The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

didn’t recognize her. She must be from a rival school. Marcus was a traitor.
    He came back, kissing her cheek before he sat down. I felt the familiar turn in my stomach. The girl was beaming at him. Did she know he had a girlfriend?
    “Where’s your girlfriend tonight?” she asked, sipping from her water. My lip curled. She did know. That was bad form, even from a rival school.
    “She’s studying.” Marcus licked his lips suggestively, eyeing her cleavage. He reached out to touch her fingers. “She has no clue.”
    “That’s good,” Red Heels said. “I’d hate to kick her ass if she tried to start something with me.”
    “Naw, she’s not smart enough to figure it out. She won’t mess with you.”
    My throat was burning. I wanted to yell out. I wanted to scream. But instead, I took another picture as he reached under the table to rub Red Heels’s thigh. My nose began to run. I needed a tissue.
    I took out my phone, punching in the escape code to Kira. Within a minute, Leona’s sister appeared at the table, talking animatedly and blocking their view of the plant. The restaurant music turned up to a much louder level and I began the move.
    The music disguised the rustling of the plant as I slid from behind it. I walked quickly and purposefully toward the door. Not looking back, not looking down. Cool and collected.
    As I passed the last table, someone grabbed me by the wrist. I gasped.
    “Tessa?”
    Christian? Toasted ravioli! I was busted. I was busted being in Applebee’s with the cheater. My heart pumped and I jetted my eyes around for Kira. I found her by the front door, her eyes wide and frightened.
    “What...” Christian paused, covering his mouth with his other hand as he looked me over. “What are you wearing?”
    I needed to take control of the situation. Sure, I was dressed in black from head to toe. But this could be normal. If I played it normal, it could be normal.
    Shaking my hand from Christian’s grip, I looked around at his table. He was with two others, but I didn’t recognize them. They were probably Ducks.
    First, I needed to dodge the fashion question. “Sorry, Christian. My ride is leaving.” I looked back toward Kira, who was now hiding behind the hostess booth, watching nervously.
    “You’re leaving?” Christian asked, looking disappointed. “Well,” he said anyway, motioning to his company. “This is my best friend, Colton, and his girlfriend, Sherrie.”
    I smiled at them, offering a little wave. I needed to get out of here before anyone else saw me. Someone who knew I’d never dress like this. That was the number-one rule of the Society of Smitten Kittens—never be seen at the location of the incident. Christian had seen me. This was a huge complication.
    “This,” he said to them, reaching out to touch my hip. I was startled. “This is Tessa Crimson.”
    I sidestepped his hand, trying not to look as thrown off as I felt. He wasn’t allowed to invade my personal space. And my hips were very personal.
    “Oh,” Sherrie said, pursing her dark red lips. “The cheerleader?”
    I blinked rapidly. Whatever school they came from, I’d have to meet their cheer captain and find out about the animosity factor. This was getting ridiculous. She was smirking at me.
    “I’m sorry,” I said, backing away into the aisle. “I have to go.”
    Christian tilted his head. “You sure?”
    Wow. He was more aggressive than I had originally given him credit for. Maybe with his friends, he was more confident. Either way, he seriously needed to be avoided. Especially now that he’d seen me on assignment. “Yeah. Bye.” I nodded to them and twirled quickly, striding toward the door. I could have sworn I heard a snicker as I left.
    Kira jumped out just as I passed the hostess booth, but she waited until we got outside in the cool night to totally freak out. “Oh, my word, oh, my word ...”
    “Breathe,” I told her, taking her by the shoulders even though my own voice was tight.