That one statement let me know Dory wasn’t here to end her relationship. “Does your professor loveyou?” I asked.
Dory glanced at Raven, who gestured for her to continue. “He told me he did.”
I assessed Dory. The young lady was kind of attractive in a sweet sort of way. Beautiful skin, hair, and nails. She wore mom jeans, an oversized sweatshirt, and sneakers. Yet, nothing about her screamedhave-a-torrid-affair-with-a-professortype. Now, if we’d been talking about having an affair with a life-sized mannequin…
“Ms. Young, I know this may seem weird. But I’m shy. Professor spoke to the quiet part of me. One night after class, we went for coffee. Then, he took me to his place.”
The story was familiar, but still… “What are you looking to do here, sweetheart? I’m not opposed to listening and helping you walk away from a harmful situation, but you have to be ready. There’s so much wrong with this picture. Starting with the fact that he’s your professor.”
“He kicked me out of his class,” she said.
Folding my arms over my chest, I pinned her with a stern glare. “Raven told me. But what doyouwant to do?”
Silence.
“Dory, tell her what you told me,” Raven prodded. “She needs to know.”
When she didn’t say anything for a minute, I stood. “How about you come back when you actually want to talk? I have a pretty busy day.”
“What would you do if someone older and handsome and charismatic paid you attention that you’d never had before?” Dory asked.
I swallowed as uncomfortable memories flashed through my mind. “Listen, we’ve all been there.” It was my patented line. I usually led with it when I met new clients. This time, though, I wanted to throw up. “But this is not an average situation. Your accusations are huge, not just for his career but for yours. You have to decide whatyouwant to do and how faryouwant to take this.”
“I know we’ll probably never be together. I just want to graduate on time,” Dory said, a tear falling from her eyes. “I received a letter from the Dean. He’s ruining my name. They want to kick me out of the school.”
Heat flushed through my body as anger, hot and dark, welled up inside. Dory didn’t need to say anything else. As far as I was concerned, Professor Cole was already guilty. I’d been on the receiving end of an attempt to ruin my reputation and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“He won’t even let me walk away from him with my dignity,” she continued. “And he’s keeping all my stuff at his place.”
With narrowed eyes, I asked, “How much time did you spend at his house?”
Dory shrugged. “I don’t know. Months.”
“Are we talking clothes, electronics…?”
“Both. I left my grandmother’s vase and a painting there. They’re both priceless, worth thousands of dollars.”
Logically, I knew sometimes it was best to leave everything behind to get away from a harmful boyfriend. But I wanted her to get her belongings back. It was the principle. Yes, she was a consenting adult, but that damn professor knew better. He’d used his position to entrap her in a one-sided relationship. He deserved a foot up his ass.Disgusting piece of shit.
“Please, help me,” she pleaded.
An hour later,Dory had run off, leaving me literally clutching a vase as a police cruiser zoomed into the driveway of Professor Cole’s home. “Deep shit” was an understatement. My black ass was going to jail.Fuck.
Chapter 2
911
Lennox
One Hour Ago
“Marry me?”
Something was very wrong here. I glanced around at the building crowd in the restaurant. All attention was on me—the amused stares from the group of brothas picking up their carry-out near the cash register, the wide eyes of the older women in the corner booth across from us, the open mouths of the waitresses, the raised brow of my best friend, the furious glares from my sisters, and the hostess sneaking a glance when she should’ve been working. Then, there was the woman, kneeling down in front of me, holding up a diamond band. The tentative smile on Ayana’s lips, her quivering chin, let me know she was nervous. She should’ve been.
I considered myself a progressive person. Really. Whenever the topic of women popping the question came up in discussion, I’d often shrugged it off and gave a gracious response about women making boss moves—or some shit like that. But I never assumed I’d be in this position myself, being proposed to in the middle of my favorite breakfast spot.
“Annoyed” was an understatement. Because not only would I have to embarrass Ayana in front of all these people, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to come back here without being labeledthatguy, the asshole who’d broken an innocent woman’s heart in public. No one in the establishment knew shewasn’tinnocent. They didn’t know the hell she’d put me through while we’d been together and after we’d broken up—a year ago. They wouldn’t understand the toll that relationship had had on my credit after she’d taken out credit cards in my name to fund her gambling habit. They couldn’t fathom the emotional havoc she’d wreaked in my life; the tears I’d had to watch my mother shed when Ayana had pawned my grandmother’s ring. No, they didn’t get it, but I didn’t care.
