The Professor

DALIA

I had sex with one of my professors.

My hands clenched into fists, and I swallowed as Noah spoke to the class in that amazing, molasses-rich voice of his.

I couldn’t even focus on whatever he was saying because the only thing on my mind right now was, I had sex with my professor.

When I said I really couldn’t wait to see him again, this was absolutely not what I had meant!

A girl walked up to the front of the hall, and as Noah handed her a stack of papers, his eyes locked on me.

I hastily averted my gaze from his, sucking in a sharp breath while digging my nails into my palms, and I shivered as memories of both of us in that room washed over me again.

This semester is going to be crazy.

“Are you cold?” Tamika whispered next to me, and I shook my head sideways as I relaxed my hands.

I didn’t want to look up again, so I just kept my gaze fixed on the table, wishing I could somehow disappear from this hall.

After what felt like an hour of staring at the table, Harvey nudged me with his elbow and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” I muttered absentmindedly and finally lifted my head when the girl Noah had handed the stack of papers to placed one paper in front of me.

It was a form asking for some basic information. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” I replied as I nodded and picked up my pen to fill the form.

First name, the first box asked, and I took a deep breath while writing down my name, Dalia Campbell. ~Last name~ the next box asked, and I stared at it blankly.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath and immediately raised my head to see if the girl who had the remaining forms was already taking them back to Noah—the professor.

“Shit,” I muttered again when I saw that she had almost gotten to where No—the professor was standing.

I fixed my gaze on her as if that would somehow make her realize I needed another form, but she didn’t turn around till after she had given him the forms.

Oh God, I have to go over to him to get a new form.

“Dalia, what’s wrong?” Tamika asked, probably after noticing the panicked expression on my face, and I gestured at my form before she leaned over to see what was wrong.

“Uh…,” she trailed off as she pointed at a text that was at the top of the paper after a couple of seconds, and I slightly furrowed my brow while I read it.

Please read carefully as you will only be given one form to fill out.

Oh, fuck me!

I read the text again as if reading it a second time would make the words change, and when I saw that I had read it right the first time, I gave her a panicked look.

From the look on her face, I couldn’t tell if she felt sorry for me or if she wanted to burst into laughter.

“You can get the syllabus for this class on the e-class page, and keep in mind that the final exam is worth a third of your grade,” Noah suddenly announced.

My head swiveled in his direction. “I’m not the only lecturer taking this class, so feel free to join the other one before the add/drop deadline,” he added before his eyes flickered over me.

I looked away from him again.

That last statement was directed at me, and I would be stupid to not realize it.

“My office hours are Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.” He glanced at the clock as I lifted my eyes to him, thinking of how I was going to approach him to get another form.

“I planned to keep today’s class short, so class is over now. Come up to submit your form,” he added, and people started to gather their things, but I didn’t move.

I remained frozen in my seat staring at him while people got up from their seats, but he didn’t even spare me a glance.

I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if he still wanted us to meet up this afternoon.

Uh…he probably doesn’t want to, seeing as he could lose his job if he does.

“Aren’t you going to leave the class?” Harvey asked, and I glanced in his direction to find him on his feet.

I then glanced to my right and saw Tamika was no longer sitting beside me but was at the left end of the row, headed toward the front of the hall.

I quickly faced Harvey again and grabbed his hand. “Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me,” I pleaded because I didn’t want to go up to Noah alone to ask for a form.

“Why? What’s—?” He cut himself off as he stared at my form. “Oh, wow… It says you will only be given one form—”

“I know, I know. I just want you to stay with me while I get a new form and fill it out.”

“Uh…” He glanced at the door, and I tightened my hold on his hand, drawing his attention back to me.

“I’ll give you ten dollars,” I said, and the corner of his mouth quirked up for a second before he glanced at the door again. “Twenty dollars.”

His eyes went back to the door, and I gave him a stern look when I realized that he wanted me to increase the money.

“I cannot go higher than that,” I stated, emphasizing the “cannot,” and he sneered at me. He then rolled his eyes and gestured at me to get up. “I love you so much.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered dryly, and I gathered my things before getting to my feet with a growing sense of doom.

There were only a few people left in the lecture hall submitting their forms, and I wanted to hurl myself out a window as I glanced at Noah.

“Let’s go.”

By the time Harvey and I got to Noah, it was just the three of us left in the lecture hall and my stomach was churning.

Harvey submitted his form, but I remained rooted to the spot with my eyes fixed on Noah, and after a little while of us staring at each other, he tilted his head to the side.

“Do you need something?” he asked, and I swallowed.

“I, uh…” I trailed off as I stretched the form toward him, and his eyes darted from mine to the form.

His fingers brushed mine as he collected it, and my heart jumped in my chest as his touch registered from my fingers to between my legs.

He stared at the form for a couple of seconds, and when he looked back at me, a muscle twitched in his jaw.

He sucked in a sharp breath and gestured at the small pile of forms on his desk before I walked over to it.

I grabbed one of the forms and filled it in quickly, wanting to get the hell out of here as fast as I could.

But I made sure not to make any mistakes this time because I really didn’t want him to think I was stupid.

This semester is going to be really crazy, I thought and submitted the filled form before I practically dashed out of class.