Page 4 of Irresistible Professor

"Promise," I repeated softly, more to appease her than anything else. I knew who I was and who I wanted to be. Didn’t I?

"Good," she said with satisfaction, her smile genuine and warm. "Now, let's talk about something less scandalous—like your bachelorette party. I'm thinking Vegas, baby!"

"Vegas?" I laughed, grateful for the change of topic. "You're incorrigible."

"Guilty as charged," she beamed, raising her mug of coffee in a toast. "To friendship, love, and the occasional harmless flirtation with danger."

Shaking my head, I clinked my cup against hers.

“Harmless,” I repeated firmly.

Chapter Two

Ford

I sat at my desk, elbows propped on the wooden top, staring at the wall instead of my computer screen. The office was silent except for the occasional rustle of papers as a draft meandered through the room, causing me to shiver involuntarily. But the quiet only amplified my inability to focus on work. Instead, my mind echoed with thoughts about my new administrative assistant, whose smile could warm any room, or heat the blood of any man.

Bonnie Kelly, with her shoulder-length, thick, dark brown hair that contrasted with her perfect ivory skin and framed big brown eyes that sparkled with curiosity and energy. She laughed easily, her voice a melody that filled whatever space she occupied. The curves of her petite frame were more captivating than any celestial body I had ever studied, and lately, they seemed to orbit the forefront of my mind with a gravitational pull I couldn't escape.

With a bark of laughter at my own ridiculous metaphors, I took off my reading glasses and polished them with my sleeve. Ridiculous was exactly what I was being.

"Focus, Kingston," I muttered, trying to steer my thoughts back to the research paper on my screen, but the words kept blurring into meaningless squiggles. I was a man of science, of control; yet, here I was, unable to concentrate because of a business school student who also happened to be a vibrant, ambitious young woman who saw the world not as a series of equations, but for all the people in it, each of whom she seemed to genuinely like and appreciate. I, on the other hand, was probably at least ten years older than she was, and I’d already seen my fair share of what people could do to know I preferred to keep my attention on math. Even the most complex formulas could be solved with enough hard work, and answers were either right or wrong. There was no in-between. However, people were different. Especially when it came to women, I was always left confused. Nothing they did seemed logical, and no amount of effort on my part had ever helped me figure them out. Priding myself on my intellect, I wasn’t used to not understanding something, and I didn’t like it one bit.

I glanced up at the clock. It was getting late, much later than I'd realized. The time felt symbolic, ticking away the seconds while I grappled with an attraction that was as off-limits as it was unexpected. My past was a testament to the perils of mixing personal entanglements with my academic life. Greer had left a scar, a stark reminder that when it came to matters of the heart, I was out of my depth.

"Damn it," I hissed under my breath. This wasn't me. Dr. Ford Kingston didn't get distracted; he didn't let emotions cloud his judgment. And yet here I was, doing both. Over Bonnie Kelly.

I needed advice, a sounding board. Someone to talk sense into me before I did something foolish. Rising from my chair, I felt the weight of my own resistance. Seeking counsel was not my style, but neither was this unsettling preoccupation.

"Case will know what to do," I said to the empty room, trying to convince myself as much as anyone else. One way or another, I had to get a handle on this situation.

I snapped the laptop shut decisively and snatched my coat from the back of the chair, sliding into its familiar weight. I made my way through the intricate hallways of the building housing the physics department and exited onto the campus green.

Outside, the sky was a muted gray, and a light snow was falling. The tiny white flakes clung to my coat, melting instantly into the thick brown fabric.

My best friend Case Sullivan’s office was just across the quad in the history and political science building, the lights within signaling sanctuary. Or at least, the closest thing to it I'd hope to find today.

I rapped sharply on his door and waited impatiently, knowing that he didn’t have a class scheduled at the moment.

"Come in," Case's voice called from the other side, steady as always.

With a turn of the handle, I entered the small room, finding him entrenched in the pages of what looked like a new historical tome. His sandy hair fell into his eyes as he glanced up from the book.

"Hey, Case." I said, managing a half-smile.

"Ford." He said, his blue eyes bright with welcome. "What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be aligning stars or something?"

"Something like that," I muttered. I closed the door behind me and fell into one of the worn leather chairs in front of his desk with a sigh.

"Uh-oh." Case marked his page and set the volume aside, giving me his undivided attention. “What’s got your panties in a knot?”

“Har har,” I said with a scowl. “Very funny.”

“So it is a woman,” he replied. “I knew it. Only a member of the female population could get you this out of sorts. Tell me, who is it?”

"My new work-study assistant," I began. “Her name is Bonnie. She’s enrolled in the MBA program. I feel an...attraction of some kind between us."

"Oh really?" Case leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow arching, every bit the picture of calm deliberation as he steepled his fingers together. “I must hear more.”

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