Manipulative Attraction

9. ⚛️ Caffeine Calling

Robert knocked and waited.

There was a party at the Uni, and he wanted Jeannie to be his date. He'd come earlier than the rest of the group just to ask her.

Hearing a low mummer, he pressed his ear to the door.

Was someone else there?

Robert stood still, listening. Hearing nothing, he knocked again. The flowers he'd bought for Jeannie rattled in his hand. A second later, the door opened and sunlight filled the darkened hallway. He squinted against the brightness.

"Robert," Jeannie beamed. "Come in, please."

"Here, these are for you." Robert handed Jeannie a bouquet of white carnations and bright yellow daisies. "Thank you for inviting me over."

"Oh, Robert!" Jeannie took the flowers and sniffed them. The shrink foil crackled under her hands. "These are lovely."

Like a harbinger of doom, the room dimmed when Thorne stood up, blocking an entire window from the sun's light.

Where did he come from? Robert thought, eyeing the huge blond.

"Hawthorne, this is my classmate, Robert." Jeannie motioned to the smaller dark-haired man. "Robert, this is my neighbor, Hawthorne."

"Why don't you put those in water, Jeannie?" Thorne said over her shoulder. Robert took a cautionary step backward at the proprietary look in Thorne's eyes. "You should check on the cake. You don't want it to dry out, right?"

"Um, yes. You're right." Jeannie hurried to the kitchen, picking up her apron on her way.

Thorne sat on the couch, narrowing his eyes in contemplation of Robert. Given his expensive clothes and veneer-filled smile, Thorne sized his rival up as a spoiled playboy in less than a minute. The way Robert's disdain of Jeannie's apartment poured from him like acid from a battery didn't help his opinion of the man.

Thorne took an immediate dislike of Robert and vowed to protect Jeannie from her snobby classmate. After all, it was in his best interest to steer Jeannie from away from his clutches so his assignment would run smoothly. After her affectionate display as he untied her apron, the fact Jeannie might prefer the playboy to himself barely crossed Thorne's mind.

"Have a seat," Thorne said, waving at a chair next to the couch where he was sitting.

Robert gave the bigger man a wide berth, choosing instead to sit in a rocking chair across from Thorne.

"So how long have you known, Jeannie?" Robert asked politely.

Thorne crossed his arms, biceps bulging. "Long enough to watch out for her," he growled.

Affronted at the threat, Robert locked eyes with the blond. Neither backed down until Jeannie came from the back, stopping their stare-off.

"What would you like to drink Robert? Hawthorne?"

"Just some coffee, darlin'," Thorne said, softening his hard expression as he gazed at his neighbor.

Does this oaf think he can outsmart me? Robert thought.

Robert hated losing at anything—school, gambling, and especially women. Robert Page always made sure he was the one to come out on top. Someone as low born as Thorne would not get the better of him!

An idea on how to thwart Thorne filtered through Robert's mind. Smiling slyly, he planned to show the blond peasant just who Robert Page was.

"Coffee sounds great!" Robert said. He sprang to his feet before Thorne rose. "Let me show you how they make it in Dubai. I was there on a trip last summer..." Robert's voice trailed away as he and Jeannie disappeared into the kitchen.

Thorne fumed with anger. Who cared if Jeannie left with Robert? Not him ... or did he? He didn't have time sort his feelings out as Jeannie's giggles erupted from the kitchen, catching his attention. Thorne hopped up, his fists balled. He headed toward the melodious sound on a mission to find out what was so funny.

Someone knocked on the front door. Three sharp raps in quick succession. Thorne pivoted, letting out an annoyed sigh. He opened the door with a low growl and frightening glower.

A man and woman stood in the threshold, looking at him with astonished eyes. The man recovered first and stuck out his hand, "Hey, I'm Theo, and this is Sarah."

"Hey," Thorne said, making an effort to plaster a welcoming smile on his face. He shook Theo's hand, nodding at Sarah. "I'm Hawthorne. I live across the hall. Come on in." He waved them forward. "Make yourselves comfortable. Jeannie is in the kitchen with Robert. They'll be out in a minute."

They'd better be, he thought sourly.

The pair sat on the couch, too close together to be anything but a newly formed couple.

"So how long have you two been together?" Thorne asked, genuinely curious. The man and woman were opposites in every way. Sarah was round and pale while Theo was dark and lanky. At least a foot difference in height further distinguished the two.

Theo chuckled, curling his hand around Sarah's shoulders in a proprietary gesture. "Since the first day of class." Theodore squeezed Sarah, and she blushed, dipping her head to avoid Thorne's curious gaze.

"So where are you from, Hawthorne?" Theo said as Sarah shot Thorne an admiring glance. "Your accent places you somewhere from the southern part of the U.S. I think."

"I'm from Texas. Near Dallas." Thorne never saw the point of building a fake background for every assignment. As long as he let nothing pertinent slip, he was fine.

"I've been to Dallas before." Theo turned towards Sarah, taking her attention away from the handsome blond. "There was a high school robotics competition there, babe. We won first place." Theo carried on with the tale of his contest while Thorne listened with half an ear.

How long does it take to make coffee? Thorne thought dourly.

After fifteen minutes, he could take no more. He shifted his legs to stand when Robert came into the living room, carrying a tray laden with steaming cups of coffee, saucers, dessert forks, and coffee spoons. Jeannie followed behind, bearing a cake on a decorative plate. Her smile so bright and happy, Thorne became entranced.

"Who wants a piece of cake?" Jeannie asked.