Page 29 of My Forbidden Professor

“How did you even get that photo?” I ask. The subject matter alone, not even taking into account that no one has given consent for him to have this photo of underage school girls, is wrong on so many levels.

“I have my ways,” he says.

He’s probably trawled the web for Chandler’s daughter. It’s a minor miracle he found anything. I’m sure a man like David Chandler has the resources and the determination to clean whatever he wants off the web. I wish I was here with anyone other than this scum.

“If that’s all?” I say.

He waves his hand, dismissing me. My jaw aches when I open his office door. “Oh, and don’t make me wait for you so long when I call you next time.”

All I can do is nod before I shut the door behind me. I make my way past the still-empty admin’s desk but before I can draw in a cleansing breath, a figure steps in my path. It takes a split second to recognize him and I come to an abrupt stop.

“Mr. Adam. The dean is in his office. You can probably see him before his first appointment.” The petty part of me wants to send Daniel Adam to Marcus Sotheby just to disrupt his morning as he’s done to mine. The other part wants to haul the man into the bushes and beat the truth out of him.

Daniel steps back. He’s looking like the all-American jock this early in the morning while I smell like sex. At least I hope I do. I’m being petty again, but I’m in a petty mood right now.

“I’m not here for the dean,” Daniel says. He looks over his shoulder and I eye the recent professional shade he’s had done. The hair product that makes his waves artfully tossed. I note his expensive jacket, jeans and the brand of shoes on his feet. All new. He doesn’t strike me as a student for whom Mom and Pop saved all their lives to send to university. Then again, he’s here at the bequest of David Chandler.

David Chandler.

Blue Sky Empire.

David’s daughter on campus.

Ice runs through my veins when I make a connection. He could probably tell me who Stephanie Chandler is. And I…I can’t ask him to tell me. I can’t do that to the poor girl. Not when she’ll be set up through the likes of Daniel Adam and Marcus Sotheby. The girl I saw in the photo doesn’t deserve anything like that.

A stray through flickers into my mind. That my Steph is the Stephanie Chandler, but I’ve seen my fair of women who come from that kind of money through the college over the years. My Steph dresses in old jeans and a sweatshirt most of the time. She doesn’t have the look about her. She’s not entitled. She’s not lavish. She doesn’t flaunt anything. She doesn’t go anywhere except to the library to study. She lives in the student dorm. I know she definitely skips meals she doesn’t think she can afford. I wipe the thought away as inconsequential.

“Who are you here for?” My mouth goes dry when another realization slams into me. I hope he hasn’t seen me with Steph. My mind spins, thinking of when we’ve been together. The many places we’ve flaunted our relationship where anyone could walk in on us.

“I was hoping you knew where Stephan…Steph Smith is staying?” he asks.

“Why do you want to know? The university isn’t in the habit of telling men where women sleep.”

My voice is a low growl. Daniel’s eyes flare before he collects himself. “It’s…not like that.”

“Then what is it like, Mr. Adam?”

He shuffles his feet, but something about the way he stands doesn’t ring true. It’s like he’s trying to be nervous, but it’s only a show. And I like that even less. “Look, I didn’t know who else to ask but…this is a very personal issue, Professor.”

I glance around, but it is still early enough that there’s only a few stragglers making their way to the university cafeteria. “What is?”

His pupils narrow until they’re small artificial dots when he trains them back on me. I never thought my life and career would end on a cold gray morning like this. But it suits, I guess. I brace for what I know is coming. “Well, she…she owes me money. A lot, actually. And I was hoping you could help me get it from her.”

“She owes you money?” He doesn’t look like he’s struggling. My defenses are at an all-time high now. “Why did you think I can help with that?”

“You’ve said it yourself. You’re an official of the university. I know I can come to you if I’m being harassed by other students, and I feel that money owed is harassment. Especially if the student involved is in your class. It’s your job to look after students in their time of need, and I’m a student in a time of need.”

I can tell Daniel Adam has never known a time of need. He’s a man who always looks after himself. “How much does she owe you?” I ask.

“Five thousand. Normally I’d wait, but the move here has cleaned me out. Blue Sky may have sent me here, but I still have to pay for books and everything else,” he says.

I weigh him up. I see the lie on his face, but he keeps eye contact like he really does believe she owes him money. “That’s a big amount. She can’t afford that.”

Daniel scoffs. “Believe me. She can.”

He’s not going to let up. Ultimately there’s a reason Steph is avoiding him. I know there’s more to this story, and I will get that, but from the right source. She said she would tell me when the time is right and I believe her. All that matters now is giving us space so she can, and that means I’ll get Daniel off her back.

I’ll help her in any way I can. Even if that involves stepping over a very thick, very red line. “Give me your bank details. I’ll have the amount transferred into your bank account by the end of the day. After that, you stay away from Steph Smith.”

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