Page 2 of Falling For The Professor

Carla padded over to the light gray suede loveseat and stretched out on it. She was finally getting over the fact that her ex had brought a woman half her age back to their apartment. The shock of walking in on them in their bed was starting to wear off. So much so, that Carla had signed up for a dating site over the summer and had even gone on a handful of dates. Not that any of them had been even remotely successful, but it was a start.

Carla curled and uncurled her toes, her feet already sore after just a few days being back in her designer heels. After spending most of the summer either barefoot or in flip-flops, it was going to take a while to adjust.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as a bead of sweat trickled down the back of her neck, the steady ticking of the clock on the wall above her the only noise apart from the hum of the fan.

Carla needed to go home and get ready. She had a date tonight. Not that she had any expectations. Not after the way the previous ones had gone. The women had been nice enough, but there was never any spark. No kind of connection. And Carla had to wonder if she should just be thankful that at least she had her professional life together.

She loved her job. It was secure, and she was good at it. She routinely had her classes fill up, leaving dozens of students disappointed.

Carla had turned forty last month, and she didn’t think she could take many more dates, repeating the same basic information, almost like an interview. Maybe, being alone wasn’t that bad. She had her apartment to herself again. She could eat what she wanted, when she wanted it. She could watch whatever movie she wanted, whatever TV show.

Carla blew out a breath. She wasn’t entirely sure about remaining celibate though. That wasn’t going to last much longer. She’d noticed a lot of profiles saying No ONS. And once she’d Googled what it meant, she added it to hers to, because she wanted something more than a one-night stand, or at least she thought she did. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

Carla pushed herself up. She was actually going to change that as soon as she got home. Fuck it. If she was going to keep going out on these dates, there might as well be the prospect of something more.

Chapter Three

Ashley drummed her fingers on the smooth wooden bar while she waited for the glass of chardonnay she'd ordered. Going out on a Friday night wasn't unusual, but it was at a sophisticated wine bar like this.

Ashley adjusted the silver chain around her neck, sliding the clasp to the back, trying not to feel guilty about what she was attempting to do.

The week had gone by in a blur, and Ashley had driven home from the first day of classes with Olivia's words playing on a loop in her head.

“I bet the guys have no idea she’s gay.”

And then Professor Lawless had started her lecture, leaving Ashley completely unable to focus.

Ashley had practically interrogated Olivia after class, finding out that Olivia's best friend had just gone on a date with her two weeks ago, that they'd met online, on a dating site. It hadn't worked out, but Carla Lawless was definitely gay.

As soon as Ashley got home that night, she'd grabbed her laptop and signed up for the three most popular dating sites, looking for Carla's profile.

And now, here she was, at an upscale wine bar where a glass of wine cost more than the dinner she'd had delivered to her apartment two hours ago.

Ashley thanked the bartender and took a much-needed sip of wine, savoring the cool, crisp wine. Hints of grapefruit hit her tongue as she took another drink, doing her best to calm her nerves.

She liked to consider herself a decent person. Someone who followed the rules, someone who told the truth, but what she was doing was anything but honest.

Ashley had set up a profile, a fake profile, adding eight years to her age, saying that she was thirty years old. She also decided that she should have a high-powered career to match Carla Lawless's, so Ashley typedLawyerfor her occupation.

Ashley used a photo she had of herself from her trip to New York City during the summer, but it was taken from the back, so it just showed her long blond hair as she looked back on the Manhattan skyline from where she was standing in Brooklyn.

Ashley slowly exhaled as she turned to survey the room from her barstool for the second time since she'd arrived, her pulse picking up when she realized how obvious it would be for Carla to think that Ashley was her date.

The dozen or so other people in the bar were all in pairs at cozy tables for two, a candle flickering between them. The only other person on their own was a man in a suit sat at the far end of the bar, his phone held up to his ear.

For a second, Ashley wondered if she should leave. This was easily the craziest, riskiest thing she'd ever done. Not only was she deceiving someone, but if this ended up going the way she'd planned, Ashley would be on a date with her professor, but Carla Lawless would have no idea that Ashley was her student.

Ashley resisted the urge to take out her phone. She wanted to be approachable. She wanted to look like she was completely comfortable sitting at the bar on her own.

Ashley slowly slid her fingertips up and down the stem of her wineglass, willing herself to stay calm. She glanced to her right when she heard the click of a woman's heels coming closer, and then the barstool beside her was dragging across the floor.

"Hannah?"

Ashley met Carla's hazel green eyes, noticing for the first time how mesmerizing they were. Ashley had never even been close enough to her professor to know what shade they were.

Ashley shook her head. "No. Sorry."

Carla turned to look around the bar, and Ashley took in her dark wash jeans and her perfectly tailored white blazer that she wore over a teal top. Her long dark hair looked even more sleek and luxurious up close, and Ashley couldn’t stop herself from imagining what it would be like to run her hand through it.

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