Teacher's Pet Complete Series (2 page)

“None taken… I guess.” I crossed my arms across my chest and rolled my eyes behind his back. This guy was growing less attractive by the second.

Professor Temple spun around in her seat and used the armrests to lift herself up. “Lynn, if you don’t mind, I need to talk to Professor Foster privately. I was under the impression this would go another way. So, if you could give us a second, please, I’d appreciate it.”

At that point, I was anxious to leave. I couldn’t look at Professor Foster any longer or have his presence continue to work my hormones into a frenzy. “I’ll be outside with Bobbi, but remember, I can’t stay long. I have to go to work.”

Professor Temple winked as she held the phone to her ear and held up a finger, mouthing “one minute.”

I walked out and sat down next to Bobbi, but before I had a chance to put some warmth to the seat, Professor Foster came barreling out of the office. He turned toward us, his eyes ablaze with anger. His enticing lips in a scowl like an angry wolf. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” he said through his teeth. “And don’t be late!”

He turned around without another word and stomped down the hall in a hurry.

“Jerk,” I said under my breath. But I couldn’t keep myself from staring at his ass as he walked away. The next day was certainly going to be interesting.

To say that I was furious wouldn’t do my feelings justice. Every muscle in my body had tensed into knots. My back was feeling stiff and noncompliant. When I turned to watch him go, I felt hurt. When I turned back to look at Bobbi, it hurt even worse.

When Professor Foster barreled out of the office, Bobbi backed up and ran into the bench. I’d never seen her startled before. She winced when she heard the door slam loudly behind him, sounding like a shotgun blast echoing down the hall. I guessed the look on my face had also caused her some concern. Wrinkles formed between her brows, long and deep with concern.

“What the hell was all that about?” She handed my backpack to me. “And what did you do to Mr. Sexy Pants to get him all riled up?”

“I didn’t do anything to him.” I felt like I wanted to scream. “He’s just an asshole blowing off steam.”

Professor Temple stuck her head out the door. “Everything is all set, Lynn. Just don’t ruffle the guy’s feathers, okay? He’s pretty PO’d, as you can see.”

“You think?” I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, professor. I’ll see you when you get back, hopefully.” I gave her a parting hug and joined Bobbi down the hall.

“I see the meeting went well.” Bobbie lifted an eyebrow.

I cut my eyes in her direction. “It went swimmingly.”

“Well, he may be an ass, but it’s a hot ass, at least! Can I get a professor like that? I’d probably get straight A’s from all the tutoring I would need.” She nudged me on the shoulder, but I wasn’t in the mood for jokes at the moment.

“Professors don’t tutor, genius; students do. And I’d trip you the moment you walked into my class spreading that charm of yours around.”

“Wow, grumpy much? Why would you wish acts of violence upon this beauty?” She ran her hands along her waist.

I took a deep breath and I let it out slowly. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that I almost lost my job thanks to him, and you know I need the money.”

“You and me both.”

“Oh, come on, your situation is a lot different than mine. If I lose my job, I have nothing to fall back on. You have more hands to support you than Allstate.”

“Hey, just because my family owns a retail chain it doesn’t mean any of their wealth trickles down to the common folk.”

“Oh, yeah? Tell that to the designer pencil skirt you’re wearing, that Ann Taylor blouse and your gold Chanel flats. Bobbi, your fashion sense is flawless. If I lost my job, you’d be looking at the before picture of a very sad life. I’d be a homeless, starving student eating tuna out of a can with my fingers because I couldn’t afford a fork. And smelling like it, too, for lack of laundry money.”

Bobbi huffed. “Why do you always have to be so dramatic when it comes to things you can’t control? You still have your job, don’t you? That’s all that matters. And if worse came to worst—and I’m pretty sure it won’t—you could always stay with me. I have an extra room and there’s food in the fridge. I may dress like a skinny girl,” she said as she twirled, “but the booty is plenty, if you know what I’m saying. I’m not the type to skip a meal, and neither will you.”

I cracked a smile.

“See!” Bobbi pointed. “I knew I could get you to smile. Look, girl, it’s never as serious as you make it out to be, I promise you. You have to learn to roll with the punches, you know? Duck and dodge.” She punched in the air. “There are plenty of jobs out there. You already have one under your belt, so getting another one would be cake.”

I opened the door to my room and stuck my head in first. Bobbi tried to walk past me, but I stopped her in her tracks. It was necessary. I had to make sure my roommate wasn’t there, since she had the awful habit of walking around naked or being in the company of men who liked their penises swinging free. “The coast is clear; come on in.”

Bobbi shook her head. “You’re a strange bird, you know that?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before; it’s no secret.”

As soon as Bobbi walked in, she started inspecting the place. It was what she did. Besides, being an heiress to a retail empire, she was also an incredible interior decorator. “Oh, this will never work, girlfriend. You need my help, like seriously.” She picked up some random items, held them between her fingers for a moment and dropped them in disgust. With her hands resting on her hips, she turned around in the center of the room. “I think I know why you’ve never let me in here.”

“I think I know why, too.” I shook my head. “But you can berate my room décor later. We’re going to be late for work if we don’t get moving.”

“What the heck is this?” She sauntered over to the corner between the dresser and the window to an old-fashioned four-panel room divider. It was a Japanese-style divider with frosted paper panels, encased by a cherry wood frame. “Where did you get this? IKEA?”

“Actually, it was my mother’s. She gave it to me just in case I happened to get a roommate like Sonja. It’s for privacy when I get dressed in the mornings.”

“I know what it’s for, Lynn. I just haven’t seen one outside of the movies. Hmm.” She ran her fingers across it and walked behind it. Her silhouette became a shadow through the panes. “I guess it does have some appeal. It’s kind of sexy, actually. I might have to buy one and tease Jay with it sometime. You know how he hates being teased. Poor man is all stop and go, with no gears in between. If he wasn’t so damn good to me, I’d dump him.” I peeked out to see her devilish smile.

“You’re crazy.” I laughed. “Jay isn’t going anywhere and neither are you. Now, is your highness done with her critique yet? I wouldn’t want to rush you or anything.”

Bobbi clapped her hands together, dusting them off. “Oh no, hon, it’s no rush. As far as I’m concerned, this is a free consultation. We are best friends, after all.” Bobbi sat down on my twin-sized bed and sank into the mattress. She crossed her legs at the knees and stared off toward the wall. “Do we have to go to work?”

“Yup, I believe we do unless you don’t want to get paid.”

“Oh, well, that’s not an option.”

Every morning, I met Bobbi for breakfast before classes began. I was late, as usual, so I was rushing. Bobbi was waiting, leaning against the wall near the entryway of the dining hall, looking as tall and statuesque as ever, with her black, curly hair falling freely across her shoulders, framing her cocoa face and bringing the hazel out in her eyes. She was my best friend, and I loved her to death, but I knew she was going to razz me for the clothes I’d chosen to wear.

“Damn, woman, slow down before you bust your ass.” She giggled at me. “We’re friends and all, but make no mistake. I
will
laugh at you if you fall, believe me.” Bobbi gave me the once-over. “Um, where do you think you’re going, missy?” She made a twirl with her finger, signaling me to spin around. I did. “Look who’s got some booty on her. Who would’ve thought you, of all people, would be wearing tight blue jeans, a sexy-sleeved top and nice boots. Hey, wait a minute, isn’t that the outfit we picked out for your birthday last year? I’ve haven’t seen you wear it, not one time.” She cocked an eyebrow. “So what’s the occasion… or who’s the occasion, should I say?”

“Nothing and no one,” I responded defensively. “There’s a first time for everything, Bobbi. Don’t give me shit.” My face was turning red. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

“Nobody’s giving you shit, and no one is paying attention to us. So don’t do your paranoid thing,” she huffed. “Oh, except for maybe that guy over there in the glasses who can’t keep his eyes off of your badonkadonk.”

“Oh my God!” I turned my body around and pressed my butt against the wall. I felt like it looked so massive in those jeans.

Bobbi howled with laughter. “I’m just kidding, girl.” She gripped my shoulder. “Besides, if anyone
was
looking at you, then you should let them look. That’s why you wear tight jeans in the first place. It’s called showing them what you got. Hell, I do it every day and it’s never hurt me.” She put her hand on her hip. “It’s good for your self-esteem.” She flicked my bangs. “I’d change that hair, though, if I were you. Put a little curl in it or something. Anyway, let’s go get some breakfast before your booty causes a riot. That thing is like a call of the wild for crazed, hungry animals.”

We walked into the dining hall and immediately found a table. Thank goodness we did. It got so busy in the mornings that only one of us could get up to get food at a time for fear of losing our seats and having to eat outside on the grass.

“Are you okay?” Bobbi sat in her seat with a tray in her hand and placed a wedge of pineapple in her mouth. She licked the juices off her fingers.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why? Do I look like I’m not okay?”

“Well, you keep spacing out on me while I’m talking to you. I asked if your dressing up today had anything to do with Professor Sexy. Are you looking to take his attention off what happened yesterday or something? Maybe captivate his mind with your lovely lady lumps?”

“Lady lumps, Bobbi? Really?”

She smiled.

“Anyway, I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal out of this. I’m not that dressed up.” I averted my eyes. “I just wanted to finally wear the outfit you got me, that’s all. I thought you might appreciate that your money wasn’t wasted.”

“Mm-hmm.” She wasn’t buying it. “I’m sure it’s not necessarily my appreciation you’re looking for. And for you”—she pointed her finger—“that
is
dressed up, when you wear oversized sweatshirts and loose-fitting jeans almost every day. You’re not fooling anybody, so what’s the deal, Lynn? Don’t make me drag it out of you.”

I hate lying to my friends. I really do, especially Bobbi. But what I wasn’t going to tell her was that I did wear this outfit for Professor Foster. I felt like if I looked my best when I walked into class today, there was a chance he could forget that he hated me. It was a slim chance, I knew, but it was worth a shot, and at that point I had nothing to lose.

I got up from my seat to avoid any further questioning. Bobbi could be a pit bull when she wanted to be. Once she caught a scent of something she felt was a little fishy, she held on to it and shook it until it fell apart at the seams.

I walked over to the breakfast counter. It was a buffet style, where you could grab what you wanted and pay the cashier as you moved through the line. I grabbed a tray and a tiny bowl of cereal, a tall cup of hot coffee and an orange. I heard my name being called from the distance. At the same time, I heard my cell phone ringing in my pack on the table where we were sitting. It was an obnoxious ring. I’d forgotten I set my ringtone to sound like chirping birds. No one ever bothered to call me, so I never bothered to change it.

People were getting annoyed. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t reach for my phone, and it was Bobbi calling my name—too many things to do at one time. I needed to set my tray down, but I was in a hurry. I spun around. Out the corner of my eye, I caught a quick glimpse of someone behind me. It was too late to stop my momentum. My tray hit him square in the middle of his chest. The coffee went sliding off of my tray. It tipped, spilled and made a complete mess as it landed all over Professor Foster.

I had never heard so many curses come out of a professor’s mouth before. They were flying through the air like rogue fireworks aimed to explode at my head. I felt awful. Professor Foster looked at me again with anger in his eyes as he ripped his shirt open, keeping the coffee from his skin. It was scalding hot. He grabbed a load of napkins off the counter and wiped at his chest. I felt ashamed because all I could do was stare, as my mouth began to water.

His skin began to turn bright red. I should’ve been concerned, but for one brief moment, all I could see were his abs coming out to make my acquaintance. They were perfectly well defined. So much so that I could finally understand how six square packs of muscle could turn any woman’s body into mush.

“Look at this mess!” Simon shook out his hands with coffee dripping from his fingers and his palms.

“I’m so, so, sorry, Professor Foster. I turned around and you appeared out of nowhere. I didn’t mean to—”

He held up his hand to stop me from talking. His head was facing in my direction, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking through me. It was unnerving. “Please don’t be upset. It was an accident,” I continued, but he turned and walked away, uninterested in anything I had to say.

Professor Foster not only didn’t respond to my apology, he didn’t look back in my direction at all. He walked right out the door at a furious pace, not caring if anyone got in his way. Bobbi walked next to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.