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As I thrash, trying to get out, sending water flying, Dr. Wright hangs on.
Then, suddenly, it doesn’t hurt.
Exhausted, I stop fighting and sink back against the professor.
“I’m sorry,” he mutters, his mouth close to my ear. “I couldn’t think of a quicker way to warm you up.” He raises his leg and uses his foot to turn on a tap on. He’s still wearing his sweatpants. The dark gray cotton looks almost black now that it’s wet.
The water around my feet grows warmer, and as the level rises, I finally feel like I’m getting warmer too. My body stops shivering, but as my muscles start to relax, I realize how much I ache.
When the water nears the level of overflowing, the professor uses his foot to turn the faucet off, then he inches us lower, enough so my chest is submerged.
I’ve lost all concept of time at this point, so I have no idea how long we stay there, but eventually, Dr. Wright inhales deeply, placing his hands on my hips. “Scoot forward and don’t turn around,” he says as he gently pushes me.
“Huh?” I say, although I move towards the other end of the bath.
“I didn’t think this far ahead,” he tells me. There’s a rush of water behind me as he stands. “I’m going to take my clothes off, so I don’t flood my bathroom when I get out.”
Water splashes me as the professor moves around behind me. Even though my temperature feels back to normal, I suddenly feel uncomfortably hot. From the corner of my eye, I see an arm reach for a towel, and then Dr. Wright steps out of the bath, wrapping it around his body.
He leaves the bathroom, and a few minutes pass before he returns, setting something down on the side. Then he steps into my line of sight, holding out a towel.
From the way his dress shirts pulled against his body as he moved in the classroom, I’d guessed the guy worked out, but holy crap. I never imagined he’d have abs like the ones I see now. Droplets of water still clung to his dark skin, and from nowhere, the urge to run my tongue over the defined grooves of his body and suck his body dry hits me.
“Do you need help getting out, or can you manage?”
His expression hasn’t changed, so I’m hoping my perverted thoughts weren’t obvious.
Forcing myself to return to reality, I look down at myself. I’m still wearing Syn’s stupid little cheerleading outfit—little being the key word. With the way it’s clinging to me like a second skin, I may as well be naked.
Despite that weird thought and considering what I’ve done so far during this initiation, I’m suddenly embarrassed.
This guy is my professor.
Whether or not my body wants to, I’ll be getting out of this tub by myself. “I’ll be fine,” I tell him.
Dr. Wright places the towel on the side of the bathtub. “There’s something to change into on the side. If you need any help, I’ll be on the other side of the door.” He quickly walks out, closing the door behind him.
I take a long, deep breath. I’ve barely got any energy left in me, and pulling the top off takes more effort than I thought it would. My arms feel heavy, like I’ve just done a thousand pushups.
Only after I’ve dropped my top into the water do I try to stand. I clutch the sides of the tub and force myself upright. Pulling the skirt down is the easiest part of the whole process, then I somehow get out of the tub and wrap a large, thick towel around me.
My hair is still in a ponytail, so I squeeze the excess water out before I wrap it up into a bun. Then I dry myself as quickly as I can, but before I investigate the pile of clothing Dr. Wright left me, I drop my towel to the floor and try to mop up as much water as I can.
I find the plug in the murky bathwater and then get the tub draining as I fish out the items of clothing. After wringing them out as best I can, I deposit them in the sink. Finally, I pull on the clothes he’s given me: a pair of navy sweatpants and a navy-blue JKU sweatshirt.
When I leave the bathroom, Dr. Wright is waiting for me, already dressed. “Do you want me to take you back to school?”
While I’m not sure what time it is exactly, I see light starting to peak through the gaps above the curtains. By the time I get back to campus, the sun will have probably risen, but I don’t have the energy in me to face Syn. Even if it means I’m not there to serve him breakfast.
I shake my head.
XXIII
Tori
While I did manage to get some sleep, I’ve been awake for a while, lying on the bed. My body aches, and if I put weight in the wrong place, I find myself wincing. Beneath the clothes Dr. Wright has lent me, there are dozens of scrapes and freshly forming bruises.
My stomach has been grumbling since I woke. I’m almost certain that’s what woke me up, because it’s what’s stopping me from being able to go back to sleep.
