Page 17 of Ruthless Temptation
“Please.” The words fall from my lips. My mind is hazy. All I want is release.
At my words, Professor Holmes withdraws his hand. My chest squeezes and I want to cry out at the loss of his satisfying touch. It’s like that day in his office all over again.
He plops his glistening fingers into his mouth. My eyes widen.
“Delicious,” he says. “Are you still certain you want this, Tara?”
I nod. “Yes, sir.”
He smirks. “Meet me tonight in the botany building.”
7
I’m dressedin a matching workout set and sneakers just in case someone sees me and wonders what I’m doing.
The botany building is tucked away on the eastern edge of the campus, close to the fields that are used for Agricultural Science.
The secluded nature of this part of campus is probably why Professor Holmes chose it.
Night has already enveloped the campus, and save for the twinkling streetlights, the sky is starless and pitch-black. The air carries the scent of the forest, as well as the hint of smoke from the bonfire on the lakeside. There’s supposed to be a party going on there, another thing to keep everyone occupied.
Cassidy was nowhere to be found when I slipped out of the room. I don’t want to run into her either; she would be able to tell what I’m up to with just a glance—she’s the only person who would find my outfit strange.
I’ve never exercised for fun a day in my life, and I don’t intend to start.
The paved walkway beneath my feet changes into cracked concrete pavers riddled with invasive weeds, and that’s when I know I’m getting close. Of all the disciplines here at Saint Frederic University, the Horticulture and Agricultural Sciencefaculties get the least funding. Every year, they have only about five or six students enroll. Combined.
The bushes on either side of the walkway are overgrown, and I twist my torso as I walk to keep from getting scratched by them. Having to do this is a welcome reprieve, as it gives me something else to focus on, something else to think about.
Instead of the reason why I’m in this secluded part of campus.
To get fucked by my professor. I swallow around the lump that thought has lodged in my throat. To say the last few weeks have been eventful would be an understatement. I’ve had my future ripped from me, and I’ve also had one of my deepest, darkest desires presented on a silver platter.
It’s the ultimate irony. However, after a lot of thought, I’ve settled on how to feel about it—absolutely nothing at all. From this point forward, I’m living in the moment. I don’t have much time left here, and Professor Holmes will be a welcome distraction from the craziness enveloping my life.
My steps slow as I approach the botany building.
It’s a single-storey brick building, with whitewashed walls and flowering vines creeping into the eaves of the wooden roof. I’ve only ever been here once before—with one of the Chaos House guys to smoke some weed. Whatever he gave me was horrible and triggered a panic attack. I’ve never ventured here again.
It nearly looks abandoned, its only saving grace are the muted rays of light streaming from one of the windows. The glass is frosted, so I can’t see much through it. I take a deep, shuddering breath and square my shoulders.
I go to knock on the heavy oak door, but it swings open at the touch of my knuckles.
The door deposits me in a narrow, dimly lit hall. Inside isn’t nearly as dilapidated as outside, with signs of obvious upkeep.The sickly-sweet smell of woodland flowers is overpowering, and I wonder if it’s something the students that use this building eventually get used to.
Taking a few steps deeper into the hall, I look around tentatively. Professor Holmes only told me to meet him here, nothing else. I’m not sure where he is, but I decide to investigate the room where the light is coming from first.
When I get to it, I find the door ajar.
It’s more of a classroom than a lecture hall, with around fifteen pairs of desks and chairs positioned to face a large bureau in front of a whiteboard. It’s at that desk that I find Professor Holmes, reading a newspaper with a lit cigarette perched between his lips.
I move deeper into the room.
He looks at his watch with languid movements, breaking his eyes from the newspaper at the last second.
“Hm. You’re on time,” he says.
Now that I’m here, all the thoughts leave my head.
