Undeniable Attractions: The Too Bad Series Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Emma Vikes

  I stood there for a while, watching him breathe softly. His features mesmerized me even more than they had in the afternoon. My eyes traced every inch of his exposed body; from his hair, to his forehead, to his closed eyes and eyelashes, to his nose, to his lips and finally to his chest.

  I was drawn to him and suddenly found myself sitting gently on the bed. I continued staring at him until my eyes fell on his lips once more. In the afternoon, I’d admired them. Now, however, I was even more drawn to them, wanting to bend down and kiss them.

  ‘What would it be like to kiss those lips?’ I wondered as the lips continued to hypnotize me.

  Then in a moment of blind madness, where all my inhibitions and common sense had ceased to function, I bent forward and kissed him.

  Time stood still as my lips settled lightly on his.

  I’d intended it to be a light kiss but my lips lingered. And then the absurd happened.

  He kissed back.

  My breath caught in my throat from the shock of finding out that he was awake. He kissed me again, his lips demanding and, slowly, my lips began to part in response. The kiss deepened, both of us surrendering to the passion that threatened to consume us, feeding off and being fed in return. My hands came up involuntarily to cup his face as I continued to kiss him.

  “Christ, what am I doing?” I exclaimed as I snapped away from the kiss.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said as our eyes met. “I’m so...” I tried continuing with my apology but my voice trailed off. My braveness or foolhardiness – depending on who was asked – had eventually waned.

  His eyes opened wide and his mouth contorted as if he was about to say something. But he stayed silent.

  The embarrassment was more than I could handle. I had to flee the scene as soon as I could as I felt the floor was about to open and swallow me whole.

  I shielded my face with my hands and rose abruptly. From the gaps in my hands, I saw his hands fly out from under the covers and reach for me. He tried to pull me back but I escaped his grasp and continued apologizing as I fled the room.

  He laid back in bed and made no attempt to move as I fled.

  Chapter 6

  Howard

  I HAD STAYED UP ALL night thinking after Susan had fled my room.

  First, I’d replayed every memory in my head; from meeting her to her abandoning the kiss and escaping to her room. I’d wanted to go after her so bad but common sense had finally prevailed.

  I’d remembered just in time that she couldn’t stay in my house. A male professor accommodating a female student was never going to sit well with anyone who heard about it. My career was on the line.

  I’d always been so careful and it was amazing how I’d almost abandoned common sense with the beautiful lady lodged downstairs. On the occasions when I had sexual trysts with students, I’d gone through a rigorous process of making sure they’d been conditioned enough to know not to jeopardize my career by spilling the details of our relationship even after it had ended.

  With Susan, I’d almost made the mistake of getting involved without first ensuring to protect myself.

  ‘Good thing I wasn’t the one who went downstairs to her room.’

  ‘This can still be remedied.’

  I’d stayed awake, trying to devise ways to manage the situation that was already blowing out of control. I wasn’t going to deny that the attraction to Susan was stronger than anything I’d ever felt. She definitely possessed what it took to bring about my ruin. Whenever a man was willing to abandon reason because a woman was involved, his ruin was just around the corner. Susan had to leave, no doubt.

  ‘But how do I get her to leave without having her becoming vindictive?’

  I stood up from my bed then and walked to the small reading table in my room. For some reason, I’d been feeling a whole lot better after the encounter. I pulled an A4 notepad and pen from the side and began writing.

  Twenty minutes later and after going through over ten drafts, I’d written the perfect letter. I went over it one more time, looking for errors and judging if the letter would have the desired effect on Susan.

  ‘It would have to suffice.’

  I tore the paper from the notepad and placed it directly on the table, using the pen to hold it in place. I’d wake up early and tack the letter to her door before leaving for the office. I’d have to be quiet so as not to wake her up.

  ‘I need to avoid a run in with her so that the message of the letter could sink in.’

  I stood up and walked back to bed.

  ‘Susan! What a lady.’

  Chapter 7

  Susan

  I WOKE UP WITH A START.

  After fleeing Howard’s room last night, I’d found sanctuary in my room. A part of me had wanted to turn back and run into Howard’s arms and lips. Another part had hoped Howard would follow me out of his room and to my bedroom. I’d seen him reach out and try to stop me from fleeing, but I’d fled all the same.

  By the time I’d gotten to my room, I was a mass of confused and conflicting emotions.

  ‘What were you thinking?’

  ‘The kiss felt nice though. Forget nice, it was magical.’

  ‘Oh Susan what have you done?’

  ‘You’ve messed things up and now everything is going to be awkward.’

  ‘But he kissed me back, didn’t he? I didn’t imagine that, did I?’

  The barrage of thoughts assaulted my mind, whipping me into a frenzy. I was still in that state when I’d fallen asleep.

  After a restless night, I was now awake and staring at the door. The courage that had possessed me last night was absent. I willed myself to get up from the bed but my body refused to cooperate. Only one thought possessed me now.

  ‘Howard is out there. How do I face him?’

  I turned and spied the bedside clock. The time was 8 am. I needed to get ready and get down to the campus to begin registration and orientation. I couldn’t sit in bed all morning because I was avoiding my landlord.

  ‘Get up and get ready Susan.’

  ‘Dash out of the house when you’re leaving.’

  ‘If you run into him, just say good morning.’

  With that, I stood up from the bed and jumped into the shower. I was out in five minutes and dressed in ten.I applied light makeup and straightened my hair before picking up my backpack. I spied myself in the mirror and was content with my look. Now all I had to do was jet out of the house without having a chance to run into Howard.

  I stopped at the door and listened for any movement within the house. When I heard nothing, I opened the door slightly to listen and steal a peek.

  The coast was clear.

  I stepped out and shut the door.

  Something immediately caught my attention. There was a note tacked to the door on the outside. I retrieved the note and opened it. It was from Howard.

  Hello Susan,

  I hope you rested well. I’d start this by welcoming you to Florida. With your adventurous nature and boldness, you’d settle in fairly well. Looking forward to hearing many stories of your experiences in this beautiful city.

  However, it is unfortunate that our housing agreement has to come to an end. New details have come to light that prevents me from being able to sub-let living space to you, as agreed. I know this is highly inconvenient and disrupts your already planned schedule, but know that I am looking out for your well-being.

  To ease the burden of finding a new place and relocating, I’m offering to lodge you for a whole week, which would afford you enough time to find another accommodation. Since I’m also reneging on our deal, your rent money would be refunded to you.

  Once again I’m sorry for any inconvenience this will cause you.

  Warmest regards,

  Professor Howard Jones.

  Shock rippled through my veins as I stared at the note.

  ‘He’s kicking me out because of what happened last night?’

  My mind began reeling. I needed to get to the
university and get settled in. Now I also needed to begin finding another place to stay that would be as convenient and close to the campus.

  ‘I should have left my ass in bed,’ I reprimanded myself.

  I heaved and turned to walk out of the house. There was no need to dash out again as Howard had most likely left for work. And then something I’d missed in the letter jumped out at me at the thought of Howard being at work.

  I stopped in my tracks.

  ‘Professor Howard Jones? Howard is a professor?’

  Chapter 8

  Susan

  I GOT ON CAMPUS IN a state of disarray, wearing a blue dress with white flower patterns printed all over it. My hair was combed straight into a ponytail and my face was clean. I hadn’t bothered to take the time to do my makeup.

  I was running late for my appointment with the dean. The appointment came about from my wanting to take on extra coursework from the psychology department.

  As a result, the dean had asked to meet me by 8 am this morning to discuss the possibilities and whether she was going to give her approval to proceed with registering me on the extra courses.

  It had been a week since I’d moved out of the professor’s mansion and secured accommodation in a building closer to the campus. I’d stumbled on the new place by luck after narrating my accommodation problems to a course mate, conveniently emitting the part of the story where I was staying in the hot economics professor’s house.

  My course mate had offered that we move in together with me reimbursing her with half of what was paid as rent. I was sold on the idea of being roommates with her because I was increasingly getting closer to her. We could study together, go to lectures together, do assignments together and basically spur ourselves on to academic success.

  I’d moved in a week ago, two days after my faux pas in the professor’s bedroom. I couldn’t bare the embarrassment of staying one more day in the house and having to run into him. Thankfully I hadn’t. I’d simply left a note for him in the same manner that he’d notified me of my eviction; a letter tacked to his door.

  Dear Professor Howard Jones,

  Thank you for your hospitality throughout my brief stay in your home. I’ve been able to secure other accommodation so I’ll be moving out today.

  Please courier the cheque refund to the address appended at the back of this letter.

  I’ll leave your keys under the flower pot at the door.

  Regards,

  Susan Fowler.

  The letter had been brief on purpose. I’d tried to save face in the eyes of the professor and I felt keeping the letter as brief as possible helped me retain some dignity.

  I’d pinned the letter to his bedroom door and left his keys under the flower pot as I’d indicated, before walking out the gate and never looking back. I’d hoped I’d never have to run into him again.

  I hadn’t seen him since that day but had gotten myself into a mix up in a bid to avoid him. When looking through one of my course outlines, I saw his name boldly displayed as the lecturer in charge of handling that course. I’d immediately gone into panic mode wondering how I was going to sit in the same class looking at Howard for one year.

  ‘Why in the world did he have to be a professor in my department? Of all things.’

  It didn’t help matters that I was still stuck on him and apparently so was the whole female population of the university - staff and students included.

  I heard his name being mentioned everywhere I went as females all around campus nattered about him with dreamy eyes and longing smiles. I had about enough of it as the jealousy mixed with my embarrassment was going to drive me off the edge.

  Finally, I stumbled on a solution that was going to save me from running into him. The solution had originated with my roommate who’d taken on some courses in the psychology department. As a result, of the workload, my roommate was permitted to miss Howard’s lectures. Another lecturer was put in charge of tutoring her and the others who’d done the same thing, as Professor Howard wouldn’t be available on the only time slot that they had available to take their lectures.

  If I followed my roommate’s example, I’d be able to escape Howard for another year. By my sophomore year, if I did have any course with him, he probably wouldn’t even remember me.

  It was this decision that had me on the way to the dean’s office this morning. Since my high school grades were lower than all the others who’d taken extra course work, the dean had insisted on meeting me to make sure I could handle the extra load.

  I stumbled into the departmental reception and spied the clock that hung on the wall. I was five minutes late. I made my way to the dean’s office and knocked on the door before proceeding to open it.

  “Good morning. I’m here to see Professor Betty,” I said to the dean’s secretary.

  To get to the dean’s office, one had to come in through the office of her secretary.

  “Do you have an appointment?” the secretary queried without lifting her head from the stack of papers in front of her.

  “Yes. Susan Fowler.”

  “Ok. Go in. She’s been expecting you,” the secretary responded, pointing to the door that led to the dean’s office without lifting her head.

  I made my way to the door, knocked twice and pushed it open. I stepped in and closed the door behind me. Turning to face the dean, I froze.

  Professor Howard Jones was sitting in front of the dean with his back to me. For a brief moment, I considered escaping. He hadn’t seen me yet.

  “Oh welcome Susan. I’ve been expecting you,” Professor Betty said, causing Howard to turn and look at me.

  My heart skipped in my chest. His face betrayed no emotion yet I recognized the glint that briefly appeared in his eyes. He turned to face the dean and excused himself so she could have her meeting with me.

  He stood and walked past me to the door, the familiarity of his scent almost causing me to faint, and then he was gone. This was the first time I’d seen him since our encounter and I couldn’t have wished for a better time for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

  “Come sit, Susan,” the dean said, dragging my focus back to the present.

  I made my way slowly to the seat Howard had just vacated, and lowered myself into it.

  The dean began talking about my choice but I wasn’t hearing a word. My mind was absent as it had left the room with Howard, travelling back to the night in the professor’s bedroom.

  ‘How could you have been so foolish?’ I scolded myself for the umpteenth time.

  “Susan? Susan! Did you hear me?” the dean was asking.

  “Sorry?” I responded, completely disoriented as her inquiry brought my mind back into the room.

  “I was asking why you wanted the extra coursework,” the Dean said, her brows arching in concern. “Are you alright dear? You’ve turned pale all of a sudden,” the dean noted.

  “I’m sorry, professor. I just feel sick all of a sudden,” I responded.

  “Oh dear. Alright get to the clinic then and find out what the matter is. We can have this meeting when you’re feeling better,” the Dean remarked.

  “Thank you, professor.” I expressed my gratitude as I stood up lightheaded.

  “Take it easy.” I heard the Dean caution me as I made my way out of her office.

  “Thank you,” I said to the dean’s secretary as I exited her office.

  I’d barely shut the door when a hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me into the opposite office. I would have let out a scream if it were not for the way I was feeling. The door to the office slammed shut before I even had a chance to reorient myself to the lightning speed with which I’d been kidnapped. As I turned to face the door and my captor, I saw Howard staring at me. The look in his eyes had me shivering in fear.

  He stepped towards me and I began backing away from him. He continued his advance, matching my retreat step for step. Finally something stopped me from retreating any further. I turned back to see that I’d b
acked into the table in the office. With nowhere to go, I turned back to face Howard only to turn into his kiss.

  The kiss had come out of the blue, sending my mind into confusion.

  I had no idea what was happening. One second, I was backing away from Howard in fear, the next second he was kissing me smack on the lips. My eyes were open and I saw clearly the passion that was etched onto his face, forcing his eyes closed. He’d cupped my face with his hands and his lips had begun to probe. I remained unresponsive, not out of irritation, but out of confusion.

  His lips probed again, seeking entry into my mouth and I finally surrendered to the passion that had been building within and was at this moment on the verge of consuming me whole. My eyes closed shut as my lips parted, leaving his tongue free to find its way into my mouth, drinking from a fountain that seemed incapable of quenching its thirst. As I kissed him back, his hands left my face and cupped my breasts.

  Desire welled up within me as his thumbs stroked my nipples through the fabric of my dress and bra. The kiss deepened as my nipples strained against my bra, completely erect and wanting to be free. His thumbs brushed over them again causing a throbbing sensation to originate between my legs. My hands went up involuntarily and circled his neck, while his mouth continued to demand from me.

  He lifted me and placed me on the table, his strength not coming as a surprise to me. His hands began rolling my dress up as I adjusted to allow the lower parts of my dress ride up to my waist. My hands came off his neck and planted themselves on the table to support my frame as his hands now found a new mission and began stroking my thighs, slowly making their way to the wetness that lay between my legs. Finally one of his hands shifted my panties to the side while the other touched me lightly. Sparks flew in my head.

  The kiss had continued uninterrupted until this moment when he touched me; my lips freed his as my head rocked backwards in a moan.