2. The Professor

Chapter two

The Professor

“ P rofessor!” I stutter, and sobriety crashes into me like an icy wave when I realize I’m in a tiny bathroom with a very hot man.

“Hello there,” he says, and smiles. My heart immediately remembers my die-hard crush.

The Professor has the looks of a model straight off a Milan runway. Square jaw, soft brown eyes, a smattering of stubble, and well-tamed curls that frame his face perfectly and look irresistible with his tweed jacket and dress shirt academic chic. His full lips should be too large on his face, but somehow they’re extra sensual and exotic. I’ve lost track of what he’s said in class sometimes, watching those lips.

My gaze is still fixed on his lips when his smile turns into a frown. He looks at Tom and raises an eyebrow. “And hello, brother.”

“Chris,” Tom says coldly from behind me. I look between them. The resemblance is so obvious I could kick myself. The jawline, the olive skin… Of course, the two sexiest men I’ve ever met in my life are brothers. Just my luck - I may have accidentally sabotaged my chances with both of them.

The Professor stares daggers at his brother. “We had a plan,” he says. I’ve never seen him look so annoyed.

“YOU had a plan,” Tom says, casually indifferent.

My head turns from one to the other of them, but before I can ask more, there’s a crash and a scream from downstairs. Then someone yells ‘Cops!’ and students rush around outside the bathroom, scattering to avoid the police.

“Inside,” Professor Ariti says urgently, and presses into the room. He turns off the light and we all hold our breath.

I’m trying to be quiet in the dark, pressed between two hot men, and not think about time slowly ticking towards midnight.

Professor Ariti is standing so close in front of me, I have to crane up to see his face as my eyes adjust to the darkness. I didn’t realize he was so tall. I could reach out and touch his hair from here.

This close, I can smell the cologne he wears. It’s like the salty sea smell of his brother, but fresher, like a sea breeze. And even in the dim light, I can appreciate the stubble along his square jaw, the line of his full lips.

He looks down at me and gives a small, reassuring smile that intensifies the tingling between my legs that started when Tom almost kissed me.

Tom is standing behind me, his warmth on my back and his breath stirring my hair. We’re all still, listening to the sounds outside, but my body feels like it’s standing in a storm.

I can’t remember the last time I took a full breath. My head is light, and my skin is hypersensitive, the spilled drink cooling it even in the still air.

The Professor looks up at his brother and his eyes turn flinty. They’re dagger-staring at each other over my head and as soon as I can, I’m going to ask what the hell is going on. What plan are they talking about? And does it include me?

Probably not. Professor Ariti has been nothing but professional with me before. And warm, and sweet, and incredibly sexy. He’s way too young and hot to be a mythology lecturer.

I’ve hired him as a tutor for weeks now, burning through my money to sit alone in a library with him.

He’s the fantasy future, the light at the end of the tunnel, the potential guy I can be with after tomorrow night, when my duty is done.

I figured I’d have my appointment at midnight, and then my new life would begin. I’d lose a few pounds, then set about seducing the Professor.

To be honest, he’s the only reason I turned up at this party tonight, and I was about to leave when I realized he wasn’t there. I was on my way out the door when I met Tom.

There are noises outside the door, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. The police call out and it sounds like they’re rustling up the students outside.

Any moment now, a student could try to push in and reveal our hiding place. Or the police will find us. If I get arrested, I won’t be able to lose my virginity to a monster tonight. All the money my parents have spent in my lifetime will have to be paid back.

“Are you okay, Sofie?” The Professor whispers, breath hot into my ear.

My heart stutters in my chest. I’m not sure if it’s fear or desire. I don’t respond.

“I’m glad I got to see you tonight. I was actually hoping you’d like a drink sometime, since I won’t be your professor for much longer. No need to respond now. You have my number.”

When he pulls away, he has a hopeful look on his face. It’s a look I’ve dreamed of seeing.

I stop breathing. Has Tom stiffened behind me? He must have heard all of that. Tom who was going to kiss me before we were interrupted.

A date with Professor Ariti is everything I wanted before tonight, and before I met his brother. And if tonight had gone as planned, I was going to ask him out, anyway.

Hands slide around my waist from behind. The press of Tom against my back cuts through my anxieties. He feels divine, and I hold my breath.

Tom whispers, “Nothing wrong with a healthy sibling rivalry, gorgeous. You go with your heart.”

My heart is sounding so loudly in my ears I could scream, and when Tom’s lips kiss softly against my earlobe, I’m shocked when moisture spills into my underwear. “O…. Okay,” I say, in a breathy whisper. Heat crawls over my body as Professor Ariti steps closer, eyes intent like I’ve never seen them before. What did I just agree to?

The knock on the door cuts through the heat, chilling me to the bone. “Open up in there. Police!” a man’s voice says, and the door opens a crack. The Professor steps sideways quickly and leans against it, shoving it shut.

My heart is now beating fast for another reason. “I can’t get caught tonight. I have an appointment!” I say, eyes wide, looking between the two men. “This can’t be happening,” I say, and suddenly it’s hard to breathe. I suck in air frantically, my chest tight with fear.

My entire life has been leading up to tonight, and I’ve ruined it by attending a frat party.

“It’s okay, Sofie,” Professor Ariti says, putting his arms around me. “We’ll get you out of here,”

“No, you don’t understand!” I say, “I’m ruined - my family is ruined - if I don’t make my appointment at midnight.” I’m blabbering now, talking about things he can’t possibly understand, but my life is crumbling around me.

“Are you satisfied, brother?” Tom asks, as a loud pounding at the door bounces him off the door and then back on again. My gaze swings to him, but his eyes are fixed on Professor Ariti, whose mouth is pressed into a tense line, even with arms wrapped around me. He nods tightly, and Tom steps forward, letting the door swing open behind him.

I shut my eyes as Tom throws his arms around me from behind, pressing me between the two men. I’m braced for the police jostling us apart any second. And then everything goes black.