Page 147 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10
Me.She was talking about me. And in that moment, I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt more relief. I did want her to go on a date with Tyler. I did want her to try to move on. But if she had tried? And decided to pursue me anyway? Wasn’t that enough?
She was standing at the podium staring at me. I realized I hadn’t written a single thing down. I glanced at my roster and called the next name so that Penny would be free to leave the front of the class.
She looked down as she walked, probably terrified of tripping over anything. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Right before she passed my desk, she glanced up.
Nervous and shy. But talking about me for her speech? I raised my left eyebrow. More than anything she was naughty. Very, very naughty. It felt like she was challenging me. And I’d never backed down from a challenge before.
"You decided to talk about me too, huh?” Tyler whispered when she sat down. “I liked it."
Tyler Stevens may have been great at giving speeches, but he was rather dense. Penny’s speech had nothing to do with him. She hadn’t even glanced his way the entire time. But Penny also didn’t correct him. Which probably meant she wasn’t closing the door on the possibility of being with him quite yet. The ball was in my court. And I was done messing around. If Penny wantedme after I’d warned her to stay away? That was her decision. I was nothing if not respectful of women’s choices.
She wanted this. And clearly I needed this. Just the thought of letting myself have her had my dick straining against my pants. Fuck it. Fuck everything. I could only tell myself no so many times.
After the last speech, I dismissed the class. And I waited. I knew she’d come to me. There was a plan forming in my head on how to get her alone again. But it definitely involved her always coming to me.
Once the class emptied out, she stepped in front of my desk.
"Did you enjoy my speech, Professor Hunter?" she asked.
I looked up at her. "Miss Taylor, you'll have to wait until Monday for your grade, just like the other students."
She looked down. I saw the flush of her cheeks. As much as I liked seeing her embarrassed, I wasn’t trying to dismiss her. I was tiptoeing around the game that she’d started. I lightly touched her elbow.
She looked back up.
"But I will say that it was rather enlightening."
We stood like that for a few seconds too long. Her blinking shyly at me. My fingers brushing her skin. I let my hand fall to the desk. And as soon as I did, a chill ran down my spine. I tried to ignore the feeling as I stood up. It’s not like I’d have to golong before I got to touch her again. To feel her warmth. Because there was no going back now. Not when she was blatantly flirting with me in class. Not when she was staring at me likethat. Begging me with just her eyes.
I leaned forward as I went to grab my satchel. When my head was level with hers, I paused. Our faces were only a few inches apart. One bend and we’d be reenacting our first kiss. But teasing her was half the fun.
I flashed her a smile instead. "Have a good weekend, Penny," I said, grabbed my satchel, and exited the room. I had her right where I wanted her.
Obsessed - Chapter 16
Monday
I’d skipped my weekly therapy session. All I could think about was how Penny had looked at me after class on Friday. During her speech. Pretty much every time I’d ever seen her. I’d tried to keep my distance. But what was the point when she didn’t want me to? We were both consenting adults. I was done taking the high road. And I couldn’t look Dr. Clark in the face and lie anymore. Not when I knew what I was about to do.
Besides, the more I thought about it, the more I realized what my infatuation with Penny was. A game. I’d win it and then I’d be able to walk away. I didn’t need to talk to Dr. Clark about that. He’d just tell me I was making a mistake. That I deserved someone good. Yadda, yadda. Something about the universe giving back what I put out. Complete and utter bullshit. Because I knew that I didn’t deserve anything other than the hell I was living. If I had changed, and if I was suddenly a good man, I wouldn’t be thinking about a student.
Actually, there were a lot of things I wouldn’t be doing if my therapy sessions had helped at all. I wouldn’t be alone every night. I wouldn’t be bitter about the life I’d left behind. I wouldn’t be terribly unhappy.
I tried not to think about any of that as I climbed the stairs up to my Comm classroom. If my plan worked out the way I presumed it would, I’d have a moment of relief from my dismal thoughts. I’d be focused on Penny. Her warmth. Her smile. Her moan. She’d be the reprieve I desperately needed.
I smiled to myself as I opened the classroom door. All I needed to do was get through today and tomorrow and then she’d be beneath me. I took a deep breath, but not to clear my thoughts. For the first time since I’d met Penny, I allowed myself to embrace them. And for some reason, not warring over my desire for her helped clear my head.
"So I have the grades here," I said and lifted a stack of papers out of my satchel. "You'll get them at the end of class. The main problem that I saw with the first speeches was the amount of eye contact."
I grabbed the podium from the corner and placed it in front of the class. "Okay, I'm going to give you two examples, and I want you to tell me which speech is better." I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and began reading it word for word without looking up:
"My older sister always inspired me growing up. She did everything first, fearlessly. And I admired her for that. Her insane courage was something that I lacked, but reveled in. She always pushed the boundaries and knew what she wanted. And she was determined enough to go after all her dreams. I just wished she had rubbed off on me a little more. Don't get me wrong, I love being your teacher. But I like to follow the rules. I like to play it safe. Because of her, though, sometimes I feel compelled to take those risky chances. Sometimes I make huge, stupid mistakes and don't look back. She inspired me to be strong."
For one of the first times this semester, I was actually sticking to the lesson plan. And I didn’t think it had anything to do with my ode to my sister. This speech was for Penny. She was my riskychance. She was the mistake I was about to make, and I wasn’t going to look back.
"Okay, let me try that again. And let's see if you can see a difference." I gave the same speech, but only looked down once. For most of it, I gazed around the room. I made gestures with my hands. I delivered my joke a little louder and smiled. I paused as the class laughed so they’d be able to hear my next point. And since they thought I was hilarious today, probably because I was actually doing my job well, I added to the end: “Not physically strong. I’m pretty sure I could bench press two of my sister.” I smiled as the class erupted in laughter again. Another point to make was that a little improv never hurt anyone.
"So, which speech was better?" I asked.
