The auditorium was quiet, dark. I moved to my table to put my laptop in my old leather satchel and ran a hand over one of my “ugly” filtration units.
Come on, Universe. For Dash.
“Ms. Bennett. Working late, I see.”
I jumped, instantly tense all over. “Oh. Professor Langford. Hi.”
He wore khaki pants and a blue button-down shirt from earlier today but without his blazer. He flashed me a grin, his teeth white under the fluorescents as he approached.
A lot of the girls in school thought he was handsome, with his big blue eyes and swoop of thick gold hair. I guessed he was about the same age as Ezra Wolfe—late thirties—but I’d never felt comfortable with him. Just being in Langford’s space made me itchy.
“Your presentation was very good today,” he said, perusing my materials. “Impressive. The most impressive, honestly.”
“Professor Langford, as a judge, are you supposed to be telling me that?” I asked carefully. “Before the announcement, I mean.”
“You’re a bold young lady, aren’t you, Ms. Bennett? I like that. I like that a lot.”
He moved closer until he was right behind me, looking over myshoulder, his breath wafting over my neck. I suddenly wished I wasn’t wearing a dress. And that I hadn’t taken my jacket off.
“Your water-purification system is ingenious. I had a feeling you would pick somethingnoble.”
The front of his thigh was now brushing the back of my leg. I took a step to the left. “I think I should get going…”
“I take it you adhered to all the rules stringently?” he asked. “No outside help?”
“Of course not.”
“I thought so,” Langford said. He leaned his hand onto to the table, half caging me in. “It’s just a little on the cheap side. Hargrave couldn’t get around that.”
I took another step away. “Excuse me?”
He stood up and crossed his arms, facing me. Standing close. “I’ve heard about your family’s plight.”
“Our plight?”
“Castle Hill is a very small town, Harper. People talk. My dentist, for instance. He told me all about a woman who was harassing him. A former employee named Maeve Bennett. She was begging for her job back because her roof had caved in. Causing a stink and making threats about exposing an affair.” He smiled. “Some people will say anything when they’re desperate, won’t they?”
“I…I have to go.”
I took a step back, my back hitting the edge of the table. He took a step forward and ran a finger down my bare arm. A cold shiver ran through every part of me.
“What are you doing?” I asked over the lump in my throat.
“You’re a very beautiful young girl, Harper. I’ve thought that since day one. The way you sit in the front of the class, with your luscious body on display in your poor little dresses. But you know what you’re doing, don’t you?”
My blood iced over as he moved closer, towering over me, pinning me between himself and the table. I was frozen, a strange tinglingadrenaline running through me that locked me in place. Hardly able to breathe and unable to move but for my heart that was kicking in my rib cage like a trapped animal.
“I’ve watched how you ogled Orion Mercer all year. He won the contest, you know.”
My breath froze in my chest. Shock and fear and dread all falling over me like an avalanche.
“His parents give too much money to the school for it to go any other way. Not to mention his chemistry pedigree. And you came in at a valiant second place. But I can change that. I can help you, Harper.”
His other hand came up, holding me by the shoulders, then he touched my cheek, cupped it, and ran his thumb over my lower lip, then down my neck toward my chest.
“Your project is the one that matters,” he said. “That’s why I’m trying to help you. I can sway Hargrave…if you cooperate. Because I believe in you. I can ensure that that prize money you need so badly is yours.”
“No,” I said, barely a whisper.
