Teach Me

Chapter 4: Sleeping Arrangements

He picked up a briefcase from beside his desk and pulled a suit jacket from behind his chair before heading to his office door. He opened it and gestured for me to exit first.

The walk to his car was silent as we both contemplated the predicament we found ourselves in. I was deep in thought when he opened the door of a luxurious black car for me. I climbed into the vehicle and awkwardly sat there, still clutching my ripped panties in my hand.

Once he had closed my door, he made his way around and climbed into the driver's seat.

"So where to?" He asked as the car's engine roared to life.

"The dorms," I replied as I buckled my seatbelt.

"The dorms? Doesn't Jason stay in the dorms too?" he asked, his suspicions rising.

"I don't know... I only know him from our brief encounter earlier," I replied with a tinge of disgust.

"I don't know whether that makes me feel better or worse, but I do know I don't feel comfortable with you staying anywhere near him," he explained firmly.

"You know that the boys and the girls stay in separate dorms, right?" I asked, uncertain as to whether he knew this fact or not.

"Obviously! But I was also 18 once and I know at least ten ways to sneak into the girls' dorms," he explained with a scoff.

"Now I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse," I murmured uncomfortably, imagining him sneaking through the hallways and peeking into the girls’ rooms in the middle of the night.

He chuckled before replying, "I studied here, okay? I did my fair share of sneaking into the girls' dormitory during that time."

That did give me a little peace of mind, knowing that he likely wasn't creeping into the girls’ dorms during his off time... at least I hoped not. It also resulted in an irrational surge of jealousy as I wondered who he'd been visiting at that time.

"Well, what are you suggesting?" I asked, suspiciously.

"You're obviously coming home with me," he replied matter-of-factly as he drove us out of the basement parking.

"Maybe I don't feel comfortable staying with you?" I suggested, my tone one of apprehension.

"So now all of a sudden you have this voice of reason? Where was it earlier?" he asked with the tiniest hint of teasing.

"You mean Jason? He asked me to go with him to get something he'd forgotten in the classroom. I didn't expect..." my voice trailed off.

We fell into silence which was broken by the sound of my message tone. I checked the screen, it was Kara. She asked where I was and whether I had heard about the drama at the mixer. I assumed the drama may have been whatever story Jason had spun about Professor Blake.

God... It felt weird to call him that. It was so formal. But then Alexander didn't feel right either. He'd never actually introduced himself, so I wasn't too sure how he expected me to address him.

I messaged Kara back letting her know that I was fine, but I wouldn't be coming home tonight.

Immediately she started to message, prying for details about the mystery man I must be with. I brushed her off and told her I would talk to her in the morning, and then I tucked my phone away in my pocket, hoping she would take the hint.

I was staring out the window, watching the streetlights pass by in a blur when I finally decided to ask. "I don't know what to call you," I admitted.

"Alex," he replied plainly as we stopped in front of a big roller gate. It started to open, allowing us access to the property.

His home was an impressive sight – modern architecture with large glass windows and a beautifully landscaped garden that seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding nature.

As we idled in the driveway, waiting for the garage door to open, the sky opened up and large raindrops began to fall, drumming rhythmically against the car roof.

I felt uneasy. "Listen, I meant what I said earlier. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this arrangement,” I pressed, feeling a little weirded out by the situation and how quickly everything seemed to be escalating.

"Do you have somewhere else you can stay besides the dorms?" he asked, seemingly willing to consider other options.

"Not really. My parents live out of town, and I don't have any relatives nearby," I responded, a sense of helplessness washing over me.

"Listen, I understand your apprehension and it's valid, but consider this... If I were to try anything with you, and you reported me, I would lose everything. God, you could report me even if I didn't try anything and they'd probably take your side and I'd still lose everything. I'm not saying there are no risks for you, I'm just saying there are also risks for me," he tried to put my mind at ease.

I saw a hole in his logic though. "That's if I make it out of here in a state where I CAN report you... You're a Criminal Psychologist. I have no doubt that you could make me... disappear... if that's what you wanted to do."

I looked at him warily as we sat together in the now stationary vehicle. He stared at me for a moment and then he laughed. The sound was rich and full and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to make him laugh again.

"Perhaps you're not as naive as I initially thought,” he conceded, still chuckling, but then he went on more seriously. “Well, I suppose I can't dispute your logic. I'm not going to force you to stay here. If you really don't want to, I'll take you wherever you want to go... Even back to your dorm, though I still don't like the idea of that." he finished, then sat quietly as he waited for me to confirm what I wanted to do.