SIX
LOGAN
“No,” Chase replied, rather aggressively. Carter—the campus director—looked over at me in defeat, and I simply shrugged.
“Please, Chase,” he insisted. “These Satanic spawns fear you. You won’t have to stay the entire night. Just make sure no one dies in some weird ritual.”
I could almost laugh.
Carter was a strong believer that Chase had been given a title among college students. The title of being most feared.
With his permanent scowl, his hard hand when it came to grading papers and his ability to show no mercy to any student who failed an exam or who didn’t submit an assignment on time. He was the no bullshit professor.
It was Halloween. So naturally these fuckers were throwing all sorts of illegal parties on and off campus.
Carter wanted Chase to make an appearance at the biggest one but he couldn’t be bothered by these ‘immature kids’ as he put it. Rightfully so.
I wouldn’t want to go either.
“I have better things to do tonight, Carter. Find someone else,” he dismissed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Unless Chase wanted to do something, nothing and no one could convince him otherwise.
“I’ll pay you,” Carter piped up and I noticed Chase resisting a smile. The smile wasn’t excitement or interest. It was pure arrogance.
Because if he wanted to, he’d be able to buy this entire school. Cash. But, he was too humble to ever let anyone know how wealthy he really was.
After his parents retired to an isolated island, they handed him almost everything. Money, investments, real estates, all of it. And with him being the mathematical fucking nerd that he was, his money effortlessly doubled.
“Every party-loving student on campus will be there,” Carter explained, but it did nothing to convince Chase otherwise. “The football team, the hockey team, the cheer team, even the nerds will attend—Chase, that’s how big tonight’s party will be.”
“We’ll pay them a visit,” I agreed, rounding the desk and Chase cast me a look I’ve seen numerous times. And suddenly, my interest was piqued.
“Thank you, Logan,” Carter dropped his shoulders in relief. “I owe you. Both of you.”
Carter finally left Chase’s classroom, making him pin me with a look of disapproval that I brushed off. “I’m not one of your students, you don’t scare me.”
“What were you thinking?” he questioned, grabbing his car keys from his desk.
“It only starts at 8 p.m. we have plenty of time to relax until then,” I mused, making my way to the door with him trailing along behind me.
“Logan,” he started and I couldn’t help but smile.
I shrugged as we left campus side by side. “We need the money.”
“You outbid Kaden of a twenty-three million dollar piece of artwork because you didn’t want him hanging it in our house. Then you proceeded to destroy said artwork and called it horrid. You don’t need shit.”
“I remember that,” I grinned, as we stepped into the faculty parking lot. “Well, that’s why I need the money now,” I lied, pulling my car keys from my pocket. No, I don’t.
“You and Kaden own the club. Why don’t you go with him?”
“He has a flight to catch at four,” I replied.
Midnight Inferno had easily become popular among the students on campus, so it was no surprise that tonight’s Halloween party would be held there.
Kaden and I only co-owned two nightclubs. The rest belonged solely to him, because my focus was the casinos.
I owned majority of the facilities in our city, and they’d quickly become popular due to my eight year winning streak. I attended my first casino event at twenty-one, and hit the jackpot. Needless to say, I was a lucky motherfucker. It had been smooth sailing from there.
When I played, I dominated, and men and women from all around were desperate to remove the title the people had given me. To this day, they hadn’t succeeded.
I didn’t need to gamble, but the thrill of playing… the intense high of winning… fuck, I’d never experienced a rush like it before.
“You already have seven cars,” Chase began, and I sighed, already recognizing that tone. “One for every day of the week, as you made us aware. So, why am I looking at a brand new Ford Mustang that I have never seen in our garage before?”
“I picked her up this morning. She’s gorgeous, no?”
“You were supposed to have a business meeting.”
“Yeah, but who leaves a car dealership without buying one of the cars,” I scoffed, opening my car door. He brushed off my addiction—as he often puts it—and unlocked his car.
“You have a problem,” he murmured under his breath, and I chuckled, slipping into the driver’s side. Fuck, her black interior was beautiful.
The engine came to life with a satisfying roar and I inhaled in satisfaction. I cast Chase a glance to my right, noticing him already looking at me.
He revved his Aston Martin, so, naturally, I took that as a challenge.
As soon as we were off school property, Chase didn’t hesitate to put some miles between us. But, he didn’t get far.
* * *
“You’re making me waste my goddamn time on drunk college kids?” Chase rhetorically asked as we stepped into the club.
It was never about the students to begin with. But he didn’t need to know that.
After he and Kaden found Dakota and I in the classroom last week, I was forced to sit through a stern scolding, about how I’d been selfish, and that she was the worst possible choice all things considered.
He couldn’t be more wrong.
I understood that her being my student complicated things. But, I couldn’t resist her. I’d give up my goddamn career first before letting her slip through my fingers.
“You can go up and I’ll take a lap around,” I nodded to the VIP section that he was keen on going to.
I cast a wink in his direction and he mumbled some foul words under his breath before walking away.
The dance floor was flooded with sweaty, dancing bodies. Scream & Shout by will.i.am blasted through the speakers and every single person on the floor jumped in the air, cheering in approval. I needed to get out of the crowd before an ass that didn’t belong to Dakota was on me.
My eyes scanned the entire room, searching for one specific dancing body, hoping she was here.
I shouldn’t lay a hand on her. She was my student.
But, I couldn’t help my eyes trailing every curve of her body. Especially her round lips that seem to always form the smartest remarks. Or her caramel eyes that could bring any man to his knees with one simple glance.
Every time she veered close to me, I couldn’t stop the nervous thudding my heart was apparently capable of doing because of a woman. Dakota was dangerously beautiful, talented, and her ability to competently grasp foreign concepts only fueled my longing for her.
I was fully aware of her every move, her every word, her every reaction.
This would go against everything. I knew my morals, ethics, and God knows what else was fucked.
But, I didn’t care… because all I could see was her.
Ever since Dakota slipped into my life, it had become tunnel vision from there.
I reached the back of the club, but my steps came to an immediate halt when I spotted her in the distance.
My heart raced, seeing her pressed up against the wall, her back arched. Her fingers were intertwined in his curly hair as he gripped the side of her thigh, lifting her leg.
She only wore a sexy, black corset with thigh high socks. Black wings were attached to her back with a black halo above her head. A dark angel.
His lips traveled from her mouth down to the side of her throat and I watched her heavy eyelids peel open.
Something malicious crawled up my spine at the sight of another man touching and kissing her. Unknowingly, my fingers curled into a fist at my side. Raging venom burned inside of me, flooding my veins but I kept my neutral expression in place.
Deep desire swirled behind her eyes when our gazes locked, and it was as though a fire had been reignited inside of me.
Purposely, she threw her head back, pressing her chest further and harder into his. Little shit.
The material of my pants around my hips tightened when I trailed my eyes down her body. I wanted her in that position. For me.
“Didn’t peg you as a party goer, Professor Hale,” Solace grinned, approaching me with a drink in her hand.
Her presence forced my eyes away from Dakota, and although it wasn’t enough to extinguish the fire inside of me, it yanked me back to reality.
“Although, I think to be considered a party goer, you’d need a personality. And people skills.”
“Miss Allard,” I acknowledged, crossing my arms over my chest. For once, I was fighting a smile.
“So… are you here to make sure no one secretly spikes the drinks, or to simply stare down every guy who looks at your favorite student?” she questioned, lifting her drink to her lips—only to hide a knowing grin.
I cocked an eyebrow at her, giving my shoulder a slight shrug. “It’s my club, Miss Allard, and someone has to keep things from spiraling out of control.”
“You mean someone has to keep you from spiraling out of control over her,” she mused.
“Who are you referring to?”
Blatantly ignoring my question, she spoke. “You might want to be a little less obvious, Romeo.” Her tone, facial expression and body language was all taunt. “So, what were you like at parties back in your day? Let me guess: brooding in a corner with a book?”
I decided to entertain this conversation. “Something like that.”
“Bet you broke hearts even back then.”
I couldn’t help the chuckle that fell from my lips and I watched her mirror my smile. “I think you’re imagining someone way more interesting.”
“You know, if you weren’t completely obsessed with someone you’re technically not allowed to touch, I’d set you up with my cousin.”
My eyes flickered to Dakota for a split second, then back to Solace. “I’d have to decline.”