Page 13 of Perfect Professor

A knock on the door shattered the moment. They froze, panic flooding Adrianna’s senses as she scrambled out from under the desk. The Professor was already doing up his trousers, color draining from his face.

“Professor Hanks?” came a muffled voice from outside. “Are you in there?”

Adrianna dove for the stacks of books and papers on a nearby table, hiding behind them just as the door creaked open. She didn’t dare to breathe, heart pounding.

“Professor, I wanted to ask - oh, my apologies. I didn’t realize you were busy.”

“Quite alright, Jenkins,” the Professor said, remarkably composed. “What can I help you with?”

Adrianna bit her lip, hardly daring to hope. Would he leave? Please, God, let him leave.

“It can wait until tomorrow, sir. Again, my apologies for the intrusion.”

“Not at all. I’ll see you in class.” The door closed again, and Adrianna collapsed against the desk in relief. The Professor caught her, pulling her into his arms.

“That was too close,” he said, voice rough.

She looked up at him, at the worry and longing in his eyes that surely echoed her own. “I know,” she whispered. But she already yearned for the next time they would shatter their resolve and give in to this madness once more.

Adrianna wiped the lingering taste of sin from her lips, gaze locked with the Professor’s. His eyes were dark, haunted, but she saw the truth in them as clearly as she felt it in her pounding heart.

They were two souls irrevocably intertwined, and not even the fires of hell could destroy the bond between them.

“You’re thinking too loudly again,” he said, but his hand was gentle against her cheek. She leaned into his touch, unable to stop herself. “We agreed this has to end.”

“I don’t want it to end,” she whispered. “Not now, not ever.”

He closed his eyes, jaw tightening. “Adrianna, please. Be reasonable.”

“I can’t. You’re asking the impossible.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him close. “Don’t make me.”

The Professor’s breath hitched, and she felt the exact moment his resolve shattered. His hands came up to cradle her face, tilting it up to meet his kiss. It was hungry, desperate, filled with all the love and longing they could no longer deny.

Adrianna melted into his embrace, her heart soaring. They had already fallen too far to turn back now. The path before them was unclear, fraught with obstacles and dangers untold, but as long as they faced them together, she had no fear.

Their forbidden love would light the way.

9

Adrianna stepped out of Professor Hanks’ office, her cheeks flushed and her heart pounding. The taste of him still lingered on her lips.

As she turned to walk down the empty hallway, a familiar figure caught her eye. Rachel Simmons, her lithe figure clad in a tight pencil skirt and blouse, clicking toward the professor’s office in her stiletto heels.

Adrianna averted her gaze, heat creeping up her neck. Did Rachel suspect anything? She forced a tight smile and gave Rachel a cursory nod as they passed, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Adrianna.” Rachel’s melodious voice halted her in her tracks.

She stopped, clenching her jaw. Don’t turn around. Ignore her.

“You seem rather...disheveled.” A note of smugness crept into Rachel’s tone. “Rough day?”

Adrianna gritted her teeth, her nails biting into her palms. She wouldn’t give Rachel the satisfaction of a response.

Rachel laughed, the sound like shards of glass. “You can’t hide the truth from me, Adrianna. I know what you’ve been up to.” Her stilettos clicked ominously as she continued down the hall.

Adrianna released a shuddering breath, her cheeks burning with shame and anger. Damn Rachel and her games. She quickened her pace, desperate to escape Rachel’s prying eyes.

She had made a mistake, she realized now. Getting involved with Professor Hanks was dangerous - in more ways than one. She knew, deep in her gut, that this was only the beginning. Rachel would not make this easy for either of them.

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