Boundaries and Broken Rules
943 Words
It had been three days.
Three days since she’d seen him—since that damn night outside the bar. Since Dominic Romano looked her in the eye and made her forget every boundary she’d built for herself.
Alina paced her apartment like a storm cloud in bare feet. She hadn’t slept much. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his smirk, heard his voice, remembered the feel of his fingers brushing hers on the bar.
She hated how much space he was taking up in her mind. Hated it even more that part of her liked it.
The class they shared was scheduled for today at noon. She’d thought about canceling, calling in sick, running. But she was tired of running from everything that made her feel.
So instead, she showed up early. Wore her favorite silk blouse and tied her hair back in a way that said don’t mess with me, even though she felt like a shaky mess underneath.
The lecture hall was half full when she arrived. She set up her slides, kept her eyes on the screen, and tried not to think about the inevitable—
“Morning, Professor.”
She didn’t have to look up. She knew that voice.
Dominic slid into the front row seat like he owned it, as usual. Except today, there was something sharper in his smile. A dare.
Alina cleared her throat and began the class, focusing too hard on her notes. But the entire time, she could feel him watching her. Not just watching—studying. Like she was a puzzle he fully intended to solve.
She made it to the end of the class without combusting. Barely.
But as the students filed out, Dominic stayed seated. As if she expected anything less.
She sighed and gathered her papers. “Do you need something?”
“Yeah,” he said casually. “An explanation.”
Alina blinked. “For?”
“You disappearing after that night. Thought we had a moment.”
“We didn’t.” Her voice came out sharper than she intended.
He smiled like it didn’t bother him. “Liar.”
Alina’s heart clenched. “You’re my student.”
“Not forever.”
“Dominic.”
He stood, slow and deliberate, hands in his pockets. “You act like this is some big crime. It’s not.”
“I could lose everything.”
“And what would I lose if I walked away from you?” His voice dropped low. “Something tells me it’s the same thing.”
That stopped her cold. She stared at him, unsure how to respond. He didn’t push further, just walked past her toward the exit.
But before he stepped out, he turned and said, “You’re not scared of me, Professor. You’re scared of how much you want me.”
Then he was gone.
And Alina was left staring at the empty classroom, pulse hammering in her throat.
⸻
That night, she couldn’t concentrate.
She tried grading papers. Tried wine. Tried reading a book she’d been meaning to finish for weeks.
Nothing worked.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: “You left your umbrella in the bar that night. Want me to drop it off?”
She didn’t remember giving him her number. Then again, she wasn’t surprised. Dominic seemed like the kind of guy who had his ways.
Alina stared at the message, fingers hovering.
Every part of her screamed to say no. Shut the door. Cut him off before things got worse.
But instead, she typed: “I’ll come get it.”
⸻
He was waiting outside his building when she arrived—dark jeans, black shirt again, no coat. The city lights glinted off his ring as he held her umbrella like a peace offering.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he said.
“I shouldn’t have.”
“Still did.”
She took the umbrella from him. Their fingers brushed.
“I’m not staying,” she warned.
“Didn’t ask you to.” He paused. “But you might want to come up for a minute. It’s about your father.”
That made her freeze. “What?”
Dominic’s expression changed—softer, darker. “Just… five minutes.”
Alina hesitated. She knew better. Every instinct screamed no.
But her curiosity—and the flicker of something else—won.
She followed him up.
⸻
His apartment was sleek, expensive, and strangely quiet. He handed her a file from his desk.
“Your father’s company. Someone’s been laundering money through it. Thought you’d want to know.”
She opened the file, flipping through the pages. “How did you get this?”
“I have people.”
“This is illegal.”
He smiled. “So’s hiding dirty money under a scholarship fund.”
Alina stared at him, shaken. “Why would you show me this?”
“Because you should know the kind of world you’re in.” He took a step closer. “And because I don’t want to lie to you.”
Something inside her snapped.
She wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly his hands were in her hair and her mouth was on his.
It wasn’t soft.
It was heat and chaos and hunger.
He backed her against the wall, lips exploring like he’d waited forever. She pulled him closer, fingers gripping his shirt. Her breath hitched as his mouth moved to her neck.
“Tell me to stop,” he murmured against her skin.
She didn’t.
Couldn’t.
Because in that moment, nothing else mattered.
Not right or wrong.
Not rules.
Not fear.
Just him.
And her.
And the fire between them.
- Writer
