Page 68 of Bad Professor

“Three is not ten. Will she be here tonight?”

“No, they’re out of town.” I hold open the door of the bar for her. “Stop worrying. They’ll love you. Even if you were ninety-five, they’d love you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because they love me. And it’s been a while since I introduced anyone to them.”

36

Tilly

“Itold you it would be okay.” Dexter holds my hand as we head for the subway. The two glasses of wine I’ve had to drink gives the late October evening a shimmery glow.

Or maybe that’s just because I’m with Dexter.

“I like them. They’re nice.” And they were. Welcoming, and polite; asking just the right amount of questions to make it seem like they were interested in the answers and not just giving me lip service.

“I wouldn’t call Nick nice, but I like him.”

“I can’t believe Cady is a billionaire.” And beautiful, I think to myself. They were all so attractive.

“Yeah, that’s kind of wild. Max’s father has money, but he’s got nothing on Cady.” Dexter stops suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk. “Damn.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot something in my office.”

“We’re not far. We can go get it.”

“My office at the university.”

“It’s almost eleven o’clock. Who’s going to be there at this hour?” Maybe it’s the wine, but I really want to see Dexter’s office. I’ve met his friends, now I want more. As close as we’re becoming, there’s still a distance between us, despite how physically close we are.

I want to know more of him, to move past this distance.

“It’ll be an adventure.” It’s the same thing I would tell the girls when they were little and hesitant about doing something.

“I don’t know, Til. You’re the one who’s so worried about people finding out.”

I love it when he calls me Til. Only Juliet has ever shortened my name. Carlos called me Matilda when he was annoyed, which only annoyed me.

Thinking about Carlos is annoying too.

“Well, tonight, I’m not worried about a thing,” I tell him. “I had fun with your friends. I’m looking forward to taking you back to my place and—”

“Don’t say it,” Dexter cuts me off. “Or we’ll have to go straight home—straight back to your place and we won’t be able to stop anywhere.”

“Why?” I drop my gaze and look up at him through my lashes, like a coy courtesan. “Do you like it when I put you in my mouth?” I whisper the words. A few weeks ago, there would be no way I could say anything like that, and definitely not in the middle of a sidewalk where anyone could hear.

If I’m teasing him like this, then I won’t think about how Dexter slipped up at called my apartment home.

Yes, I heard that, but I’m not sure what to think about it.

“What do you like to put in your mouth?” Dexter’s voice deepens when he’s talking sexy, or talking dirty, or whatever it’s called. His voice changes and his eyes get darker and all my insides tighten and I’d let him do just about anything to me.

I have let him do just about anything. “You,” I say softly.

“What part of me?”

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