Dominant Professor: When you crave the punishment, you break the rules.

by Mia Luxe

  I have been sitting on my couch for two hours with the same lukewarm cup of coffee, unable to do anything else.

  Finally, my phone rings.

  I see the familiar name on my caller ID and hope for some good news.

  “Hey Rick. What can you tell me?”

  “Bad news Bruce. It’s a burner, so we can’t trace the owner. I dug deeper. I called in a favor and was able to get one piece of information. Where it was bought.”

  He reads out an address, and it clicks it my mind.

  “That’s the gas station right next to my college.”

  “Know any Professors or staff who have a grudge against you?”

  I don’t respond because I’m too busy staring in shock at the picture that I just received.

  It’s Laurel. Laurel in just her bra and thong, her tits popping out as she leans forward seductively. I slam my fist down on the coffee table.

  “What’s up Bruce?”

  “Laurel. The college librarian. She just sent me a picture, a very revealing one. This can’t be a coincidence. It must be her.”

  “What’s your relationship with her?”

  “I wouldn’t call her an ex-lover. We fucked once last year, a meaningless romp after a work function. She kept texting me and I had to tell her not to bother me anymore.

  “A woman scorned. It fits the bill.”

  My phone beeps, and I have a new email from Rick.

  “I just sent over a program by email. Download it to your phone. I’ll be able to listen and record your phone call when you have it running. You’re going to call her. Be firm, be polite. Find out what she wants, agree if it’s agreeable, and then hang up. Your goal is to set up a meet. But first, Bruce, I need to warn you.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s possible this is a coincidence. I know it sounds like it defies the laws of possibilities, but you did say she liked to text you. Has she sent pictures before?”

  “Never pictures. But she came onto me pretty hard last time I saw her, and she likes to send flirty texts.”

  “It’s most likely her. But even if it is her, she might not be working alone. Good luck.”

  I open my email and download the file attached. It’s an app which I open and click run.

  “I’m hanging up now Bruce. Give her a call.”

  I breathe in and out ten times, steeling my nerves and call the number.

  She picks up and talks before I have a chance to speak, her voice breathy and seductive.

  “Brucy, so good of you to finally call me. I was starting to think you forgot all about me… mmm, I can’t forget that night of pleasure. You’re an unforgettable man. To what do I owe the pleasure of your phone call?”

  Because you’re blackmailing me you fucking bitch, if you do anything to hurt Olivia I swear to god I’m going to make you regret it.

  “I’m calling because I’ve been getting some worrying messages. Do you know anything about them?”

  “Messages? What about?”

  So you want to play it coy. I don’t want to play your little game.

  “Messages threatening me.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t call them threatening. Just keeping you on your toes, Brucy. I really enjoyed that picture you sent me. Mmmm, those abs are to die for. I can’t wait to get my tongue all over them.”

  I suppress a shudder.

  “So you admit you sent the messages.”

  “Oh, did I?”

  “Yes, you did. Now tell me what you want. Now.”

  I try to keep my voice as neutral as possible but the iron in my voice is unmistakable.

  “I love it when you get all riled up. I get it Brucy, I really do. You saw a stupid little girl and you wanted to fuck her. Now, you pay the price. One hundred thousand. Tonight. In two hours. Bring it to the library in a nice leather briefcase. Then I’ll delete the pictures and you can keep screwing your little whore as much as you like. Admit it Brucy, she’s nothing compared to me. You don’t need a stupid little girl. You need a woman.”

  Don’t react. Don’t engage. She’s trying to make you angry.

  I am angry. White hot fury is racing through my blood. I hate to hear her talking about Olivia.

  Right now, Olivia needs you calm. I need to keep her safe.

  “It is a deal. I will be at the library at seven.”

  “On second thought, why not make it eight? That’s when I get off work, we could go for a drink.”

  She’s delusional. If she’s going off her rocker, I need to be even more careful. She’s like a lit fuse.

  “Seven.”

  I hang up, then call Rick.

  “That went well. You kept your cool. I’m impressed. Can you get a hundred k by seven?”

  “Yeah, I’ll just have to hit the bank.”

  “Good. When you make the meet, keep it cool and professional. You sure you don’t want me to have a couple guys standing by to arrest her?”

  “I don’t want any blowback. Nothing that can hurt Olivia.”

  “Got it. You need to make sure she doesn’t have any other copies. This can’t turn into a once a week thing. This needs to be done, tonight.”

  “I know. I’ll look her in the eyes when I ask. I can always see a lie.”

  “I believe it Bruce. Good luck. Call me if you need anything else.”

  I hang up.

  I pick up my phone again, my finger resting on the call button. A part of me wants to call Olivia and explain everything. I have a missed call from her, and I didn’t see her today since I called in sick to work.

  No. Be a man Bruce. Solve the problem. Make sure she is safe. Then call her.

  I drive to the bank and take out one hundred thousand dollars. They don’t ask any questions, and I don’t supply answers. I had a story worked out. A story that I was going to hit Vegas as a high roller. Turns out I didn’t need it.

  When you have as much money as me in the bank, they don’t want to know why you need one hundred thousand right away. As long as you keep the rest in the bank, they are happy.

  They place the bills in the leather briefcase I picked up. I’m not taking any chances. I’ll follow Laurel’s demands and be done with it. Then things can go back to normal with Olivia, but I’ll be more careful this time. I’ll find a way to keep us completely safe.

  I keep under the speed limit as I drive to the campus. The last thing I want is to be pulled over with a briefcase full of money.

  I reach the library two minutes early. I’m dressed professionally. Suit and tie. This is the biggest business deal of my life and I always feel better when I look the part.

  I can see her bright red hair as I enter the library. The library is full of students, all fading into the background as I focus my full attention on the demon who has threatened the most important thing in my life.

  Laurel makes my skin crawl. She’s wearing an inappropriate green dress that shows her tits to the world. It’s disgusting.

  I walk up to her as she plays with her hair like she thinks this is a date.

  I lean in, quietly.

  “I have your money.”

  “Mmm, you’re all business. You know, I could shave off ten thousand if you want… All you’d need to do is come into my office and fuck me like you did before. You can do anything you want to me, Brucy. Anything at all.”

  “I just need this to be over.”

  “You’re no fun. Fine, fine, hand it over.”

  I pass the briefcase over and she grabs it eagerly. I don’t let go yet.

  “Where are the photos?”

  “Just on my phone.”

  I let her take the briefcase and then watch as she pulls out her phone and deletes the pictures, one by one.

  “Oops, you weren’t supposed to see that,” she says as she swipes left, showing a picture of herself bent over naked.

  “Laurel. If you ever try to fuck with me again, I am going to make you regret it until the day you die. I have connections in the police department. They are re
ady to make a felony blackmail case at any second. I recorded our phone call and I have enough on you to put you behind bars. If you so much as contact me again I’ll know this is only going to end when you’re locked away.”

  Her eyes widen. She suddenly is no longer in control of the situation.

  My voice is pure steel.

  “This is your one chance. If you have any other copies, you need to tell me now. When I turn around and leave, it’s too late.”

  Her face looks even paler than usual.

  “OK. There’s another copy, I printed them out. They are in my office. I swear, they are the only other copies that exist.”

  I look her deep in her eyes, looking for any weakness. I can see fear. She does not want me to go to the cops. The fear gives me certainty that she is telling the truth.

  “Show me them.”

  She walks into her office and I follow, and she quickly lowers the blinds, her hands shaky.

  She goes to her desk and opens the top drawer, pulling out three pictures. The pictures of Olivia and I outside of my building. I grab them and slide them in the shredder one by one.

  “These better be the last fucking pictures or I might not even bother with the police.”

  I let the threat hang in the air. I would never touch a hair on her head, but that’s not what I want her to think.

  She nods, shaky.

  “That’s it. We’re done. I never want to hear from you again. If you try to blackmail me again, it will be very fucking bad for you. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  I growl and turn to leave the office. I breathe in and out.

  She doesn’t control my mind. I am calm. I have dealt with this, and now I can go back to my office and call Olivia and tell her everything. Now that I know it’s fixed, now that I know she isn’t at risk.

  I walk through the library staring straight forward. I don’t care about anything except Olivia. The brisk walk to my office centers me.

  I sit down in my office and breathe out a huge sigh of relief.

  It’s over.

  It’s done.

  Olivia is safe.

  I call her to explain everything.

  She picks up but I don’t have a chance to say anything.

  “Don’t ever call this number again.”

  Her voice is curt, professional, and under the mask I can hear pure pain.

  Witness

  Olivia Abernathy - Monday Evening

  I’ve been studying for hours before Zoe arrives. She gives me a smile as she sits down in front of me.

  “I like seeing you in your natural habitat,” she says as she sets her books down. We are in the main part of the library where quiet conversations are totally OK. On the higher floors, anything more than a whisper gets you shushed.

  “If my natural habitat is the library, where’s yours?”

  “The bar, duh. Which I will not be going to tonight. Tonight, we study hard. You look better, Olivia.”

  I nod.

  “I feel OK. I don’t know. I’m just realizing that I don’t have time for anything that isn’t certain. I need to focus on school and volleyball. If Bruce has some amazing reason for why he has been acting so weird and then ghosted me, then maybe I give him a chance.”

  I say the words, but I don’t feel them fully.

  I keep remembering the weekend at his cabin. Running through the woods. Picking our dinner. Getting away from everything. Stop it, Olivia! Think about what you can do right here, right now to make your life better. That means focusing on school.

  “I’m proud of you Olivia. That’s a really mature outlook.”

  Zoe opens her book, then gives me a weird look.

  “Is it my imagination or is that librarian lady eyeballing us?”

  I glance discreetly to see the redheaded librarian with more fire in her eyes than her hair. She’s glaring right at me. As soon as she sees me look over, she walks away as if nothing happened.

  “That is fucking weird,” I say, and try to shake it off. It must have been something else, not us. Maybe the table behind us that’s talking pretty loud.

  “Whatever. I heard that bitch is crazy. Apparently, she’s been the football team’s good luck charm for years. Whoever she fucks always gets a touchdown next game, or something like that. I mean, look at what she’s wearing!”

  She giggles. I giggle as well. She does look like she’s in full on seduce the football team mode. She’s wearing a weirdly inappropriate lime green cocktail dress that shows way too much cleavage.

  “Serious Zoe. Study time.”

  We get lost in the books as the night approaches, the sky darkening. The library is unusually full for a Monday night, but then again finals are only getting closer. I picked a spot in the corner where it doesn’t feel like we are in the middle of a horde of students.

  Zoe looks up and I see shock in her eyes. I turn and gasp.

  It’s him.

  He strides into the library dressed in a suit and tie, more formal than I have ever seen him before. He’s got a new looking briefcase in his hand.

  “Maybe he did have business,” says Zoe quietly, but nothing makes sense.

  “Here? What possible business could he have in the library?”

  He powers forward and the librarian smiles at him widely, curling her finger in her hair and batting her eyes at him.

  “Oh, you can’t be serious,” I say, as Bruce walks up to her. He says something right in her ear.

  Just like how whispers sweet nothings into my ear.

  They talk back and forth, and she pulls out her phone, showing him something that he looks very interested in.

  “Fuck. Fuck. This can’t be happening. She’s probably showing him dirty pictures. That fucking bitch.”

  He hands her his briefcase.

  I feel anger, rage, everything bubbling up inside of me. I want to storm away, I want to run up and punch Bruce, but most of all I want to see what’s happening.

  “Maybe they just know each other…” says Zoe, unconvinced. “Oh.”

  We watch as Bruce and the librarian walk into her office. Suddenly, the blinds are shut.

  “He’s fucking her right there, isn’t he,” I say, my voice cold with fury.

  “It looks really bad,” says Zoe.

  Fear and anger is welling up in me but I have to stay. I have to see what happens next.

  Bruce leaves the office minutes later.

  So she’s so good it only takes her 3 minutes to make him cum. Fuck. Stupid, ugly me he takes forever with.

  I want to stand up, to scream, to punch him, but I just sit there, breathing in and out.

  “Fuck him. Fuck that lying, cheating son of a bitch. I’m done with him.”

  I want nothing more than to run away from this horrible place but instead I open my student portal page on my laptop and with three quick clicks I’ve withdrawn from Bruce’s class.

  “That slut,” says Zoe, watching as the librarian exits her office, her clothes ruffled. She fixes her hair a little and I swear she glances over my way with a cruel smile.

  “I’m done with romance. I’m done with guys. And I am certainly done with Bruce fucking Harrison.”

  I slam my laptop closed so hard it looks like it might break.

  “Screw studying, let’s get drunk.”

  Zoe beams at me.

  “Oh, we are getting you wasted. Then, we’re getting you laid so you can forget all about Mr. Shit for brains. Let’s get out of here.”

  We stand and walk back to dorms together. As we approach our building, my phone rings.

  It’s him.

  I pick up the phone. I don’t let him get a word in.

  “Don’t ever call this number again.”

  I hang up and ignore the next call, delete the voice-mail, and put my phone in my pocket as we enter the dorm room and Zoe grabs the vodka from the mini-fridge.

  “We’re getting so shit-faced there’s no way we show up in class tomorrow.”

 
; He seemed so genuine. I really thought he cared about me. That means all those words… Telling me I was special, that I was the smartest student in the class… That means those words have been said to a dozen different students, a new one every year. He fills our naive heads with words of love and uses us. Oh my God, I’m such a stupid, stupid child. How could I ever think a guy like Bruce could fall for me and really mean it? How could I ever think I could keep his attention even for a day?

  “Men are pigs,” says Zoe, handing me a shot glass filled to the brim with clear liquid. We clink our shot glasses together.

  The shot of vodka burns in my mouth and roils in my stomach.

  Once and for All

  Bruce Harrison - Monday Night

  I leave Olivia an urgent message explaining everything and resist the urge to call her again. My office feels lonely with the distance between us.

  She has the right to be pissed. I’ve been acting weird, I ignored her phone call, and I didn’t show up to class. I’ll give her a day to cool off and see her at class tomorrow. When I explain everything, she’ll understand I did it all to keep her safe.

  I sit in front of my computer, feeling like I’m in purgatory.

  An email hits my computer and I would ignore it if her name in the title didn’t grab my attention.

  Withdrawal from class: Olivia Abernathy

  I open it with a curse.

  Dear Professor Harrison.

  A student has withdrawn from your class. As per department policy, I request a short meeting with you. I will be staying late tonight due to administrative duties and would prefer to get this dealt with ASAP.

  Could you meet me at 9:00 PM in my office?

  Dean Caruthers.

  Shit. She dropped my class? This is serious. I won’t be seeing her again tomorrow. I need to think of a plan. I can’t just walk up to her dorm room and knock.

  I type back a quick email.

  OK. I’ll be there at 9:00 PM. Don’t process the withdrawal yet.

  - Harrison

  I stand up, pacing my small office and trying to think.

  My thoughts are interrupted by the ring of my phone and I dash for it, hoping it is Olivia.

  The caller ID shows Caffé Tuscan.