Cassidy waves her hand in the air, “No, you kids just feed yourselves, I have so much to do to get this book finished, I’m planning to just hole up in here for the rest of the night.”

“We’re going over to Hunter’s place to watch a movie once we’ve eaten, so we won’t be here to disturb you.”

“Sebastian, that is so sweet of you to think of me, but you don’t need to worry, my office is soundproofed. I’m always telling Starling she can bring her friends around, but it’s usually just Courtney.”

“I need to find a new job,” Starling says loudly.

“We talked about that, baby,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Starling, I agree with Sebastian, you need to concentrate on your schoolwork and having a job in the evenings and weekends just isn’t appropriate now you’re back at GAA.”

“But spending the evening watching movies with Hunter is?” Starling spits.

“As long as you’ve finished all of your homework, then yes it is,” Cassidy says, straightening her spine and steeling her voice. “I’m not going to argue with you about this, high school is important, so is making friends and being a kid. I’ve talked to my publisher’s PR people today and we’ve worked out a plan to market my back catalog better. I know you think you need to act like an adult, but you don’t. I’m the parent, so no job, more focus on being sixteen.”

“But, Mom” Starling starts.

“Enough Starling. Now scoot, I have work to do and you have pizza to eat and a cute boy to make out with. With the door open,” Cassidy laughs, dismissing us as she turns her attention to the screen in front of her.

Starling starts to protest, so I grab her hand and tug her from the room, closing the door behind us.

“What the hell are you doing?” she shrieks, all of the stunned silence from a few moments ago gone and replaced with indignant outrage.

“Letting your mom know what my intentions are,” I smirk.

“You’re an asshole.”

“Little bird, you haven’t seen anything yet, there isn’t a limit to what I’d do to keep you.”

“You can’t keep something that isn’t yours in the first place.”

Turning her, I press her against the wall, collaring her throat with my hand as I lean in and kiss her. Sliding my tongue into her mouth, I barely repress a smile when her own tongue immediately tangles with mine. There’s no hesitation, she‘s kissing me with just as much fervor as I’m kissing her. Her hands are gripping my blazer, and despite what she might try to say later, she’s not trying to push me away.

Sliding my leg between hers, I use my free hand to push her skirt up and palm her ass, tilting her forward until her cunt is pressed against my thigh. Rolling my hips, I grind against her core and she moans, arching into my touch, not away from it.