Page 24 of Classroom Confessions

Do I like those things?

I dragged my thoughts away from the bedroom and back to the present. Lily’s upcoming dates could provide excellent opportunities to people watch. Personalities are so varied, and I’d barely scratched the surface on my own fictional people. I needed more to go on. More backstory, and of course, more drama and cozy moments to pull the characters together.

“Come on. I want to read this book of yours.” Lily rinsed the dishes and set them up to dry, then dragged me to the booth where I’d dropped my laptop. She bounced on her toes. “Come on. Hurry up.”

“It’s loading. Geez.” I snarked at her, but a warm feeling bloomed in my chest. “You’re the best kind of best friend.”

“Aw. That’s sweet.” She backhanded my shoulder. “But I’m still going to tell you if I think it’s shit.”

“Good.” Stomach twisting and nerves on high alert, I handed her the computer. “It’s just the first chapter I’ll post tonight.”

Lily snatched up the computer and plopped onto the seat across from me.

I watched her expressions shift, from the first laugh, to the gasp where she covered her mouth with both hands. “Shit, Becca.” She peered at me over the top of the screen. “You have to post this. Come on. I found a few typos, and maybe a plot hole. Let’s go over it together.”

A few hours and three customers later, the chapter was finished and I’d loaded it up onto a site where serialized fiction had become a raging success. My finger hovered over the button.

“Do it.” Lily nudged me again.

“Is it obvious that I’m talking about Ethan?” I’d renamed the character, but still…

Lily pressed my finger closer to the button. “No. I only know because I’ve seen the two of you together. No one else is going to know. And he’s never going to read it, so who cares?”

Right. Who cared? I’d written the best opening chapter of my life. One click, and I was one step closer to my career as a romance writer. If readers liked this chapter and asked for more, I’d feel validated. More than that, I would have taken the next step. I closed my eyes and clicked.

12

ETHAN

Well. I’d gotten what I deserved. I massaged my cheek where Rebecca slapped the shit out of me and grinned. The sting was long gone, but the memory of it brought a constant smile. I’d wanted to test her, and she’d passed beautifully.

It didn’t matter, I reminded myself with a snarl. No matter if she was genuine about her feelings, she remained off limits, the forbidden fruit we all wanted to pluck.

I adjusted my erection her memory conjured and marched into my office, slamming the door behind me. I hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. That was the only part about the whole exchange that I regretted. Sliding into my leather chair, I stretched out my legs and palmed my aching cock. Rebecca set me off like no one else. I’d wanted her more than ever. I imagined her in the office with me, her indignation putting color in her cheeks. She’d storm over and demand an apology, and I’d pull her into my lap and bury my dick in her. If only things were that simple.

But they were more complicated than ever. David and Cole had given in to temptation. They’d plucked the fruit and enjoyed every minute. Neither gave details, but the satisfaction on their faces told the story.

My office door swung open, revealing David and Cole.

“Have you two forgotten how to fucking knock?” I didn’t bother trying to hide my erection under the desk. It didn’t matter. I was just glad I’d resisted the urge to jerk off and ease some of the pressure. I could do better than a quick hand job in my office.

David crossed his arms, his glare landing squarely on my dick. “I just saw Rebecca.”

I kept my expression casual and unconcerned. “And you felt the need to run over here and tell me because…?” I spread my hands in a questioning gesture.

His eyes lifted from my crotch to my face. “Because she looked ready to cry, and I knew she’d been in your class. Wanted to make sure she was okay, and I couldn’t exactly ask her in the middle of campus.”

“So you came to me to find out what I’d done.” Interesting. I’d known David might have a soft spot for Rebecca, but this went beyond my initial concern. “I might’ve asked if she had ulterior motives.”

“But you didn’t fuck her?” Cole angled a look at David so full of I-told-you-so that I smirked.

Hands braced on the arms of my chair and jacket spread wide over my hips, I pointed at my still erect cock. “Not even close.” Though it had been. For a few seconds, I’d considered inviting her to my office. I’d even voiced my want out loud to test her reaction. She’d seemed intrigued by the offer.

David moved to the last remaining chair and lowered himself slowly into it, dropping his head into his hands. “We have to be careful. This isn’t good for any of us. One wrong word at the wrong time, one move when someone is watching, and it’s all gone.” He snapped his fingers. “Like that. Poof. It’s happened before. You can’t push her, Ethan. What if you piss her off and she decides to tell everyone?”

Poor David. He’d been this way for years, since Carrie dumped him. He’d finally gotten up the courage to tell her he loved her and ask her to marry him, and she took off, leaving him devastated and even more reluctant to express his feelings.

“She won’t.” Cole said it with the kind of direct calm I’d come to count on from him. Nothing ever flustered Cole. “Rebecca is not the kind of woman who tattles to get back at someone. She might be quiet in the classroom, most of the time.” He smirked at me. We’d both experienced Rebecca when she disagreed with our lessons. “But she’s the most genuine woman I’ve ever met.”

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