Page 4 of Falling For The Professor

“Can I buy you a drink?” Ashley asked as she sat down, crossing one leg over the other, her body angled towards Carla.

Carla pursed her lips. “You know, I have this amazing bottle of Sauvignon Blanc chilling in my fridge. I’ve been waiting to share it with someone.” She let her words linger in the air for a second, gauging Ashley’s reaction. “Would you like to come back to mine? I’m just a few minutes away in a taxi,” she added when she was pretty sure Ashley was up for this.

“Yeah. Yes.” Ashley cleared her throat. “I’d love to.”

Chapter Five

Ashley followed Carla into her apartment, taking a steadying breath as she entered, and Carla flicked on the lights to reveal a stylish open-plan apartment. Their heels clicked against the walnut floors as Ashley took in the cream sofa and matching armchairs, along with the plush rug beneath the coffee table.

“Will I pour you a glass?” Carla asked.

“Yes. Please.” Ashley barely noticed the white kitchen and spotless countertops. Her focus was on Carla and the fact that Ashley was standing in her apartment. She swallowed down her nerves.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Carla said, motioning towards the living room.

Ashley took a seat on the sofa, running her hands over her thighs, trying to calm her nerves. She’d had two one-night stands, but they were both similar nights, crashing at a friend’s place after a party, both of them quite drunk, fumbling in the dark, trying to be quiet.

If this night was headed where Ashley thought it was, it wouldn’t be the same thing at all.Tonight had already been full of prolonged eye-contact, of simple, innocent touches that had lit Ashley’s skin on fire.

When Carla had gently placed her hand on Ashley’s thigh while they were at the bar, laughing at something Ashley had said, she could feel the warmth of Carla’s hand through her black pants. And when Carla had placed her hand on the small of Ashley’s back as they’d entered her building, Ashley had wanted so much more.

This was why Ashley was drawn to older women. There was a confidence there, in everything Carla did, from the way she strode through the lobby downstairs to the way she was coming into her living room now, her blazer gone, revealing a dressy teal tank top. She held a glass of wine in each hand and took a seat beside Ashley, leaving very little space between them.

“Here you go,” Carla said, and all Ashley could think was how much different this version of Carla was.

This was not Professor Lawless who was all business, speaking to a packed lecture hall with incredible poise and a commanding voice. And as attractive as that version of Carla was, this softer, more relaxed Carla was somehow even sexier.

“Thank you,” Ashley said as she took the glass from Carla. “And cheers.”

“Cheers. To a serendipitous night.”

Ashley clinked her glass gently against Carla’s, her stomach twisting with the guilt that she’d managed to keep at bay until now.

This was the opposite of serendipity. This was orchestrated. Calculated. Completely planned.

“This isn’t how my Friday nights look by the way,” Carla said. “I mean, I have gone on dates but they’ve never ended up back here.”

Ashley arched her eyebrow, hoping that Carla couldn’t see how conflicted she was. “Oh? And what was different about tonight?”

A hint of a smile ghosted across Carla’s lips. “You know, I don’t know. I think I didn’t want the night to end. And there was something, I don’t know, refreshing about you. You’re so different from the women I’ve been meeting on that dating site.”

Ashley swallowed the lump in her throat. Carla really had no idea who she was. And why would she? Carla had hundreds of students, and Ashley had never made herself known to Carla in the last three years.

“What about you?” Carla asked. “What’s your typical Friday night look like? Or do you always pick up women in wine bars?”

Ashley laughed softly. “Well, technically, you picked me up, but no. I don’t normally go to wine bars on my own. I’ve just had a… A strange week. And I felt like a glass of wine, with some soft jazz music playing in the background. So, I wandered in. And much to my surprise, there you were. Somehow on your own, and I had to see if you’d have a drink with me.”

“How did you know I was gay?”

Ashley shrugged. “Just a feeling. Maybe, more wishful thinking than anything else,” she added. “And then you confirmed it, so… I wasn’t left wondering for too long.”

“And you don’t mind the age difference? I thought you might politely decline my invitation.”

Ashley tried to keep her smile from turning into a grin. “Not at all.”

“Oh. You make it sound like you might even have a preference towards women of my age.”

“Maybe I do.”

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