Page 35 of Pleasuring Professor Pisces
“Are you fucking serious right now?”
“Girl, I swear on my Mi-Maw’s life, and you know I don’t play ’bout that one.”
My breath hitched in my throat, but I forced my head up and put one foot in front of the other. There weren’t that many students in class. I had only spotted seven, because most of them had taken their finals and were finished.
I was running late for class again, because I had stopped to get breakfast this morning. Salem was always feeding me, and he tried to do it this morning, too, but we had a late night, and I knew that he was tired. I told him to sleep in, and I would see him later.
I heard the conversation between two of my students as I walked into the room. They both looked up at me when I stepped into view. One of them, Jada, rolled her eyes, but I also knew she was attracted to Salem. She’d tried to get his attention earlier in the year, and he had completely shut her down.
The other student, Trista, smirked and took her seat. This had been going on for the last few days. I had seen people staring at me and whispering whenever I walked into a room. I thought that I had gotten past all of that.
The stares, the laughter, and the whispers triggered the hell out of me. If this were starting again, I knew that it would jeopardize my ability to become tenured next year. I had already been closely monitored in the past. The last thing I needed was for the dean to start looking into me again.
What would I say? This time, almost everything they were saying was true, and I couldn’t deny it.
I made a valiant effort to get through the class without an emotional breakdown, though Lord knew that I was on the verge of one.
After class was over, I rushed out of the classroom, unable to take another minute around people. I ran to the closest restroom, because I doubted that I would make it to my office or the staff restrooms before the first tear fell.
Thankfully, no one was in there, and I had a modicum of privacy. I locked myself in a stall and rested my back against the door. I breathed deeply several times, but I felt the walls closing in on me. I could barely breathe, and my chest was starting to hurt. My fingers clutched at nothing but air as I tried to prevent myself from falling. I slid down the wall of the restroom, wishing that I could make it all go away.
I pressed my hands flat against the wall, inhaled deeply, and smelled the wintergreen scent of the disinfectant. I forced my eyes open again and stared at the speckled tan and white wall. Then I heard the door whoosh open, and the sound of laughter filtered in from the hallway.
Fighting through anxiety attacks wasn’t easy, but necessary. The worst part was that I wasn’t at home, but in public and at school, which was the worst of all. I forced myself to stand and hiccupped in a sob. I had to get myself together before I stepped out of here and faced anyone. It took another ten minutes before the other person left the restroom, and I was once again alone.
I gathered my courage and rushed out of the stall. When I stepped out of the restroom, I didn’t see any familiar faces, just students coming and going to their various destinations. I rushed down the hall and back to my class. After I grabbed my things, I decided to leave. I ran out of the doors onto the sprawling campus. I wasn’t going to my office. I needed to go home. I texted my assistant and asked her to reschedule all my appointments.
The knocking didn’t come until seven. It took him a while before he figured out that I wasn’t coming. I sat in my art room and tried to ignore it. After a while, my phone started ringing, and I ignored that too.
Unfortunately, for me, Salem didn’t give up that easily. He kept knocking and calling for a little over an hour. I just wanted him to leave. His stubborn ass wouldn’t give up, though, but I could show him that I could be as stubborn as he was, even if it made me look foolish.
Tired of hearing the phone ring and buzz from endless text messages, I turned it off. Almost two hours after his arrival, I heard my front door open. My mother and sister had a key, but they wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t have been able to call them because I had not introduced Salem to my family yet.
There was only one other person who had a key to my place, Chelsea. He must have called her, and she was coming to check on me. She burst into my art room in a flurry of blonde and red braids.
“Honey, are you okay?” she asked, kneeling in front of me where I sat on the floor.
I pulled my knees closer to my chest, sniffled, and shook my head. She wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, honey. What’s wrong?”
“Yeah, Pisces. What’s wrong? ’Cause you had a nigga fucked up worried about your well-being.”
My eyes popped open at the same time that Chelsea turned and looked over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Koi. When he called and told me that he was worried about you, I started calling and texting. My calls were going straight to voicemail. I rushed over to check on you, but he . . . Salem refused to leave.”
I swiped at the tears on my face. “It’s okay, Chels,” I whispered.
“Honey, do you want to talk about it?”
“Not right now.”
“Well, if you’re truly okay, I’m going to leave the two of you alone now. Or do you want me to stay?”
I looked at my best friend and smiled wearily. “You can go, hon. I know you have a date tonight. Sorry for worrying you.”
“Never, sweetheart.” She kissed my forehead and then pulled back. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded.
