Chapter 4
Alex
Leaning against the wall, I clench my backpack straps and steal glances at the other students waiting outside Alonzo’s classroom. We’re waiting for him to arrive and let us in.
As a business major at a small university, I always see the same faces in most of my business classes. The last time I set foot inside a non-business building was during sophomore year, when I completed a biology class for non-majors.
All these faces are new to me. I wonder if I’m a new face to them, too. I must be because the art department isn’t much bigger than the business department.
A girl with red curls sits on the floor next to me. On her tablet, she draws what looks like an illustration for a children’s book. It’s a witchy girl and a black cat sitting on a broomstick, flying over a cornfield.
And just like that, I remember I can’t draw even if my life depended on it. I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb in this class. Technically, I have to stand out if I want to seduce Alonzo. But I can already imagine all the other students judging me, comparing their masterpieces to my fugly drawings.
“That’s beautiful,” I say to the redhead. She looks up at me with a big smile and thanks me. She has a baby face and big blue eyes.
“How long have you been drawing?” I ask her.
“I’ve been scribbling since I could hold a pencil, but I only started doing digital art since I was sixteen,” she explains.
I knew it . Everybody here is studying art for a reason. Signing up for the class was probably a bad idea. We could have gone a different route with this. Jacob could have introduced us at the club during one of my work nights.
But perhaps that would have been too suspicious. Besides, who knows what Alonzo would think of me if he knew I work there?
“What about you?” the girl asks. “What type of art do you do?”
“Mostly stick figures,” I reply.
She laughs a goofy laugh. “Well, this class will be perfect for you,” she says, rising to her feet and putting her tablet into her backpack. “My name’s Isabella, by the way.”
“I’m Alexandra, but you can call me Alex,” I say. “I’m new to this whole art thing.”
“In that case, you’re in luck. I hear Professor Alvarez is a really good professor,” she says.
“You haven’t taken a class with him before?”
“I haven’t. I’m a freshman. This is my first semester here, but I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to school, so I signed up to several TCU Discord and Facebook groups over the summer. Every art major knows about Professor Alvarez. Apparently, he’s very good at teaching art,” she says. She leans in closer and whispers, “And a few other things, apparently.”
“Other things?”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Professor Alvarez kind of has a reputation with college girls. He gives them private tutoring, if you know what I mean. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
Private tutoring?
If what Isabella says is true, that will make my job easier.
Suddenly, Isabella straightens up and her bubbly face flushes.
“Good morning, everybody. Sorry I’m late,” a deep and powerful voice behind me says. The low timber bounces off my skin, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.
The voice has a slight Spanish accent. Even though I haven’t heard Alonzo’s voice before, I instantly know it’s him.
I turn around and tilt my chin up to meet his eyes. In an instant, I am pulled in by his hypnotic aura. I had only caught a glimpse of him before when he was sitting in Jacob’s office, but now that he’s standing at his full length, I’m aware of his broad shoulders and his imposing height. He is wearing his signature suit, the same one he wore when he visited Jacob a few weeks ago.
His jawline is more pronounced now that I see him in full light. And another thing I hadn’t noticed before: the long, dark eyelashes that shadow his brown eyes. I have never seen a man with better eyelashes than mine before.
Alonzo explains he was late because he had a long night. He says a few other things, but a loud pulse overshadows his deep voice in my ears. At first, I can’t tell where the sound is coming from. I look around, but nobody else seems to notice yet.
My face warms when I discover the source of the sound. The pulse in my ear is synchronized with my heartbeat. Alonzo is so handsome that I am simultaneously attracted to and terrified by him.
What did I get myself into?