Dinner With a Bad Boy (9 page)

Su Ling gritted her teeth, steeling herself against the rebellion surging within her. Right now she had to get through this as quickly as possible. She had to get her mother and this new dragon out of her home so she could take a few minutes to examine her feelings. Hopefully with Mitch. Unfortunately that meant politely playing Ma Ma's matchmaking game.

Stepping forward, she extended her hand. "Hello, Mr. Tseng, I'm afraid—"

"I'm not just Mandy's teacher," Mitch interrupted, his voice hoarse. "I'm also Sue's boyfriend."

Su Ling spun around, a thrill zinging down her spine. Though he'd progressed to boyfriend status in her own mind, she'd never expected Mitch to say it out loud. That he did had her grinning from ear to ear. Unfortunately Ma Ma wasn't nearly as excited.

"Of course you're not," she snapped. "You're a waiter."

Su Ling released a groan, recognizing one of her mother's favorite tactics. She knew good and well that Mitch was a teacher, but she pretended to forget when she wanted to insult him. That way she wasn't insulting him. She'd just forgotten. Except Mitch had every right to feel offended, especially when Ma Ma tried to slam the door in his face.

Mitch stopped the door with a single press of his hand. Moments ago his pale face had looked sallow; now Su Ling saw the dark flush of heat suffuse his skin. Then, before she could say anything, a tearful Mandy slammed out of the guest room, running not to her aunt, but to Mitch.

"Mr. Kurtz! I tried to go, but she wouldn't let me. Did we win? Are we still going to play in the tournament? Is everyone mad because I didn't show?"

"Calm down, Mandy." That came from Mitch, his expression softening as he smiled at the girl. Unfortunately he didn't get any farther before Ma Ma stepped in again.

"No, no! Your homework. Violin. Piano. Those come first. No sports!"

"But—" her granddaughter cried.

"And you, waiter-coach, leave now!"

"Ma Ma," Su Ling began, trying to soothe her agitated mother.

"And you"—Ma Ma pointed a long, dark red fingernail at Su Ling—"you have a guest. How can you be so rude?" She made shooing noises at Mandy before becoming all smiles for the tall, awkward-looking Chinese man still sitting on the sofa. "Please excuse the chaos. My granddaughter, so impulsive."

"That's not fair!" screamed Mandy. "Ma Ma said I could play! Mr. Kurtz, don't kick me off the team. Not until—"

"Mandy!" That came from Su Ling, startling herself and everyone. Who knew she had the lungs to silence everyone? "Go do your homework," she snapped. "And Ma Ma—"

"Yes," interrupted Ma Ma. "You have much homework. Everything behind!"

"But—" the girl whined.

"If you'd done your work in the first place," cut in Mitch, his voice the most level of all of them, "you wouldn't be having this problem, would you? You've let everything go since your Mom left, haven't you?"

Mandy couldn't argue that one, so with a petulant frown she turned and stomped away. Then Su Ling turned toward the soon-to-be doctor, but once again she was forestalled as the man stood, his hand extended. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I let my mother talk me into these things."

"Because we're cursed by them as babies, conditioned to follow their every psychotic whim," she quipped, earning a handsome smile from the gentleman but an angry gasp from Ma Ma. Then, before Su Ling could take back her hasty words, her mother nodded, angry tears shimmering in the older woman's eyes.

"Yes, yes. You should go," she said as Mr. Tseng moved toward the door. "My daughter is not worthy of you. Go. Find a good girl. One who honors her mother. Who knows the sacrifice..."

Ma Ma continued while her doctor dragon left, but Su Ling had already focused elsewhere. She turned to Mitch, seeing him wobble slightly with illness despite the flush that still heated his expression. "Why don't you sit down," she coaxed, "before you pass out."

Ma Ma roughly pushed between the two of them. "No, no! He cannot stay." Then she turned to Su Ling, true distress in her eyes. "What has he done to you? This busboy has sold you drugs. You are on drugs!"

"No, Ma Ma—"

But her mother wasn't listening. She had turned around to poke her sharp nail into Mitch's chest. "I could get you fired. I will tell the school board. Getting my daughter hooked on drugs."

"Ma Ma!" Su Ling exclaimed, but Mitch had already grabbed hold of her mother's thin hand, firmly setting it away from him.

"I am not involved in any type of drugs, Mrs. Chen—"

"You lie!" she screamed, pushing him away, turning desperate eyes back to Su Ling. "This is what happens with drugs. Your niece... failing! Your job... gone! Your mother... a curse! Look at him, Su Ling! Look! This is the life you are buying with your drugs. Tattoos. Motorcycles."

"Don't be ridiculous—" Su Ling began.

"Amanda!" Ma Ma screeched. "Pack your things! You will stay with me."

From down the hall Mandy poked her head out, confusion and defiance already forming in her expression.

"Stop it," Su Ling snapped, her temper getting the better of her. "Mandy is perfectly safe."

Her mother shook her head. "You brought him here. To your home." Then suddenly, the color drained out of her mother's face. "You are sleeping with him. You will get AIDS! Amanda, quickly! We must go!"

"Mrs. Chen, please," interrupted Mitch, his voice low and soothing. "I don't have AIDS."

Su Ling closed her eyes at Mitch's gaffe. He couldn't know it, but Ma Ma hadn't truly thought they were sleeping together or that Su Ling would get AIDS. But Mitch's four words seemed to confirm her mother's real fear: that Su Ling was sleeping with Mitch. Which naturally then rolled into all the other fears.

Ma Ma gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing in horrified shock. Meanwhile, Su Ling took the opportunity to try to mollify the situation. "I'm not sleeping with him, Ma Ma. It was a joke." Once again Su Ling knew it was the wrong thing to say. Yes, it might calm her mother, but she could see Mitch stiffen at the insult. Meanwhile Ma Ma continued her tirade.

"Some joke! Amanda! Hurry!"

"Ma Ma, Mandy is fine here. And she wants to stay with me."

"She doesn't know," she shot back. "Nobody knew about your drug-dealing dishwasher."

"For the last time, Mrs. Chen," Mitch said through gritted teeth, "I'm a teacher. Your granddaughter's social studies teacher."

Ma Ma practically hissed at him. "I will tell the school board, and you will be fired. You stay away from my daughter!"

It wasn't a true threat, though once again Mitch couldn't know that. Ma Ma often said all sorts of wild things she had no intention of following through on, but the steel in her mother's tone sent chills down Su Ling's spine. Ma Ma was truly terrified for Su Ling. Unfortunately, one look at Mitch's face and Su Ling knew he was barely holding on to his temper. She couldn't blame him. In less than five minutes, Ma Ma had dismissed his life's work, called him a diseased drug dealer, and threatened his job.

Su Ling looked up at Mitch, praying he understood. "Perhaps you should go."

"What?" He gaped at her, obviously
not
understanding.

"Just until I get things settled down."

Then, to make matters worse, Ma Ma actually taunted him. "You are not wanted here."

Mitch kept his eyes on Su Ling, his pain obvious though his back remained straight and proud. "Is that true? Am I not wanted?" He swallowed. "Are you choosing your family over me again?"

"Yes!" answered Ma Ma.

"No!" put in Su Ling firmly. Then she sighed. "Ma Ma, you should go home," she said in as soothing a tone as she could muster. "I know how upsetting this is. Give me time to sort things out."

Her mother hesitated, eyeing both Su Ling and Mitch with a suspicious expression. "He must go first."

"He will," Su Ling lied. "But I need to talk to him. Explain things."

Ma Ma folded her arms and glared. "Then I will wait."

"Don't bother," he said coldly. "I've seen this pattern before." He turned to Mandy, where she peered out of her doorway. "I'm glad you're okay, Mandy." Then he turned and headed for the door.

"Mitch, hold on—" Su Ling began, but once again her words were drowned out by someone else. This time it was her niece as Mandy came bolting down the hall.

"Mr. Kurtz! Wait!"

Mitch stopped, turning even as Ma Ma tried to grab her granddaughter. "Go back to your room!"

Su Ling gave up. She couldn't control this mayhem. She shouldn't have even tried. Then as she collapsed down onto her sofa, Mandy turned her large, adoring eyes on her grandmother. "Please let Mr. Kurtz talk to Auntie. He's really nice. I think they'd be great together!"

"Don't be ridiculous," snapped Ma Ma.

"Take her out to dinner!" Su Ling ordered, as stunned as everyone else by her bellow. And in the startled silence that followed, Su Ling marshaled enough brainpower to press her advantage. "I intend to speak with Mr. Kurtz right now, Ma Ma. Why don't you take Mandy to dinner? You can lecture her about the evils of drug use. And in the meantime I will set things straight with Mitch."

She didn't think it would work. Su Ling had never spoken so forcefully to her mother before. But to her amazement, Ma Ma reluctantly nodded. "Very well," she said as she canted an evil look at Mitch. "We will be back immediately. Be gone by then."

Neither Mitch nor Su Ling responded as Mandy caught her grandmother's hand and gently tugged her out the door. In fact, neither of them moved until the ding of the elevator penetrated the heavy silence within the condo. Even then Su Ling waited until she heard the rumble of the elevator doors shutting before releasing a heavy sigh and letting her head drop back onto the couch. Only then did she dare look at Mitch.

He hadn't relaxed one iota. If anything he held himself more rigid, haughtier. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked stiffly.

She sighed. "Try to understand. My mother's afraid. She doesn't know who I am when I'm with you. Hell, sometimes I don't even recognize myself."

"Do you know what an accusation of drug dealing will do to my career?" he snapped. He turned toward her, the movement stiff with suppressed anger.

Su Ling straightened, trying to explain. "She's just afraid. She won't go to the school board. She didn't mean it."

"Yes, she did. She'd eat glass to protect you." He sounded envious.

"She won't do it. I swear. I'll make sure." Then she waited in silence, studying his expression as he at last softened, the anger slowly draining from his body.

Eventually he shifted, wearily settling onto the couch beside her. "She's trying to control you."

Su Ling shrugged. "She's my mother."

"That makes it okay?" He didn't even try to hide the disgust in his voice.

"Of course it's not okay. But that's the way she is."

"Only because you allow it." He twisted to look at her. "Stand up to her. Tell her to mind her own business."

Su Ling shook her head, horrified by the family breech that would occur if she took the direct approach. "I still do what I want. It just takes more effort. More finesse."

Mitch exhaled a long, loud sigh that seemed to sink him down into her couch. "So you manipulate her while she manipulates you. Can't you see how much energy you waste on that nonsense? Just take control. Like you did with your job."

She squirmed nervously on the couch. "This is my family. I can't just quit them."

"Why not?" Then before she could argue he straightened up, pressing his point further. "Don't you ever do what you want, what feels right, and damn the consequences?"

"Mitch—"

"Listen to your gut," he interrupted. "What do you feel right now?"

She hesitated, only now understanding what she wanted, what she felt.

"You're thinking too much," he pressed. "Just say it. I won't be shock—"

He didn't get any farther. Su Ling took over his mouth midword, kissing him with a ferocity that shocked her. And for the first time in her life her actions felt absolutely, totally, and perfectly right.

Chapter 5