12. Ethan

12

ETHAN

Well. I'd gotten what I deserved. I massaged my cheek where Rebecca slapped the shit out of me and grinned. The sting was long gone, but the memory of it brought a constant smile. I'd wanted to test her, and she'd passed beautifully.

It didn't matter, I reminded myself with a snarl. No matter if she was genuine about her feelings, she remained off limits, the forbidden fruit we all wanted to pluck.

I adjusted my erection her memory conjured and marched into my office, slamming the door behind me. I hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. That was the only part about the whole exchange that I regretted. Sliding into my leather chair, I stretched out my legs and palmed my aching cock. Rebecca set me off like no one else. I'd wanted her more than ever. I imagined her in the office with me, her indignation putting color in her cheeks. She'd storm over and demand an apology, and I'd pull her into my lap and bury my dick in her. If only things were that simple.

But they were more complicated than ever. David and Cole had given in to temptation. They'd plucked the fruit and enjoyed every minute. Neither gave details, but the satisfaction on their faces told the story.

My office door swung open, revealing David and Cole.

"Have you two forgotten how to fucking knock?" I didn't bother trying to hide my erection under the desk. It didn't matter. I was just glad I'd resisted the urge to jerk off and ease some of the pressure. I could do better than a quick hand job in my office.

David crossed his arms, his glare landing squarely on my dick. "I just saw Rebecca."

I kept my expression casual and unconcerned. "And you felt the need to run over here and tell me because…?" I spread my hands in a questioning gesture.

His eyes lifted from my crotch to my face. "Because she looked ready to cry, and I knew she'd been in your class. Wanted to make sure she was okay, and I couldn't exactly ask her in the middle of campus."

"So you came to me to find out what I'd done." Interesting. I'd known David might have a soft spot for Rebecca, but this went beyond my initial concern. "I might've asked if she had ulterior motives."

"But you didn't fuck her?" Cole angled a look at David so full of I-told-you-so that I smirked.

Hands braced on the arms of my chair and jacket spread wide over my hips, I pointed at my still erect cock. "Not even close." Though it had been. For a few seconds, I'd considered inviting her to my office. I'd even voiced my want out loud to test her reaction. She'd seemed intrigued by the offer.

David moved to the last remaining chair and lowered himself slowly into it, dropping his head into his hands. "We have to be careful. This isn't good for any of us. One wrong word at the wrong time, one move when someone is watching, and it's all gone." He snapped his fingers. "Like that. Poof . It's happened before. You can't push her, Ethan. What if you piss her off and she decides to tell everyone?"

Poor David. He'd been this way for years, since Carrie dumped him. He'd finally gotten up the courage to tell her he loved her and ask her to marry him, and she took off, leaving him devastated and even more reluctant to express his feelings.

"She won't." Cole said it with the kind of direct calm I'd come to count on from him. Nothing ever flustered Cole. "Rebecca is not the kind of woman who tattles to get back at someone. She might be quiet in the classroom, most of the time." He smirked at me. We'd both experienced Rebecca when she disagreed with our lessons. "But she's the most genuine woman I've ever met."

I wanted to ask about their night together. It was crude and ridiculous, but I wanted to know how she acted in bed. Was she quiet and demure like I'd first seen in class, or did she turn into the other version like the one who slapped me when I offended her?

A quick knock sounded on the outer door. "Professor?"

David and Cole shot looks at me, then each other as the dean marched into my office.

"Dean Scott." I half-stood and stretched a hand over the desk. "Didn't expect to see you today."

Or any day, for that matter. Dean Scott preferred to spend his time in his big office in the main administrative building. The only times he'd ever deigned to walk the halls were when he'd encountered a problem. Even then, he tended to call professors and students to his office instead of hunting us down. This could only mean one thing.

David's eyes bugged. He shot me an I-told-you-so glare and cocked his head toward Cole. "Would you like us to leave?"

"Stay." Dean Scott slid his hands deep into his pockets. His shiny loafers looked out of place in my tiny office filled with old textbooks and reams of paper. "What I have to say concerns all of you."

Oh, shit.

Dean Scott's lined face pulled into a dark frown. He looked around almost like he expected to find us in the middle of breaking the rules. I couldn't imagine this man as a young dean. He'd always be pushing seventy, white-headed, and sour around the mouth.

"There have been rumors about you three and a certain student." His voice had the bite of censure and his blue eyes locked onto my face, looking for any crack in my armor.

I laced my fingers together over my stomach and rocked back on the chair's squeaky wheels. "What kind of rumors?"

His frown deepened until his lips disappeared. "The kind that can get all of you fired. It's been said, on more than one occasion, that a student by the name of Rebecca Roberts has been seen staying after class."

"Are we not allowed to ask students to stay when they have a question or seem to be struggling with a part of the curriculum?" I put on my best confused face and kicked David beneath the desk.

The man looked guilty as sin. He quickly schooled his expression before the dean turned to him. "Rumors always circulate."

"Yes, but these have been spoken often enough to cause concern. Did you or did you not ask her to remain after class on multiple occasions?" He swung his attention back to me.

"It's difficult to recall." I played off the whole thing like I barely knew who Rebecca was and hoped like hell that it worked. "I ask students to stay over almost every day. Some days, they have a question and I feel obligated as a professor to stay behind and try to help them understand the subject matter. It could be that she's remained after class on a few occasions, but I can't be certain."

I was a damned good liar, but even I struggled to keep my face from betraying me every time I thought about her standing in front of me today. She'd called me out on my bullshit without hesitation or remorse.

"And you two?" Dean Scott pivoted to stare at Cole and then David.

They were the weak links in this chain. David especially. He hid his emotions well enough from women, but they were written all over him when faced with the dean's intimidating stare.

"I've barely returned," David started. He paused and rocked his head from side to side. "I haven't had any students stay after class since my return. Maybe you should ask Professor Weatherly."

Slick. Very slick. He'd diverted the attention to yet another professor. Weatherly was the quintessential history professor. He should have retired years ago but refused to give up his lectures, so he subbed when needed and spent the rest of his time in the library.

Dean Scott focused on Cole. "What about you? What excuses do you have?"

"None, sir." Cole shrugged. "We're professors. Sometimes, a student needs help. If that student happens to be female…" He shrugged again. "Should we tell them we can't help because they're the wrong gender? Not sure how well that would go over in today's culture."

Dean Scott's cheeks reddened, the thin veins darkening across his forehead until one bulged. "I see. So all three of you swear to me that nothing has happened between you and this student." It wasn't a question. He wanted to hear us say the words.

I stood and held my hand over my heart. "I swear to you that we have done our best to uphold the campus's policies about fraternizing with students. There have been no sexual encounters on the premises, nor will there be." I'd hedged the truth a bit, but the core values were the same. My wording was what mattered. We'd done our best, and neither of them had sex with Rebecca on campus.

David tugged on his collar while Dean Scott continued to stare me down. "You both support Ethan's claim?"

"Yes." David and Cole answered in tandem, their voices quiet and borderline guilty.

I bit down the urge to continue to extol our innocence. Only the guilty found the need to be defensive. If we had nothing to worry about, we had no reason to continue this conversation. Dean Scott wanted an answer, and we'd given him one. He had the weight of the entire campus on his shoulders. I didn't envy him the job and I wouldn't make it harder on him.

"Fine." Dean Scott's shoulders relaxed, and he took his first deep breath since entering my office. "I'll chalk this one up to beginning of the year rumors. We all know things get a little out of hand sometimes, so I need you to watch yourselves." He pointed at each of us in turn. "You've been here a long time. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

It was true. We'd been professors for ages, and this wasn't the first time rumors had come up about us. I'd turned down propositions from multiple students–male and female–through the years. It had always been easy to stay on the right side of the divide.

Rebecca not only blurred the line, but she also almost erased it completely.

"Thank you for coming to us." I rounded the desk and walked Dean Scott to the door.

David and Cole would have to head back to their classes soon. Mondays were short days for all of us, but that didn't mean we had all day to stand around and talk or defend ourselves.

"I hope this is the only time this year." Dean Scott stopped again at the door leading out into the hallway. A few students mingled in the space, and several of them looked our way, almost salivating for a new story to spread around.

I shook the dean's hand. "Always a pleasure to chat, Dean. Feel free to come by anytime." My smile felt forced, but I'd used it often enough to know it looked genuine. To the observers, we were two men having a pleasant conversation. There would still be rumors about why Dean Scott showed up at my lecture hall, but every move, every look, even the tone of my voice, had to stay calm and above reproach or it would be all over campus that I'd been written up or fired by the end of the day. Gossip spread like wildfire on campus, and something as innocent as a handshake could be a violent encounter within hours as the story was twisted and changed by each person adding their own spin to the tale.

"I look forward to it." Dean Scott had his own fake smile in place. He slapped my shoulder. "Keep up the good work."

As soon as he walked through the door, I turned and headed back into my inner office.

"Is he gone?" David peered over my shoulder.

"Yeah." I collapsed into my chair and scrubbed my face with the heels of both hands. "That is why this stops right now." I spoke around the lump in my throat and despite the echoes of longing pinging through my heart. "We could lose everything."

Cole opened his mouth.

I pointed at him. "Don't say she's worth it."

She was, but I couldn't let him say it. We had to keep our shit together and find a way to get through this semester.

"We all have to put it aside. Stop trying to come up with ways to see her. Rebecca is off limits. End of story." I slashed the air with both hands. "Do you understand?"

David's chin jutted out. Mutiny turned his face into a carved likeness of an ancient gargoyle. He stared me down and refused to answer.

"We've worked too long to let it all fall apart now." I pushed to my feet and paced back and forth behind my desk. The musty scent of old books usually calmed me, but today it reminded me of Rebecca and how she'd challenged me. "Get through the semester."

I drove the thought home, repeating it to myself as they stood and left my office. One day at a time. We could survive this.