"Okay class, next week I expect to have a raving discussion on Eliot's "Wasteland". Personally, I think it's one of his best works, but you might think that it's aligned somewhere between "Love Song" and "The Book of Practical Cats". See you then." Professor Negan smiled as he tossed his anthology of modern poetry on his desk.
As the class bolted out of the door, I began to pack my things and followed suit.
"Jessa, can I talk to you for a second?" He called after me before I reached the threshold of the door. I clenched my eyes shut and turned around, my nerves already building. "I promise you're not in trouble."
I was always captivated by how he carried himself. He had a swagger to him that I had never seen. He was confident, cocky even, and he was sexy as all hell. "What's up?" I asked, trying to sound cool and calm.
"I just wanted to say that your last paper was excellent. I never thought about the parallel between Stein and Moy. I mean, the "Feminist Manafesto" against "Tender Buttons"? It's genius." He tossed his glasses on top of his books and smirked.
"Thanks Professor." I smiled and relaxed a little. "I knew it was kind of a long shot, but I figured I'd go for it."
"The risk definitely paid off." He replied. For a split second I thought I saw his eyes flash down below my neck, but I probably imagined it. "I was going to ask if you minded coming to office hours this afternoon to discuss your plans for your next paper? I'm sure you don't need any help given your last one, but I'm curious."
"Sure. I'll see you then." I smiled and walked out of the room. I couldn't contain my excitement or my nerves at the prospect of being alone with Professor Negan, but I knew I had to calm down before I looked like a blustering fool in front of him.
"So I have to go to office hours with Professor Sexy." I slid into a seat at the campus Starbucks next to Kelsey, my best friend since I was 7.
"What?!" She shrieked and pulled out her earbuds. You need to change! Do your hair! Your MAKEUP!" She continued, drawing attention from nearby tables.
"Calm down!" I hissed and took a bite of her bagel. "I don't need anyone overhearing."
"Oh who cares? He knows he's hot as fuck." She dismissed me and continued scribbling in her notebook. "I just think that you should capitalize on this opportunity."
"He's my professor, Kels. Let's be real." I glanced at my phone. "I have to go, but we're still on for tonight?"
"Yeah, after this week I need a girls night. Especially one with alcohol." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Good luck." She winked. "Work it girl!" She called after me as I slipped out of the door.
The walk from Starbucks to the building that housed Professor Negan's office was too short for me to come up with any possible paper topic that may sweep him off of his feet, which made me even more nervous. Instead, I convinced myself that he was going to think I was a bumbling idiot.
"Hey Professor." I hesitated in the doorway to his office. "You needed to speak with me?"
"Hey Jessa." He smiled and motioned for me to sit down. "I wanted to speak to you more than needed to."
As I slipped into the chair in front of his desk, he got up and made his way around. While I pulled out my notebook, I heard the door click as it was shut.
"I'm ready to be wowed." He smiled as he sat back down in his chair.
"Honestly Professor, I hadn't given it much thought. I work best under pressure." I flipped through the pages until I found my topic list from my last paper.
"How about something nonconventional? Something out of the realm of my class. What about a Shakespearean sonnet? You know, some of them can get pretty…. Steamy." He winked and leaned back.
"That's… that's uh…" I couldn't get my words together at the prospect of what his words insinuated. "Great. Sure." I nodded and scribbled it down in my book.
"Are you okay?" He wrinkled his forehead.
"No.. I mean… yeah, I'm fine. Nervous. I mean Shakespeare makes me nervous…" I bumbled, still avoiding eye contact.
"Well, you're one of my best students. Don't talk a lot in class, but you seem very vocal." His signature smirk returned to his face.
"I am.., I mean, I talk a lot." I giggled. "Uh anyways, I have to get going. Girls night and all. Not that you needed to know that." I inherently hit myself in the head at the outburst of way too much information.
"Ah. Something age appropriate I hope?"
"Nothing special, just going out for drinks." I waved my hand nonchalantly and grabbed my bag. "See you on Tuesday?"
"Hope so," he smiled but didn't get up to see me out. I felt his eyes on me as I walked out, subtly hoping they were firmly planted on my ass. Wishful thinking.
Later…..
"Another round!!" Kelsey shouted at the bartender. We were only three rounds in and she was already somewhere between the lines of tipsy and wasted.
"How are you already that drunk?" Marissa, our roommate, laughed as she took the last sip of her shot.
"She can't hold her liquor for shit," I laughed as the bartender delivered our next round.
"I see she's attracted some attention already." Marissa nudged her head across the bar to two guys looking our way. I couldn't get a good look at them because of the dimness of the room, but they were definitely staring.
"They're staring because we're a couple of sexy bitches!" Kelsey downed her shot and motioned for another round.
"Kels, take it easy." I cautioned.
Of course, my warning was overtaken by the changing of the song which caught her attention. It just had to be "Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera. "ITS OUR SONG!" She yelled as she grabbed Marissa and my hand, pulling us toward the semi crowded dance floor. "Let's give them something to look at." She smirked.
Finally giving in, Marissa and I started to dance with Kelsey. Somewhere along the lines, I lost myself and began to dance seductively against Kelsey, who was already doing so to me. Once the song ended, we made our way back to our seats at the bar.
"Well if we didn't have the attention of every man in the place, we sure do now." Marissa smiled, turning red.
I glanced around the crowded room and saw the men that were staring at us before had moved over to the pool tables, closer to us. One of them just had to be Professor Negan. "I have to pee." I mumbled and slid off of the stool. This was bad. There was no way he couldn't have seen that little show.
"Jessa." I gruff, familiar voice caught me before I could slip into the girls restroom. "Quite a show you put on back there."
I turned around to see my Professor, learning against the wall that blocked the bars view of the restroom doors. "Yeah… I uh… sorry."
"Don't be. I rather enjoyed it," he smirked and closed the distance between us. "I'd say your friend was a lucky girl to be on the receiving end."
I felt my panties starting to get wet as he came closer. It took everything inside of me to not pull him in the restroom and lock the door behind us. "Thanks." I smiled up at him. Harmless flirting was nothing compared to what he had just seen, right?
"You're quite a beautiful girl. Smart as hell, I already knew that. But fuck! You are sexy." I could almost feel his breath on my neck as he closed what little distance there was between us.
"I wouldn't go so far as sexy," I rolled my eyes and looked up at the tall, handsome man in front of me.
"Oh, I would. Do you know how hard it is for me to lecture a class when all I can think about is you bent over my desk?" He leaned down so that we were eye to eye. I could feel his hard on pressed against my leg and based on the feel, he was impressive.
"I can imagine how hard it is to listen to you lecture when that's all I can think about?" I mumbled and leant forward to meet his lips.
Right before they touched, Kelsey came flying around the corner screaming my name. "Oh shit, I'm so fucking sorry!" She slurred when she saw Negan and I in the proximity of one another.
"It's fine, we were just discussing why she wasn't home doing her reading assignments for my class." Negan smirked, playing it off like it was nothing.
"Jessa time to goooo. I'm starviiiiing!" She slurred, ignoring Negan.
"Go find Marissa, I'll be there in a second." Like an obedient child, Kelsey turned around and walked around the corner again.
"Give me your phone." Negan wasted no time as she rounded the corner.
I slipped my phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. After he typed a few things, he handed it back. "This isn't over." He smirked and handed me the phone back. Before I could reply, he disappeared behind the corner and was gone out of sight.
What the fuck just happened?