Page 40 of The Professor's Possession (Crystal River Billionaire Brothers)

I jut my chin up toward him defiantly. I will not let him bully me around. “I don’t have any feelings either way toward you, Luke.”

“That’s your problem, though.”

“What is?”

“You’re such astiff.”

He relishes the word, chewing the insult in his mouth before he spits it at me verbally.

I’m taken aback. “What does that mean? Stiff?”

“You with all your books and reading and being so quiet. You think I don’t notice? You think you’re better than you are, Olivia,” Luke starts. “Look at you: some geek like you shouldn’t even be associating with a popular cheerleader like Ava or a guy like me. You’re not even from money, for fuck’s sake. Honestly, you should just take a guy like Michael who’s showing any kind of attention, because that’s the only attention you will get. You should get it into your head that something like love doesn’t exist for plain girls like you. You’re no princess, so stop acting like it.”

I am speechless.

“Luke...”

He cuts me off immediately.

“Be careful what you say to Ava. I’m always listening. Even when you think I’m not around. I hear every private little word between you and Ava.”

“I’m not following at all,” I reply.

“You know what I mean. Stop being so fucking friendly with her. Don’t plant your stupid thoughts in her head.”

My lips fail me. I don’t even know what to say against the torrent of abuse this man is throwing at me.

“I will send on your regards to Michael,” Luke says, smiling, as he backs away. “Goodbye, Olivia. I’ll see you around, I am sure of it.”

20

OLIVIA

I must email Professor Penmayne.

This is not for any stalking-related reason. I mean, I am notreallya stalker. I simply have to email him my completed coursework for English Lit.

But even if it’s for college work, the thought of entering his name on my laptop and actually sending him actual words made for marking sends my head tumbling.

But I do it - I send the work in for being assessed. It doesn’t feel very good to have done it, though. I haven’t had the time to spend on my assignment, not as much as I would like. It’s fair to say I’ve been...distractedby the very man who’s meant to be marking my coursework. I came to college to get good marks, not to end up daydreaming about my college professor like some bimbo schoolgirl.

And so, yet again, I go on a run to clear my head. It’s the only remedy I have left in my arsenal. I need to forget all about the coursework and forget all about that stupid little encounter with Luke today.

As I pound the sidewalk of Crystal River, I think about the professor. How he stood outside the gym the other night. How he asked me for a drink. How I rejected him.

It felt like a dream.

I’m running in no particular direction, but I find myself ending up in the center of Crystal River. At the park opposite The Oak. I’m running on the footpath that circles the park. The evening is getting late, so there aren’t many other people here. The kids and families have all gone home. There’s only one other runner. He’s a fair distance in front of me. He’s wearing a dark hoodie.

I watch him. He’s going at an incredible pace. Faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be able to keep up for ten seconds.

And then I see his face. I would recognize that chiseled jaw and those piercing eyes anywhere.

It’s Professor Penmayne.

And my breath gets knocked out of me.

I turn and sprint out of the park. I start to head home.

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