Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
WARREN
“When you close the circuits, you get…?” I let the question trail off, looking into the faces of my students.
Most look bored out of their minds or hungover.
I don’t blame them. It’s an intro class, which means it’s the first class of the day and we’re fresh back from a break. But if I have to be here, so do they.
I purposely keep my eyes off my desk, avoiding looking at the succulent plant.
One of the freshmen raises his hand, looking nervous. I call on him and he says, “The charge is positive?”
“Exactly,” I say and he beams. “A positive charge.” I click off my board and turn back to the class. “For homework, I need for you all to log into your student portal and answer the discussion questions, as well as the quiz for chapters five and six. My rules for discussion questions?”
“More than five sentences,” someone shouts from the back of the room.
“And?”
“At least two paragraphs.”
“One more,” I say and a few people chuckle.
“Reply to a classmate with more than good answer.”
“Yes, thank you. You’re dismissed.”
Students get busy packing up their bags while I do the same. I’d much rather have classes that start after nine in the morning, but I’m the newest tenured professor, so I have to pay my dues. In a year or two, there will be a change in the instructor line up and I can have a later morning class.
Once the last student leaves, I head out myself, needing to change out my lesson plans for my next class.
My steps stutter as my office comes into view. Taped to the door is a folded piece of white paper.
I thought this was over. It’s way past rush week and the dean assured me that none of the frats are still playing tricks. Is someone just fucking with me because I’m the newest tenured professor?
But come on, this is a prestigious university. Not even the most childish of students will pull a prank for this long.
Swallowing roughly, I snatch the letter from the door and open it.
WHY DON’T YOU LOVE ME?
I NEED YOU!
PLEASE SEE ME!
Who the fuck is sending this? It’s bordering on creepy now. I have no idea who could be leaving them so I can’t say if I see them or not.
Frustrated, I place my belongings on my desk and march to our break room, looking for Mike. He’s where I think he is—standing beside the coffee machine, a half-finished cup in his hand.
“Look,” I say without greeting, passing him the note.
He reads over it with a frown. “What is this? Have you spoken to the dean about the frats?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think it is the frats. They’re immature douchebags,” Mike chuckles, “but I don’t think they’ll drag it this long. Kids rushing age lose interest in shit like that if they get nothing out of it. What will they gain by antagonizing a professor? They’ll already be in the frat.”
Mike nods and leans onto the counter. “Who do you think it could be? You might have a stalker.”
“Why me? I’ve never…I’ve never been…never done anything to gain notice.”
He looks at me sympathetically. “No one ever does. A stalker never has a good reason.”
Sighing, I look over the letter again, wracking my brain about who could want my attention. “I need to figure out who the fuck this is. I can’t—”
“Can I offer a suggestion?” Barb asks from a table near the door. Had she been there the whole time?
“Oh, hey, Barb. I didn’t see you there. How’s it going?”
“Good,” she says quietly with a small smile. “I was just thinking if someone is leaving things, maybe get a camera for your office door?”
“Shit,” I say, snapping my fingers. “The campus has cameras. I can check with IT and see if they possibly caught the culprit. That’s genius. Thank you.” I mentally kick myself for not thinking of that sooner.
Barb grins widely. “You’re welcome. I hope you figure it out.”
“Me too. I’ll also invest in a camera for my office door.”
I rush out of the room, heading to our IT department to get to the bottom of this bullshit.
IT was a bust. Whoever is leaving notes disrupted the service somehow.
As an engineering professor, I should have been able to figure it out, but we were all stumped.
It wasn’t like the tape was erased; it just…
wasn’t there. It confused all of us. It puzzled even the head of the department who used to work for the CIA.
This person isn’t only unhinged, but smart too. I don’t like it. I’m not afraid to admit I’m a little uneasy, but with nothing to go on, I don’t know what to do besides run to a store during my lunch to buy a camera.
After I set it up, I download the app and set it so I get notifications for any movement outside of my door.
I have to force myself not to constantly look at the app until someone appears.
When I get behind the wheel of my car, I pull out my phone and open up our group chat.
Me: Are you two busy tonight?
Of course, Chance answers back first. It’s like his phone is perpetually attached to his hand.
Chance: I’m free. What’s up?
I wait a few minutes for Thorne, but when I get nothing from him, I send a message back.
Me: Just want some company.
Chance: I’ll be there in twenty.
As I stop at a red light, my phone dings and I read a message from Thorne.
Thorne: Be there soon.
I arrive home about a minute before both Chance and Thorne. I’m peeling off my shoes when they knock.
Almost immediately, Thorne takes my face in his hands and kisses me deeply. I melt into him, grabbing onto his biceps to keep my balance.
A warm weight presses against my back, and I break the kiss and turn to Chance, letting him take my mouth in a kiss as well. Then I watch as the two of them lock lips, their kiss deep and intimate.
I’ll never get enough of watching them together.
Thorne looks down at me, tipping up my chin. “What’s wrong?”
I both love and hate how well he can read me already. No matter how much I try, it’s like Thorne can see right through me.
I shake my head, not wanting to tell them, but also not wanting to be in this alone. “Someone is leaving notes on my office door. I thought it was some frat boys, but rush week is over. Someone is fucking with me.”
Thorne drags me over to the couch and Chance sits beside me. “Tell me everything.”
I tell him about the first letter I got and the others that followed. Chance pulls me against his chest and I breathe him in, the spicy scent of his cologne calming me.
“So you’re saying the cameras malfunctioned?” Thorne asks, looking at me in confusion.
“No,” I say, then amend, “well, maybe. I’m not sure. It’s the oddest thing. It was like a blank space in the data? Like it was corrupted without leaving a trace. I can’t describe it.”
Thorne nods and says, “Let me make a quick call and I’ll see what I can figure out.”
He steps into the kitchen, and I can hear him speaking in a low tone.
Chance brushes my hair behind my ear, further comforting me. “You okay?”
I breathe a chuckle. “I feel like I’m overreacting. It’s just a note, right? It’s not like they’ve done anything physical to me.”
“They could,” Chance says. “Maybe this is how they build up to it. You don’t want to wait until they hurt you to do something about it.”
“How’d you get so smart, huh?” I ask, poking him in his belly. My finger almost breaks from how hard his abs are.
He laughs in a warm burst. “Just because I’m a frat boy doesn’t mean I don’t use my brain.”
Thorne comes back a few minutes later, looking troubled. “My friend is as confused as the IT department. He said it was like someone covered the lens of the camera, but digitally. He’s going to check more into it.”
I look at him for a few beats, then ask, “Do I want to know?”
His smile is sharp and a little dark. “No. Just know I have connections.”
“Okay, spy master,” I joke.
“You say you have a camera set up outside your office?”
“Yeah.” I show him the app. There’s nothing moving outside of my office at the moment and my door is free of notes. “Think someone can hack into it?”
“They could, but since it’s external, it shouldn’t be as easy.
My friend has eyes on the issue and will make sure no one else hacks into the cameras outside of your office.
He’s a little pissed that someone was able to do something he can’t, so he’s working to replicate it.
That way, he can figure out how to undo it and see who could have left those notes. ”
Pushing my hands through my hair, I nod and say, “Thank you. I’m glad you two came over. I’m a little freaked out and didn’t want to be alone tonight.”
Chance kisses my neck, sending shivers down my spine. “I’ll come over whenever you need me. We both will, right, Thorne?”
“Of course, Firebird.”
I give Thorne a sardonic look. “Or you’ll break in.”
Again with that sharp, sexy smile. “That too.” Thorne draws my legs onto his lap and massages my calves. I sigh and settle in. “How’s the school year going so far for you two? Is everything good?”
Chance and Thorne tell me about their courses and how they’re getting along. Chance is having a bit of trouble with his frat, something Thorne seemed to have a hand in, but he’s not worried about it.
“I told you none of those guys are really my friends,” he says, his fingers massaging my scalp. “We’re supposed to build this lifetime friendship or whatever, but they really just want someone they can lord their money over.”
Thorne smirks at him. “Aren’t you the richest?”
“My dad is,” Chance corrects. “I’m sure he’ll cut me off as soon as I skip the trials. With the money I have from my trust, I’m probably the most broke, which is saying something because that’s nine figures.”
Thorne whistles but doesn’t look impressed. I think that makes Chance feel safe with us. Meadowbrook pays well and I’ve made some smart investments, so I have a pretty hefty nest egg. Thorne just looks like he doesn’t care about anything, so money doesn’t move him.
“You gonna leave the frat?” Thorne asks, moving his hand up to my thighs. The touch isn’t sexual, but both of them giving me this kind of attention has my dick throbbing in my pants.
Thorne sees it, smiling as the bulge leaves an imprint against my thigh, but he doesn’t touch me there.
I’m glad. It’s nice just sitting here with them, talking. I’m not going to lie, being inside Chance was one of the best sexual experiences of my life, but I don’t want to go there today. I just want to enjoy their company.
“Maybe,” Chance says. “But only after I find a place. For now, I’ll plan and prepare.”
After we’re quiet for a few minutes, I grab my remote and turn the television on. For the rest of the afternoon, we rest on the couch, talking every now and then but mostly just hanging out.
If I’m not careful, I’ll grow used to this treatment.