Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
CLOVER
Sloan
Don’t panic, but he’s in the news again.
Clover
If you’re talking about Klint, I saw that he’d be in town for a summit.
Sloan
Not that. He was caught with another woman. It’s all over the news.
Clover
What??? Please tell me there’s been no mention of me.
Sloan
Not that I’ve seen but be prepared.
Clover
I can’t do this again.
Sloan
It’ll be fine. Your dad did his job well. No one will bring up your name.
Clover
I hope you’re right.
“ M y dad is going to kill me,” I mumble under my breath.
I press my fingers to my forehead and absent-mindedly pace around the room. This can’t be happening again. First, the news about Senator Klint, and now this. It’s as if the universe is conspiring against me.
“I’m sorry, what was that about your dad?” I glance over at the man I never thought I’d see again. I can’t tell if the look on his face is anger, panic, or shock. Maybe a little of all three.
“Nothing.” I shake my head and close my eyes. I can’t possibly be in this situation again. It’s not exactly the same as Senator Klint, but it’s equally as bad. Maybe worse.
My career and my parents’ respect are far too important to me. I’ve already caused so much damage to both. I can’t risk complete annihilation.
Maybe there’s another university I can attend instead.
Even as the thought runs through my head, I know it’s not a possibility. I will not be getting any more chances.
“Talk to me,” he grounds out.
Without looking at him, I pick up my bag and stomp my foot on the ground in an attempt to relieve the tension building inside me. It doesn’t help. I just end up looking like a child having a tantrum.
“I can’t do this,” I say.
“What do you mean?” I hear a hint of panic in his voice. “You can’t do what?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious?” I say a little too loudly. “An hour ago, I had your dick in my mouth. There’s no way we can work together in this capacity.”
He rushes past me and slams the door shut. “Just calm down and sit. And for the love of all that is holy, lower your voice.”
“Donnie, you can’t be serious.” My anxiety is building toward uncontrollable levels. “I can’t sit. I need to leave.”
He charges me, takes me by the forearms, and presses his body against mine. I instantly turn to mush. Flames ignite at my core and a heat wave rushes through me so fast it makes my head spin. My attraction and desire for this man is undeniable and primal.
“It’s Dr. Rosi when you’re on campus. Never call me Donnie.” The authority in his tone causes me to whimper. I’ve always loved a man who takes control like he owns me.
My head falls back, and he leans closer. I can feel his breath on my neck. His lips are so close to my skin. I melt into him. Not because I want to, but because I don’t have a choice. I need to feel his lips on me.
“Fuck,” he whispers just before his mouth parts and his teeth nibble at the sensitive skin below my ear.
“Sir, please,” I beg.
He bites harder, and I moan. “Don’t call me that either.”
“Then don’t speak to me like that or touch me like this.”
“Why?” Rather than letting me go, he runs his hand up my back and shoves his fingers into my hair. He fists a handful and pulls my head back. He’s just as lost to this attraction as I am.
“Because it makes me want to drop to my knees and make you cum down my throat.” I admit. His touch may cloud my judgment, but I won’t lie to him about my desires. He needs to know how he affects me.
He growls and runs his nose down the length of my neck. “Don’t say such things or this will never work.”
I laugh. “I’m not convinced it will ever work.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re still touching me.”
He freezes. The seconds tick by before he finally loosens his hold on my hair. Once his fingers are untangled, he slowly steps back until there are several feet between us.
“Fuck,” he mumbles as he stares at me like he has no clue what to do next.
He shoves his hands into his hair and tugs on the strands. When he releases them, his hair is perfectly disheveled. My fingers itch to straighten them out.
“You can’t leave,” he says as he rounds his desk and sits down in his chair.
“Why the hell not? This has disaster written all over it.”
“If you leave, it will ruin my career. I can’t let that happen.”
“What about my career?” I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. “Mine is just as important to me. I can’t have another screw up.”
He raises a brow, and I cringe when I realize my mistake. “Screw up?”
“Poor word choice,” I say. “I just meant that I can’t end of leaving a second university. It’d be better to not start here at all than to mess it up because of you. I’m sure Dr. Carver can assign me to another faculty.”
His face falls, and he slumps back in his chair as if I just shoved a dagger in his chest. “You can’t do that. I won’t mess anything up for you. I care too much about my career.”
“That’s why I should go.” I insist.
He shakes his head and points at the chair opposite his desk. “Sit. We can talk through this.”
I look between him and the chair and then stare at the door. If I stay, I risk everything. If I go, it will draw so many questions from my parents. Questions I won’t be able to adequately answer. That will infuriate my dad. But it will give me a chance to still earn my degree. If anyone finds out what happened with Dr. Rosi, I’m done.
“Clover, please.” There’s a hint of desperation in his voice. “If you refuse to work with me, then I might as well start looking for another job. We both know that will not bode well for me. I can’t lose this opportunity.”
I sign and plop down in the chair. “How can we make this work? We almost devoured each other a few minutes ago.”
“I can control myself if you can,” he says with the confidence of a well-armored army.
I can’t say I feel his confidence, but I’d like to say I believe him. It’ll be hard to explain to my parents why I had to insist on a different advisor. They’ll never understand.
“We can’t have sex again,” I say.
“Agreed.”
“And you can’t touch me.” I point at him like the volatile attraction between us is all his fault. “We should learn to keep at least four feet between us at all times.”
He furrows his brow. “Four feet?”
“Yes. Three feet is too close. We could accidentally touch and anything more than that is too far. It would look like we’re trying too hard and draw suspicion.”
“Why does it sound like you have experience with this?” he asks.
“I don’t!” I say a little too fast. “We have to be smart about this. That’s all I’m getting at. Or else I walk out that door and we never see each other again. Like ever.”
He raises his hand as if he’s signaling for me to stay even though I haven’t moved. “No, we can figure this out. I can control myself if you can.”
“Yep. I can.” I nod quickly, even though I don’t know if I truly believe the words.
“Perfect.” He scoots forward in his chair and shakes his mouse to wake up his computer. “Then let’s talk about your experience. Tell me what you learned at Harvard.”
Anxiety shows its ugly head at the mention of Harvard, and I feel a tingling sensation build in my chest. I squeeze my hands and do my best to shake my arms without looking like an idiot. He’s asking about my education, not the scandal.
This is going to be fine.
I think so.
Or at least it better be.
He’s not really giving me any other options.
This is a disaster. How in the hell did I find and sleep with the one man I can’t have in a city of over eight million people? This is the kind of stupid, unfair shit that always happens to me.
I try to be good, but the universe always says fuck that and puts me in situations just like this one.
It’s like when I first met Senator Klint.
All I did was make an innocent trip to the bookstore. I wanted something fun to read. I’d been buried in history books and old literature for my research, and I needed to give my brain a break. A fictional novel was just what I needed.
It was late on a Saturday evening when I ran out to the bookstore just down the block from my apartment. I only had about thirty minutes before the store closed, so I had to be quick. I rushed to find the romance section and pick out something contemporary and steamy. That’d be the perfect reprieve from the intensity of my research.
What I didn’t expect was to run into a ridiculously handsome older gentleman browsing the new releases in romance. I tried not to look at him, but it was impossible. He towered over me at nearly six-feet-four and had on a perfectly tailored dark blue suit with light gray pin stripes. His dark hair had gray streaks on his temples, and his short beard was mostly gray.
I would have been fine had he not spoken to me. All I had to do was grab a book and get out of there. But the deep timbre of his voice caused me to melt. I’m a sucker for older men with beards. Add in a deep voice, I turn to mush.
The choices I made that night changed my life forever. I should have been a good girl and turned down his advances. If I had, I’d still be living in Cambridge and attending Harvard.
I can’t give into my attraction to Dr. Rosi. He may be much younger than Senator Klint, but he has the same vibe. I have to find my strength and be that good girl I know I can be.
“Clover?” Donnie’s voice drags me out of my thoughts. No, Dr. Rosi. Always Dr. Rosi. He’s standing right in front of me with a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?”
I blink several times before I focus on his face. Then I stare at the closed door in front of me. I got up to leave his office but got trapped in my head before I actually opened the door.
“Yeah. Just lost in thought for a moment,” I say. “I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?” He looks at me with doubt written all over his face.
I give him my best smile. “Yes. Positive.”
I pull the door open before he can question me further. Plus, he’s far too close, ignoring what I said about the four-foot rule. If he’s going to break that rule, I won’t survive.
To make this situation even worse, in my flustered state, I rush out the door and run smack into another body. “Shit! I’m so sorry.”
“Maggie?” Dr. Rosi says the woman’s name like a question. “Why are you right outside my office door?”
The smile that spreads across her face causes me to rear back. There’s something off about her that gives me an uneasy feeling. “I was about to knock. Dr. Carver mentioned you had a new student coming and ask if I could show her around.”
“Oh, that would be great.” Dr. Rosi turns to me and gives me a similarly forced smile. Though his makes him look like he’s in pain. “This is Maggie. She’s a PhD student working with me as well. She can help you pick out a desk and get settled in the grad student office upstairs.”
Maggie beams at his words. “I’d be delighted to do so.” She leans closer to me and lowers her voice like she’s about to tell me top secret information. “A desk just opened up next to me. It’ll be great since we’ll be working together.”
“Great,” I say, even though I don’t mean it.
Maggie reaches out and places her hand on Dr. Rosi’s arm. He pulls away like her touch burned. Maggie looks hurt but quickly recovers. “I’ll take good care of her. Promise.”
Dr. Rosi nods and steps further into his office as if he’s trying to put as much space between him and Maggie as he can. Meanwhile, she’s looking at him with longing in her eyes.
If I’m not mistaken, she’s got a crush on him. I can’t say I blame her. So do I. But my crush developed before I knew who he was. Now that we have a professional relationship, my crush has to end.
“Shall we go?” I ask as I push past her and into the hallway. “I’d really like to get settled.”
Maggie furrows her brows like my request is the exact opposite of what she wants. Then she smooths out her expression and nods. “Of course. Have you gotten keys yet?”
I shake my head. “I came here for my meeting first.”
Maggie’s smile returns as if getting the opportunity to help has just made her day. “I’ll take you by the main office first.” She turns to Dr. Rosi to address him next. “I can’t wait for our meeting next week. I’m looking forward to discussing my ideas.”
Dr. Rosi is already sitting at his desk. He doesn’t look up as he says, “Thanks. See you next week.”
The disappointment that washes over Maggie is almost comical. She maintains the frown until we reach the main office to retrieve keys for me. She’s pleasant with the receptionist, but it doesn’t feel real.
“Is this your first year?” I ask, attempting to make small talk. I may not get the best vibes from her, but I might as well try to be nice since we’ll be working together.
“Yes, I’m Dr. Rosi’s first student,” she says with pride. “He just started in the fall. He’s so brilliant. We’re lucky to be his first students. I assisted with his class last semester, and it was so good. He has such a unique spin on the classics. All the students love him.”
“Good to know.” I do my best to hide my sarcasm in my response, but I think she heard a hint of it in my tone.
“I’m sure you’ll fit right in here once you get situated. I know it’s not Harvard, but the department is a close-knit group.”
I have to fight the urge to recoil at the mention of Harvard. I’d hoped the students wouldn’t hear where I came from. Dr. Carter assured me no one was aware of the scandal or what I went through to get here. The fact that Maggie knows where I studied before transferring is concerning.
“The grad student offices are on the third floor,” she says as she leads me up the stairwell. “It’s pretty quiet since all the classrooms are on the first floor. Makes it easy to get work done. Let’s try out your key.”
She points to a door midway down the hall. My key slides in and it opens with ease.
“This is my desk.” Maggie points to the desk right inside the door. “And the one right next to me is open if you want to claim that one.”
Her words suggest it’s optional, but her tone suggests it’s not. She wants me right next to her.
I glance around and notice several desks are empty. There’s one by the window that’s empty with a great view of the park outside. “Is this one open?”
“Well … yes.” Maggie hesitates to give me an answer. “But wouldn’t you rather—”
“I love natural light,” I say before she can finish. “It’s so inspiring. I’ll take this one.”
I dig into my bag and pull out a notepad. After writing my name on a piece of paper, I stick it to the desk to stake my claim.
“Okay, but I thought it’d be easier if we were next to each other. You know … so we can discuss our research.”
I give her my best smile and pat her forearm. “Something tells me our desk locations won’t stop you from talking to me.”
Maggie frowns. “Whatever works best for you.”
“This works best.” I hold my smile.
Maggie returns the smile, but the happy vibes are not behind it. “We better exchange phone numbers so we can always reach each other. Being in constant contact will ensure we’re both successful.”
She pulls her phone out of her back pocket and presses a few buttons. “What’s your number?”
If I don’t give it to her, I’ll look like an asshole. Having this woman in constant contact with me is the last thing I want, but I rattle it off anyway.
“Great.” She beams the same as she did when she first looked at Dr. Rosi. As long as she gets what she wants, she’s happy. “I’ll send you a message, so you’ll have mine too.”
A few seconds later, my phone buzzes.
“Perfect,” I say.
Though there isn’t anything perfect about this scenario.
In fact, nothing has been perfect about my entire day.