Professor, page 5
“She lives,” she sarcastically teased. “You do realize how scared you made me just ghosting like that? How nervous I was?” She had the tone of a disapproving mother.
“I shouldn’t have just left, but I did text you.”
She snorted.
“I’m sorry.”
“What in the hell happened? You got that drunk off one drink?” Before I could answer, she was talking again. “You know what, don’t answer that. I know your tolerance and I should’ve known better.”
“Yeah that one drink really messed with my head. And I didn’t eat so it made it ten times worse.”
“You’re feeling okay now?”
I groaned, and she laughed. “That answer your question?”
She laughed again. “Yeah, those Long Islands are potent. Sorry about that.”
I brought my hand up and rubbed the side of my head, my eyes still closed, my head still pounding. The aspirin had helped a little bit, but what I really needed was to sleep. “Listen, I’m gonna try and get rid of this hangover, but do you want to do dinner tonight at my place? Maybe a movie and pizza?”
She was quiet for a minute as if she were thinking it over. “You got ice cream?”
I chuckled, which only made my head ache worse, but I couldn’t help smiling. “Yup, a pint of Häagen-Dazs and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. You can pick which one you want.”
“It’s a date then,” she said. She talked a little bit about her night with Craig, but after a few moments I had to get off the phone because the pounding in my skull was just too intense.
I set my phone on the bedside table and lay down, grabbing a blanket and pulling it up to my chin. I was a lightweight, and this was embarrassing, and as I lay there drifting off to sleep, the thing that kept replaying in my mind on a loop was how Professor Goode told me I was his.
I needed to talk to Sherry about this, to confide in her. I needed her advice on what the hell to do.
But right now I needed to crash and sleep this off. Maybe when I woke up, everything would be clearer.
12
Grace
The sound of banging woke me from a groggy sleep. I opened my eyes, a hazy pinkness filling my room. The noise stopped, and I was about to go back to sleep when my phone went off, the ringing obnoxious on a normal day but overwhelming right now.
I blindly reached for my phone. My vision took a moment to clear, but then I saw Sherry’s face on the screen. I then noticed the time, how it was already five in the evening. I didn’t know how I’d managed to sleep so long, but that didn’t matter because in this moment I’d been a really shitty friend.
I answered the phone on the fifth ring. “I’m coming. I’m sorry.”
I tossed the blanket aside and left my room, heading toward the front door. I was still kind of groggy, but at least my headache was gone. I opened the door and stared at Sherry, who looked less than pleased.
She stood on the other side of the door with a pizza box in one hand and a large paper bag tucked under her arm. She lifted a perfectly arched dark eyebrow, the corner of her mouth kicking up in a smile, and her gaze raking over me. Then she whistled under her breath. “Damn girl, you’re looking rough.”
I lifted my hand and smoothed my fingers over my hair. I had no doubt I looked a hot mess. “Yeah, won’t even argue with you on that.”
I stepped aside and let her in. She was already talking about another date she had tomorrow with Letterman Craig.
“Wait, so like, it’s getting serious with this guy?”
She opened the pizza box and pulled out a slice, taking a bite and shrugging but smiling at the same time. “I mean, he’s growing on me,” she said through a mouthful of pizza. She set the slice back in the box and reached in the paper bag for a six-pack of pop. “Anything good on Netflix?”
I pulled a chair out at the kitchen table and sat, bringing one of my legs up so I could rest my foot on the chair.
I shrugged, more curious about how things were going with Craig and a lot of stuff I wanted to talk to her about concerning my night. “A mystery might be a good fit for tonight.” The look on her face had me laughing.
“Hey, Craig isn’t that bad.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t talking about you and Craig.” I took a deep breath, knowing that I just needed to get this off my chest. “What I told you happened last night didn’t really go that way.”
She was mid-bite on a piece of pizza when she stopped, this look on her face telling me she was instantly piqued.
“What happened to you last night? I thought you got an Uber and headed home?”
“Yeah, about that.” I licked my lips and started picking at the edge of the table, nervous that I was actually saying this out loud, but also admitting that I had lied to her.
I knew she’d understand, but my confusion, the little bit of fear of the situation had this resistance settling in me. It had me keeping things to myself for far too long. But I hadn’t thought there was a chance with Professor Goode … not until now.
“Gracie, you’re kind of freaking me out. What happened?” She pulled a chair out, the legs scraping over the linoleum floor. She sat down and pushed the box away so it wasn’t between us anymore. I felt her stare on me and knew that I’d open myself up and just be totally honest. I had to be.
I could see the worry on her face, and I hated that I was putting it there. So I took a deep breath in and just told her the truth. “At the club, there was a guy getting pretty handsy with me. Like he wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
“What?” She sounded horrified. “God, Grace. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to kick him in the balls.”
I smiled and shook my head. “No, the crowd was too thick, and he was drunk. Hell, I was feeling the alcohol too.” I had my hands in my lap and smoothed them over my legs. “Anyway, before I knew what was happening …” My heart raced. I didn’t know why I was so nervous telling Sherry this. “Professor Goode was standing right there, pulling him off me.”
Her eyebrows were pulled down, and confusion filled her expression. And then her eyes widened. “Professor Goode? As in our Professor Goode from class?”
I nodded and licked my lips. It would only get stranger from here for her, I was sure. “Sherry, Professor Goode wrapped his hand around his neck and said something to him, something that scared the hell out of the guy who’d been grinding up on me.” My throat felt so tight, the words spilling from me almost foreign. “Like he all but ran out of there.”
“Oh my God,” Sherri said softly.
We sat there for a long moment in silence, the weight of what I’d just said hanging between us. It sounded frightening, I knew that, but the truth was, seeing Lucian handle a man who wouldn’t take no for an answer had made me feel something intense, pleasurable.
“What happened after that?” She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Like, I can’t even imagine Professor Goode in a club let alone handling your would-be assault asshole.” She whistled under her breath, and although I thought she would be horrified by what I’d just said, she seemed almost … pleased. “Wish I would’ve been there to see him kick the asshole in the nuts.”
I looked down at my hands, which were twisted together on my lap. “That’s not even all of it,” I finally said as I looked back up at her. She lifted a brow and leaned forward, seeming very intrigued.
“Well, if this is going where I think it’s going, you have my full attention.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sex, yeah, that’s a no-go. But he did take me back to his place.” Sherry sucked in a breath. “That one drink had really fucked me up.”
“God, Gracie, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten you that drink.”
I waved off her concern. “It was so not your fault, so don’t go there.” I smiled. “I woke up this morning in his bed, with him making me breakfast.”
“Um, what the fuck?” She sounded amazed. “He was making you breakfast?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s almost like he tucked me in, made sure I was safe, and then left me alone.” I knitted my brows, a part of me thankful he’d done that, but another part wishing I’d woken up right next to him, his body wrapped around mine.
“So, he brought you to his house to sleep off being drunk, let you stay in his bed alone, and then made breakfast for you in the morning?” I nodded. She leaned back again. “Huh. What was he doing at the club to begin with?”
“Well, that’s the thing.” I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but saying these words out loud to another person was frightening. “He said he was there because of me.” The thickness in the room became almost unbearable. “He’d overheard us talking about going there when you were at the coffee shop with Craig.”
A confused look crossed her face. “He was at the coffee shop?”
I nodded. She stayed silent for a moment as if she were thinking about what I’d just said, replaying it in her mind over and over.
“So, he’s been stalking you?” Her eyes widened as if that very thought was insane.
And I supposed it was, but a part of me really liked the fact he’d been so enamored with me that he couldn’t stay away. “I don’t know if stalking is the right word. Looking out for me? He wanted to make sure I was okay?”
She snorted. “Um, no, sounds like stalking, just worded differently. I mean, I’m glad he was there, but it’s kind of weird that he followed us. Don’t you think?”
I didn’t respond, because I could see it from her point of view. But she also didn’t know my deepest secret. She also didn’t know the rest of what Lucian had told me.
“I feel like there’s more to the story you’re maybe not telling me?”
I nodded. “Yeah, a little bit more.” I took a deep breath. Little was such a broad description when it came to this. “Well, when I sat with him at the table eating breakfast, he told me that he’d wanted me for a long time, that I was his and he wasn’t going to walk away. He said he was done waiting.” The silence in the room was deafening, heavy, and I felt like it was hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing.
“Um” was all Sherry managed to say.
The look Sherry gave me was of shock, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. She closed her mouth, opened it again, yet no words came out.
“I love him, Sherry. I’ve been in love with him but kept it to myself.” I felt my cheeks heat after I admitted my deepest secret.
“You love him? As in you’re in love with our professor?”
I nodded, not speaking.
“Grace, you realize that being with a professor in that capacity is like a huge crossing-the-line kind of thing, right?”
I nodded.
“And he’s like so much older than you. He’s at least in his mid-thirties. You’re not even twenty-one. You’re okay with the age gap? You’re okay with the fact he seems really possessive of you, enough to follow you to the club and almost strangle a guy that was grinding on you?” She held up her hands. “Although maybe I kind of love Professor Goode for doing the latter.”
I could have laughed at that, but this moment was too serious, too sobering. “Yeah, I am okay with that.” My voice was heavy with emotion.
My heart was thundering a mile a minute, my palms were sweaty, and my tongue felt thick. I’d never uttered these words out loud to anyone, not even to myself. Yet here I was, knowing that there was no going back. Lucian wanted me, and he wasn’t going to walk away. And that’s just what I wanted.
“I mean this is a no-turning-back kind of thing, Gracie.”
“I know,” I whispered.
Why couldn’t I have what I desired? Why couldn’t I get what I deserved? The man I loved wanted me, and damn it, I wasn’t going to turn that down even if it was against the rules. Even if it was considered crossing lines.
“I hope you’re sure of what you’re doing,” Sherry said softly.
“Me too.”
She reached out and took hold of my hand. “But I’m here for you, always, okay?”
I smiled and nodded.
“And I want you to be able to confide in me about anything, even when our professor wants to make you his … everything, apparently.” Her eyes widened, and I did laugh then.
“This is a little crazy, isn’t it?”
“A little,” she said and chuckled. “But it’ll make one hell of a story one day, right?”
I nodded, hoping she was right.
“How about we forget about this for right now and dig into that ice cream and watch some Netflix?”
“Sounds perfect.” Leave it to Sherry to make it seem like things would be okay, even if it was only for tonight and consisted of a sugar overload and a rom-com.
13
Grace
Later that evening
Sherry had left ten minutes ago, it was late, but here I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and holding my phone as I contemplated calling Lucian. He was probably asleep, and actually talking to him made me nervous.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. All I could imagine was being with him, having him hold me, kiss me … fuck me.
My breath started coming in faster pants, arousal licking across every part of me. I felt flushed, tempted to reach between my thighs and touch myself. This was ludicrous, but God, this all felt so incredible.
And then my phone rang.
My arousal instantly took a back seat, but as I lifted my cell and saw a number flash across the screen, the name Lucian in bold letters above that, all I could picture was him entering his number into my cell earlier today.
I licked my lips, that desire rising up almost violently once more. Should I answer? Let it go to voice mail?
No, I wanted to hear his voice. I needed to.
I hit the answer button and brought the phone to my ear. I tried to calm my breathing, but I had a feeling he’d be able to tell exactly what effect he had on me even if it was through the phone.
“Hello?” My voice was a little shaky, and I licked my lips and pushed myself up on the bed, leaning against the wall so my legs hung off the side.
“Grace.” He said my name so softly, his voice almost a husky growl. It was as if saying my name brought him immense pleasure. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
I shook my head, then realized he couldn’t see me. “No, I was awake.” And about to touch myself to the thought of you. I heard shuffling on the other end, almost as if he was moving against sheets. Was he in bed? I didn’t know why that surprised me. It was late. But then I thought about him lying in the bed where I had slept, his hard, lean body taking up a lot of the mattress, his sheer size making me feel so feminine and small.
“It’s late, but I needed to hear your voice, I needed to make sure you were okay after everything we’d discussed, after I told you how I felt.”
My entire body became hot, my arousal climbing even higher at just the sound of his voice. “I’m okay,” I whispered.
“Good.” He said that one word like his main concern was my well-being. That’s how I felt when he looked at me, when he said those very personal, life-changing things to me. “The last thing I want is for what I said to make you uncomfortable or afraid.”
“No, being afraid is the last thing I feel.” God, could he tell how thick my voice had become, that my desire was right there at the surface? I found myself lying back on the bed, staring at my ceiling again, thinking about how this would all play out.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about,” he said deeply, a sound that had my entire body becoming even more alive.
I started moving my legs back and forth against each other, my cheap cotton sheets seeming almost like silk as they slid against my skin. Every part of me felt on edge, ultrasensitive, and I knew if he was here, touching me, I would go off like a rocket.
“I’m not thinking of anything,” I said, my voice nothing more than a whisper.
“You’re lying.” His voice was dark … aroused.
Was that what I heard when he spoke, that dark purr laced within his voice that had me acting out of character as I slipped my hand down my stomach and played with the button of my pants? I was so wet, my panties becoming soaked as my desire rose.
“Tell me, Grace,” he demanded gently. “Tell me what you’re thinking about right now.”
I sucked in a breath, the way he spoke causing me to feel so much lust I couldn’t even think straight, couldn’t breathe. But what I did know was that I wanted to tell him exactly what I was thinking … exactly what I was doing. “I’m thinking about how all of this is kind of crazy and unbelievable, how my professor told me he wanted me and I don’t know how to think about all of that.”
“But how do you feel? How do I make you feel, Grace?”
My mouth was so dry. “You make me feel…” God, could I really say the words? “You make me feel alive.” There, they were out there.
“What else, baby?” He had a groan laced with those words, and the endearment had my clit tingling. I wanted to touch myself so bad. No, I wanted him to touch me.
“You make me feel things I didn’t know I could feel. You make me feel arousal the likes of which makes me dizzy and breathless … makes me want to feel all the things, Lucian.” His name rolling off my tongue had me becoming wetter.
“That’s it, Grace.” I heard more shifting, more rustling of sheets. “Touch yourself, Grace. Let me know what you’re feeling, how it feels to have those fingers moving between your thighs, baby.” He groaned again, and I heard the sharp inhalation as he took a breath.
Was he touching himself, too? Was his hand wrapped around his dick right now? Was he stroking himself, thinking about me, jerking off to the thought of me with my fingers between my thighs?
Another guttural groan left him, and I couldn’t stop from moaning in return.
“Touch yourself, Grace. Tell me how good it feels.”
I moved my hand under my pants, beneath my panties, and parted my legs right as my fingers slipped along my cleft. My clit throbbed, the slightest touch of my fingers against that bundle of nerves causing me to gasp.
