Page 80 of Devoured

"Yeah." Besides, even though she was nervous when she did her speeches, she was my only student that put any thought into them. She deserved the good grades I gave her. The toaster popped and I grabbed our bagels and some cream cheese.

"Maybe I should give detailed instructions on how to seduce your professor."

Well, that was adorable that she thought she seduced me. I took a bite of my bagel. "You didn't seduce me. I seduced you.”

"No way. Short skirts, my best push up bra, uncalled for texts, and my unbelievably illicit answers in class seduced the crap out of you."

Fair.But I’d gotten her to storm into my office hours. We were sitting here because I always got what I wanted. And I only wanted her. I was borderline stalking her for Christ’s sake. It was a game of cat and mouse, although I was pretty sure I was actually a much more sinister animal than a cat. I was the hunter and she was my prey. The thought made me frown. I tried to shake it away.Breathe."I had you right where I wanted you."

And I was pretty sure she knew it. Because she had no rebuttal.

"So what do you usually do after breakfast?" she asked.

"Go to class."

"What other classes do you teach?"

"I teach that grad class twice a week. And I have a few 300 and 400 level marketing courses."

"That's vague. Tell me what the 300 level ones are and I'll try to sign up for one next semester."

"You probably shouldn't take any more of my classes."

"But I like taking your classes. It means I get to stare at you the whole time."

"Which is very distracting."

"You seriously don't want me to take your marketing classes?"

"Well, I was thinking about it. And I think after this semester it really would be best if we disclosed our relationship to the dean. Maybe after winter session? That way your Comm grade won't be in jeopardy." And maybe if I was lucky, I’d somehow be able to keep my job.

"Which means I can't take any more of your classes?"

"It does."

"Pros and cons,” she said.

"We can spend more time together at night that way. We won't have to worry about people seeing us together around campus. It'll be really nice." It was probably all wishful thinking. The dean had every right to fire my ass, even though I technically hadn’t broken any rules. Which was why I was working on that new camera design for my next business venture. I was pretty sure the tech was already perfect though. I certainly used it a lot.

"I'll think about it,” Penny said. "So what do you do after breakfast on the weekends?"

"Work."

"On your new company?"

"There's always something to do." I shifted in my chair. I should have told her about this last night, but she’d been rather distracting with her wandering hands. "Actually, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Okay." She was looking up at me with a worried expression. She was probably afraid I was going to tell her something awful. And I hoped this wouldn’t be. I really wanted it to go well.

"My brother is coming back from Costa Rica this weekend,” I said.

"That's fantastic. I can't wait to meet him. I want to get to know your family."

That was great, but it was a little more than just a visit. "I invited him here indefinitely. Earlier this month. We weren't together and..."

"James, that's fine. He's your brother. It'll be fun."

Hmm."Yeah, he's definitely fun." And for just a second…I felt a little nervous. I took a sip of orange juice. Rob was younger than me. More fun. He certainly had less baggage. He was a better fit for someone like Penny. He’d make her laugh every day. He could love her in public.

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