Page 59 of The Naughty Professor
“No,” she said.“But you are.”
I pressed the needle into the vein.The serum burned cold, racing up my arm like electricity.For a heartbeat the world went crystalline—every sound sharper, every breath brighter.Then the heat followed, flooding my chest.
“Dr.Sterling?”Juniper’s voice sounded far away.“Hey—hey, talk to me—”
The counter swam out of focus.The floor tilted.
I felt my body folding, weightless, falling.
“Goddamn it,” Juniper said, somewhere above me.
Blue light filled my vision, blooming behind my eyelids, and then the world blinked out.
* * *
When the world came back, it was electric.
First came sound—the hum of the ventilation system, the faint clink of glassware, and the sharp inhale of someone hovering way too close.Then light.Blinding.Every color burned hotter, every edge gleamed sharper, like the universe had switched from dial-up to fiber optics.
“Dr.Sterling?”
Juniper’s voice wobbled like she wasn’t sure if she should call 911 or an exorcist.
I blinked up at her.Black lipstick.Razor eyeliner.Tiny silver hoop glinting in her nose.I’d never noticed the green in her eyes before—like a witch judging me for touching her cauldron.
“Juniper,” I said—or tried to.What actually came out was a low, velvety drawl that could sell whiskey or sin.“Hey there, trouble.”
She froze.“Okay.No.Absolutely not.Who the hell are you?”
I pushed myself upright, the air vibrating around me.My body hummed like it had finally remembered what it was made for.
“I’m me,” I said, grinning.“Just...upgraded.”
Juniper took a step back.“Oh, no.You’re giving ‘mad scientist meets Vegas residency’ vibes right now.”
I laughed—a deep, confident sound that did not belong to Felix Sterling, mild-mannered chemistry professor.“Relax, sweetheart.You look like you’re about to throw holy water at me.”
“I might,” she shot back.“Depends on if your head starts spinning.”
I stood, kicked off my tragic loafers, and shrugged out of my lab coat.The gray dress shirt underneath clung to me like it owed me money.I peeled it off without thinking.
Juniper yelped and spun around.“Sir!This is a workplace, not Magic Mike’s lab division!”
“Is it?”I stretched, feeling liquid strength roll through me.“Because it feels like a rebirth.My soul has been reborn into the man I should be.”
“Oh my God,” she muttered.“New age bullshit.It’s worse than I thought.”
I unzipped my ugly slacks, pulled them down, and kicked them aside.
“Not bullshit,” I said, smiling.“It’s the truth.”
She whipped back around, face pink.“Jesus!Your pants!Dr.Sterling—”
“Call me Jax.”The name rolled off my tongue like it had always been waiting.“Felix is off-duty.”
Her eyes narrowed.“Oh my God.As in Badlands Jax?I saw the video.You were—uh—”
“Incredible?”
