Bad Teacher(46)

A shameless grin spreads across her lips. “I know, but I’ll take the punishment like a good girl. After we get back from our first freaking date.”





Chapter 17





Thomas





A few days later





When I ring her bell, it’s not her who opens the door to her dorm room but her roommate, and the look on her face, when she sees me, is anything but ecstatic.

“Oh … it’s you.” She sighs. “I thought they were coming to bring my package.”

“Lesley, right?” I say, trying not to sound pompous.

“Yeah, that’s me …” She clamps the door tight. “And you’re the professor.”

“Teacher,” I correct. “Professor sounds so old.”

“Right.” She rolls her eyes. “What do you want?”

“I’m coming to pick up Hailey. Didn’t she tell you we were going out?” I frown, placing my hand on the door too, so she won’t slam it in my face.

“Uh … no …” She looks confused then turns her head. “Hailey!”

“Coming!” Her voice makes me smile.

“She’ll be right there. Wait here.” Lesley closes the door just a little and walks away.

There’s enough of a hole left to peek through, and I can clearly see Hailey picking up some ice-cream cone earrings … and completely forgetting to put away something else.

I grin as I watch her come to the door with a broad smile on her face. “Hi! Almost ready.”

“Not quite,” I say, pointing at her nightstand. “Is that the rabbit you were talking about?”

Her eyes widen, and her face turns beet red as she notices the pink dildo still lying next to her bed. “Shit.”

She runs to it and quickly shoves it into a drawer, covering it with her body. “You didn’t see anything.”

I laugh. “Oh, yes I did … you can bring it along sometime. I know just what to do with that.”

“Oh, god.” Lesley walks in with a look of complete disgust on her face. “Tell me I didn’t just hear that.” She puts her finger in her mouth and makes fake gagging noises.

“Just ignore us,” Hailey says. “We’ll be gone for the night, so you’ll have the whole place to yourself.”

“Please spare me the details!” Lesley says, making Hailey laugh.

Hailey comes toward me, and I ask, “You ready?”

“Not yet.” She raises a brow and then wraps her arm around my neck, pulling me in for a kiss before I can lean back. She grins against my lips. “Now, I am.”

“Fuck me. I need to bleach my eyes,” Lesley growls, groaning as she walks into the bathroom. “This is so awkward.”

“Sorry!” Hailey says.

“Yeah, yeah, just go have fun, okay?”

“We will.” Hailey grabs my hand and drags me with her.

I glance behind us to see Lesley catching another glimpse of us before closing the door.

“She doesn’t like me, does she?”

“Who? Lesley?” Her forehead creases. “Nah, she’s just a little worried about me, that’s all.”

I narrow my eyes. “Should she be?”

Hailey looks my way and then back at the floor again, shrugging. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

“She’s just trying to protect you.”

“From you, yeah,” she muses, her laugh dying off quickly.

“Why? Do I look that dangerous?” I jest.

“Well … you’re my teacher. I mean, she probably thinks I’m using you … or you’re using me.”

I lean in and whisper into her ear, “Or maybe we’re using each other.”

That makes her chuckle.

“She’s right, you know,” I say as we walk down the stairs. “I’m not the right guy.”

“So what if she is? So what if you aren’t? As long as it’s fun …” The guilty look on her face only makes me want to stop and kiss her.

She knows just as well as I do that what we’re doing is bad for us both.

But we can’t stop.

It’s exactly as she says. As long as it’s fun. As long as it’s distracting.

As long as …

How many more excuses can we have?

How many more can we make?

How many more until it’s over?

“I’m excited,” she says, pulling me from my thoughts. “I haven’t been on a date in a long time.”

“How long?” I ask.

“Maybe a year or something.”

My pupils dilate. “A year? Jesus. And you still had boyfriends?”

“Yeah …” She scratches her head. “Wait, no, not really. Well, I did make out with a few boys at parties, and one did actually take me to a Burger King downtown.”