Chapter 9

9

Adrianna stepped out of Professor Hanks' office, her cheeks flushed and her heart pounding. The taste of him still lingered on her lips.

As she turned to walk down the empty hallway, a familiar figure caught her eye. Rachel Simmons, her lithe figure clad in a tight pencil skirt and blouse, clicking toward the professor's office in her stiletto heels.

Adrianna averted her gaze, heat creeping up her neck. Did Rachel suspect anything? She forced a tight smile and gave Rachel a cursory nod as they passed, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Adrianna." Rachel's melodious voice halted her in her tracks.

She stopped, clenching her jaw. Don't turn around. Ignore her .

"You seem rather...disheveled." A note of smugness crept into Rachel's tone. "Rough day?"

Adrianna gritted her teeth, her nails biting into her palms. She wouldn't give Rachel the satisfaction of a response.

Rachel laughed, the sound like shards of glass. "You can't hide the truth from me, Adrianna. I know what you've been up to." Her stilettos clicked ominously as she continued down the hall.

Adrianna released a shuddering breath, her cheeks burning with shame and anger. Damn Rachel and her games. She quickened her pace, desperate to escape Rachel's prying eyes.

She had made a mistake, she realized now. Getting involved with Professor Hanks was dangerous - in more ways than one. She knew, deep in her gut, that this was only the beginning. Rachel would not make this easy for either of them.

But try as she might, Adrianna couldn't ignore the flutter of excitement in her chest. Forbidden fruit always tasted the sweetest, after all. She smiled to herself, already counting the minutes until she could be back in the Professor's arms.

Her cheeks still flushed, Adrianna hurried down the empty hallway, her heels slapping against the linoleum floor. Arguing with Rachel had left her rattled, but it did little to dampen the euphoria coursing through her veins.

She couldn't stop replaying the events of the past hour in her mind. The hunger in Mickey's eyes when she entered his office. His hand's warmth as they traveled up her thighs. The husky timbre of his voice as he whispered her name like a prayer.

A delicious shiver ran down her spine at the memory. She felt alive in a way she had never before, as if she had been sleepwalking through life until she met him. This was what she had been missing. This was what she needed.

Adrianna emerged into the golden sunlight, shielding her eyes against its glare. As she walked to her car, she felt as though she was floating on air, still dazed from the sweetness of Mickey's kiss.

The road stretched before her as Adrianna drove on autopilot, her mind wandering. Every stolen caress, every broken moan echoed in her memory. The details burned into her consciousness.

She could see the hunger darkening Mickey's eyes as he gazed at her, could feel the warmth of his breath against her neck. Her knuckles whitened against the steering wheel as she recalled the exquisite pleasure that had ignited every nerve in her body.

Mickey had come undone for her, had allowed himself to forget everything but the sweet ecstasy they found in each other's arms. The knowledge filled her with a heady, intoxicating power. She had reduced the composed, unflappable Professor Hanks to a quivering, incoherent mess.

Adrianna smiled to herself, a secret smile full of promise. Their forbidden romance was only just beginning, but she knew, without a doubt, that she would be Mickey's undoing.

Adrianna opened the door to their apartment, her skin still flushed and sensitive. Tiffany glanced up from her phone, a greeting dying on her lips as she took in Adrianna's disheveled appearance.

Her eyes narrowed, gaze turning shrewd. "What happened to you?"

Adrianna fidgeted under her friend's scrutiny, unable to meet her piercing stare. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. How could she possibly tell Tiffany what she had done?

Tiffany sat up straighter, suspicion etched into every line of her body. "Adrianna, what's going on?" Her voice was sharp with concern.

Adrianna took a deep, steadying breath and steeled herself. Tiffany deserved the truth, even if she wouldn't like hearing it.

"I was with Professor Hanks," she said softly. Tiffany's eyes widened, her face a mask of disbelief.

Adrianna twisted her fingers together, struggling to find the right words. "We...we've been seeing each other again, kind of. And today, I-" she broke off, heat flooding her cheeks.

"Today you what?" Tiffany prompted. Her expression was unreadable, but Adrianna could sense her mounting apprehension.

She squared her shoulders and forced the confession past her lips. "Today I gave him a blowjob in his office."

There. She had said it. Adrianna searched Tiffany's face, waiting for her reaction. How would her best friend respond to the truth about her forbidden love?

Tiffany stared at her, eyes wide and mouth agape. For a long moment, she was speechless. Adrianna shifted under her gaze, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach.

Tiffany found her voice again, though it emerged as little more than a shocked whisper. "Adrianna, have you lost your mind?"

Adrianna winced at the censure in her friend's tone. "I know, but-"

"No buts!" Tiffany exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "What if someone finds out? It could ruin his career!"

"We've been careful," Adrianna protested. In her heart, she knew Tiffany was right. She knew getting involved with Professor Hanks was foolish and reckless. Yet she couldn't deny the irresistible pull of desire that drew her to him again and again.

Tiffany fixed her with a stern look. "Adrianna, you need to end this now before it blows up in your face." Her expression softened, filled with concern for her friend. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

Adrianna looked away, a lump forming in her throat. She knew what she had to do, but that didn't make it any easier. How could she possibly give up the one thing that made her feel alive? Even as her mind insisted it was the only sensible choice, her treacherous heart rebelled at the thought of losing him.

She was torn between forbidden passion and reason, desire and duty. Adrianna didn't know how she could choose between them. All she knew was that no matter what she decided, her world would never be the same.

Adrianna flushed under Tiffany's gaze, shame flooding through her. She couldn't meet her friend's eyes as she recounted the intimate details of her encounter with Professor Hanks. Her words tumbled out in a rush, as if by blurting them she could lessen their impact.

"You have to end this," Tiffany said. "Before you do something, you'll really regret."

Adrianna's heart constricted at the thought. How could she possibly give up the intoxicating passion she found in Mickey's arms? She had tried to resist him, tried to ignore the simmering heat that flared between them, but it was no use. Her desire for him was a flame that could not be quenched.

"I can't," she said, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm in love with him." It was the first time she had admitted it aloud, and the words rang with a note of finality.

Tiffany's eyes widened. "Adrianna, no. This is so dangerous. He could lose his job and you could get expelled from school."

Adrianna shook her head. "I don't care about any of that. I just want to be with him."

"Listen to yourself!" Tiffany said. "This man has clouded your judgment. Can't you see that?"

Her words struck a chord of doubt in Adrianna's mind. She knew Tiffany only wanted to protect her, but she couldn't believe Mickey would do anything to intentionally hurt her. He cared for her too, she was sure of it. The tenderness in his touch, the longing in his gaze—they spoke of a deep affection that transcended the bounds of propriety.

Still, Tiffany's warning echoed in her thoughts as she bid her friend goodnight. While her heart remained devoted to Mickey, her mind couldn't stop questioning whether she was making a terrible mistake. Loving him felt so right, yet never had a choice seemed so wrong. She was caught in a web of desire with no way out, drifting further into the abyss with each passing day. All she could do was close her eyes and surrender to the bittersweet pleasure that might just consume her whole.