Page 6 of Crown of Thorns
“Not just clever…” He pushes himself in my space, “but funny as well. Next time you can take a seat in the front row. It always turns me on when someone’s watching.” Our eyes meet through the mirror. “And if you’re good, I might suck you off again.”
“Excuse me?”
“What?” He throws me a condescending laugh. “You think I didn’t know that was you at the club?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, that’s the strategy you’re going for? You playing innocent? Well, let me tell you, Professor, that isn’t working with me. I’m a master gamer.” He hasn’t moved an inch, yet he’s crowding me.
I run a hand through my curls, an old nervous tic I hoped I'd unlearned. My throat’s tight. I feel sixteen again. Powerless. Exposed. “Louis, I apologize for what happened. If I’d known it was you, a student, I would never have let myself go that way.” A familiar sliver of self-loathe makes its way down my spine. “Will you please accept my apology?”
Louis’s mouth curves into a grin. “You sound good, apologizing, Professor. But what would you say if I told you I chose you that night? That it wasn’t a coincidence?”
Surprise punches me in the gut, but well-studied reasoning steals the show. “I would feel flattered for your interest, but would still apologize. I am your professor, Louis, and you are my student. Can we please move past this and head back to dinner?”
Slowly, he shakes his head. “I don’t think I can, Professor.”
My hands start to shake. Opening the tap once more, I need the water to freeze my heated blood before panic can take over. I haven’t had a panic attack in a long time.
“You’ve got nothing to say to that?” Louis asks innocently.
Grabbing a towel, I turn back to face him, leaning against the sink. “I doubt your father would be happy if you danced in a gay club.”
Louis chuckles raspily. “You’re right. He’d be furious if he discovered that Professor Montague forced his dick down my?—”
My chest is heaving, hands tied in fists. “That’s enough. Just?—”
Louis watches me, amusement laced with arrogance. “Just, what?”
“What is it you want?”
“What Iwant?” Louis licks his lips. “Hmm, interesting question. I haven’t quite decided yet. But don't you worry your beautiful head, I will come back to you when I’ve made up my mind.” His voice lowers to a dangerous murmur. “Just know, Professor, Saint-Laurent is full of secrets. I’m just deciding which ones to keep. Let’s go.” He swaggers down the hall and back to the other guests like nothing happened, not even checking if I follow.
“Ah, there he is!” Everyone stands when I return to the table. I feel they can see through my calm. Jean-Luc smiles. Someone hands me a glass of champagne. I should refuse, I’ve had more than two. The drink tastes bitter in my throat. The lights on the Christmas tree still flicker nearby. Too bright, too clean, like a lie made of tinsel.
Someone taps his glass three times.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight.”
I ignore Louis, but the corner of my eye sees everything. It’s like I can even smell him. Spice and earth. Arrogance. Sinful. “When the board decided to align Saint-Laurent’s traditions to the twenty-first century, we couldn’t have hoped for a better recruit than Professor Montague. Young, ambitious, skillful—” I grimace.
Backed up against the wall.
“A man from the big city?—”
Homeless.
“Let’s raise our glass for another fantastic school year. Welcome, Professor Montague!”
“Welcome to Saint-Laurent,” says Jean-Luc.
“Thank you, sir,” I murmur, but then my gaze lingers on Louis, who holds out his glass for me to clink. With his father sitting next to me, I can’t refuse. And he knows it.
“This year will be unforgettable,” he promises, lips curled into a content smirk. Something pangs in my chest. Anger, mixed with arousal and self-loathing. A cocktail of destruction I’m way too familiar with. And as I grimace back, I inwardly test my resolve for any cracks. I have a feeling that I may need it more than ever. I haven’t started work yet, but I’m already in trouble.
Saint-Laurent’s corridors yawn open like a mouth, ready to swallow me whole.
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