Forbidden Lecture: My Professor's Secret Craving

Chapter Nine

Aria loved the third floor of the main library at this hour. It was late afternoon as the light came through the tall curtains, making it look like the dust motes were glowing. Downstairs, the open study tables were packed with students and their half-eaten snacks, but up here among the literature stacks, it was quieter, except for the occasional rustle of paper and a soft cough.

She sat at a small table that was wedged between two shelves, spreading out her things: Jason’s tutorial outline, a stack of undergrad essays, and her own notebook with color-coded tabs. The first tutorials she would co-lead with Ethan were tomorrow, and she wanted to be ready. She couldn’t afford to mess this up. The scholarship committee was evaluating her progress as well.

“Okay,” she muttered, circling a paragraph in one essay. “You can’t just say ‘the patriarchy is bad’ and then drop the mic, Dylan. Give me something better.”

She made a quick note in the margin and moved to the next paper. After an hour of revision, her back was starting to ache from hunching, so she rolled her shoulders, making her tight muscles make this cracking sound.

“You’re talking to the papers now,” a voice said behind her. “That’s usually my move.”

She startled as her heart leapt, and she turned.

Jason stood at the end of the aisle, a stack of journals in his hands. The overhead light threw a faint halo on the dark of his hair. He wasn’t in his usual full suit, just dark trousers and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms.

Of course the universe would bring him here.

“Oh!” she said, forcing her pulse to remain calm. “I didn’t realize the third floor was your territory. Should I be paying rent?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You can stay.”

He stepped closer, slipping the journals onto the edge of her table. She caught the title of one of them, The Victorian Review. What? That was the issue that carried her viral essay on its contents page.

“What are you working on?” he asked.

“The first batch of essays,” she replied. “I’m trying not to crush anyone’s soul while still telling them the truth.”

“That’s the hard part of the job,” he said, chuckling.

He angled his body so he could glance over her shoulder, making her acutely aware of his warmth and the faint scent of his cologne.

He pointed at a paragraph. “What do you think of this claim?”

She read it out loud. “‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles proves that fate is the only force deciding a woman’s life.’”

“And?” he prompted, watching her instead of the page.

“I-I think it’s…umm… lazy,” she stuttered as she tried not to squirm under his piercing blue eyes. “Fate is vague. It erases all the human choices that made Tess vulnerable: social class, gender, men with power.”

“Good,” he said softly. Pride flickered in his eyes, and something in her chest fluttered. “So how would you nudge them?”

She reached for her pen, leaning forward a little. “Ask what changes if you swap Tess for a man in the same situation. Or if she’d had money. Make them engage the ‘what ifs’ instead of hiding behind fate.

His gaze dropped to her hand as she wrote. “You’re going to make them sweat,” he said.

She laughed quietly. “I’m sure they’ll survive.”

His arm brushed hers as he shifted to get a better look at the essay. The contact was brief, but it sent a hot line along her skin. She swallowed hard, trying to focus on the paper.

He was close. Too close.

“Your notes are kinder than mine were when I first arrived here,” he admitted quietly. “I forgot students were people.”

“Were?” she teased. “That’s debatable.”

He huffed a soft laugh. “Careful, Jenkins. I still sign your T.A. forms.”

She rolled her eyes and reached for another essay, flipping to a page where a student had written in loopy handwriting about “vibes of oppression.” Jason’s hand moved at the same time, reaching for the same stack.

Their fingers collided.

Aria gasped softly, and his eyes shot to her parted lips.

All he could think about was the last time his lips had been on hers, on her neck, his tongue on her c**t as she dug her hands into his hair.

She pulled her hand back first, her fingers tingling.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“Don’t be,” his voice sounded almost like a growl.

Then, footsteps echoed at the end of the aisle. A couple of undergrads appeared, their arms loaded with books as they chatted and laughed.

Jason took a step back, maintaining an appropriate distance.

“Miss Jenkins,” he said, suddenly formal. “Be sure you finish those comments before tomorrow’s tutorial, okay?”

“Of course, Professor,” she replied automatically.

The students greeted him as they passed. Once they were out of sight, Jason exhaled.

“I should… get these journals back,” he said, tapping his stack.

“Right,” she said.

He turned to go, then hesitated. “Aria?”

She looked up.

“About yesterday,” he said. His gaze softened. “In the office. It’s not easy for me, either.”

She felt her chest squeeze.

He nodded once, like that was all he could allow himself, and walked away.

She watched his back until he turned the corner, then dragged her hands through her hair.

“Oh god,” she whispered to herself. “This is gonna be harder than I thought.”

- - -

By the time Aria arrived at Brew Haven for her evening shift, she had already shoved what happened at the library into a mental box, labelling it as: Do Not Touch, Do Not Think About, You Will Die.

“Hey, superstar,” Lena called as Aria tied on her apron. “You’re late. Your fan club is demanding salted caramel lattes.”

Aria forced a smile and jumped into the rhythm, taking orders, steaming milk, and joking with a few regulars. The familiarity helped.

That is, until Mia slid her phone across the counter during their short break.

“Have you seen this?” Mia asked, eyes bright with gossip. “Your campus confession page is on fire tonight?”

Aria wiped her hands on a towel and took the phone. She scrolled through to read all the posts on there. All the senders were anonymous, so no one knows who drops these posts.

“Wow. I didn’t know things like this happened. Wait, how are you on here when you’re not even a student.”

Mia snorted. “I have my ways. Besides, campus gossip is usually the juiciest.”

Aria laughed and was about to hand the phone back when she saw a new post that had just dropped.

“Does anyone else think that a certain prof. and their T.A. are getting a little too cozy?” There was a side-eye and detective emojis at the end.

Her blood ran cold. WTF!