Midnight Ecstasy (An Erotica Collection)

"Professor Albright?" Maya's voice cracked as she stepped into the office, the door clicking shut behind her. He looked up from his desk, setting down his pen. "Miss Sharma. I was wondering when you'd come by." "You knew I'd come?" She walked toward his desk, her bag slipping from her shoulder. "Then you know why I'm here." Professor Albright leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "I assume it's about your final grade." "Yes." She stopped in front of his desk, gripping the back of the chair across from him. "I need to pass this course. I'm a final year student. If I fail, I have to stay another year. Another year of tuition, another year of everything falling apart." He sighed, a long, heavy sound. "Maya, I looked at your exam. The answers were incomplete. The essay was surface level at best. You missed three classes without explanation." "I know. I know, and I'm not making excuses." She sat down, leaning forward. "But there has to be something. Extra credit. A makeup assignment. I'll write a whole new paper. I'll do whatever you ask." "The deadline for extra credit passed six weeks ago. I sent out three reminders." "Professor, please." She gripped the edge of his desk. "I have a job offer waiting. An apartment I already signed a lease on. My parents are coming to graduation. Do you know what it's going to do to them if I tell them I failed? Do you know what it's going to do to me?" He shook his head slowly. "I understand this is difficult. But the policy is clear. There's nothing I can do." "There's always something you can do." Her voice dropped. "You're the professor. You make the rules. You can bend them if you want to." He stared at her for a long moment. "Are you asking me to break the rules for you?" "I'm asking you to help me." She stood up and walked around his desk, stopping beside his chair. "Please. Just think about it. Think about what this means for me." He turned to face her, his expression still guarded. "Maya, sit back down. We can discuss this rationally." "I don't want to discuss it rationally." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I want you to look at me and tell me you really can't do anything. That you really won't help me." "Don't do this." His voice was lower now, less certain. "Don't do what?" She leaned closer, her fingers trailing along his arm. "I told you I'd do anything. I meant it." "You don't know what you're saying." "Yes, I do." She tilted her head, meeting his eyes. "I know exactly what I'm saying. I know exactly what I'm offering." He swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. "You're putting me in a difficult position." "I'm giving you a choice." Her hand moved to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath her palm. "You can tell me to leave. You can tell me no. But I need you to look at me when you say it." He looked at her, really looked at her, and something shifted in his eyes. His hand came up and covered hers, holding it against his chest. "This isn't appropriate," he said, but his voice had lost all its authority. "I don't care about appropriate." She stepped closer, her knee brushing against his leg. "I care about graduating. I care about not losing everything I worked for. I care about you seeing me." He let out a shaky breath. "Maya." "Tell me to stop." She leaned in until her lips were close to his ear. "Tell me you don't want this." "Wanting something and doing something are different things." "Are they?" She pulled back just enough to look at him. "Because right now, you haven't pushed me away. You haven't told me to go. You're still holding my hand." He looked down at their joined hands, then back up at her face. "You're very determined." "I have to be." She smiled, a small, desperate thing. "I don't have any other options." "Everyone has options." But he didn't let go of her hand. "Not everyone." She traced her thumb along his knuckles. "Not me. Not right now. You're the only person who can fix this for me." He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. "And what if I don't fix it?" "Then I'll figure something else out." She shrugged, but her hand tightened on his. "But I'd rather not have to." He laughed, a short, humorless sound. "You're very confident." "I'm very desperate." She moved closer, her other hand coming up to touch his face. "There's a difference." He turned his head slightly, pressing a kiss to her palm. It was a small gesture, barely anything, but it was enough. "Maya," he said again, but this time her name sounded different on his lips. Like he was tasting it. "Professor," she whispered back. "Call me Daniel." His hand moved from hers to her waist, pulling her closer. "Just for tonight. Call me Daniel." "Daniel." She said it slowly, deliberately, watching his eyes darken. "Does that mean you'll help me?" He didn't answer with words. Instead, he pulled her down into his lap, his hands settling on her hips. He looked up at her, his expression a mixture of desire and something that might have been regret. "You have no idea what you're doing to me," he said. "Then show me." He tilted his head, his lips brushing against her neck. "You're going to be the death of me, you know that?" "As long as I pass the course." She laughed, but it came out breathless. He pulled back, looking at her with an intensity that made her stomach flip. "I'll think about it," he said. "I'll think about everything. But right now..." "Right now?" she prompted, her fingers threading through his hair. "Right now, I can't think about anything except you."