Emily: Hello Kitten (The ‘Hello’ series)

2. Chapter 2

two

I spend most of the class hiding behind my laptop. By the ten minute mark, I start rethinking sitting next to Beth. She’s always eager to raise her hand and be involved. Normally, I don’t mind. I get more out of class sitting next to her and I have no shame, so I ask all the questions that make her feel dumb.

Today, though, I don’t want to be on our professor’s radar. Even when Beth scribbles on my syllabus, telling me to make a good impression, I just shake my head as I feel my cheeks heat.

The floor needs to swallow me now before Dr. Hayes can recognize me.

Maybe he was drunk too—so drunk he won’t know it was me in his bed last night. Or against his wall. Or in his shower. Holy shit, the guy can fuck.

I don’t know how it’s possible for me to have picked one of my professors out in a bar. Maybe it’s that I like older men? I don’t know the odds of something like winding up with a professor, but it can’t be big.

As class continues, I try to avoid his eyes. He won’t point out that he recognizes me. He won’t because I’m sure there are rules against fucking students, and he has more to lose than I do.

Then again, neither of us knew what was going to happen today.

“Why are you hiding?” Beth whispers, nudging at my laptop. “People are staring.”

I’m hiding from the shame. Beth will give me hell for fucking a professor, even if the hazy memories I have of our time together outdo any other sex I’ve ever had. I nearly groan at the memory of him forcibly spreading my legs and bending me over, telling me to be good so he doesn’t have to stop to punish me.

His low, gravelly voice sliding across my ear as he grabbed my love handles and told me how much he liked having something to hold onto while fucking me.

The man should not be a professor if he can say things like that.

“Emily!” Beth hisses when I don’t respond.

“Stop asking questions!” I insist.

She rolls her eyes, and I see her hand start to raise. I catch it and hold it down, my eyes widening in warning. Beth tries to peel her hand away but then looks between me and Dr. Hayes with obvious confusion that quickly turns to dread.

“No,” she breathes.

I sit a little taller, trying to avoid her eyes, too, but instead, mine catch Dr. Hayes’. He sits on his desk with the syllabus in one hand, his other hand tight on the lip of his desk. When his fingers tighten and the veins on the back of his hand pop up, I remember him choking me.

My body floods with heat, and I squeeze my thighs together. His low, effortlessly commanding voice, how at ease he is, all of it makes me want to crawl across the room to him and…

No, no. I’m in a classroom. That means focusing on what he’s saying, not what I want to do with him or what I’ve already done with him.

“So, papers are going to be the meat of your grade, as you can see. You’ll be writing one full paper a week, but I expect at least two pages on each book we read. It’s easy. You’ll match it with one of the topics we talk about in class. I promise not to ruin your weekends with homework, just like you can see here…” He trails off, and my eyes move to him again.

His green eyes are on me. The color seeps out of his face for a second. His lips part as he stares at me, and I chew my own bottom lip.

“That lip is mine to bite. Let it go, Kitten, ” his voice haunts me.

I release my bottom lip as I squirm in my seat.

Dr. Hayes must feel the weight of the silence in the classroom like I do since he clears his throat and taps the syllabus against his knee. “And your final is a paper, of course. I expect ten pages, with sources and citations—as much as I love Wikipedia , it doesn’t count, and you’ll have to prepare a presentation. That does mean you can’t just… read from your paper.”

I’m lost for the rest of class, constantly fighting myself. I don’t want to look at him for too long. I don’t want to meet his intense stare again. At the same time, I want to know if I’m making him as distracted as he’s making me.

If I’m going to have to drop this class, I need to know now. I could always switch to some other English class, one that’s later in the day so I can sleep in. Maybe that’s the best idea! I could avoid him on campus too.

“Are you taking notes?” Beth asks.

I shake my head but start doing that, marking things on the syllabus so I don’t get distracted. It’s just another class where I have to remember a million things and write enough papers to fill an anthology.

I’ve managed to deal with boring professors and professors who weren’t clear or changed their mind constantly. I’ve dealt with plenty, so really, having someone attractive to look at shouldn’t be a problem.

Eventually, I’ll forget we had sex. There’s already so much going on this semester. I’m acting as a T.A. for another professor in this department. I have two writing classes. I’m taking a psychology class to try it out. I want to enjoy all the fun our university offers with my friends, not to mention my sister’s engagement. And I want to get my degree and work in publishing.

I won’t have time to moon over a one-night stand with all that going on.

My eyes find Dr. Hayes again. He’s focused on me with a mix of emotions playing on his face before he covers them all with a stoic expression. It doesn’t hide the desire, confusion, and horror in his gaze.

He doesn’t want me here. Understandable.

I bet he didn’t think he’d see me again. But it was an honest mistake.

“Remember, I need your papers in two ways. Online and printed. I realize this is uncommon, but that’s how I work. If you have any questions, you’ll find my office hours on the last page of the syllabus,” he informs. “Now, let’s dive into our first read.”

Shit, he wants the papers printed as well. Another thing that makes it harder to avoid him. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to get out of here, to run and never look back. I need to forget everything that happened between my Lit professor and me, since those memories make it hard to focus. His low, velvety voice draws me closer with every passing second.

Finally, class is over and I pack up faster than just about anyone else, ready to get the hell out of here. I grab Beth and drag her along with me even as she pulls back.

Right as we hit the crowd at the door, I hear him. “Emily!”

“Dr. Hayes.” Another girl giggles. “I do have some questions about the books on your list. Could you help me?”

I glance back and meet Adrian’s stare—no, he’s only Dr. Hayes—his eyes moving between me and the two eager girls ready to snap up his attention. Being a good professor, he focuses on them, and I tug Beth away.

Even being in the hallway isn’t far enough away, so I tighten my hold on Beth’s hand. “Let’s get some coffee.”

“Emily, you’re going to pull my arm out of the socket! Slow down!” she hisses. “And Dr. Hayes wanted to talk to you—”

“That’s great. He can send me an email or text me or…”

This is such a mess.

Once we’re out of the historic old building, I take a deep breath of the foggy morning air. It’s heavy, nearly suffocating, but still feels better than being in that classroom. Beth shakes her head at me, but I don’t hear a word she says.

I won’t be able to escape Dr. Hayes and his questions forever. If he really wants me to leave his class, he’ll send me an email and make it sound professional. I won’t even be able to say no based on how I reacted today.

“You’re crazy. I can’t believe you screwed—”

I cover Beth’s mouth. “Don’t say it. Please. I already know I messed up, but I didn’t know!”

She nods, and I peel my hand away.

“You have to get over it and focus, Emily,” she says.

“You weren’t there,” I grumble, glancing at the building.

If he were that easy to forget, I wouldn’t remember him through the drunken haze. I wouldn’t have thought of him spanking me after bending me over his desk, or blowing him in front of the class.

“Well, what are you going to do?” Beth asks.

That’s the million dollar question.