Page 1 of Grumpy Boss in Love

1

RUBY

Indigo eyes zeroed in on me, and I froze. My breath hitched because I thought he was about to call me out on something again. The owner of those ridiculously alluring eyes was a pain in my ass. I glowered at him, preparing myself for the habit he had of singling me out. However, he didn’t. His eyes moved away from me and swept over the rest of the class. I blew out a relieved breath and relaxed in my seat.

“And that is why having a strong background in marketing and business is crucial. Remember that…” The voice that somehow set my teeth on edge yet made my stomach flutter—if ever asked about that phenomenon, I would deny it to the death—droned on.

Professor Sinclair’s classes weren’t boring in the least. I was justhellatired. Last night’s shift at Luxe Elite had me dead on my feet… or in my chair, rather. As Professor Sinclair lectured away, my eyelids drooped. Blinking rapidly, I sat up in my seat and tried to focus.

“Any questions?” Professor Sinclair asked as he stood on the platform in front of the class.

A chorus of longing sighs filled the air, and I rolled my eyes. Every female in the lecture hall—minus yours truly—and some males gawked at our professor with sheer lust. I think I even glimpsed drool on a few mouth corners.

Admittedly, Elliot Sinclair was extremely good-looking. He had silky dark brown hair. He was a little over six feet of tight, toned muscles that were visible even through his suits. When he moved his arm to direct his pointer pen at the projector screen, you could see his biceps flex through his jacket. He had these intense eyes that could throw a girl into confusion. One had to wonder if he was looking at you with disdain or sexual interest… but maybe that was just my experience.

The symmetry of his face was ridiculously perfect, with his strong brow bone, Roman nose, and square jawline. Henry Cavill may be my celebrity crush, but I must admit, he paled in comparison to Professor Sinclair. The man was gorgeous. I wouldn't take that away from him.

However, I couldn’t stand the arrogant jerk. He was grumpy, pompous, and annoyingly straight-laced.

So while almost the entire student body of the University of Chicago drooled over the man, I didn’t see the appeal. Just look at my fellow students batting their eyelashes at him. They had questions alright. I could just imagine.

Mr. Sinclair, are you single? Can I sleep with you for a passing grade… pretty please?

I had questions too, like:Mr. Sinclair, why are you such an ass? With your severe scowl and Scrooge-like personality, you don’t get laid very often, do you?

I sniggered at that, and Mr. Sinclair’s gaze lasered in on me from behind his black-framed glasses. It was incredible how he could so quickly single me out in the massive lecture hall. His sharp orbs practically bore holes into my face, and my amusement slowly melted away.

Uh-oh.

“Miss Bennet,” he said in that calm,sternbaritone.

Did I mention that my tight-ass professor also had a voice made for whispering dirty things in a woman’s ear? But I couldn’t focus on that right now, not with him glaring at me...

“I had no idea that the concept of market penetration was so hilarious,” he finished, quirking one eyebrow.

A hum of laughter from the other students made my face heat up, and I hunkered down in my seat. “Er…”

“Care to share the joke with the rest of the class, Miss Bennet?”

He put emphasis on the Miss, making it sound likeMizz. Our eyes locked and through my embarrassment, I wanted to embarrass him too. I wanted to mention how his boring socks and ties were probably a reflection of his uneventful sex life. Not that I had an eventful one either but the man just brought out the worst in me. He had taken every opportunity to humiliate me all year.

Returning his heated look, I bit out, “No, sir. Please, carry on.”

He gave me one of his cutting stares and turned his attention back to the huge projector screen. “As I was saying…”

I glanced at a strawberry blonde looking back at me from her seat two rows down. That was Megan Andersen, friend, coworker, and former roommate. She lifted her eyebrows in askance and I shrugged.

When she turned back around, I blew out a breath, quickly getting over my embarrassment. Once I got comfortable again, trying to stay awake was futile. As my eyelids grew heavier, I felt a sliver of disappointment in myself. It was my last class before graduation, and I wanted the satisfaction of not snoozing through at least one.

My pen slipped from my fingers as exhaustion consumed me.

* * *

I found myself standing on a precipice about to plunge into the deepest part of the sea. Oh, wait, that wasn’t the ocean that I was looking into. I was staring into Professor Sinclair’s gorgeous blues, practically drowning in them. He’d walked around his desk to stand in front of me, and he was so close that I could feel the heat of his body.

“Ruby, you slept through another one of my classes.”

I ducked my head. “I know, it’s just that…”

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