Professor's Favorite Student

2

The new group of friends had tried every bar-café around the campus, but nothing, no one was searching for a bartender or even for a waitress and the two girls who knew the neighborhood as if it was their hometown were losing every remaining hope of finding their new friend someplace to work to.

Who even said that college was fun, anyways?

After a lot of walking around, this time a little more away from campus, they finally found a place that needed a new bartender. It was more of a noisy old-fashioned bar where people would drink alcohol most of the time, get wasted and forget their way home. But however, it wasn't that bad of a place and Elizabeth could picture herself working there and meeting new-yorkers who'd want to talk with her about every random thing that was going on in their life. Sometimes she felt like this was the main reason she liked this job in the first place. She was a good listener and she knew it.

The owner of the bar was a middle-aged redhead annoying woman who apparently looked like she would never like Elizabeth only because 'she couldn't do her job like a man could', but in the same time wouldn't hire a male bartender because in that way she couldn't 'attract' clients. It was the only time Elizabeth would be forced to endure a behavior like this, for never she'd allow a woman to bring down other women in front of her. She only had to not mind the redhead rambling and pay attention to the work, it mustn't be that hard.

After finally agreeing with everything, the girls were free to go for today, so they decided the spend the rest of the day in malls and shopping centers.

They talked about a lot of things in the process, including their families. Elizabeth couldn't help but sigh as the images of her parents arguing filled her head. She couldn't remember when they used to be happy, but it was long, long before her big brother would leave to Los Angeles, and boy, that was his wisest decision, because after that their parents' relationship only grew more toxic. They'd have separate work trips that would last for days, completely forgetting hers and each other's existence; they'd fight over the most stupidest things and even cheat on each other, openly. Why they never agreed to divorce before, this was something Elizabeth would never find out. 

When they finally made their way to the dormitory, it was dark and they were beyond tired, but the time they had spent together, it was worth every minute. The couple never thought they'd love the new girl who crashed into their room that much, and Elizabeth never thought she'd be that lucky to find such friends, considering everything that happened with her childhood best friend months ago.

                                      ***  

It was Sunday, and even though she was supposed to start her job in Monday, today the redhead forced her to come and 'get used to the bar'. However, she wasn't used to that many people ordering in the same time and for the first time as a bartender, she was feeling clumsy and awkward. Thank God, the waiter named Zed — a skinny boy with a lot of tattoos, some years older than her — helped her throughout the whole time, because there was no way she'd get through it without Mrs. Wilson kicking her out.

After some hours, everything was finally settled in and she had only two glasses of scotch to prepare when her eyes got stuck on a tall man, dressed in a simple all black outfit, his hands on his pants' pocket as he was walking towards the bar's direction― her direction. 

In a few seconds he was there, in the other side of the bar, and to say she found him extremely hot would be the understatement of the year. He was even taller than she first thought, his dark brown hair shorter on the sides and longer on the top, perfectly tossed back, and he seemed to have this strange habit to run his hand through his hair every two seconds. The probably two-days-beard suited his tanned skin color perfectly. His body screamed hot and dominant; not that extremely muscular, but it was so well-built, the shoulders much larger than the waist.

He certainly looked older than her though, probably in his late twenties-early thirties.

Zed's voice, who was asking for the order, brought her back to reality, and it was almost impossible for her to take the eyes off that sexy man in front of her, but she had to. 

She didn't want to seem like a creep, however.

"Are you new here, love?" A deep, husky, seductive voice, speaking in a New York accent, awakened every part of her body and she already knew it was coming from the man she was observing just some seconds ago. As the looks weren't enough, he had to have that voice and that accent too? She shifted her gaze on him and only now she found out he had some emerald green eyes that felt like would swallow her entirely. He raised one of his full dark brows as a response to the sudden attention he was given. "Don't flatter yourself, love. I say this to every pretty woman, you are no exception," he continued, a really small smirk formed in his lips as Elizabeth narrowed her eyes in disbelief at what she just heard. 

Was this man always this full of himself? It was unnerving her.

The appreciating points she had calculated in her head for him dropped as with magic.

"Do you really think women flatter themselves because you call them 'love'?" She clapped back, rolling her eyes, and it seemed to upset and please him in the same time. Most of the times girls would continue to flirt with him but she seemed annoyed and somehow it drew his attention much more.

But not only her answer, though. There were a million other things about her that could draw his attention, starting with her smooth voice, her above shoulder-length brown hair, her beautiful face that had some perfect features in it, her big chocolate brownie eyes, her perfect shaped nose, but mostly her red lips that seemed to make her breathtaking in his eyes.

Get a grip Daniel, she's no older than twenty! He scolded himself when he found his eyes scanning every little detail of hers. He felt like there was something wrong with him tonight, he had never had a thing for younger women. It was actually quite the opposite, most of the time he'd find them immature and only to pay attention at one of them was beyond strange to him.

He only chuckled in irony before speaking again, "Are you this kind to every client here or am I somehow special?" 

Something inside her was enjoying this but she only rolled her eyes acting even more annoyed. "It depends actually, but I can be meaner if you want." Elizabeth had absolutely no idea this would sound that flirty, but it did and it left a bitter-sweet thing in her mouth. She didn't want him to think he had her attention.

"I'd love to see that, love," he couldn't stay without saying.

"Are you going to order anything?" She asked annoyed as she kept washing some glasses, mostly to avoid his gaze.

"Impatient much, huh?" He didn't know why he kept rambling but somehow he wanted this girl to keep talking to him, even if it had to be sarcastically. 

"Some of us have work to do," Liz answered, still not looking at him as he ran his tongue in his lips unconsciously.

"Then a vodka for now, love."

She prepared it quickly before giving it to him, somehow wishing he wouldn't stay much. Something about him made her almost nervous, probably the way his eyes would linger in her while he seemed to drink peacefully, or how he'd raise his left eyebrow every time her gaze was at him. 

She had never struggled to keep eye contact for long with someone before, especially a stranger, but there was no doubt he was intimidating and attractive as hell. In the same time it made her curious to know him more, but she decided to keep her mouth shut for at least some more time.

But he didn't seem to move and it only made her more nervous, causing a crystal glass to slip from her hand to the floor, breaking in tiny little pieces, drawing everyone's attention inside the bar. 

"s**t," she cursed between her lips but he heard. 

"Elizabeth!" The owner of the bar shouted, and you could tell she was angry by looking at her from miles away. "This is enough. I'm gonna fire you!" She continued with that upsetting voice of hers. Daniel expected the girl to apologize or beg for another chance but instead she rolled her eyes, a habit of hers apparently, and pressed her beautiful red lips to a thin line.

"Fine. It's not like I want to stay here a minute more anyway," she shouted back, seeming to have enough of the owner of the bar already.

"Ma'am, it was actually my fault," Daniel said with so much confidence that even of you were only some inches away you'd think your eyes lied to you and not him. He had spent enough time drinking in this bar to realize how bad this woman treated every female that worked for her and it was getting in his nerves. Elizabeth, as the redhead had shouted, gave him a strange questioning look, but he didn't mind it at all. "Actually, I didn't give the glass to her properly so it slipped her hand because of me. Don't worry, I'll pay."

Liz blinked several times questioning her ears. 

"Oh, no no, don't worry. I didn't seem to notice and I thought it was her fault. Obviously my mistake, I'm so sorry to have bothered you," she said in a fake way that it disgusted them both, but he gave the woman a fake smile instead, to assure her everything was okay so she went to do the previous job, leaving them alone once again.

"You think you're so smart, huh?" Elizabeth asked, more irritated than before, catching him completely by surprise. Considering he just saved her job, she had to be a little more grateful, right?

"Love, a 'thank you' would be enough. Is it that hard to say?" He said teasingly, and it only drove her even more mad. Could he simply stop talking?

"You did it on purpose so you could play this card with me whenever you want. I don't want your help," she said firmly in his face before turning her back and trying to get a bottle of whiskey that was standing in the highest shelf behind her. 

She could only touch it lightly with her fingertips and it made her close her eyes in frustration, still trying to reach it. Elizabeth was't short, but apparently she wasn't tall enough to reach the bottle, unfortunately.

"You obviously do, love," she heard a deep voice behind her back so near her to the point she couldn't take the courage to turn and face him. He easily grabbed the bottle, holding it in one hand. "Here it is." 

Elizabeth finally managed to turn back, however, she saw nothing but a black chest. Somehow she couldn't take the courage to find his eyes that were searching for hers.

"I- I could've taken it myself," she mumbled, this time her voice much less confident than when he was on the other side of the bar. 

She heard him chuckle as he put the bottle in the bar, and the other hand reached her chin, raising it gently and forcing her to see him in the eye. She gasped at how intense his gaze was, his fingertip placed on the corner of her lips burned her skin, making her breathe heavier. 

"Elizabeth, right?" He whispered, completely ignoring what she said, and the way he said her name made her body shiver unconsciously.

"Liz," she mumbled, while his eyes were still penetrating her skin. "Everybody calls me Liz."

"I'm not everybody, love," he continued, his fingertip brushing her bottom lip, and to say she didn't find this the most turn on thing somebody had done to her would be simply short a lie.

Surprisingly for Liz, he leaned forward and covered her lips with his. Her eyes were wide open and she wanted to push him away, but that feeling was long gone when he moved his lips against her softly, and she found herself keeping his rhythm, wanting more and more.