A passing car?
She slowly rose, looked around, and realized she was not in her dorm room. Where in the hell was she? Sitting on the bedside table next to her was a glass of water and a bottle of pain relievers. Had Melanie taken her somewhere? It seemed highly unlikely, but it was obvious she wasn’t at the party anymore. Her belly churned again, and right before she vomited everywhere she grabbed the small wastebasket on the ground by the bed and emptied her stomach. When the dry heaves started and she knew there wasn’t anything else left to throw up, she lay back on the bed and sighed.
She went into the bathroom and flicked the light on. She saw granite counters, a shower big enough to fit three adults, a claw foot tub, and gleaming tiles. The sink had a state of the art spout and handles, and when she placed her hand under the faucet the water turned on by itself. She should be more afraid of how she had gotten here, but with the warm water on her hands she didn’t care. Splashing some water on her face and then rinsing her mouth out, she stared at herself in the mirror.
Her eyes had rings around them and the blueness of the color stood out against her pale skin. She looked like shit. There was a small bottle of mouthwash on the counter, and without thinking about using someone else’s things she grabbed it and rinsed her mouth until it felt clean. Turning toward the door, she switched off the light and stepped back into the room. She felt better, but the glass of water and pain relievers beckoned her.
The room was tastefully decorated, well, as decorated as she could tell given the fact she couldn’t see much since it was dark. But there was a minimal amount of light coming in through the window, so she could see a few things: sleek bedroom furniture, wall art that was dark and light slashes of color, and a chair in the corner.
She froze, her heart starting to race and fear slamming into her as she saw someone sitting in that chair. The shadows concealed them, but a strong presence surrounded her. It was like another entity was with them, filling the room, and instantly having her body pliant. It was the strangest sensation, and when the person stood and stepped into the light, her heart completely stopped beating when she realized who it was.
“It’s okay. No need to be afraid,” he said slowly, softly. It was like he was trying to ease her because he could tell she was afraid. Aurora was breathing harder all of a sudden. Her heart was in her throat, her palms were sweaty, and her brows knitted low as confusion filled her. Grey Dawson, her chemistry professor, moved into the moonlight that spilled through the window.
“What am I doing here?” She glanced around the room, so damn confused as to what was happening. “How did I get here?” He looked good, sophisticated even though he wasn’t in the classroom. His shirt was undone at the first few buttons, and she could see his smooth chest from where the material had parted. His slacks were dark and his hands were shoved in the front pockets.
“I saw you at that party and knew you needed to be in a safe place for when you woke, so I brought you to my apartment.” His voice was so deep, so masculine, that she felt her body react instantly. He moved over to the lamp on the bedside table, turned it on, and light washed the bedroom in a soft, warm glow. He stared at her, watched her with those cold, calculating dark eyes, and she felt her inner muscles clench in desire. There was something about him, something that told her that this man would change everything she ever believed in, change the entire make-up of who she was.
Aurora had felt that attraction, that chemistry from the moment she stepped into his classroom and stared at him. He had watched her as he lectured, stared right into her soul as he spoke. She looked down and saw how hard her nipples were, felt how they poked through her shirt, and knew that if she were smart she’d leave his apartment. God, she was in the apartment of Grey Dawson, her chemistry professor and the man she had wanted since she started his course. She felt her nipples throb in desire, and when she looked at him again she saw his gaze penetrating her even more. She quickly covered her chest with her forearm.
“You don’t need to hide yourself from me, Aurora.”
She swallowed hard. “W-what?” God, what was he saying?
He didn’t respond right away, and instead grabbed the glass of water and a few pain relievers from the bottle. Then he moved toward her and held them out, and she stared at his strong, big hand.
She took the pills and water, thanked him softly, and then put them in her mouth and swallowed them.
“If you really want to leave I can take you back to your dorm, but maybe you’d like something to eat?”
She shook her head. “No thank you. My stomach is a little queasy still.”