Chapter 13
EMMA
Iswallow my nerves as I walk into my Shakespearean acting class in January.
When I spot Professor A-hole already in the front of the room, I quickly drop my gaze to avoid making eye contact with him and I find a seat near the back.
This classroom is much smaller than the lecture hall we were in last semester.
Normally, I’d choose a seat closer to the front, but I’m determined to fly under his radar.
Setting my bag in the seat, I start pulling out notebooks and pens.
“Is that seat taken?” a voice asks. When I look up, a guy is gesturing to the desk beside me.
“There are several seats open up front,” booms Professor A-hole, his loud voice startling me.
I stand there in shock, looking between my professor and the guy just trying to find a place to sit.
“Are you saving it for someone?” the guy asks.
“It’s not taken.” I finally manage to squeak out.
“Can I squeeze by you?” he asks, placing a hand on my shoulder as I move so he can shuffle by. His touch feels foreign, and I flinch, but try to play it off by dropping quickly into my chair.
“If we’re done playing musical chairs, Miss Black, can we begin?”
What the heck is his problem?
I nod quickly and spend the next few minutes hyper-fixated on a syllabus that someone hands me so I can avoid Professor A-hole’s scrutiny.
“Sorry about that,” the guy next to me says. He has a boyish smile on his face. “I’m Jeremy.”
“Emma. And it’s okay. Professor Ali’s not my biggest fan,” I say quietly.
He chuckles softly. “I can see that.”
The rest of class is uneventful, and I’m almost disappointed that Professor A-hole has given me the cold shoulder. Normally by now he’d have called on me several times. What is wrong with me? Why am I desperate for this man’s attention?
“Your first assignment is a soliloquy. I can’t wait to see what you come up with,” Professor A-hole says, folding his arms over his chest before focusing his attention on me. “Class dismissed.”
I quickly pack my things and pull on all my winter gear, hat, scarf, and gloves.
When I walk outside the theatre building, all bundled up from the bitter cold, I shove my hands in my pockets hoping to warm them up. “It’s so freaking cold,” I mutter to myself through clenched teeth.
“Now is the winter of our discontent,” a deep voice intones from behind me, startling me. When I turn, I see Professor A-hole staring at me.
“Professor,” I say, quickly turning away.
“What monologue are you thinking of performing?” he asks with a tone that almost sounds like interest.
“I don’t know yet.”
“The world is your oyster, Miss Black. I know you’ll make the right choice.” He walks past me toward the English building.
Frozen in place, my eyes track him as he walks away from me, roaming over his broad shoulders, before moving down to his perfectly round butt. Ugh, what is it about this infuriating man? It’s not like he’d ever show any interest in me like that.
I watch as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, taps on it quickly, then puts it against his ear, when my pocket vibrates.
Pulling off my glove with my teeth, I fish out my phone and notice a text from Daddy Dom.
Batman Dom
How’d your first day of classes go?
I smile to myself, happy to shift my focus to a man that actually seems to want my attention.
It was good. Professor A-hole left me alone for the most part.
I can’t wait for this class to be done so I never have to deal with him again.
When I look up, Professor A-hole is gone so I decide to go to the caf to grab dinner, but I stop when my phone buzzes again.
New rule. As long as we’re engaging in this dynamic, you’re loyal to me. No other men. You only play with me.
I stare down at the text for several seconds, equally thrilled at his need to claim me as his and confused as to why when he created the rules about no feelings and only solving my problems. This feels like more than that. Like monogamy.
Where is this coming from?
Do I have your total submission on this?
A cloud of water vapor escapes my mouth when I huff out my frustration. This hot-and-cold is tiresome, and yet I crave his approval. Yearn for him in a way I never have before.
Yes, sir.
“What monologue are you going to do?” a voice asks from behind me.
I startle. “Mother of pearl!” I fumble with my phone as I hold my gloved hand against my scarf.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He comes up next to me, a boyish smile on his face. He’s got a beanie on, his wavy blond hair poking out around it, making it look like a halo.
“Jeremy, right?”
He beams as he looks down at me, his blue eyes twinkling. “You headed to the caf?”
I nod, breaking eye contact, suddenly nervous from his attention.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Sure.” We carefully make our way on one of the few sidewalks that has been shoveled and salted.
There are patches of ice every so often, and I walk gingerly, careful not to fall.
Each time we approach a treacherous patch of sidewalk, Jeremy shoots an arm out to offer me assistance, but I ignore it, not ready to share my touching hangup with a stranger.
“So… monologue? Any thoughts on which one you’re picking?”
I mull it over in my mind before answering. “I’ll probably just do one from Romeo and Juliet.”
“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo?” His voice is way too high as he mimes dramatically looking for someone.
“That was terrible. You definitely shouldn’t do that one,” I tease.
“So, the balcony scene, then?”
“Actually, I was going to do one of her last ones, right before she takes the drugs. It’s a powerful scene where she’s wrestling with her decision. Plus, I did it in an English class in high school and already have it memorized. What about you?”
He holds out an arm, and I interrupt him before he starts. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to do the Hamlet speech.”
“Why not?” There’s a hint of disappointment in his face, and I worry I’ve offended him.
“I’m sure you’re great at it, but every guy in our class is gonna do that one, and then we’ll be sitting through like ten dudes talking to skulls.”
He barks out a laugh. “You’re probably right. What do you suggest then?”
“Ooh, there’s a good one in Richard III. It’s in Act One, I think? It starts, ‘Was ever women in this humor wooed,” and it’s Richard talking about how he’s just wooed Anne after killing her father. It's deliciously dark and evil, and it would be really fun to play.”
“That sounds good, I’ll have to check it out.”
A throat clears behind me, and I turn my head, not paying attention to where I’m going.
“You totally sh—” I start, but the words die on my tongue when I suddenly slip on a patch of ice and my arms flail out, spinning in circles as I try to keep from falling.
It feels like everything happens in slow motion.
My legs fly out and I fall backwards as I scramble to grab something to keep myself upright.
I end up grabbing the bottom of Jeremy’s coat, pulling him down with me as I go. His body twists and his legs go right, while he goes left and when we land, we’re in the shape of a T with his chest draped over my stomach.
Hysterical laughter bubbles out of me and I can’t stop it, no matter how hard I try as I squeeze my eyes shut. I can feel Jeremy chuckling against me too as we lose it on the sidewalk.
I hear a growl, and my eyes fly open. I’m met with a pair of murderous brown eyes. Professor Ali is standing over us, his penetrating gaze locked on mine as his fists clench at his sides.
What the heck is his problem?
He’s probably just mad that we’re blocking his path, preventing him from getting to whatever boring, grumpy professors do in their off hours.
When he extends his hand out, I look at it in confusion, blinking several times. I feel Jeremy roll off of my stomach, but I continue staring at Professor A-hole.
“I’m not sure why I keep finding you like this, but here,” he says, thrusting his hand closer.
The minute I slip my gloved hand into his, something warm fills me from the inside out.
He pulls me up, but just as I’m righted, he takes a step forward, slipping on the same patch of ice that caused our demise and his hands grab my waist for balance before he pitches backward, pulling me on top of him.
It’s oddly silent when I look up at him from where I’ve landed on his chest. I start to slide off to his left, and I feel something hard pressing against my center and my eyes shoot to his in surprise.
Oh my God, does Professor A-hole have a boner?
“My phone,” he says through gritted teeth, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I flop onto my back on the sidewalk next to him.
“Shit, Emma, are you okay?” Jeremy asks, hovering over me.
I can only nod my head as my mind races trying to dissect the intensity of my encounter with Professor A-hole.
The anger on his face when he first approached.
The way it felt when he helped me up.
The look on his face when I landed in his arms.
I might have more than just a crush on my professor. And it’s starting to feel like I’m cheating on Daddy Dom. But that’s crazy, we’re not even together.
Are we?
Taking Jeremy’s hand, I carefully stand and leave the scene as quickly as I can, not looking back out of fear that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to walk away from that infuriating man.