Nightingale

He wanted to say, go away. He knew he should, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Seeing her cry had been... strangely disturbing. He'd seen and made people cry before, and it never affected him. He honestly didn't give a shit if someone shed tears... except now—except hers. He didn't know why, and that confused him. He pushed it aside.

He struggled for something he could say to dissuade her. "I'm not a tutor. I've never tutored anyone before. I'd be a terrible one as I'm not good with people. You should've noticed that already."

"You don't have to like me. I-I could be a customer! I can pay for the tutoring!" she said eagerly.

He froze. He could make money tutoring? That was welcome news. Maybe that'd also be enough to prove to Victor that he wasn't making a move on his girlfriend? It'd be a purely financial transaction. He narrowed his eyes. "How much?"

Sam's face showed the first real glimmer of hope, and he could see she was thinking quickly. Raph realized her parents would probably pay for the tutoring.

"Uh, ten dollars an hour?" she suggested with a pretty smile.

Her expression gave him a severe sensation of butterflies in his stomach and an uneasy feeling of slipping. That made the reality of the situation snap back into focus. He needed to scare her off. "Twenty-five," he said firmly with what he thought was a daunting scowl.

"Done!" she said with a grin. "Can we start now?"

He blinked at her in surprise. Then he cursed himself for being outmaneuvered. He found himself nodding, and she was moving into the pod to sit next to him in the extra chair.

He'd also been right. Sam was very close. He looked to his books and collected them off to his side of the small pod. He glanced at the wall clock and sighed. He supposed he could do his studying tonight after he made dinner for his mom.

Raph looked into her happy blue eyes (again, too close) then looked down at the surface of the table so he could get his thoughts in order.

"Tutoring starts now. Four-fifteen, but you're paying for the first fifteen minutes as well. I've never done this before, but... I'll try to teach you how I learned it. That's all I can do," he said gruffly.

"How you learned it gets you excellent grades, so yes, please," she said eagerly.

He sighed. "Then, we start at the beginning." He pulled out his notes, and they began.

He talked, and she listened. Then he'd get her to try the examples, and he'd correct her if she wasn't following his instructions. He caught himself growling on a few occasions when he was losing his temper and had to take some deep cleansing breaths to calm down. She always got it right on the next try.

There was a gentle chime, and Raph looked up in surprise as the lights flickered once. That was the fifteen-minute warning before the library closed. Six hours had passed already? He looked to the windows and saw the darkness outside.

Sam finished the question he'd assigned, and she sat back with a wide grin. He read over her answer and nodded. She squealed happily, and he hushed her with a scowl. He saw she was trembling with excitement. "Sorry! It's just so amazing that it's starting to make sense to me!" she gushed.

Raph looked at his math textbook and realized they'd made good progress. The more complex methods were coming up, but he had to admit she was doing well. That puzzled him. "You're getting this stuff so well. You're obviously smart. I don't get why you're having trouble in class." He began stuffing his books and papers into his backpack.

"It's the teacher!" she quietly exclaimed as she packed up her books. She kept casting admiring looks at him, and that was seriously getting under his skin.

"Mr. Dwight?"

"No, silly! You! You're an excellent teacher!" she said with a happy smile. "When can we have our next session? Tomorrow?" she asked eagerly.

He grimaced. "I have work tomorrow after school."

"After work?"

"I work until closing, then I have to get home to make dinner for my mom," he said distractedly.

"You cook too? Is there anything you can't do?" she teased as she bounced her eyebrows at him. He felt himself responding to her and was suddenly reminded of how dangerous their situation was. His expression closed up.

"We can't do that. No... friendly stuff," he growled.

"I'm sorry," she blurted with a worried look, concerned she'd messed up their deal. "Are we still good for more tutoring? Is the weekend open?"

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Monday. Same time and place. I can do it on Tuesday and Wednesday as well since I won't have another work shift until next Thursday. If you do as well on those days as you've done today and practice what I've taught you, the midterm shouldn't give you any trouble at all."

She was trembling with relief, and it looked like she was about to hug him.

He looked at her cautiously. There was something in her eyes that was tugging at him, and that felt very dangerous too. "I have to go. Let me go first. Then you head out. Don't change how you act around me at school! Ignore me."

"Victor can't be—"

"Stop. He can and is. I'm not going to try to convince you of what kind of man he truly is, as that's not my job. Speaking of jobs, have my money on Monday."

With that, Raph stood and left without looking back. He exited the library and walked to the eastbound bus stop. Minutes later, he saw Sam leave the building and walk to stand at the bus stop on the street's opposite side. They were the only ones out there, and he saw she was struggling to suppress a smile as their clandestine exit seemed rather silly now.

Raph glanced around and shook his head in surrender. He heard her laughter across the street, and the sound was sweet to his ears. So much better than tears. He couldn't stop the smile from reaching his lips, so he turned to face where the bus would be coming from. He heard her snort and hid his mouth with his hand.

Sam's bus came first, and he watched it leave, seeing her lovely blonde hair next to the window. His bus came only minutes later, and he boarded it to head home.

He had to think of something other than the sound of her laughter.

-=-

As she walked through her front door, Sam let out a mighty sigh of relief.

"SAMANTHA ELIZABETH HARRIS!"

She jumped with a squeak when her mother's voice boomed out at her.

"Mom! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!?" she exclaimed.

"Are you trying to give me grey hair? Where have you been? You were supposed to come home directly after school! Calling your cell goes straight to voicemail!" her mom said as she marched into the front hall from the kitchen. She was wearing an apron and smelled of fresh baking.

Sam could see the worry on her mother's face, and she suddenly recalled the plans she'd made with her at the breakfast table. "Oh my god, mom! I'm so sorry! It was such a terribly stressful day, and time just got away from me! My cell battery died too."

"Where were you?" Suzanne asked again.

"I was at the public library with my new calculus tutor!" Sam grinned and rushed forward to hug her mom. Suzanne wrapped her arms around her daughter and pressed her lips against the young woman's temple.

The mother paused as the words sunk in. "Wait, you were at the public library... downtown? You took a bus downtown, at this hour? And what's this about a tutor? Who is she?"

Sam pulled back from her mom's chest and smiled up at her. "Yes, the library downtown. The bus takes me right to it and back!" Her expression turned regretful once more. "I'm sorry, mom, but I'm doing poorly in calculus. The teacher told me that if I didn't get some expert tutoring, I would fail the midterm. "I've been really struggling, and my grade kept getting lower. It's seriously jeopardizing my grade average." Then her smile came back full force. "But it's going to be okay now! I found a tutor! He gets perfect or close to perfect on every test he takes, and he said he's willing to tutor me. We spent six hours going over everything we learned in the early weeks of the class, and I get it now!"

"He? What's his name?" Suzanne asked. "Does Victor know you're out late with this other boy?"

Sam winced. "No, Victor doesn't know and can't know. I promised Raph—Raphael Graves. He's in our class and knows this stuff inside out. Anyway, I promised him I wouldn't let anyone at school know he was tutoring me. He says Victor hates him and would get really upset if he found out. I can't see Victor doing anything stupid or violent, but I promised."

"This Raphael Graves, is he tutoring you out of the goodness of his heart?" Suzanne asked with a raised eyebrow.

Once more, Sam winced. "No, I promised him I'd pay him twenty-five dollars an hour-"

"What?!? Sam! That's expensive!"

"Mom! He's so worth it! He spent six hours with me today, and I now finally understand how calculus works. He's my only chance to improve my grade! I have to do this!" She pulled out the assignment her teacher had scribbled on and showed her mother how dismally she'd done. "This is where I was before tutoring. It's all wrong! Now, look! Look at my notes from this afternoon with Raph!" She flipped open the pages showing her practice questions, and there was a much more orderly progression in the equations. "The best thing is, I know what this all means! I know how to do it! The more complex stuff is coming up, but with Raph teaching me, I'll get it too! I'm going to ace that midterm!"

Suzanne still looked like she had misgivings and serious worries about her daughter taking the bus at night in the center of town. "Can't you study here?"

"No! Victor might see Raph, and because of that, he'd never agree to come here," Sam explained.

"Where does Raphael live?" the mother asked.

Sam paused and gave her a blank look. "I don't know."

"Can you call him so I can speak to him?" Suzanne suggested.

"Uh, I don't have his number, and... I don't think he has a cell." She thought about that and realized she'd never seen him carrying around any electronics; no cell, computer, or even an MP3 player.

Replaying her memories of seeing him in the halls and the classrooms, she realized he seemed to wear the same thing to school every day—grey jeans and a black t-shirt under a casual black button-down shirt, worn open with rolled back sleeves and black work boots. She'd never really noticed or paid attention to him before. With such a limited wardrobe, shouldn't he have looked dirty or smelled? In the library, she'd been sitting so close to him, and all she could recall was a warm, masculine scent coming from him. It had been subtle and... pleasing. His clothes had been clean if a little worn.

She looked at her mom again. "I don't think his family has much money. He mentioned he works after school and makes dinner for his mother."

Her mother looked impressed and nodded with the beginnings of a pleased smile. Then her expression changed to concerned mom, protector of daughters, again. "When is your next lesson? I'll drive you there so I can speak to him, and I'll pick you up afterward."

Sam was a little uneasy as she didn't want to screw up her arrangement with Raph. "I won't have one until Monday as he has work tomorrow night and on the weekend as well. He said he'd give me three more lessons. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The midterm is on Thursday. I desperately need his help. He didn't want to tutor me as he said Victor would give him a hard time in school if he found out. I was only able to get him to agree by offering to pay him. You aren't going to do anything to jeopardize that, are you?" She was almost panicking at the thought.

Suzanne caught her look and hugged her. "No, I just want to talk to him. To make sure you're safe. I think twenty-five dollars per hour is too high—" She raised her hands in surrender when Sam began to protest immediately. "I won't try to haggle. You've already negotiated the price of his services." She gave Sam an assessing look. "Do you honestly believe you're getting value for this money?"

"Yes! He's an excellent teacher! Mr. Dwight taught the same things, but it didn't sink in. When Raph explains it, I... get it. I can't tell you why it works better with him. It just seems clear and simple the way he teaches it."

"Do you like him?" Suzanne asked gently.

"Mom! I have a boyfriend!" she gasped in exasperation.

The mother found her response a little forced. "Does Raphael like you?" she asked.

"No!" As the word blurted from her lips, Sam flashed to the memory of his look of... awe when she first touched his shoulder and the glances he'd given her afterward. "No... no, he didn't want to tutor me and tried to get me to leave him alone, but he's my ticket to passing, so I didn't." Another moment came to her mind, and the joy it caused her made the words slip out before she could stop herself. "He thinks I'm really smart!"

Suzanne was watching her with a subtle, knowing smile.

Sam frowned in frustration at her Mom's smug expression. She didn't want to deal with it now. "Listen, I'm pooped, so I'm going to bed. Sorry about not letting you know where I was. I'll charge my phone tonight." She gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek and another hug before she headed for the stairs.

As she got ready for bed, she couldn't stop thinking about how Raph was seriously coming to her rescue. She only wished Victor had been the one to do it. Then she could reward him with kisses.

Her mind betrayed her by taking her to the image of Raph's sensual mouth.

She threw herself down on her bed with a groan of frustration. She just wanted to get the remaining tutoring sessions out of the way. Then her life could get back to normal.

-=-

Raph walked through the dark streets approaching the public housing development. The apartment towers were crowded and where the drug dealers lived. He didn't want to know how his mother had arranged for them to live in one of the nearby townhouses, but it happened shortly after he was born.

"Give me the fucking bag and your wallet!"

The voice was raw and wobbled, but the owner held a knife as he stepped out in front of Raph. The stench coming off the addict almost made Raph gag. He scowled.

"Oh, shit! Oh, fuck, I'm sorry! Please! I didn—AAACK!" the mugger began in desperation before Raph's fist cracked into his cheekbone, slamming him to the ground. Raph finished with a stomp to his leg and heard the bone crack. The man screamed.

Normally, Raph would keep kicking until his attacker was truly a mess, but tonight something was holding him back. His rage just wasn't up for it. He took two steps away before he heard the weak thanks for sparing him.

Fuck. He couldn't show mercy. Not here.

He turned like he was just getting a run at the man and drove his boot into his stomach. A quick stomp on a hand to break the wrist, and he walked casually away as the man wretched and screamed. The sound echoed and traveled through the neighborhood. He felt eyes on him and knew his reputation was reinforced once more. He didn't feel bad for punishing the punk, but his usual satisfaction was missing. He felt strangely... empty.

When he walked up to his complex, he could just barely hear the wails of the man he'd crippled.

And there was Roxy.

She was sitting on his front step with a wide grin on her face. She heard the sound too and knew it had been him. Her safety in the neighborhood was guaranteed by the brutal shit he'd done back there. She made sure everyone here knew she was his and he was hers. While Raph wasn't known for instigating violence, they'd seen examples of his rage and knew what would happen to them if someone messed with her.

He sighed as he knew what was next. He could see the crazy in her eyes. Tonight, he really wasn't—

"Who's that badass muthafucka I see walking up to me?" she purred.

"Roxy—"

"Open the door, fucker."

He scowled at her as she wasn't going to listen to him again. He'd been down this road with her so many times before. He unlocked the door and pushed inside with her on his heels. He flipped on the light and locked the door. He turned and caught the expected slap with his left hand. She was grinning as she tugged at her arm and tried kicking him in the shin, but he just lifted his foot, and her kick struck the sole of his boot. She cried out in pain.

"Enough!" he bellowed and spun her around to pull her arm up behind her back. She shrieked and tried to escape, but he pressed her down over the back of the couch. Her heel caught his shin painfully, and he roared. His frustration flared as he didn't want to be doing this. Roxanne was screeching and hissing at him as she called him every offensive name she had in her colorful vocabulary. Most revolved around him having sex with his whore of a mother. Roxanne knew how to get under his skin, and his rage climbed. As she wanted, he yanked down her cut-off shorts and exposed her ass. She was a petite woman, but the round orbs of her ass cheeks were perfect.

SLAP!

"FUCK!!! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" she screamed as his open hand struck the other cheek.

SLAP!

"AAAAAAAAIIIEEE!"

Her legs were trembling, and her juices were flowing as her ass stung. Roxanne looked over her shoulder desperately. "Ooo, baby! Fuck me! I need it. Take me!" she gasped.

He scowled at her as he unbuckled his belt. When his pants fell to his ankles, she whimpered in need. His cock bobbed between his muscular thighs, and she felt the heat of it, touching the tender flesh of her inner thighs.

She had one more taunt to get him truly fired up. "Oh, fuck! Pound my pussy like you fuck your momma's nasty hole," she hissed.

He reached forward and grabbed her hair, pulling her head back so she could see the rage in his eyes.

"I. DON'T. FUCK. MY. MOTHER!" he roared.

She was gasping, panting, and whimpering as he manhandled her. She silently screamed as he drove his cock deep into her gushing pussy until he slapped her ass with his pelvis. He growled as he thrust into her body, again and again, the wet slap of their skin echoing oddly against the bare living room walls.

Raph lost himself to his rage. He felt manipulated, so he took his frustrations out on the one pushing his buttons so hard. His hips sped up, and soon Roxanne was making odd guttural grunts from the impacts. She'd already cum explosively and was riding the state between ecstasy and pain, barely maintaining consciousness.

When his release came, he ground himself against her and curled his body over hers, rubbing her ass cheeks with his pelvis. She gasped loudly at the sensation and struggled to push back against him.

Finally, his brain came back to him, and with it, the intense guilt of using Roxy like some kind of masturbation tool. He knew it was exactly what she wanted, but he hated himself for giving in. He felt his tension dissipate, and it was a great relief, but there was a vast emptiness left behind. He closed his eyes as she pulled herself off of his shrinking member.

He released her hair, and she dropped forward onto the cushions of the couch to recover. He moved into the small washroom to wash and wipe himself clean. He pulled up his pants and carried some toilet paper out to the couch. He wiped the mess they'd left on the cheap pleather cushions and handed Roxy a big wad of paper to clean herself.

"You were a fucking beast tonight! So good!" she purred as she wiped herself. She hissed and sighed from the sensations coming from her abused, tender flesh.

He just looked at her in frustration, then over to the clock. Dotty would be home soon. His mom didn't like Roxy, and the feeling was mutual. He had to get her to leave.

"The fucking beast needs you to go home now. I have stuff to do," he grumbled.

Roxanne was on her feet and launching herself at him over the couch with claws extended. He caught her in midair, spun, and slammed her up against the wall, pinning her there with his body.