Naughty Professor - A Standalone Teacher Romance

by Claire Adams

  Happy. I'd been happy. Then the night turned into one of the best of my life, and I screwed it all up the next morning. I was exactly like my father, except there were no twelve steps to repair the damage my ego had done.

  I paced around my suite like a caged animal until it was time to put on my suit. I knew Xavier had made the dinner reservations and it would please them both if I, for once, tried to act like a civilized man.

  "Now that is a fine cut suit," Xavier said when he saw me. He slipped out of the guest room and shut the door behind him. "Might as well get comfortable. Your mother is trying out a new look."

  "She's really feeling better?"

  My father smiled. "She really is. Every second of it feels like a miracle. That's why I was so sharp about your comment earlier. I know you were just teasing us about the wedding, but you understand how important it is to us, don't you?"

  I cringed. Even my own family thought I didn't have the ability to care. "You know I'll be there even if you two decide to get married in a meadow at dawn."

  "God, let's hope not," my father joked. "We know it's going to be outdoors, but I'm trying to steer your mother towards a garden or something with at least a few vestiges of civilization."

  He kept talking about the wedding plans with a smile on his face. I watched him and suddenly couldn't take it anymore.

  "I forgive you."

  "What?" Xavier asked, taking a step back.

  "I know you never wanted to hurt her. I know it was just the alcohol. You've really turned everything around, and I know it wasn't easy. I forgive you." I felt like an elephant eased off my chest and walked away.

  Tears sprung to my father's eyes as he stumbled forward to fold me in a hug. "I really am sorry, Penn. There is nothing I can do to change it except tell you I think about it, think about how I was to you, and I regret it every day."

  "It's over," I said, my throat hot. "Now let's figure out how to tell Alice you want a garden party wedding."

  My father laughed. It took him a moment to steady himself and even then, he kept a hand tight on my shoulder. "Next you have to forgive yourself, Penn."

  "For what?" I asked, immediately tense and stepping away.

  Xavier smoothed down his tailored suit, but kept his eyes steady on me. "You had every right to hide your financial status. We have to be guarded; it's just part of the territory when you have that much money."

  I shook my head. "But I was so hard on her. I made fun of her for wanting money. I made her think that I was better because I didn't need money and all the time, my bank account was climbing into the stratosphere. I made her feel bad for wanting something I was taking for granted."

  "So you made a mistake," my father shrugged.

  Alice appeared at that moment and tuned into the conversation as if she'd been in the room the whole time. "There are no mistakes," she declared. "There's only what you choose to do next."

  "How very Zen. Thanks," I muttered.

  My mother swept over and cupped my face in both hands. "You changed directions once, remember? It was drastic and it took you far away from your father and me. But, it brought you to where you needed to be. So why are you so afraid of changing directions now?"

  I took her hands and squeezed them, not quite up to meeting her sharply intuitive gaze. "I can't go back."

  "No you can't," Alice said, her voice certain and strong. "But you can stop hemming and hawing over the next step and just take it already. You know what you want to do, so get on with it."

  I tried to brush off her words, but they stuck hard in my chest. "How about we have dinner first."

  My father saved me with another slap on the back. "Excellent idea. And wait until you try the salmon at this new restaurant. You'll swear they fished those fillets straight out of heaven."

  Alice stopped and gave us a mischievous smile. "About that restaurant."

  My father and I groaned. Every time Alice had that expression on her face, we had ended up trying some authentic hole-in-the-wall where we didn't speak the language and the food set our senses on fire.

  "Oh, come on, where's your sense of adventure?" she asked.

  My mother was impossible to resist, but we complained the whole way there.

  "If I'd have known, I would have eaten at home," I said.

  My father held up his hand and whispered, "I would have stuffed some crackers in my suit pocket."

  "And antacids," I added.

  "Enough," Alice said with a laugh. "We're here."

  Both Xavier and I were shocked when we stepped out of the car. My mother, the wild bohemian, had chosen an old-fashioned supper club.

  The sign still buzzed with red neon, though the exterior was completely new and very swanky. A gold-colored awning sheltered a red carpet up the steps to heavy oak doors. Inside, the restaurant glowed with candles in jars on each table. The wood-paneled walls offered the only other light from sconces. The curved booths were covered with red leather and the floor was a wild swirl of old-fashioned paisley.

  "This is great," Xavier breathed. "I bet they even have rare steaks here. Actual rare steak."

  I hung back as my parents followed our white-jacketed waiter to a booth. All I could think was Corsica should be there. She would have delighted in the way my parents walked with arms wrapped around each other, but more than that, she would have loved the stage.

  There was a small, raised dais of a stage with a grand piano and a row of gilded stalls for a full jazz band. I couldn’t tear my eyes off the single, vintage microphone sparkling under the spotlight. It was like a beacon showing me the first time I saw Corsica sing.

  That very moment when I fell in love with her.

  "Penn? Are you coming?" my mother asked.

  "In a minute," I said, turning back to the front door. "I have to make a phone call."

  "If it's work, it can wait," my father advised.

  "Nonsense," Alice said. "Whatever it is can wait until we've ordered at the very least."

  I had no choice but to slide into the booth and listen to a novel length's explanation of the daily specials. When my father asked about the steaks, the waiter launched into a whole other spiel and I thought I might lose my mind.

  "I really need to make a phone call," I said through gritted teeth.

  My mother patted my hand. "I know, dear. If you're in such a hurry, you can order first."

  "Ladies first," Xavier said. Then, after my mother ordered, he took forever to decide on what sides to have and what dressing would go best with his salad.

  "I'll have whatever that first special was. Just the standard sides. No dressing," I snapped when the waiter turned to me.

  His eyes widened slightly but he bowed. "Very good, sir. Enjoy the show. Your food will be out shortly."

  I stood up from the booth so fast that the silverware jangled. "I just have to make a quick call," I lied. If I got Corsica on the phone and she didn't hang up with me, I knew the conversation could very well take all night. In fact, it would probably go better if it was face to face.

  I was about to make my excuses and call for my car when the house lights dimmed and the stage lit up. A band shuffled on, looking relaxed and ready for a good show. My mother tugged me back into the booth. It was a good thing, too, because my legs turned to jelly.

  After the musicians took their places, Corsica appeared on stage. She floated along looking like some figment of my desires in a perfect black dress and patent-leather pumps. Her hair was loose and spilled over her shoulders, glowing in the soft light of the spotlight. She looked at home, happy, and in her element.

  The music swelled, and I stopped breathing. Stars burst along the corners of my eyesight before I could manage a shaky breath. Corsica opened her smiling mouth and sang the first verse of the song that had haunted me all through my trek across the desert.

  I blinked and stopped breathing, then gasped for air. Corsica was either a mirage come to life or I had somehow gotten my wish. I wanted to talk to her face to face a
nd there she was.

  I stood up though my mother tried to stop me. The gravitational pull of Corsica in that spotlight was too strong. I had to be near her, I had to know she was real. I walked through the tables scattered around the small stage until I was standing directly in front of her.

  She saw me and kept singing, each note drumming all of my doubts away.

  I loved Corsica. That was it. That was all I could think and when the song ended and the whole restaurant paused to hear me address the angel in the spotlight, that was all I said.

  "I love you."

  Corsica apologized to her band and stepped down to face me.

  I didn't even give her a chance to speak, the words tumbled out of me. "I love you, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

  "So where have you been?" she asked, her eyes bright.

  "It doesn't matter," I said, taking her hands. "Everywhere I go just leads back to you."

  Then she smiled. "Ah, now we're getting somewhere."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Epilogue

  I ran down the beach as fast as I could, but even the punishing pace couldn't burn away the joy I felt. The beach house was more than my finish line. It was my home.

  "What's your hurry?" Penn called from the deck. "Now that you're done with your morning run, we're going back to bed, right?"

  I laughed despite my heavy breathing. "I thought you wanted to sleep in."

  "Only with you." He caught me as soon as I stepped on the deck.

  "Stop! I'm all sweaty!"

  He nuzzled my neck and growled deep in his throat. "And, you taste delicious."

  "No, really stop. We have to get ready. Today's the big day," I reminded him.

  Penn didn't stop until his kisses made me lose track of all time. Then he leaned back and beamed down at me. "We can be late, can't we?"

  I shook my head, though I was too content to leave his arms. "The ceremony can't start until we're there."

  "I can't wait to walk you down the aisle," Penn said with another hungry kiss.

  This time I did push him back, the bright ring on my finger glinting in the morning sun. "That's not until April. Today is all about your parents."

  "Today is all about love, as my mother keeps reminding me. Surely, she'll understand if love is what makes us late."

  I couldn't resist Penn any longer. I distracted him with a kiss and then lunged for the sliding glass door. "I'll race you to the shower."

  He caught me halfway through the kitchen and I was overjoyed when those hard, tattooed arms closed around me. I looked up at him and wondered again how lucky I was.

  Once we were done with assumptions, it was just us and we were so very happy.

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  VACATION

  By Claire Adams

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 Claire Adams

  Chapter 1

  Vivian

  It was still relatively cold this time of the year in New York. Heading to Miami wouldn’t help much. It was liable to be cold there too. With the shifting of the seasons, spring break was stacking up to be miserable. Not that I was in the mood to enjoy anything more than a good book and my pjs, but my roommate wasn't going to let me back out of our trip. She was far too excited to let anything dent her mood.

  "I really don't think this is the best idea, Casey. Maybe we could call the airlines back and see if they're willing to move the flight just once more." I ran my fingers through my long crimson hair and dropped down on my small bed in our dorm room. "Just think about it. We could stay here and go to all of our favorite places. You know you love Central Park this time of the year."

  "No, Viv. This is going to be great. You've been moping around this place since the beginning of February. We're getting the hell out of here for a little while. It will do you some good. It will do me some good. I'm tired of this frigid-ass weather. I need to see the beach and pretend like one day I'll get out of here." She moved to stand in front of me and touched my shoulder gingerly as I shifted my gaze toward the floor. "Hey, it's going to get better."

  My eyes filled with tears, though I honestly didn't figure I had many more left in me. I'd known Jackson my whole life, and dated him most of it. I couldn't see myself beside anyone in life but him, and yet he felt differently. Not having the balls to tell me that he was sleeping with half the student body at NYU, I happened to find out the hard way – by accidentally witnessing him in action.

  "Right." I pulled from her and got up, walking to the short window that sat at the far end of our dorm room. "I just wish it would hurry up."

  "It's only been a month." Casey wrapped me in a hug from behind and I sunk down into it. My spunky roommate had been my best friend since kindergarten; her commitment to living life with me being one of the only things that was sure to help me through the break-up with Jackson.

  "I know, but this was supposed to be our trip, Case. We'd been dating for ten years on Valentine’s. That was the reason for the trip, remember?" I pressed my hands to my face and took a shaky breath. "I just don't know if I want to go hang out in Miami for a week, even with you. I'll do nothing but drag you down and be a complete killjoy. The last thing I want to do is have you upset with me because I can't be anything but depressed right now. I'm trying to pull myself out of it, but I just can't seem to. You're going to be disappointed and the trip's going to suck because of me."

  "That's not true. Not one damn word you just uttered is true." She moved back and tugged on my hair. "Get packed up. We got the tickets from Valentine’s moved to now, and we're going. You're going to meet some fantastic hottie and have loads of great, unattached sex."

  She gasped dramatically as I turned to pin her with a 'get real' stare. "Me?"

  "Yes. You. Just think – it will almost feel like you're a normal college girl. Having fun and living in the moment. What? What will the media think?" She wagged her eyebrows as I wiped the last of my tears away.

  "You're dumb." And she was, but she was right. I needed to figure out how to start living a little. My life had revolved around Jackson and my grades for so long that having fun didn't seem attainable.

  "Right, and you're dumber. Get that cute, little, black string bikini that you hate. It looks killer on you." She nodded to my bed. "Grab your pillow, too. You know how much you hate sleeping on anything but Hilda."

  "It's too cold to wear a bikini. I'm going to need a full length coat and sweats just to be able to walk outside." I moved toward the bed and picked up my pillow, which we'd lovingly named Hilda years ago. I was on Hilda number six by then, but our traditions stuck – even the odd ones.

  "Florida is vastly different than New York, Viv. Check the weather on your phone, and while you're at it, check the flight times, too. I want to run by the store on the way to the airport. I need some gum and want to grab a couple of beach towels before we go."

  "The hotel doesn't give them to you?" I picked up my phone, forever minding my bossy-ass friend. She was president of every club she could get her hands on, energetic and an extrovert to the nth degree. I wasn't her polar opposite, but pretty damn close.

  "No clue, but I don't want to chance it, and the gum is for your ears. You know they pop like crazy on takeoff." She picked up a nightie from her open suitcase on her bed and wagged her eyebrows again. "Whatcha think? Hot enough to catch some guys attention?"

  Her blonde pixie cut and vibrant blue eyes drew everyone in quickly, and even after all the years of us being close, I was no different. She had a warmth to her that made you want to get close enough to warm your hands by her fire. />
  "It's rather naughty. You sure you want to take that with us? You're going to be mighty disappointed when I don't ask you to put it on." I gave her a silly look, which melted into a smile. She wouldn't wear the nightie even if there were a good-looking guy she wanted to impress. She was too self-conscious about her curves, though I didn't think she had any reason to be.

  "Now who's being dumb?" She chuckled and tossed it back into her bag. "I'm going to find us some handsome boys to have a little bit of fun with."

  "Right. You do that." I finished packing a few t-shirts and shoved the last of my jeans in before sitting on the top and motioning for her to come help me close the thing.

  "Why am I suddenly concerned that you didn't bring anything dressy or skimpy?" Casey bent down and zipped up my suitcase as I wobbled on top of it.

  "Because I didn't. The weather says that Miami is in the low seventies right now. That sounds warm, but we're right on the beach in Miami. It's going to be cold. You're going to freeze your ass off, and when you do, don't say I didn't tell you so." I shrugged and slid off the side of the suitcase. "Let's get going. The flight is in three hours. That gives us just enough time to grab the stuff you want and get there."

  "Killjoy. Already." Casey popped the side of my leg and picked up her bag. "You're going to meet someone sexy that sweeps you off your feet. Mark my words. Karma's a bitch, and Jackson will get his, but you'll get yours too."

  "I believe you." I slung my satchel strap over my shoulder and brushed my sweater and jeans to smooth them out. "I'm going to meet lots of sexy men that are going to leave me panting."

  She smiled brightly before heading to the door. "There's my girl. I know there's an optimist deep inside of you. Are you thinking we'll meet them at the hotel or the beach, or maybe a bar?"

  I walked out of our dorm room and turned to close the door as a smirk lifted my lips. "I'm going to find them in a book. Lots of books. Safe sex without the herpes."