Page 5 of Teacher's Pet

"Elijah failed to mention Matthews is a nerd," I scoff, my voice tinged with annoyance.

I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, it’s not like an old man can’t still enjoy a little geeky charm, right?

But then a deep voice breaks through my thoughts, sending a jolt through me.

"Shit, am I late for a meeting?"

I snap around, my heart skipping a beat as I lock eyes with a man far younger than what Elijah described. Instantly, heat floods my cheeks, and my nosiness retreats, replaced by an overwhelming urge to just disappear.

The man stands tall, wearing a gray sweater and black slacks cinched with a brown belt, so perfectly styled, he looks like he stepped out of a Pinterest board labeled'Dark Academia Outfits.'With golden-brown eyes, dark, short, curly hair, and slight stubble, he towers over me at a solid 6'4", his larger build hidden beneath the neat attire.

I try to focus on anything but how attractive he is, my mind scrambling for something intelligent to say. I open my mouth, but then quickly decide to shut it before I make an even bigger fool of myself.

"Oh, you're not a teacher," he says, his tone flat, completely uninterested in my presence. It's as if I’m the last person he expected, or wanted, to see.

I can feel my frustration building, and I retort without thinking.

"And you're not Mr. Matthews," I snap, pointing at him with an accusatory finger.

He raises an eyebrow and glances at his desk. Without a word, he grabs the nameplate and tosses it between his hands before holding it up for me to see.

"Mr. Ackerman, actually," he says, clearly vocalizing the name as if I should’ve known it. "I’m taking over for Mr. Matthews this school year."

Confusion rushes over me as I glance around the empty classroom.

"Taking over?" I repeat, frowning. "Where did he go?"

"Matthews got into some issues with his wife," Mr. Ackerman says, his voice flat and disinterested. "Seems a nasty divorce was enough to make him take a temporary leave of absence."

He leans back against the edge of his desk, grabbing his cup of coffee, and slowly takes a sip. His eyes linger on me, studying me like I’m some puzzle he’s trying to solve.

"Where are all the other students?" I ask, trying to ignore the heat creeping up my neck and cheeks every time my gaze lands on him.

Fuck, when the hell has a teacher ever looked likethat?

"You like to talk, don’t you?" he asks with a hint of annoyance, flipping his wrist up to check his watch.

Scratch that.

Sexy face aside, he’s a total asshole.

"Well, given every other class started at 7:30-"

"Joy," he interrupts, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "On top of dense questions and intrusion, you also clearly don't read your email."

I’m sure my jaw is about to hit the floor from the shock of his crudeness, but I manage to gather some courage to speak up.

"Last time I checked, your job is to educate, not to be a condescending asshole," I snap, my words biting. "Maybe next time you should lock the door if you don't want people walking in here. No, I didn’t check my email. I figured your class would be the same as all the rest-"

"I will ask you once to check your tone," he snaps back, his voice suddenly cold and sharp, like ice. "Today is purely an introduction. Admin decided a whole class period wasn’t necessary for that. Today, and only today, class starts at 8:00 am. But given you’re already here, I suppose I need to start getting ready now," he says this like I’ve interrupted some private moment.

"Right, because thirty minutes without students would have made you more pleasant," I mutter under my breath as he turns toward the board.

Instantly, I feel the air shift. He freezes and the chalk slips from his fingers. Slowly, he turns around, his expression darkening, and takes a step closer to me.

He's no longer the somewhat distant, if slightly annoying, teacher. Now, he’s standing just a few feet away, looking considerably less welcoming.

I take an involuntary step back, my lower back hitting the desk behind me, leaving me with no room to move.

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