Chapter 106

   Matt pulled the box out of his pocket for the umpteenth time. He stared at it before shoving it back in. He didn’t want his suspicions to be true. As long as he didn’t take the test, he could pretend that everything was fine. He could pretend that “That Night” had never happened. That night had changed everything. Ignorance was truly bliss. He’d driven by the club a dozen times since then, intending to go in and talk to the blue sim. He’d chickened out a dozen times and driven home. Aaron had been avoiding him, but Matt wasn’t too surprised. Aaron was doing everything he could to avoid spending time with his parents. Matt now knew why Aaron hated his parents. The Aaengs weren’t shy about voicing their opinions of same sex relationships and mixed color relationships. Matt had had to bite his tongue several times in the past month to avoid blurting Aaron’s secret, his secret. A knock on the bathroom door, reminded him that he was supposed to be getting ready to go out, not daydreaming.

   He straightened his shirt and walked out of the bathroom. It was Parents’ Night at the high school where their older daughter, Meghan, went to school. She was a freshman this year and couldn’t wait to go to her first school dance. Matt hated going to dances when he was that age. It was just another reminder that he was…different.

   Matt barely looked at his wife as they left the house. He hoped he’d be able to find another excuse not to have sex with her. Granted, their sexual encounters had always been infrequent, but he hadn’t touched her since That Night. The one time he’d tried, he’d been unable to perform.

   Matt pulled into the parking lot and abruptly stopped the car.

   “Matthew, what was that for?” Ariel complained.

  He ignored her, getting out. She was always complaining about his behavior. It had merely gotten worse since moving.

   “Honestly, you should watch where you’re driving!”

   He made a noncommittal grunt.

   “What is he doing here?” she screeched, outraged.

   Matt turned to look in that direction. The author, Ice King, was getting out of a nearby car. The man turned to look at them. Matt desperately wished the ground would swallow him up. The last thing he wanted was a scene at Meghan’s school. Ariel stalked over to Mr. King.

   “How dare you show your face at this school! You can’t find enough victims at the bookstore; you have to come peddle your filth here?” She yelled.

   One of the teens getting out of the car behind him snickered.

   Matt hurried over. “Ariel, come on. This isn’t the time or the place for this.” He tried to steer her away from the car and its occupants. He caught a glimpse of Meghan pretending that she wasn’t with the insane woman. Matt wished he could join her.

   “NO! I will not leave him alone! He has no right to be here!” Ariel insisted.

   “Madam, I have as much right to be here as you do,” Mr. King replied quietly. “Like you, I have children enrolled here.”

   “You have children? I should call Child Services to have them taken away. Who knows what kind of depraved behavior they’ve been exposed to growing up. I pray it’s not too late to save them.”

   Matt shivered as the temperature suddenly dropped. King’s children edged warily away from him.

   “Ice,” his lover called softly, “let it go.” The man flinched as King turned his glacial gaze on him, but met his eyes. Matt wanted to run away screaming. The man standing in front of him was the most dangerous person he’d met. Instinct warned him that running would be a bad idea. A very bad idea.

   King turned back to Ariel. “You are a foolish woman.” He deliberately turned his back on her and glided off to the school entrance. Without that chilly stare directed at him, Matt was surprised to find that his pants were still dry. He’d never been so terrified in his life. A look at his wife told him that she hadn’t even noticed the author’s change in demeanor. She was still muttering about his depravity and how he shouldn’t be allowed near children.

   Matt swallowed. “Let’s go in, Ariel.” He was proud that his voice didn’t tremble. He knew his wife would never understand his reaction to the other man.