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I break into a run because this is one walk of shame that I want to accelerate. The campus whizzes past my periphery, a blur of muted greens until I reach the apartment block and finally feel less exposed.
Half an hour later, after a hot shower that does nothing to wash away Professor Segul’s lingering touches, I’m making bacon and eggs when someone knocks on the door.
My stomach tightens.
How much do I want to bet that it’s him, furious that I left before a deep-throating or whatever else he wanted on a Sunday?
He knocks again, and I clench my teeth. We’re even. Blowjobs on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, plus two overnight stays. I could even argue that he owes me.
When he knocks a third time, I storm across the studio and to the door. This time, I attach the security chain before opening.
Instead of the imposing figure of Professor Segul, it’s Veer Bestlasson.
My hackles rise. I thought I’d come to terms with losing my virginity to him and getting ignored, but after discovering I’ve been catching feelings for someone who considers me a paid professional, the sting of what happened between us in my first year hits like a snap.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
Veer runs his fingers through his hair. “You’re back.”
My eyes narrow. “And?”
“When you weren’t at the after party, I came to check that you were alright.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, the words coming out sharp.
He flinches. “I just hoped you would be there.”
I glower at him through the gap in the door, my jaw tightening. A little voice in the back of my head whispers that I’m being unfair to Veer. That he’s just worried because I suddenly went missing after his concert, but I ignore that little traitor.
Maybe if Veer hadn’t acted like sex with him was nothing, I might not have allowed a lifetime of Dad’s bullshit to devalue my sexuality. I certainly wouldn’t have gotten so cynical about men that I would want a sugar daddy.
He squirms under my glower, which suits me because I squirmed and felt like shit for weeks after he refused to acknowledge that we’d had sex.
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” He backs toward the elevator.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
“Out of concern,” he mumbles. “And guilt.”
I inhale a sharp breath through my nostrils. “Why would you feel guilty?”
He rubs the back of his neck. “Do you know what it’s like to be a Bestlasson?”
I shake my head, wondering where this line of conversation is going.
“My dad and uncle are religious nutcases. If either of them knew I’d been with a girl, they’d force us to get married.”
I snort a laugh. Odin is one of the most powerful gangsters in Great Britain. The man practically owns London and only allows others to operate in areas he finds distasteful. Why would such a ruthless criminal care so much about the activities of a university student?
“You’re kidding,” I say.
He raises his shoulders and stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Last month, Uncle Odin caught my cousin, Thor, with a woman. The next morning, they were married.”
“Shit.” I place a hand over my mouth.
“Yes, and it was only a one-night stand.”
We stay in silence for a few heartbeats, with the door and the chain between us. It’s not like I’m cut up about Veer. He’d been my type in the first year—tall, well-dressed, and clean-shaven, but I can’t get behind his fickle personality or the 1960’s rockstar persona.
