Page 12 of Unapologetic Obsession
“Consider me virtue deficient,” I muttered, leaning against the steel lab counter.
“If you just give the students a chance, things might work out in your favor.” Damon punctuated the air with a finger pointed in my direction. “The university won’t let you keep this lab if you refuse.”
I arched an eyebrow, arms folded across my chest. “They aren’t in the position to make demands of me. Last time I checked, I’m the one bringing in millions of dollars in donations with my work.”
“Which can move a hell of a lot faster if you let students assist you,” Damon shot back.
“They won’t survive a week in my lab.”
“They might if you exercise some patience and take the time to teach them,” he countered, his hands splayed wide as if presenting an obvious solution.
“They’re too incompetent,” I replied dismissively.
“That’s the same excuse you used when the university asked you to hire a lab manager.”
“I’m just waiting to find a qualified candidate.”
“Except you never think anyone’s qualified.”
“It’s not my fault that most people are dimwitted.”
Damon shifted uncomfortably. “Come on, man. You’re this close,” he pinched his fingers nearly together, “to finding something that could change millions of lives. Our mother?—”
“Don’t,” I drawled out the warning.
I hated it when people mentioned my mother, even if the person doing so was her other son. She was weak and didn’t care about anything other than her next fix until she succumbed to her addiction.
“Fine,” Damon conceded. He dropped his voice and whispered, “But just think what a team of minions could accomplish under your guidance. They’re eager to learn from the great Professor Maxwell.”
I scoffed and turned away to refocus on the maze of notations and equations on the various whiteboards. Flattery would get him nowhere.
My papers on revolutionary non-addictive pain medication had generated buzz within the scientific community. I needed a reputable lab to conduct my research, and the best equipment existed at NewTech University, things money couldn’t buy and could only be sourced or built. The work required ongoing experiments and a large team. However, before signing a contract with NewTech, I stipulated doing all the hiring. I was particular about my assistants and thoroughly vetted each candidate.
The asshole board members of NewTech insisted my hiring process was too slow and wanted me to solidify the formula for the drug before another lab picked up the project. They went over my head, claiming the contract stated nothing about free help, and they had selected the top students in the chemistry department to become unpaid assistants. I had to teach a class in exchange for help I didn’t want.
Absolute waste of time.
The students on campus were rich and entitled. They could barely survive dormitory life without their personal chefs and didn’t know how to do a hard day’s work. They were unteachable, and I didn’t want them destroying my lab.
When I refused to follow the university’s arbitrary process, they called in the big guns—Damon. He glanced at the table in front of us. The surface was covered with lab equipment and notes scribbled in handwriting that only I could decipher.
A touch of concern was laced in his voice when he spoke again. “You’re working yourself to death. Just think about it. You’ll have fifty of the best students at your disposal, they’ll receive lab credit in exchange for their help, your TA will do the grading, and you’ll be on track for tenure. This is a win-win from every angle.”
I said nothing.
Damon sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You don’t have a choice, Caden. Either teach the class or lose your position.”
Regretfully, he was right. I had to cave if I didn’t want the last few years of my research going down the drain. It didn’t mean I wouldn’t put up a good fight. “They’ll compromise the research.”
Damon threw his hands up and stated the obvious. “You can’t exactly stay on as a professor if you refuse to teach students.”
“But they are such unteachable idiots.” Maybe I sounded petulant, but why must I interact with inferior creatures? NewTech University housed rich kids whose nannies never told themno.Half of the female students ogled me or hit on me, and most of the male students thought dropping their last names would guarantee them a good grade. It boiled my blood, especially since I was financially and intellectually superior to them.
Damon slanted his head uncomfortably. “Stop calling them names,” he hissed, his expression a mix of frustration and embarrassment.
“I’m just calling it as it is. I could teach monkeys faster than these incompetent brats.” I thought about my statement for a moment. “If I’m being honest, that comparison is an insult to monkeys.”
“Um… Excuse me, Professor.” The interruption echoed off the lab walls. The voice sounded indignant, as if they had every right to breathe the same air as me. “Can you please stop talking about us like we aren’t here? Also, we have names and prefer not to be called lower primates.”
