Scarlet Chains (Student X Professor Affair)

I was still at the gate when I spotted Megan’s wide grin as she waved at me. She quickly ran up and hooked her arm through mine the moment she reached me.

“Guess what,” she began, and we started walking together toward the university.

“What?”

“Our new professor… I mean our new young professor. Word is, he’s extremely decent and well-respected,” she gushed.

I frowned, watching the male students we passed who let their gazes linger on me. Fortunately, I was already used to this kind of behavior from men.

“So? What’s so special about him? You seem interested,” I remarked, since she’d been bringing him up for days.

Megan waved to someone she knew before answering.

“I’m just curious. They say he’s handsome, too. Aren’t you curious?” she shot back.

I’m not.

Well, I wasn’t.

I’m not the type to quickly take interest in men. I’m a slut—yes, I admit that. Everyone calls me “a woman for everyone,” “fuck girl,” “whore,” and whatever else they can think of. But in all my experiences, it’s always the men who take interest in me first. Never me.

Not until now.

“Sit, Ms. Valoria. You’re twenty minutes late,” he said coldly the moment I stepped into the classroom.

The room fell silent. Even I was caught off guard, my gaze chasing after this man who introduced himself as our professor for the afternoon.

My eyes sought out Megan, and I found her gaping at him from her seat. The reason I’d been late was because Eros had pulled me into the restroom for a quickie. He’d said the professor wouldn’t arrive until later, so I hadn’t thought much of it.

Most professors here favor me anyway—my grades are high, and I can hold my own in anything academic.

This was the first time a professor had ever called me out—right in front of my classmates.

“Are you going to stand there the whole class?”

My ears burned. I stared at him. I hadn’t even taken in his face or posture because of the irritation surging through me. The only things that caught my attention were his cold eyes and the way his jaw tightened over and over, as though I had done something terrible to him.

I was just late!

I swallowed hard, my footsteps heavy as I made my way to my seat beside Megan. Dropping into the chair with deliberate haste, I fixed my eyes straight on the professor.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” he asked.

I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. Megan had been right—he did look young, probably only three or four years older than us.

“What exactly do you want me to say, sir?”

“Why are you late?” Again, his jaw tightened. His Adam’s apple moved sharply, and my eyes lingered on it for a second before I looked back into his eyes.

I arched my brow. “Just because, sir. Isn’t that a valid reason? Because I’m sure you wouldn’t want to hear the real one.”

“Try me, Ms. Valoria,” he challenged.

The whole class fell silent again. Even Megan beside me drew in a breath before clamping her mouth shut. It was as if everyone was waiting—watching—to see what I would say next, and what would happen after.

A smirk curved my lips. I didn’t break our stare. His eyes still held no emotion—just coldness. His face, too, was blank.

“Well, sir, I was in the third-floor bathroom doing a quickie with one of the students here. His name’s Eros. I was on my way to class, but he suddenly pulled me in and kissed me—”

“Enough,” he cut in firmly.

“Again, sir?” I teased.

He quickly averted his gaze, turned his back on me, and pretended to write something on the blackboard. The next thing I heard was the muffled laughter of the class. My eyes stayed fixed on his broad back. Now it’s your turn to shut up, sir.

“That was insane. If he fails you…” Megan whispered.

I shrugged. “Then let him. He’s a coward anyway.”

“A sexy, Greek-god-looking, young and hot coward professor, you mean?” Megan joked.

I glanced at her briefly, then turned my eyes back to the professor. Only now did I really take in the rest of him. He still had his back to us. When he finally faced the class again, his expression seemed calm—composed.

Megan was right. I hadn’t noticed it earlier because my head had been clouded with irritation, but this man… ah, no. I feel like I’m staring at a god. His features are no joke. The word “handsome” wouldn’t even come close to doing him justice. He’s tall, with warm bronze skin. Clean-cut, his button-down shirt clings perfectly to a well-sculpted body. I have a feeling that if he ever took it off, anyone in the room would have their jaw—and probably their drool—hit the floor.

And yeah, his manhood—there’s no way it isn’t big.

“Interesting…” I muttered under my breath.

The day ended with me still in a foul mood. I told Megan to go home ahead of me and canceled my evening meet-up with Clark. I just wasn’t in the mood anymore.

I didn’t even know why.

“Eris, Professor wants to see you in the faculty room.”

I turned toward the voice—our class president.

“Huh? Professor?”

“Yeah. He’s calling you to the faculty,” he repeated.

I frowned. Instead of asking questions, I headed straight there. When I arrived, I was greeted by the professor’s face, lit softly by the room’s light. He was alone.

“Are you going to scold me again, sir?” I asked the moment I sat down across from him.

He glanced at me briefly. Not a flicker of interest crossed his face before he looked away, as though avoiding even the sight of me. Damn this man.

“I want to apologize for what happened earlier. I shouldn’t have called you out in front of your classmates,” he said in a calm, low voice.

I froze, one brow arched. Was he serious?

“Just don’t make a joke like that in front of everyone again,” he added.

A smirk played on my lips. “So… you think what I said was a joke, sir?”