The next week, Melissa showed up dressed in a pair of jeans, a respectable shirt and sandals. Patrick noticed but didn't say anything. He didn't believe for one second that the one confrontation with Kevyn was enough to initiate the change in attire and attitude. Nor did he believe that she was through with him, she was still up to no good.
Patrick wasn't the only one who didn't believe it; Kevyn watched Melissa and saw through the act. She asked herself the same question she had been asking herself all week, "why do I care?" She had been early as she usually was with Patrick arriving a few minutes after she did. They talked for a few minutes with him always asking about spunky and she continued the lie although she knew that he knew that she was lying. It was almost to the point where it had become a private joke between them.
What was different about tonight was that Melissa didn't come in until it was almost time for class to start and she didn't speak to Patrick in her usual attempted seductive tone.
"Hi Dr. Sinclaire." she said and sat down. She didn't even grumble when Patrick passed out the pop quiz from the week before. Alarm bells rang in Patrick's head, "yep" he thought, she's up to no good he thought as he passed out the rest of the quizzes handing Kevyn the last quiz with a smile.
"Alright, you know the drill, fifteen minutes and we'll grade them when everyone is done." He went back to his desk and looked over the class, there were ten of the original thirty left and these were the ones that would finish the class. He looked up at Kevyn and saw that her pencil was already down and she was chewing her lip, she was anxious he realized and wondered why she was putting so much pressure on herself over a quiz. If she was like this over a quiz, what was she going to be like with the first big test?
The quizzes were graded and Patrick began his lecture for the evening noting that Melissa didn't raise her hand once. Patrick laughed to himself; he was old enough that he had fought in wars that Melissa had never even heard of, she was hoping to lull him into a false sense of security. Then he stopped laughing remembering that the week before when that little slip of a girl had indeed almost caught him.
At the end of the class, everyone stopped by the desk so that Patrick could record their grades. Melissa was first and out of the door instead of being one of the last and trying to linger. This time Kevyn was last and he found out why, her quiz paper was blank.
"Miss Morris, what happened?"
"I don't know, I knew it and then I panicked and..."
"Kevyn, why are you so stressed over a quiz?" Patrick asked.
"I'll do some of the extra credit projects to make it up." Kevyn replied not answering the question.
"That's fine but it doesn't answer the question." Patrick replied.
"I have to go, Spunky needs to be walked." Kevyn said as she hurried out of the door.
Kevyn walked right past Melissa not seeing her as she hurried by. "He called her by her first name!" Melissa fumed as she stomped out.
Patrick sat at his desk for a few minutes and then packed up; maybe he needed to do a background check on Kevyn too.
*******
Kevyn went home in a funk. She had failed a quiz that she should have easily passed. She knew the answers and they just wouldn't come! On the bus ride home she looked at the quiz and answered every single question without hesitation. She couldn't keep doing this; one quiz wouldn't hurt anything but what if she failed the test? It couldn't happen! She had to pass this class with at least a "C" screw the "B" she thought as she changed into her night clothes.
********
Melissa was in a funk as well, Patrick had called the black woman by her first name but not only that, she heard the concern and care in his voice when he said it. She was tempted to send him an email but didn't, she had to stick to the plan. She had come to another decision, her mother could just go fuck herself, and whatever money she got from Patrick was going into her own personal account. After all, she was the one doing all of the work, that money was hers. After she was done with Patrick, he could go to hell and take the black woman with him for all she cared.
Her mother tapped on the door and walked in without invitation.
"How's the fishing going?" she asked.
"Fine." Melissa replied not offering any other details.
"Can I help in anyway?"
"No, I've got it under control." Melissa said and closed her eyes willing her mother to leave.
"Mel, you're not planning anything stupid are you?" Linda asked.
"No mother, now go away I'm tired."
"If you can't get him into bed without the threat of blackmail, let him go. It's not worth going to prison for."
Melissa didn't reply but turned on her side in effect dismissing her mother.
Linda Hunter looked at her daughter and for the first time she was really concerned about her. She had changed since she met Patrick Sinclaire, he was no longer just a mark or a means to an end, and this had become personal. Just how much of this had to do with the black woman Linda didn't know and though it was probably too late to play the concerned mother, she had to try.
"Mel, look, let it go and find someone else. I'm worried about you."
Melissa turned over and looked at her mother, "since when do you give a damn about me other than to ask how much money I made?" she asked.
Linda jumped at the anger in Melissa's voice.
"Mel..."
"Get out mother." Melissa said turning her back on Linda.
Linda left the room and shut the door behind her. Her little girl was playing a very dangerous game and she had tried to warn her. Oh well....
*******
Patrick was concerned about Kevyn but she wasn't in any danger but Melissa was dangerous. What was it about her that she was able to push his buttons? She reminded him of someone but whom? It really didn't matter, he had to stay away from her and he had to get her out of his class. The other class wasn't full, like his, that class had lost several students in the first two weeks, he would send Melissa there. It didn't matter that it met on another night, as a matter of fact that was even better.
Patrick logged on to his school email account and sent an email to Melissa.
"Miss Hunter,
I feel that it is for the best that you no longer attend my class. Dr. Robertson has space in his class and he would be more than happy to have you attend. I am aware that his class meets on Thursdays and I apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you. He and I are following the same lesson plan so there will be no issues there. I wish you the best in your studies.
Dr. P. Sinclaire
He hit the send button and then sent an email to Kevyn.
"Kevyn,
I would like to meet with you before the test next week to discuss how I can assist you with your apparent test anxiety. You may either use this email address or call me at this number, 555-1002.
Patrick"
He hesitated and then sent the email fully aware that he had just crossed the line from instructor into something else just by using their first names and by giving her his cell phone number.
He was going after his mate.
Since he had the laptop on he decided to do a background check on Melissa Hunter. It was easy to do since one of Ethan's companies was a software company that developed this kind of technology. He had never used it, and until now never had a reason to but the saying "know your enemy" came to mind and that was what Melissa Hunter was-an enemy.
While he waited for the program to load Patrick checked to be sure that his cell phone was turned on. Satisfied that it was on and the volume up, he looked at the computer screen, signed in and typed in Melissa's name and waited. He wasn't expecting to find much because she was so young but was surprised when the screen filled with information not just on her but her mother as well.
His eyes widened as he read the report out loud.
"Linda Hunter aka Linda Johnson aka Linda Phillips currently Linda Monroe." Patrick recounted the last names and thought he understood what was happening. Melissa's mother was on her fourth marriage to a wealthy man; Melissa was the result of the first marriage which ended in divorce after five years. Mr. Hunter had paid his wife the hefty sum of 1.5 million to divorce him. The second marriage was considerably shorter but the payoff was just as big as was the third marriage. She had been married to her current husband for just over a year and Patrick knew what was going to happen if it hadn't already- a divorce with a huge payout.
Melissa's mother had raised her to be a monetary predator but this time she had picked the wrong prey, they weren't going to get a dime from him. Patrick checked their financials and saw that they had a joint account with just over three million dollars in it and that Melissa had a personal account with just over 100k. He realized that she was already sleeping with men for money although she preferred to call them gifts. She was nothing more than a high priced call girl and she was only twenty.
He now fully understood the game, Melissa knew who he was before signing up for his class and targeted him. If she couldn't get him to marry her, she would settle for blackmail of some kind. "Thank you Kevyn" he murmured when he remembered the night that Melissa upped the stakes by showing her breasts to him during class. He would have given in and he would have paid dearly for it financially, professionally and personally.
He shook himself out of his reverie and typed in Kevyn's name. That she had been married and divorced by the time she was thirty surprised him but it explained why she didn't act like she felt drawn to him even though they both knew that she was. There really wasn't much on her, her family lived on the east coast her ex husband Lonnie Morris still lived in the area and was unemployed. Kevyn was a nursing assistant at a nursing home and had been for over ten years. He looked at her high school transcripts, she was one smart cookie with a GPA of 3.9, she could have gotten a scholarship to any college and he wondered why she didn't go. He tucked the questions in the back of his mind to ask her later and then looked at her financials. She had a little money, just enough to cover a months rent and for a small emergency. The temptation to help her financially without her knowledge crossed his mind but he knew that she wouldn't appreciate it.
******
Melissa heard her laptop ding that she had a message but she ignored it thinking that it was one of her friends. It was almost midnight when she finally decided to check her messages. She smiled with excitement when she saw that there was a message from Patrick. She sat down and read the message her smile fading a little more with each line.
"Oh fuck no!" she hissed as she reread the message, "This is not happening."
She sat at her laptop for a long time before deciding her next move; it was time to go shopping.
*******
Kevyn read the email from Patrick with mixed feelings, she was attracted to him and she didn't want to be. She still didn't understand why she felt so protective of him and she sure as hell didn't trust Miss hot to trot. She looked at the message again and debated as to what she should do. She really couldn't afford to fail any test and maybe he would just refer her to one of his tutors. Should she call him or send an email? She wondered and decided to call.
Her stomach did a flip as she picked up her cell phone to check her remaining minutes.
"You have 10,000 minutes remaining, you must add minutes by...."
Kevyn hung up and did the math, 166 hours she figured. One of the things that she was almost fanatical about was making sure that she had plenty of minutes on her pre-paid cell phone. Every payday she added minutes even though she didn't have to for a couple of years "but it never hurts to be prepared" she would say every time she bought minutes. Very few people other than family had her number and now so would Patrick, it made her reconsider the method in which she should contact him and changed her mind.
"Dr. Sinclaire,
Thanks for the concern but I'll be fine if you'll just email me the names of your tutors, I would appreciate it.
Kevyn Morris
She sent the email and began reading her notes while she listened to the corresponding lecture and wished that she had called him instead.
********
Patrick read Kevyn's email and was going to call her but there was no number listed on her file. Not ready to give up, he shot off another email.
