ROMANCE: Mr. Mystery: (New Adult Bad Boy Romance) (Contemporary Mystery Short Stories)

by Viva Fox

  “I did, but you were off in Neverland.” Eric tapped her nose gently. At the beginning of their relationship, Monica’s constant daydreaming had often gotten on his nerves but now he found them an endearing part of her personality. He never got mad at her for daydreaming. He had learned to deal with them and had learned to have patience with her.

  “Oops sorry… I was just thinking about you… me… and the back of your car.” Monica smiled as she thought back to it, about to slip into another fantasy.

  “Oh? That silly fantasy again?” Eric teased. Monica pouted.

  “It’s not silly! You loved it the last time we did it!”

  “I’m not denying that, but that’s not the issue at hand. Professor Anderson’s office hours are on Fridays at 9 pm.” Eric reiterated.

  “Friday at 9? Are you kidding me?” Monica looked up at her boyfriend. What kind of professor had office hours that late on a Friday? No one went to office hours on Friday afternoons let alone Friday nights. Monica looked at Eric, waiting for clarification.

  “That’s what it says on the course website.”

  “That’s so weird.” Monica sighed. “Guess we’ll have to cancel our Friday plans for next Friday.” Monica pouted at the thought. Friday was half off drinks at her favorite club for anyone who arrived before ten. Homemade cosmos just weren’t as good.

  “Guess so.” The couple sighed together. Hopefully, it would be a small sacrifice for a better grade. At this point, they would do anything to get a passing grade. Their careers depended on it.

  Chapter 3

  “It’s so fucking cold. Let’s go home. I’ll take the F. Really. It’s okay. C’mon babe let’s go home. Please?” Monica whined as her teeth chattered. During the course of the week, the temperature had suddenly plummeted. It suddenly felt like it was winter and Monica hated it. She hated the cold. She clung to Eric, hoping to absorb some of his warmth, but it was useless. She was freezing.

  Eric chuckled. Despite being of African American descent, Eric preferred the cold. Maybe it was because he was a big guy, but he was never bothered by the cold. He would just toss on another jacket and be done with it. Monica, on the other hand, turned into a baby anytime the temperature dropped below 50.

  “Ericcccccc, c’mon, please! Anderson isn’t even going to show! It’s already 9:05! He is five minutes late that means we get to leave!” Monica continued to whine. She wanted to go home. She was cold and creeped out. Professor Anderson’s office hours were located in an old university building. All the lights were off, even the street light was off. They were standing in the dark and Monica was not happy. She just wanted to go home.

  Eric wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close before kissing the top of her head. “We will give him 10 more minutes and if he doesn’t show up then we can go home and I’ll make you some hot chocolate, okay?”

  “Ten minutes!? That’s like forever!” Monica’s voice rose in pitch as the cold made her more and more into a child. Eric just continued to chuckle at his girlfriend’s antics. She could be such a child sometimes. He wondered where he got the patience to deal with her sometimes.

  “Yes. Be a good girl, okay?” Monica pouted. She crossed her arms across her chest and shivered. They continued to wait. It really did seem like Anderson wasn’t going to show up. Eric sighed, about to give up when he noticed a car pull up on the street.

  He tightened his grip on Monica, protective instincts coming into effect. He held her close. Monica’s heart sped up as she watched the car. The night was too dark and the windows too tinted to be able to see who it was. The logical explanation was that it was Professor Anderson but in this sketchy part of town, it could be anyone.

  At that moment, the street light flickered to life. A man stepped into the halo it created, and Eric and Monica sighed in relief as they recognized their professor.

  He looked just like he did in lecture. He was a handsome, young professor, straight out of graduate school. He was tall and toned. His hair was in a modern cut, where it was longer on the top of his head, but close shaven on the sides, giving him an edgier look. However, this look was softened by the round rimmed glasses he wore. In a way, he was a hipster.

  A lot of his students thought he was hot and Monica couldn’t help but agree with the masses. If she didn’t have a boyfriend and if it was wasn’t unethical to date a professor then Monica would have loved to spend a night with Anderson.

  She watched him now as he approached them. He had his leather briefcase with him, just another accessory to complete his look. He walked toward them now with a purposeful step and smiled warmly when he was close enough to interact with them.

  “Sorry, I’m late! I got caught up with one thing and then another and next thing I knew it was already 8:50 but I did rush here as fast as I could. I am sorry you had to wait out here in the cold.” Anderson looked in Monica’s direction presenting her with an apologetic look. Professor Anderson was even more attractive up close. Human Sexuality 101 was a lecture based class and since Monica and Eric always sat in the back they never saw Anderson up close and personal.

  Monica could feel her heart beat quicken as Anderson got closer to her. Why was her body reacting this way to a professor? Yes, he was attractive but this man was at least ten years her senior. Why was she blushing? She held onto Eric’s hand, hoping it would bring her back to reality, but it didn’t.

  Anderson smiled at them once more before opening the door. The door creaked eerily as he pushed it open. Monica could hear the floorboards groan under Anderson’s weight as he took the first initial steps into the dark. Finally, he turned on the lights. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as goosebumps decorated her arms.

  The whole situation was definitely creepy and weird. Monica wanted to go home. What if Anderson was some creepy mass murderer who posed as a nice professor? Would Eric be able to protect her if Anderson was an ax murderer? Monica looked up at her boyfriend now and squeezed his hand harder.

  Eric looked down at her, wondering if something was wrong. He noticed her shivering but figured it was just the cold. Anderson didn’t have the same effect on Eric as he had on Monica. To Eric, this was just a creepy encounter with a strange professor who held odd office hours.

  Once the lights were on Anderson invited the couple into the building. They gladly entered. They were eager to escape the cold even though the old building wasn’t that much warmer. The heating hadn’t worked properly for years.

  Anderson looked at them a moment before walking down a long hallway. Monica thought it would never end and shuddered at the sound of their footsteps echoing throughout the building. It sounded like agitated spirits whispering untold secrets to her. Monica half expected a ghost to emerge before her.

  They continued to walk together until finally they reached the end of the hall. Anderson once again took out a ring of keys, picking out the right one. He fumbled with the lock for a few seconds before finally getting the door to open up.

  This door groaned even louder. It was more of a pained moan than anything else to be honest and it sent a shiver up Monica’s spine. She looked up at Eric who continued to hold her hand. She was glad he was by her side or she would have run away a long time ago. She had a bad feeling about the whole situation. She just wanted to get out of there and go home.

  Anderson turned on the light, illuminating his office. It was a very large room, very spacious and open. There was a small wooden desk directly in front of the door, stacked with various papers and artifacts. In the middle of the room was a large round carpet. Surrounding this carpet were multiple couches.

  Monica watched as Anderson sat down in one of these couches now. As he crossed one leg over the other he seemed to be comfortable. Eric then started to lead them to the adjacent couch. They sat down and looked at their professor who smiled warmly at them.

  “How can I help you two tonight?” Anderson gave a small knowing grin.

  Chapter 4

  “We
ll, we both take your class, Human Sexuality 101, and our grades aren’t that great. We were hoping to talk to you about this. We were wondering if there was anything we could do. Extra credit? Really anything that would help our grades.” Eric explained their situation. He tried to sound serious as he presented their case. He hoped Anderson would understand and help them. Eric really couldn’t afford to get an F on his transcript.

  Anderson raised his hands and joined his fingertips together before his mouth. He seemed to be thinking something over. Finally he said, “I see.” Monica looked at him. Was that really all he had to say about the situation? Monica could feel her cheeks heat up.

  “Look, we are exceptional students. We have made dean’s list year after year and we are baffled that an introductory course would give us this much trouble.” Monica’s words spilled out of her mouth before she could control them. She could feel her cheeks burn. She was embarrassed. She looked down, unable to meet Anderson’s gaze.

  Her redness only increased when she heard Anderson chuckle. Great, he was laughing at her. Monica felt ready to die she was so embarrassed. She kept looking down before she heard Anderson’s voice.

  “I don’t think the problem lies with your capabilities as students. If I were to guess you two study rather well for my exams?” Anderson raised a well-groomed eyebrow at Eric. He didn’t even bother to address Monica who was avoiding his gaze through any means necessary.

  Eric nodded. “We study really hard but never get the grades we feel we deserve. We think that maybe you are grading a little too harshly?” Eric ventured to ask knowing he was treading on thin ice. Anderson could easily take this the wrong way and take offense. Eric bit his lip and scratched his palm as he waited for a response.

  Anderson just shook his head looking amused. He lowered his hands and placed them respectively on his knees before he leaned forward, getting closer to Eric. When he felt he was close enough he took off his glasses before biting down on them for a moment. “I don’t think I grade harshly at all. I will tell you what the problem is.” Eric looked at him skeptically.

  “Okay, I’ll bite. What is it?” Eric said. He eyed Anderson suspiciously.

  Anderson reclined back on the couch, the tip of his glasses still in his mouth. He pulled them out now before saying, “I teach a human sexuality course and obviously you two are not deeply connected with your own sexuality. If you were you wouldn’t even need to study for my exams.” Anderson said all this calmly while looking at Eric.

  Neither Eric nor Monica offered a reply and so Anderson continued on, “Are you two a couple?”

  Eric nodded.

  “Then if you would let me suggest an exercise that I think might benefit both of you.” Eric once again looked skeptical. Monica just groaned. She didn’t want to do work on a Friday night. This professor was insane.

  Eric, however, was desperate for a good grade. He nodded. Anderson grinned at him also nodding and got up, walking to the door. Monica watched him as he locked the door. What was he doing? Monica was about to get up and protest when Eric placed a hand on her thigh. He knew what she was thinking, but he couldn’t have her ruining his chance at a good grade. He needed her to stay and hear out Professor Anderson.

  “And what would that be Professor Anderson?” Eric said slowly as he eyed the man. Eric had no idea what the professor had in mind for them. He knew that if it came down to it he would protect Monica to the bitter end but for some reason, despite his better judgment, he didn’t think that Anderson was a bad guy that would hurt them. Maybe Anderson was a little creepy but Eric couldn’t bring himself to believe that this man would hurt them.

  At Eric’s response Anderson smiled. “Excellent!” He exclaimed, making Monica jump. Why was this man making her so flustered? She didn’t know what was wrong with her but whatever it was she wished it would stop. It was getting annoying.

  Anderson walked onto the rug and looked at the couple. He could tell that Monica was nervous, but hopefully the exercise would work out well. “Now if you remember back to Monday’s class we were talking about how sex is a fundamental part of human sexuality.” The two students nodded as they noted Anderson’s voice shift into that of a lecturer.

  “We discussed how the distribution of power in sex can often lead to other implications in the relationship. Now the exercise I would like you two to perform might seem a little odd and inappropriate but it is the only true way to learn about this.”

  Eric stared at his professor. He was lost. What did this man what them to do? Anderson, seeing the confusion on his students’ faces continued.

  “Well, to make things short and simple I would like you two to have sex.” Their jaws hung agape as they heard their professor’s words. Had they heard right? Did he just say that he wanted them to have sex?

  “What!? Like right here!?” Monica blurted out. She couldn’t believe it. She stared at her professor in disbelief. He couldn’t really mean it.

  Anderson nodded, “That would be the ideal situation, yes.”

  “But, wait, besides that being illegal, at least I think it’s illegal, how will that help us?” Eric implored. Monica glared at him. How could he be asking that? Was he really considering it?

  “Well, if I watch you two have sex then I could help you two understand you own sexuality which in turn would greatly help you with the class.” Anderson responded as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

  “I see…” Eric muttered softly.

  “I can’t believe you are actually considering this Eric!” Monica was beside herself.

  “Well… if it will get us a good grade…” Eric muttered a little ashamed of himself. He looked at his professor. Anderson smiled and nodded.

  “If you two complete this exercise now, I will consider it extra credit and raise your grade one letter grade.” Anderson looked at his students. He wondered if they would agree. He knew it was a touchy subject.

  “That would mean our Cs would turn into Bs… that would make me feel much better…” Eric said, speaking more to himself than anyone else. Monica looked at him still deeply surprised. Was Eric that concerned with his grades? Was one grade in one class worth the humiliation of fucking in front of a professor?

  “So what do we have to do?” Eric asked. Monica stood quiet. It was like her mouth no longer worked. She didn’t know what to say. There were really no words for a situation like this. All she could do was gape at Eric and his shamelessness.

  “Well, you just have to have sex like normal. You should just pretend like I’m not even here and just do as you normally would. I just want to examine you in your natural sexual habits.” Natural sexual habits!? Monica had no doubt this man was a total pervert. How was Eric okay with this?

  “So just fuck like normal? Where? On the couch?” Eric asked, his voice calm as if this discussion were the most usual thing in the world.

  Anderson nodded.

  “Okay, we will do it.”

  Chapter 5

  Monica started to shake her head. “No no no. I can’t do this… It’s too embarrassing…” Monica looked at her boyfriend with pleading eyes. She loved fucking her boyfriend, but she didn’t know how she felt about someone watching her do it. It felt weird to her. Maybe it would turn her on, especially since Anderson was hot, but she didn’t know. It just felt weird.

  “C’mon babe, don’t you want to pass?” Eric asked her, gently cupping her face with his hands. Monica looked into his dark eyes and softened a bit. Monica loved Eric and would do anything to please him but would she be able to fuck him in front of her professor? Monica bit her lip as she thought about it.

  It wasn’t like exhibitionism wasn’t a part of her sexual fantasies, but this just felt wrong. This was one of her professors. What if she got in trouble? She looked at Eric with pleading eyes. She was stuck. She didn’t know what to do.

  “C’mon babe it’s no big deal. We just fuck like we normally do and he’ll just watch, okay? Just pretend you are some famous porn
star. Won’t that make it easier for you?” Monica rolled her eyes. Even in a moment like this Eric was cracking jokes.

  Monica looked over at her professor and bit her lip.

  “You know you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. No one is forcing you.” Anderson’s voice sounded sweet as he laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and then shook her head.

  “No… I want to do this. I mean we just fuck normally, right? Nothing will be different… except… we have an audience… right?” Monica could feel her face get red as she spoke the words out loud. Maybe this would be a good way to knock out two birds with one stone. If she did this she would fulfill her exhibitionist fantasy while also boosting her grade. Monica took a deep breath and resolved to go through with it.

  “I’ll do it.”

  Chapter 6

  Eric grinned. He thought Monica would bail out on him. He would admit it would be odd to fuck in front of a professor but if it meant saving his GPA then it would be worth it.