Page 11 of Dean's Delinquent

He’s as stone cold as ever. It’s as if disciplining me didn’t affect him in the slightest. How is that possible?

I watch, dumbstruck, as he rolls down his sleeves, covering his perfectly sculptured forearms. He doesn’t have any right to be this fucking hot. And the way he sounds all controlling and demanding as he speaks? Inappropriate. At least, that’s what my clit says as it throbs mercilessly.

As much as I want to put my hand on my face to leach out the heat, I don’t want him to have any indication of the turmoil churning inside me. It’s already embarrassing enough to feel arousal pulsing through my veins, hot and thick. But to have him know it? Unthinkable.

Grabbing the proof sheet from his desk, I storm out, not wanting to hear another word he has to say. Of course, he doesn’t let me get off that easily. As I reach the door, he grabs my arm and jerks me backward until I nearly fall into his arms.

Is that what he wants? To have me so discombobulated that I’m at his mercy? But again, as I search his hooded gaze, he reveals nothing.

“If you finish rewriting that article in time, you might be able to join me for the benefit dinner this evening. You know, cover something not controversial for once?”

That frisson of anger just below the surface flairs for a moment, making me see red. Blinking it away, I will myself to calm down. No good will come of goading him like this. He’s made it very clear he holds all the cards. Besides, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to get at him in a much more productive way.

As loathe as I am to ever go to my dad for help, I know he’ll back me up with this. Hell, he could probably buy Loftry right out from under Dean Anderson and let me do what I want with the paper... That is, if he even thinks this is a proper venture for his little girl.

A ragged sigh rips from my lips as I tear myself from the dean’s arms. It’s a stupid thought. My father would say my time would be better spent at a finishing school. Never mind that Loftry is one of the best universities in the whole country. Never mind that my brothers couldn’t even get in.

No. I’ll just have to do this my way and leave Daddy Dearest out of it. Besides, what’s the point in having claws if I never learn to use them? It’s just something I need to hone if I want to make it as a real journalist, anyway. Dean Anderson is merely allowing me to sharpen my skills at his expense.

Looking him up and down, I allow my lips to twist into a small smirk. “Are you sure you want someone like me writing an article on how you’re extorting money from the masses when the tuition you charge should be more than enough to cover expenses?”

This time, it’s his turn to sigh as he rubs his hand down his face. Deep inside, a small niggle of glee bubbles up to the surface, morphing the remaining ire and irritation into something else, something far more primal. A challenge.

“Miss Hartwell...”

“Yes, Dean Anderson?” I reply, my voice syrupy sweet.

What the hell is wrong with me? Normally I’m very much a by-the-book kinda girl. I keep my head down. I do what I’m told and don’t make waves. At least not with things outside of journalism. Now, I want nothing more than to push his buttons, to see just how far this goes.

“Are you ever going to be a part of the solution and work with me here? I’d really like us to be together on this.”

For a moment, I tilt my head to the side as I think. As much as I want to be that sweet, demure girl my father is trying to raise, something in me snaps. I don’t want to be the solution anymore. I don’t want to just go along to get along.

My lips curl into a grin as I stare up into his demanding gaze. “I think I’m going to be the whole problem.”

Just saying that makes something break loose inside me. For the first time, I feel just a bit freer. Granted, the terror of getting in over my head makes my gut clench, but it also makes my heart race and flutter.

“I expect to see you here again next week then. Won’t I?”

“Well, that’s your choice, isn’t it? Choose to censor me, and I’ll certainly be back. Your paddle doesn’t scare me.”

Something odd shifts in his expression. I can’t read it, but it makes my pulse pound in my ears loud enough I’m sure he hears it. There’s something dark in his eyes, a hunger I’ve only ever seen in movies or read about in romance novels.

Just as quickly as I see it, it disappears, leaving me to wonder if I just imagined it. But of course I did. There’s no way someone in his position would ever get worked up over someone like me. To him, I’m a nobody. More than likely, I’m just a pretty face and a snarky disposition.

“Again, it is the administration’s-“

“Yeah. Yeah. I get it. Save your threats to someone who actually is frightened by them.”

Without allowing him a retort, I stride out of the office and close the door behind me, effectively cutting off any rebuttal. Inside, I’m a shaking, quaking mess, but I do my best to keep my emotions off my face as I walk by his secretary’s desk. Thankfully, she doesn’t even seem to look up at me.

At this point, I’m not sure if it’s the adrenaline rushing through my system that makes arousal slide down my thighs or just all the emotions swirling through me. Either way, I want to walk back in there and beg him to put me over his desk and make me feel all of it again. It’s insanity. There’s no other word for it.

For now, I need to breathe. Just a few more steps and I’ll be out of here and back on my way to the writing lab. But just as I clear her desk, I hear the door open again behind me.

“We’re not finished here, Miss Hartwell. I expect a copy of the new article to be sent to me and your advisor for looking over and approval before it goes to print. Hurry now. You haven’t much time if you want to make this week’s deadline. It certainly wouldn’t look good for Loftry Lantern’s inaugural issue to be late, or worse, canceled.”

Tossing my hair over my shoulder, I pin him with the haughtiest look I can muster. “Don’t worry Mr. Anderson. I’ll have it for you right away. It won’t be hard to write something new when it’s all fluff. I’ll even have it to you in time to make the benefit tonight.”

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