Graded in Sin

Whispers in the Dark

Emma’s phone stayed silent for the rest of the weekend, but the anonymous text burned in her mind like a brand. Every time Kane kissed her, every time he pulled her close and whispered how good she felt wrapped around him, the photo replayed behind her eyes, proof that someone had noticed the way he lingered near her desk, the way his voice softened when he spoke to her.

By Monday morning, she was back in the front row, legs crossed tightly, trying to focus on the lecture. Kane moved through the material with his usual commanding presence, but his gaze kept drifting to her, heavy with the memory of their weekend. The secret between them felt electric now, charged with something far more dangerous than simple blackmail.

Halfway through class, another text vibrated against her thigh.

She glanced down discreetly.

Unknown: You think you’re special because he lets you sit up front? I see how he watches you. Some of us actually work for our grades instead of spreading our legs.

Emma’s stomach clenched. She deleted the message instantly, but the words lingered, sharp and ugly. Her cheeks burned with a mix of shame and anger. Who was this? Someone from class? A rival who had noticed the extra attention?

Kane’s voice cut through her panic. “Miss Sinclair, would you care to explain Porter’s Five Forces as they apply to the case study?”

She stood on shaky legs, forcing her voice steady. “The model assesses competitive intensity through threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat of substitutes, and rivalry among existing competitors. In the case…”

“Very good,” Kane interrupted smoothly, his gray eyes locking on hers with hidden heat. “See me after class for a deeper discussion on your analysis.”

A few students shifted in their seats. One girl in the third row…tall, blonde, with sharp features and an expensive-looking bag…stared at Emma with narrowed eyes. Jessica Harlan. Emma had noticed her before: always perfectly put together, always raising her hand with confident answers, always competing for the top spot. Now that stare felt personal.

After class, the hall emptied slowly. Jessica lingered near the door, pretending to pack her bag, but her gaze flicked between Emma and Kane with obvious suspicion.

When the room finally cleared, Kane closed the distance, pulling Emma into a shadowed corner behind the podium where they couldn’t be easily seen from the hallway.

“You’re tense,” he murmured, one hand sliding to her waist, thumb stroking possessively. “Tell me.”

She showed him the new text, voice low. “It’s getting worse. She…or whoever…thinks I’m sleeping with you for grades.”

Kane’s jaw tightened, but instead of anger, he pulled her closer, pressing a slow, claiming kiss to her lips. “Let them think what they want. As long as they don’t have proof.” His hand slipped under her skirt, fingers brushing her bare p***y. “And you’re not just spreading your legs, Emma. You’re mine. That’s different.”

The touch ignited her instantly. She gasped against his mouth as he circled her c**t with practiced ease, the risk of someone walking back in making her pulse race.

“Kane… not here,” she whispered, even as her hips rocked into his hand.

“Here,” he countered, voice rough with need. “Because I can’t stop thinking about how you sounded this weekend when you came on my c**k and told me you wanted more than the deal.”

His fingers plunged inside her, curling just right. Emma bit his shoulder to muffle her moan, pleasure spiking fast and hot. The weekend had changed everything…the s*x was no longer purely transactional. It carried weight now, laced with real emotion, real longing.

Just as she neared the edge, the sound of heels clicking in the hallway made them freeze.

Jessica’s voice carried faintly. “Professor Kane? I had a question about the assignment…”

Kane didn’t pull away. Instead, he pressed his palm over Emma’s mouth and kept stroking her slowly, deliberately, keeping her right on the brink.

“Stay quiet for me, sweetheart,” he breathed against her ear. “Or I’ll make you come while she’s standing right there.”

Emma’s eyes widened in panic and forbidden thrill. Her body trembled, walls clenching around his fingers as footsteps approached the lecture hall door.

The handle rattled slightly.

Kane’s gray eyes bored into hers, dark with lust and something deeper; possession mixed with the budding tenderness that had bloomed over the weekend.

“Tell me you’re falling for this as much as I am,” he whispered, fingers still moving in torturous circles. “Tell me you don’t want me to stop.”

The door began to open.

Emma’s heart slammed against her ribs, torn between terror of exposure and the overwhelming pull toward the man who now owned far more than her grades.