Page 25 of Bad Professor

“It’s frowned upon, but not illegal,” I tell her. “They were all over eighteen—don’t think I’m an old pervert.”

“You’re neither old nor pervert-y.” Cady smiles at me. “But that’s a bit of a surprise.”

“I know. I can’t picture this guy seducing hot young girls by spouting off about Jane Austen.” Max laughs.

I did meet both Mallory and Daphna in the Jane Austen class, but I’m not about to mention that. “It was a long time ago,” I say instead. “And I didn’t really seduce them. They came on to me.”

Both Max and Cady keep looking at me. “But I just didn’t say no,” I admit with a rueful shrug. I didn’t take advantage of my position of authority. It wasn’t like I was prowling for women while lecturing about books. All three of them approached me.

As well as a few others.

I didn’t turn them down, and that’s on me.

I had sexual relationships with three of my students. There was no abuse, no coercion, no favours of good grades. I had sex with them, and that is frowned on.

I’m not sure if saying I fell in love with one of them makes it better or worse.

“It shows a lack of good judgement,” the Dean of the university had said to me. I think my two-year relationship with Elena was the only reason I wasn’t fired—yes, it began in the classroom, but it was obvious it had become more.

“It’s so difficult for a man when beautiful women come on to them,” Cady says with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “They just can’t find the strength to say no.”

“What would have happened with us if I had the strength to turn you down?” Max teases her.

“I did not come on to you.” Cady throws her pen at him. “You were drunk in an elevator and kept talking about pancakes.”

“Whatever works, right?” Max winks at me, but then turns serious. “Watch yourself with the Swifties,” he warns. “The ladies will be looking to write their own song featuring their bad professor.”

The thought had crossed my mind, but I hadn’t let myself dwell on it. “I’m older and wiser now,” I assure him.

“And not dating for a while means you’re working on your self-control.”

The thought of Tilly’s soft thighs flash through my mind.

Technically, I never went on a date with Tilly.

She might have been on a date, but I wasn’t.

“Lots of self-control,” I echo dryly, and Max laughs again.

Cady, on the other hand, looks at me like she knows exactly what’s going on in my mind.

Who knows? Maybe she does.

14

Tilly

“What are you watching?” Jordan asks. She stands in the living room—

She’s standing exactly where I was standing four nights ago when Dexter made me come with his mouth.

It’s thoughts like that, that flit through my mind and make it very difficult to concentrate.

I pat the seat on the couch beside me. “Come sit.” Because it’s not comfortable to be talking to my daughter standing there while images of Dexter flash through my mind.

Jordan curls up beside me. It’s Monday night and the first day of school is tomorrow. I can tell Jordan is nervous about starting high school because she’s my daughter and she gets nervous about everything.

I tell myself that’s the reason I haven’t texted Dexter, but that’s not the full truth. I have been focusing on the girls, doing some last-minute back-to-school shopping, but I had time to contact him at night when they went to bed.

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