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“Well, be jealous, bitch. Because Oaklyn and I have him for Astronomy this semester,” Olivia taunted.
“Whore,” Sandy returned with a smile.
“I’ve heard he’s a manwhore,” the other girl said. “But totally reserved.”
“How would you know, Cindy?” Olivia asked.
“How could he not be? Girls throw themselves at him all the time. I’m sure he takes advantage.”
“But he’s a teacher. Surely, he wouldn’t do anything with a student,” Sandy said.
Cindy just shrugged her shoulders, letting her gossip lay wherever it fell. “The quiet ones are always the freakiest. They have the biggest secrets.”
The girls moved on to another topic, but I couldn’t get past what they’d said. I didn’t think it was true about Dr. Pierce. Sure, I’d caught him staring at me a few times, but it hadn’t felt sexual. Just intense.
My stomach fluttered thinking about it, so I shut it down. I had to work with him, and if rumors were already going around about him, I didn’t want to encourage more gossip.
7
Callum
“I’m so happy you called again,” Shannon said from across the table.
I didn’t really know what to say, so I gave a noncommittal hum and smile, hoping it reassured her that I was happy I did too. Even if I wasn’t sure why I’d called her again.
Liar.
Oaklyn’s smiling face, her smell, the way she looked when she came and the way it filtered into my dreams—that was why I’d called Shannon. I wanted to try and get my mind off of Oaklyn.
“The holidays made it hard to find time, huh?” she continued. “They did for me too. Then my grandmother needed help back home after hip surgery, which made me late to start my new job. But I’ll get there next week.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother. I hope she’s doing better.”
“Much.”
She continued to talk about her trip home and a tiff between her and her cousin. I took a sip of my bourbon and zoned out. She did enough talking for both of us. Shannon was beautiful with a wide smile and a joie de vivre she couldn’t fake. As for me, it had taken a few drinks in the dark of my stiff sitting room before I’d finally convinced myself to call her.
I’d needed someone to help distract me from the past week at school with Oaklyn. It had been torture. She was friendly to everyone and had a bright laugh that lit her face. I’d watched her smile with such innocence, and I’d had a hard time reconciling her to the girl who fucked in front of people. The girl I wasn’t going to go see this weekend. I could spend one weekend away from Voyeur.
I still hadn’t called Daniel about her schedule. I was too scared to explain my predicament to someone else, and I’d just decided not to go.
But I thought about it constantly. I would find myself wondering about the guy she was with. Occasionally, I’d be able to identify the twisting in my stomach as jealousy. Wanting to do to her what he’d done to her. Knowing I couldn’t.
I wondered who else had watched her. Was it anyone she was around on a daily basis? Were they keeping it from her? Or was I the only pervert lusting over my nineteen-year-old student?
But at least I was trying to change that. Which was why I was sitting across from Shannon instead of at the bar at Voyeur.
“Would you like any dessert?” our waiter asked, halting Shannon’s monologue and bringing me back to the present.
“Oh, no,” Shannon said with a smile, her hand on her stomach. “I shouldn’t. Gosh, I can’t. I’m so full.”
“No dessert this time, thank you,” I said to our waiter, but kept my eyes on Shannon. I’d hated that I’d zoned her out. I didn’t like making my dates feel like they didn’t have my full attention.
“Another bourbon for you?”
“No, thank you. I’ll just take the check.”
Shannon reached inside her purse and I halted that. I was old-fashioned in believing that I’d asked her out, therefore it was my treat.
My chivalry seemed to light a fire in her eyes as she took the last sip of her wine. When she set it down she dragged her finger along the wet rim, her gaze heavy and full of desire.
“Would you like to come to my place for a drink?”
I should have seen the question coming. And maybe I had, but I still had to ask myself: Could I? I knew what it entailed. I knew what she was really asking. And I wanted to. I wanted to lay down with her and feel her skin pressed to mine without a sheen of sweat covering my body as tremors shook my limbs. I wanted to follow this woman home and possess her in a way that made me forget the innocence that taunted me.
