Page 16 of The Naughty Professor
So I stood, stretched again, and muttered, “Fine.”
I walked to the bedroom.The condo really was the only good thing I’d gotten from the divorce.Fred had fought for it, of course, but in the end, I’d won.Hardwood floors, a view of the James River, a kitchen big enough for two but empty now.
I opened the closet and scanned the rows of clothes.A navy button-down.Dark jeans.Simple, but clean.I ran a hand through my hair, debating whether I needed gel, then decided against it.My blond hair behaved well enough without help.
I caught my reflection in the mirror—blue eyes sharp, jaw still strong.Handsome, I supposed, in that easy, genetic-lottery kind of way.People told me so often enough.But being handsome was useless if no one could keep up with me once I opened my mouth.
I slipped on my watch, grabbed my wallet, and headed out the door.
The night air was brisk, carrying a faint tang of the river.As I walked toward the car, my phone buzzed again.
don’t bail.i’m already here.
I typed back quickly.
On my way.
* * *
The moment I walked into Badlands, I regretted it.
The bass thudded through my chest like a second heartbeat, the air heavy with sweat, cheap cologne, and vodka Red Bulls.The dance floor was already a blur of twinks grinding against each other, their bodies slick under the pulsing lights.Near the bar, a few muscle studs stood in a knot, flexing like they were auditioning for each other, their laughter sharp and hollow.
I’d told Sean a thousand times I hated this place, but here I was.Again.
I worked my way through the press of bodies until the bar came into view.Shoulders brushed mine, sequins scraped my sleeve, and someone’s drink sloshed too close for comfort.I elbowed into a space just wide enough to breathe.The shirtless bartender was all abs and easy smiles, bottles spinning in his hands as if he were auditioning for a circus act.
“Bourbon, neat.”I had to raise my voice to be heard over the music.
He slid it toward me without a word.I curled my hand around the glass, let the burn of the first sip steady me, then set it down and scanned the room: crowded dance floor, a knot of men by the DJ booth, the patio doors swinging open and closed.Every entrance, every exit, but no Sean.
My fingers found the rim of the glass and began drumming—left, right, left.A restless rhythm.The bartender leaned over to wipe the counter beneath my elbow, then muttered a half-apology without looking at me.
“Hey there.”
I turned, and there stood a boy.He couldn’t have been more than twenty-two, with red hair gelled into sharp spikes, and a tank top sliced so low it may as well not have existed.He leaned in with a grin that said he’d already imagined the rest of the night.
It definitely wouldn’t be spent with me.
“You here alone?”he asked, voice pitched above the music.The cloud of Axe body spray around him was enough to sting my eyes.
“Meeting a friend.”
“Cool, cool.I like your shirt.You’ve got, like, a professor vibe.Are you a teacher?”
“Something like that.”
He lit up, leaning even closer to me.“That’s hot.I always thought sleeping with a professor would be kinky, you know?Like earning extra credit.”
I took another slow sip of bourbon, letting the silence stretch.
Unfazed, he barreled on.“So, I’ve been bulking up, right?Two protein shakes a day—whey isolate, not that cheap soy crap—and you should see my macros.”
I stared at him blankly, then yawned.
“Miami next weekend’s gonna be fire, bro.All of my friends are flying down.Clubs all night, gym during the day.Gotta stay shredded, you know?”He flexed his arm as if I’d asked.
I took another sip of my drink.The bourbon burned pleasantly down my throat.I didn’t bother hiding my lack of interest, but this boy was oblivious.
