“How was it?” I ask.
A grin appears on her face. “Good.”
I narrow my eyes. “The taste of my cum or the sex?”
“Both.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah … just a little … wowed.”
I laugh. “Okay, well, as long as you don’t share that wow with anyone else, I’m good.”
“Share?” She grabs her panties off the floor and puts them back on again. “I don’t have any other boys in my life right now, if that’s what you mean.”
I frown. “Not what I meant, and I’m sure as hell not fucking jealous.”
“Okay, well, sorry,” she scoffs, raising her brows at me.
I let out a sigh. “Don’t take it badly. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Right, of course.” She shakes it off like she’s already over it, but I can tell she’s not. “Well, we fucked. End of story. Time for class.”
She tries to pass me, but I grab her arm to stop her. “Wait.”
“Why?”
“You’re misunderstanding me. That shit came out wrong.” I pull her toward me and grab her shoulders. “I’m not jealous of any boy … because I know you don’t want them. And what I meant with ‘not sharing’ is that we need to keep this a secret.” I tip up her chin and smile. “Can you do that for me?”
“You mean not even telling Lesley?”
“Not telling anyone.” I lean in closer. “This could kill my career. Get you expelled.”
“Oh … right …” Her eyes drift off. “Because you’re still my teacher and I’m your student.”
I grab her by the waist and pull her closer. “Hey, look at me.” I wait until she does. “Just because I am doesn’t mean this whole thing doesn’t mean anything. It does.”
“But it’s just sex,” she adds.
“Yes …” I sigh, trying to make peace with the fact that it’s just sex.
That it should be just sex.
But for some reason, something gnaws at my insides when I hold her like this.
“So … guess we should get to the classroom then?” she asks.
“Not yet … there’s one more thing …”
“If you wanna know … no, I didn’t do my homework. Wanna spank me now? Jizz in my panties again?”
I smirk. “No, but thanks for telling me. I’ll remember it the next time my hand gets itchy.”
She gives me an awkward smile, followed by a raised eyebrow, almost as if she’s trying to outplay me, but it isn’t happening.
My fingers are still locked around her chin, and I pull her closer until my lips touch hers and her breath is stolen by me.
Capturing her mouth with mine makes me numb with desire, even after just fucking her into oblivion. I don’t know what it is about her, but she makes me want to latch on and never let go.
That is until someone knocks on my door and opens it in about two seconds time …
Catching us in the act.
“Mr. Hard, did you—”
Our lips unlock, and a gasp escapes Hailey’s mouth as she turns her head toward the sound.
My eyes are drawn toward the girl standing in the door, her pupils dilating the longer she stares.
“Oh, my god.” Hailey whispers. “Lesley?”
Chapter 12
Hailey
Fuck.
“O … kay …” Lesley mutters as she stands stupefied in the doorway. “I’ll just go to class.”
“Wait!” I yell, unhooking myself from Thomas’s embrace. I run to her and grab her arm. “Please …”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” she says, trying to walk away, but I keep going after her.
“Please, let me explain.”
“Explain what?” She suddenly comes to a stop and turns around. “You were kissing Mr. Hard. What’s there to explain?”
“I know what you saw, but it isn’t what you think.”
“What I think? I’m not thinking anything. I’m trying not to think because all I can come up with is how … awkward it is. Sure, I fantasized about hooking up with a teacher, but actually doing it is a whole different story. This is just … weird.”
“I’m sorry you had to see us like that. Please, can we go talk somewhere in private?” I ask, grabbing her hand.
“I don’t know …” She bites her lip. “Fine, but only if you tell me exactly what’s going on. No lies.”
I nod and take her to a small corner where no one else seems to bother coming. “Look. Thomas and I … Mr. Hard, we’ve been involved for a few days now.”
“You mean this has been going on longer than just today?” She makes a face. “Is this because I told you to look at his ass?” She narrows her eyes. “I didn’t know you’d actually jump on him.”
“No …” I shush her. “Be quiet. I don’t want anyone else to hear.”
She frowns. “Well, you could’ve kissed somewhere else too, but you didn’t. I was only going to ask him if he’d already graded my papers, and then I found you two smooching like two crazy lovebirds.”
“I know how it must look to you, but I’m not using him, and he isn’t using me.”
She places her hand on her side. “Then why? Why would you hook up with him? You know he’s your teacher, right?”
“No shit, I haven’t forgotten. Why do you think we were hiding?”
“Good job hiding with the door unlocked, dimwit.”
We throw each other shade until we both sigh.
“Okay … I meant to tell you, but …” I take a deep breath. “Thomas is actually the same guy I fucked a few days ago. The one from the club that I told you about.”
She takes in a sharp breath. “No …”
“Yes.”
She leans in. “The one who took your virginity?”
“Uh-huh.”
“No …”
I chuckle a little. “Yes. How many times do you want me to say it?”
“I don’t fucking believe it,” she says.
“Well, you’d better because it’s the truth.”
“Oh my god …”
“I know; it’s a bit hard to believe I had sex with our professor.”
“You’ve been lying to me all this time …” she says, pursing her lips.
“No, I just didn’t tell you. Big difference.”
“How could you not tell me? It’s like the single most important detail.”
“I didn’t know, okay? I didn’t know he was my professor. And when I did find out, I felt so humiliated; I just wanted to forget about it.”
“Oh, my god …” She puts her hand over her forehead like she just got a premonition. “So that’s why you left when we had our first class. You said you were sick.” She points at me. “Lie.”
“Guilty.” I raise my hands. “Look, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to lie to you. It just … happened.”
“Like you just happened to fuck your goddamn teacher.”
I shrug, and she rolls up a paper in her hand and slaps me on the head, making me laugh. “Are you outta your mind?” she yells. “Do you even know how stupid this all sounds?”
“Yes! Stop,” I say, still laughing, trying to snatch the paper, but she’s way quicker than I am.
“You fucked your fucking teacher. If that isn’t fifty shades of fucked up, I don’t know what is.”
“Well … he does like kinky shit.” I burst out into more laughter when I see her face all scrunched up.
“Oh my god, that is not the fucking point!” She smacks me again. “You lied!”
“Okay, I get it, and I’m sorry,” I say, finally managing to steal the paper from her.
“I just caught you kissing our goddamn teacher.”
“I know, and I’m fucking embarrassed.”
She frowns. “Then why are you even coming close to him? Why even put yourself in that position? It only makes it harder.”
“Well, I can’t not come to class, can I?”
“Not. What. I. Mean.” She takes th
e paper back and tucks it into her backpack.
“Yes, we kissed. And it’s probably not the last time either.”
She cocks her head. “That’s what I mean. It’s not an accident if it happens twice.”
“Okay. You’re right. I can’t resist him.”
“And he can’t resist you either …” she muses. “So what are you gonna do now? You can’t continue this. You know it’s not allowed.”
“I know, but … I don’t know if I can stop. If I really want to.”
She’s quiet for a second, but the look on her face says it all.
“Can you forgive me for lying to you?”
Her lips turn to thin lines. “I don’t know …”
“Do I have to beg you?” I pout, which makes her forcefully push away her smile.
“Fine, I forgive you for lying, but that doesn’t mean what you’re doing is okay.”
“I know, but please don’t judge me.”
“I’m not judging. I’m disappointed. I’m worried about you,” she says, swallowing. “I thought you lost your virginity to some random guy, not our damn teacher. This is so awkward. Like how are you gonna sit in class knowing he’s seen you naked?”
I raise my brows and slam my lips together, shrugging.
“You haven’t even thought about it? What about the consequences? What if someone finds out?”
“You found out …” I mutter.
“Exactly. So basically, you’re already screwed.”
“Please, don’t tell anyone,” I plead, putting up my pouty face. “Please?”
She sighs. “You’re asking me to be your accomplice?”
“I’m only asking if you can just pretend you never saw anything.”
“But I did.” She raises one brow.
“Please …” I grab her hand. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
“It’s against school policy. It could get you kicked out. It could get him fired. Why do you wanna risk it?” she asks, cocking her head sympathetically.
“Because I …” I look down at the floor. “He gives me something no one else ever has. I need it.” I look up at her. “Please understand. This is the only way I can deal with my life right now.”
“With him?”
“I need this. I need … whatever it is that he’s offering.”
She lets out a short sigh and nods slowly. “All right. I get it.”
“So you’ll keep it a secret?”
“Fine, yes, but I don’t wanna be involved in anything.” She grabs my arm. “I’m not gonna vouch for you if shit goes down. I can’t lie for you. I can keep it a secret, but I’m not gonna put my reputation or my spot in college on the line.”
“I understand, and I won’t ever ask that of you. I just want this to stay under the radar. That’s all.”
“All right.” She nods. “God. I’ll need some bleach to rinse that image from my eyes.”
I smile. “At least you didn’t see us fuck.”
“Oh, god, don’t start.” She turns around but pauses, only to grab my arm again. “But he did have a nice ass, right?”
I grin. “Like Christian Bale nice.”
She laughs but then shakes her head. “I thought I wanted to know what was under there, but now, I don’t.”
“That’s just because I tapped that.” I wiggle my brows, making her roll her eyes.
“Oh, shut up.” She playfully shoves me, and I shove her back.
“So … just for the record … we all right?”
She turns her head toward me. “Were we ever?”
“No …” I say, and since we both know exactly what we mean, we burst out into laughter as we walk through the hallway on our way to the most awkward class we’ll ever have.
***
An hour later
Thomas has been staring at me since class started. I know that type of stare, and it isn’t good.
It’s not the usual I-want-to-fuck-you-to-death stare, but one I’ve never seen before, and it resembles more of a I’m-going-to-lose-my-shit-in-front-of-everyone stare.
One that makes me wanna crawl under my desk and hope I’ll find the door to Narnia.
I can already feel the icy chill from miles away, and it makes me shiver in place.
“Cold?” Lesley asks. “I have a scarf if you want.”
“No, just feeling watched.” I nod at her and then at Thomas.
Her mouth forms an o-shape. “Oh … must be because I …”
“Yep.” I nod. “I can’t wait for this class to end.”
She chuckles. “What did you do? Bite his lip?”
“Class is over,” Thomas suddenly says, and before I can answer Lesley, she’s already gotten up from her seat.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“Library. I’m study buddies with Layla.” She packs her bag quickly and shuffles away. “Sorry, I think I forgot to tell you.”
“No, it’s fine. Go study. I’ll just pretend I’m not here. Hopefully, I can sneak out unnoticed.”
She makes a face. “I doubt it.” Then nods toward Thomas.
The moment I lay my eyes on him, I just want to die.
That look on his face.
Wow.
“Well, see ya!” Lesley yells, and she’s out.
Along with all my other classmates.
And now, I’m left alone with him.
Just like that.
I frantically start packing my shit, trying to be as quick as possible, but apparently, it’s still not quick enough.
“Hailey.”
His low, blazing voice makes me look, even when I don’t really want to.
Oh, god. He’s coming over here.
Sweat drips off my forehead as I throw everything in my bag and stand up … only to come face to face with him.
“Sit. Down.”
I swallow and immediately sink back into my chair.
I don’t even know why I listen to him. Why he makes me want to listen.
Is it fear?
No.
It’s not seduction either because he seems pissed.
No … I think it’s … respect.
Just that admission alone makes me do a double take.
“That girl you were sitting next to. Lesley. You know her well?”
“She’s my best friend,” I say.
He bends over and places his hand on my desk, cornering me. “She saw us kiss. You went after her. What did you tell her?”
“I asked her if she could keep it quiet,” I say.
“What else?” he asks.
“Nothing …”
“There must be something else,” he snaps. “How do we know if we can trust her?”
“We can. She’d never betray my trust.”
“How do you know for sure?”
I frown from his attitude. “She’s my best friend. I don’t know about you, but to me, that means something.”
His lips twitch. “Don’t tell me what it means. I know damn well. I just want to make sure she’s not going to tell the whole world about us.”
“Why? Are you afraid someone could find out?”
“Of course, I am!” he yells. “It could ruin my career.”
“Obviously. That’s all that’s important.”
He sighs. “That’s not what I said. I just don’t want to risk it.” He cocks his head. “You should understand. This could ruin you too.”
I make a face. “I told you that you could trust her. You should trust me too.”
His lips part but then he slams them shut again, growling to himself. “Fuck. We should’ve locked that goddamn door when we could.”
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know she’d come and see you. She never used to be that interested in knowing her grades.”
“Grades? This was about grades? That’s why she saw us kissing?” He throws his hand in front of his eyes and slowly slides it down his face. “God-fucking-dammit.” He slams the table so hard it makes me jolt up in my seat.
> “Jesus,” I shout.
“Fuck.” He turns away, his shoulders rising each time he takes a breath.
The tension in the room is killing me.
“You don’t have to be so mad.”
“Well, I am.” He turns to me again. “Look, I care a lot about my reputation.”
“I can see that,” I sneer. “Is that why you had sex with me? To boost your reputation?”
He puts his hand down right in front of me again. “You know damn well that you didn’t know I was your teacher, and I didn’t know you were my student. I would’ve never fucked you if I did.”
“Oh, really now? So you regret fucking me? Thanks for telling me.”
He sighs and growls again, turning around to collect his rage. “I don’t regret fucking you. And fucking you isn’t a fucking loss of my reputation. It’s the fact that people find out.”
“So you want to fuck me … only in secret,” I say.
“Didn’t we already establish that?” he asks, narrowing his eyes. “No, Hailey, I don’t regret anything. Except Lesley finding out about us. And that makes me very angry.”
“I can see …” I raise a brow and turn my head.
He takes another deep breath. “Okay … just … make sure she doesn’t talk. To anyone. About us.”
“She won’t,” I say.
“Just keep an eye on her,” he says, looking straight at me. “If this gets out …”
“It won’t.”
He closes his eyes, remaining quiet for a couple of seconds. “Okay, look. I think we need to quit.”
“Quit? What?” My jaw drops. “Why? Are you angry at me or something?”
“No, I’m not mad at you,” he says, balling his fist. “I’m angry with myself. For letting it get this far. For letting her see us.”
“I told you it won’t happen again.”
“You don’t know that. It could be someone else. Anyone. This whole thing could blow up,” he says.
“So you just wanna give up? Quit?”
“Yes.” He takes another sharp breath. “It was fun, Hailey. While it lasted.”
“Fun …” I repeat.
The way he puts it makes my stomach feel like someone’s grasping and constricting it.
Bad Teacher Page 9
