Chapter 2

2

GRACE

D r. Griffin is more than anything I imagined him to be. The author's photos in his books don't do him justice at all. He's tall with broad shoulders, and I can't stop imagining how firm and toned his body must be. His dark brown hair is neatly combed back, and his blue eyes practically ignite when he looks at me. I've always been a good student, but I could hardly focus sitting across from him. I don't know if it's my attraction to him or the admiration I have for his talent, but I can't get him off my mind.

I fell in love with his writing the first time I read his book, The Red Eyes of Dusk. It became one of my favorite books of all time, and after that, I started reading everything he's ever worked on. The only reason I applied to the school was because I knew he taught here. Of course, there are plenty of other great things about the university, but to me, Dr. Griffin is the best. As a freshman, I'd been trying to get into one of his classes, but the selection process didn't favor newer students. Nevertheless, I was on the waitlist every semester. Finally, in my junior year, I got to take my first class with him.

If it weren't for him, I would have more than likely gone to a much more affordable university closer to home, like my parents wanted me to. Thankfully, I have a scholarship that pays about 75% of my tuition. If it weren't for that scholarship, I might not even be able to attend. Then, I would have never met Dr. Griffin.

The next day, I find my mind drifting back to Dr. Griffin during every other class I have. When it comes to calc, I can't focus on a word the professor says. I sit in the back of the classroom, remembering how Dr. Griffin watched me the day before.

Most of the time, when a guy looks at me the way he does, I feel uncomfortable. I've dated a few guys my age here and there, but they're immature and boring, and I never end up going out with them after the first date. The furthest I've ever gone with any of them is a goodnight kiss. But with Dr. Griffin, I can feel myself getting excited at the idea of him watching me. He's experienced and established in the literary world. I imagine myself standing next to him at award ceremonies for his work, him whispering to me that I'm his muse, his inspiration. Without realizing what I'm doing, I start shifting back and forth in class, squeezing my thighs tighter together to try and create some friction between my legs.

The other students standing up to leave class is the only indication I have that it's time to leave. I know that Dr. Griffin has office hours today, and I want to see him again badly. I need to see if what I saw the day before was all in my head or not.

His office is in an old townhouse that the university bought years before and converted into classrooms and faculty offices. Knowing his hours would end soon if he didn't decide to leave early, I rush across campus to meet him there on time. As soon as I step inside the building, I can feel how sticky and hot the air is, reminding me that the building is much older than most of the others on campus.

I climb the stairs to his office, not surprised to see that most of the building is empty at this hour. It's nearly six in the evening, and most staff have gone home for the day, and there don't seem to be any evening classes at the moment.

When I make it to Dr. Griffin's office, he's packing his bag to leave. I contemplate just turning around and going back to my air-conditioned dorm and trying again another time, but I think of how he invited me there himself. He's the one who said he'd love to see me there.

I knock on the door and wave at him, leaning against the doorframe. "Is it too late for me to be here?" I ask him, looking around at the empty offices around us.

"Not at all," he replies, setting his bag down with a smile and taking a seat behind his desk. "I was hoping you'd come by today, actually."

"Really?" I ask, feeling my heart pound in my chest. "Any reason in particular?"

"I happened to be looking over an old copy of The Falcon, and I saw your name," he says, pointing to a copy of the university's lit mag. "You've actually read the course materials, and you're quite talented. I love that in a student."

"I've actually already read your list," I say, biting my lower lip and watching the surprised look on his face with joy. "I started over the summer, and I couldn't put any of it down."

"I think you've just become my favorite student, Miss Simmons." He leans forward on his desk, shifting in his chair. His eyes fall to my mouth, and I instinctively bite my lip, seeing it, thrilled to see him looking at me the same way again.

"I was hoping you could give me some more recommendations?" I say while I fan my face from the heat.

"The maintenance was supposed to fix the AC today, but they never got around to it." He sees how flushed I am, though it's mostly from him.

I smile at him and begin lifting the thin sweater I'm wearing over my head. It was cool in the morning when I left for class, but the heat had been breaking records during the day lately. Under the sweater, I wore a cropped tank top that exposed just enough of my breasts for Dr. Griffin to lock his eyes on them.

I lean forward in the chair, watching how he licks his lips in reaction to my body, feeling myself getting aroused, too.

"I'm sure I have plenty of recommendations for you." He looks away from me and toward the shelves of books.

I stand up and walk toward them, tracing my fingers over their spines while looking at the titles. When I turn back to look at Dr. Griffin, his eyes are glued to my legs, and I'm glad I wore the short skirt.

"Have you read all of these?" I lean my head against the shelf and watch him.

"It's my job to read," he says with a smile. "Anything you're looking for?"

I think about it for a moment, then smile at him, nodding my head. "It's cheesy, but I like romance." I slowly make my way to the desk again. "I like the yearning and desperation the lovers have. I want something that shows the intensity and passion I'd want in a relationship."

"You want something passionate and romantic." He nods and looks up at me while I stand next to his desk. "What about something with sensuality or eroticism?"

Dr. Griffin sits up straighter in his seat. I can see that he's excited by the conversation, and I want to push further.

"Mmm," I softly whisper, nodding my head. "That sounds lovely."

"I think I have something for you then." He scoots his chair back, looking me up and down slowly. "But it isn't something you'll find in any book."

He gestures for me to move closer to him, and I do, eager to be as close to him as possible. I stand in front of him, my cheeks flushed with ache between my legs, waiting for him to touch me.

Dr. Griffin reaches for my arms to pull me toward him, gently tracing my skin with his fingers. I gasp at the soft, gentle caress and feel my body respond to him. His fingers trace their way to my fingertips, and then he drops them to the exposed flesh of my thighs, rubbing them and squeezing gently as he savors every motion.

"Come here," he whispers, his steel eyes staring up at me alight with desire.

I do exactly as he asks and straddle him on his chair, kneeling on top of him and wrapping my arms around his neck. With his mouth pressed against mine, a moan escapes my lips. Every inch of my body tingles as his hands grip my waist and slide under the loose waist of my shirt, gripping my back to pull me closer.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Dr. Griffin," I say, pulling away for a moment, turning around and looking at the open door to his office. "You're my professor, and we can get in trouble."

"How's anyone gonna find out?" He kisses my neck softly and pulls me closer to him.

I moan and turn toward him again. His tongue collides with mine, swirling around it while he tastes me. His hands are on my waist, pulling them down more so my soaking wet pussy grazes the bulge of his cock through his pants. I grind my hips gently, moaning into his mouth while the friction sends small waves of pleasure through me.

He pulls his mouth away from me and watches me as I move, his hand sliding under my shirt to touch my bare breasts.

"You're definitely my favorite student now," he whispers as I continue rubbing myself against him.

The idea of us doing something so wrong only makes me want to push further. Knowing we could get in trouble for this turns me on, and I can tell it does for him, too. I lean forward without saying anything and press my lips to his, tasting him as I bring myself closer to an orgasm right there.

He reaches his hand between my legs, stopping me from grinding momentarily, feeling how wet I am. I bite my lip and smile at him, seeing the stain growing on the outside of his khakis from me. Dr. Griffin brings his fingers to his mouth and licks my wetness off them, closing his eyes and savoring my taste.

"You taste better than I ever imagined," he whispers. He lifts me off him and sets me down on his desk in front of him, spreading my legs apart.

I bite my lip, eager to finally have some release from the aching I've been feeling since the first time I saw him. He pushes my skirt up, exposing my panties, and starts pulling them down slowly.

"Wait," I say, nervously blushing. He pauses and looks up at me. "I've never really done anything like this before."

"I've got a lot to teach you then," he says with a smile before he lowers his head between my legs.

Before his mouth makes contact with me, a door slams in the building, and I jump off his desk.

"Quiet, don't say a word," Dr. Griffin demands, pushing me under the desk as he scoots his chair in. I can hear him typing away on his computer as footsteps approach the office. I can see that he's still hard through his pants, and I reach out to touch him, squeezing his cock gently with a smile. He grabs my hand and adjusts it, showing me exactly what to do while he continues pretending to work.

"Dr. Griffin?" a woman's voice says from the doorway.

"Hi, you're in the short fiction class, right? Sorry if I don't remember your name," he casually says.

I stop moving my hand, but Dr. Griffin casually squeezes it again to encourage me to keep going. It's hard not to make a noise while I touch him, but I try to be quiet.

"Yes! I was just coming in to see if you wouldn't mind signing a copy of your book for me." She steps into the office and takes a seat inches away from where I'm hiding. "I'm a big fan. You're actually the reason I decided to come to this university."

"Of course, I can sign it," he says, presumably grabbing a book and signing it. "Who do I make it out to?"

"Maise Lee," she eagerly says. "It means so much to me that you're doing this."

"It's nothing really." I can hear him closing the book and sliding it across the desk. "I hope you enjoy everything we do this semester."

"I know I will!" she says with a quiet laugh. "It's so exciting because I've just been obsessed with your work for so long. Are you working on anything new?"

Maise kicks her feet as she speaks, nearly hitting me under the desk, so I pull my hand away from Dr. Griffin's cock and try to stay still.

"Not at the moment," Dr. Griffin replies. "I'll be on sabbatical next year, though, to try and write a new novel."

They continue talking for a few more minutes while I try to avoid Maise, and then she finally leaves. When Dr. Griffin is confident she's gone, he rolls back again and helps me off the ground. He stares down at me with an apologetic look, brushing his fingers against my arm gently.

"I should probably get going," I say, grabbing my bag and throwing it over my shoulders.

"Are you sure?" He steps around the desk to face me. "What just happened was something else."

"It's a little risky, don't you think?" I look out the door where Maise came from. "If we get caught, what'll happen?"

He clearly wants me to change my mind, to drop to my knees once again and finish what I started, but I don't think I can do it. At least not here and now. He nods his head and pulls his arms away from me before grabbing his own briefcase.

"Then I'll just see you in class tomorrow," he says with a wry smile.