Page 11 of My Forbidden Professor

“He’s an employee at Blue Sky. We’re not doing anything to piss Chandler off. You’ll damn well give the man personal lessons if you have to. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize more potential donations from Chandler. He’s my cash cow, Black. I’ll do anything to keep money flowing from the likes of him.”

I know exactly where I stand. In a paddle-less canoe riding the rapids of Shit Creek. “Anything else?”

“One of your students requested to transfer out of your class,” he says.

I swallow down a sick feeling. Steph promised not to tell, but in the end, that’s something I should not have asked for. Not expected. Steph is nothing like Emily. She wasn’t a past girlfriend who gave me a second chance. Steph is a student I coerced. “Who?”

Marcus thumbs through a stack of papers. “Steph Smith.”

I stare at him, waiting for the kick-to-the-gut that’s sure to follow. “What about her?”

A frown pulls at Sotheby’s brow as he studies me and I work to control my expression. “No one has room for her. You’ll need to talk to her. Work out what her issue is. Keep her happy and at the university. I don’t want her going anywhere else. Students are money.”

I work hard not to show my relief. For the first time in my interactions with Marcus, I’m happy to do as he asks.

“That’s all.” Marcus turns his attention back to his screen. God knows what he’s working on. Probably busy watching porn for all I know.

I stand and show myself out. The door clicks shut behind me. I make sure I’m well clear of the administration building before I take my phone from my pocket and turn off the recording function. I save it to the cloud, making sure to date and time stamp it.

If I’m jailed for embezzlement, I’m making sure I take Sotheby with me.

Chapter Six

Steph

I duck my head and ignore my prickling skin as I focus on keeping in the center of the crowd of students shuffling into Professor Black’s lecture room.

It’s been four days.

Four days of hiding.

Four days of working dawn to dusk in the library.

Four days of remembering how it was to be held by a man who wanted me for me.

Four days of cursing because I can’t get Jacob Black out of my head even though he’s strictly hands-off.

It’s not right to be this obsessed. But no one ever accused me of being in my right mind. I’m not exactly a girl with a normal upbringing.

I tilt my back and put several students between myself and my professor as I climb the stairs to the seats at the back of the lecture theater. My every awareness is fine-tuned to the man standing behind the podium, scanning the crowd with eyes so vivid blue they could be fake.

Looking for me.

He’s not the only one.

The ball in my stomach turns to barbed wire at the thought of Daniel being on campus. I cleaned out my account, transferring the money he demanded, leaving me with nothing. He’ll demand more if he catches me and I have no idea how to pay him. The best I can do is hide. Hide and pretend he’ll go away.

And unicorns fart rainbows and sparkles too.

I slide into a seat in the back row of the theater, wishing I could fade into the furniture. My heart rate ramps up and my skin tingles as I swing my gaze around the room to snag on Jacob.

He’s looking straight at me, eyes burning bright.

The pressure at the base of my skull thickens and my nipples bead as pressure zips straight to my core. I clench my legs when my clit throbs.

I sink into my seat, only now understanding that getting out of here without him stopping me is impossible. Should have taken the seat nearest the door.

I pull my hoodie over my head, sink into the seat and open my laptop.

---