Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
He eyes me quietly for a moment and says nothing. I feel heat creep up my neck and cheeks, I’m so embarrassed by this crazy conversation, so nervous being alone with him like this.
“You seemed distracted in class,” he says, leaning forward and placing one hand on the desk in front of me. “Did you hurt yourself when you stumbled?”
“No, sir,” I mumble. The heat on my cheeks ignites to flaming. I just called him sir. Like in the books. Like he was my dom or something. The rational part of my brain that tells me it’s totally normal to call a professor sir doesn’t even register. I feel like I have a ‘dom me now, sir’ sign plastered on my forehead.
His green eyes focus on mine. “I’d like you to tell me what tonight’s assignment is.”
Oh, shit.
“I…” I’m speechless. I don’t have a damn clue what tonight’s assignment is.
His voice drops to chiding as he lifts a stern brow. “Do you mean to tell me you weren’t paying attention, Giada?”
“Of course I was,” I snap. It isn’t my fault he’s got me all flustered. It’s his.
His eyes narrow in warning. “Watch your tone.”
I reach for my bag, not meeting his eyes, not acknowledging the fact that hearing him call me by name and the stern way he speaks is doing all sorts of crazy things to my body. I want to leave this room. I’m bewitched in here and need to clear my head. I’m Giada Romano, daughter of Leonardo Romano, who left behind him a legacy of the most profitable car sales in the entire country. I’m not here to kowtow to some muscled professor in a little community college.
But God, I want to.
I’m crazy.
I snatch my notebook, flip it open, and look at the words I wrote on the page. I don’t remember any of this, as if I was possessed during class.
“Write a one-page, personal entry on the influence of literature on your imagination,” I parrot, then look up at him. He’s watching me like a predator ready to pounce on its prey, and I’m suddenly aware of how vulnerable I am. We’re alone, in a vacant classroom, and who knows if anyone’s nearby? He outweighs me by at least a hundred pounds and could easily overpower me. Is he safe?
No. No, he isn’t safe. If there’s anything I’ve learned in my twenty-one years on this Earth, it’s that men who look at me the way he is are anything but safe.
“Good girl,” he says.
Oh, my God. Like the doms I read. Good girl.
Say it again, I mentally beg, but I keep my shit together for once.
“Do you have any questions about your assignment?” he asks.
“No, sir,” I say, this time intentionally. This man has an agenda. It’s right then that I make up my mind.
I get to my feet slowly, unfolding my body from the chair like a dancer, silently begging for him to look me over once more, but he doesn’t fall for the bait, his eyes drilling into mine.
I know exactly what I’m going to write. He might be the stronger one physically, but I won’t go down without a fight.
“And when is that due, Giada?”
I blink, stare down at my paper, and realize I don’t have a clue. I look back up at him.
He shakes his head. “Not paying attention to details?” he asks, tsking under his breath. “You really are looking for me to punish you, aren’t you?”
And just like that, my panties dampen.
He knows exactly what the fuck he’s doing.
“You send it to my email listed on the syllabus by this evening,” he says. “It’s a precursor to the work we’ll begin tomorrow.” He drums his fingers on my desk. “Any questions, young lady?” His voice is as seductive as if he just asked me to strip for him. He’s testing me out, seeing how far he can push me.
Two can play at this game.
I take a step toward him and lower my voice to demure. “No, sir. I understand. Is there anything else you need from me?”
“No,” he clips, sharp and acerbic. I bite back a smile. He’s no fool.
He pushes away from the desk and marches back to the front of the room. “You are free to leave,” he says. “But remember what I said, Giada.” Lifting a stack of papers in his hand, he straightens them, eyes coming straight back to me. “Be here on time tomorrow.” He pauses. “Or you’ll answer to me.”
My body clenches of its own accord, and I know right then what I need to do.
Chapter Two
Geoffrey
I watch her leave the room and mentally berate myself.
Don’t watch her ass. Don’t look at those legs. And for God’s sake, no more gaping at her breasts.
She’s a fucking goddess and she knows it. I want to grab her arm as she sashays out of my classroom, pull her back to me, then bend her over my knee for being so damn beautiful and sassy. She ought to be punished. I could tell by the gleam in her eyes she’s already planning on pushing me to my limits.