in her seat. “We’ll start off simple, I swear. When you go home tonight, I want you to knock on his door and apologize for barging in on him last night. I’m sure he’ll be an ass about it, but don’t let that deter you. Keep calm, and above all else, don’t get mad. Just act embarrassed, and let him think he’s winning. Then, once he’s finished being an ass, try flirting with him.”

“I don’t even know how to flirt,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not that hard. All women know how to do it. We’re born with the flirting gene.”

“Apparently, I was skipped over for that one.”

“How did you ever manage to land boyfriends in high school, Bec? You’re impossible.”

I laughed. “Well, they came to me. It wasn’t like I was following them around with puppy dog eyes.”

“Look, just follow his lead. If he’s the type of guy you’ve made him out to be, I have no doubt that he’ll make the first move. Just go with it.”

“This is going to be an epic fail,” I mumbled.

I took a deep breath before knocking on Alec’s door. I shifted my weight from foot to foot as I waited for him to answer. Maybe if I were lucky, he wouldn’t be home. Then, I could go to my apartment and forget Arie’s ridiculous scheme. Maybe if I were
really
lucky, Alec would move out by tomorrow, and I’d never have to see him again.