Page 51 of To Professor, with Love
I did not like my own words used against me, but I did like how he’d been listening and soaking them in.
Grr.So not the point.
“You can’t just write something like that.What if someone else had gotten their hands on this and read it?”
He shrugged.“So what?I didn’t name you specifically.”But he had written about how someone who was forbidden to him had just come into his life and changed some of the major things he wanted.I had altered his hopes and dreams.It was frankly flattering to know I made him question what he really wanted out of his life and how the only thing holding him back from pursuing his newest dream was my security.
But he’d come right out and announced he wanted to date one of his teachers, writing the line:I stay away only because the consequences of fraternizing with a student are too great for her.
“You actually wrote the wordfraternize,” I accused.
He gave a wide, proud grin.“I know.I even shocked myself on that one.Good word, huh?”
“Noel.”I shook my head.He was impossible.Impossible!“I can’t accept this essay.”
“Okay, fine.”With a roll of his eyes, he blew out a harassed breath and slipped a stapled stack of papers from his messenger bag to set it on my desk.“How about this one, then?”
I glanced down, blinking at what looked like another essay.“Wha...?”I looked up at him, completely confused.
He winked.“I had a feeling you’d be demanding a different version.So, there it is, without a single word of what you do to me on any line.”
“You...you wrotetwoversions of your essay?”When he nodded, I shook my head, baffled.“Why?”
His blue eyes filled with an intense emotion that made my throat go dry.“Because I wanted you to know.I wanted you to understand.”
My heart wrenched in my chest as he turned away and walked from my classroom.
Okay,fine.I admit it.Noel Gamble’s freaking mock essay had gotten to me.So had that honest, seeking look in his eyes when he’d saidI wanted you to understand.
He’d just placed the ballfirmlyin my court.And it was just too tempting not to leap toward it.So, there I was, doing something unspeakably crazy.
Forbidden was an apt name for this club, I decided.I knew I shouldn’t be in it, but a thrill of naughty anticipation danced over my scalp as I opened the front door and stepped inside.I couldn’t believe I was giving into this so easily, coming here in the hopes of maybe only catching a glimpse of him.
He probably didn’t even work tonight.God, I hoped not.I didn’t need anything else making me fall under his spell.I didn’t care how much I really did want to see him, even if it was just stolen little longing glances from across a room without him knowing I was there.I needed to nip this fascination in the bud.
Easier said than done.
He was the first thing I saw.Being a Tuesday evening, the place was a lot less crowded than it had been the last time I’d been here.So I had a straight shot, wide-open view to the bar in the back.Blue fluorescent lights sprayed down on his dark hair, and the black cloth of his T-shirt looked especially nice stretching across his wide, thick shoulders.
A pinch in my chest had me sucking in a breath.He was busy, absorbed in his work, setting up a row of shots.His hands were fluid and graceful as he flipped over each glass with adept speed and then poured his way down the line.Everything about him was so freaking captivating.When he sprawled in his seat during class, doodling in his notebook with lazy strokes as if he wasn’t paying attention to a thing I taught.When he directed his team on the field, calling plays and pointing out commands to his teammates.And definitely when he played Tom Cruise fromCocktail.
My parents would disown me if they knew how much I loved eighties movies.But I didn’t care.I’d always had a thing for bartenders because of that one.I liked them almost as much as I’d been drawn to football players.
This was bad; he sucked me in way too easily.I should go.He hadn’t seen me come in.I still had a chance to escape before he noticed I’d turned into a total creeper.But, nope, I didn’t budge.
A waitress approached me and tried to take my order, but I waved her off with a smile and shake of my head.And returned to my stalking.
Noel Gamble really was a sight to behold.As he handled his own customers, he still had time to pause and help the other bartender mix his drinks correctly.
When the flow of traffic to the bar died off, I was drawn closer.I nibbled on the corner of my lip, telling myself to stay back, but yeah, that didn’t work out so well.I kept drifting toward the light.Except another woman passing by the other side of the bar caught Noel’s attention.He glanced briefly at her, only to do a double take.
Jealousy slapped me right across the face.It was so easy for him to notice other women.I obviously didn’t mean as much to him as he’d made it sound in his essay.
But then his eyes narrowed on her.“Hey, Jess,” he called, tipping up his chin as he tried to catch her attention.
She ignored him and kept walking, entering a hall in the corner and disappearing down it.
Ripping off the drying towel he had slung over his shoulder, he slapped it against the bar and growled, “I’ll be right back.You got the bar okay?”
