Professor Cline Revealed (The Professor #1)

by J. M. La Rocca

  I still felt unsure, but I guessed that was what I got for putting myself in a situation I didn’t know how to handle.

  I walked toward the door and picked up the bag I’d dropped to the floor. I turned back to see him picking up his laptop and papers, not knowing whether I should say anything. What do you say after being fucked on your professor’s desk?

  I turned with a frown and unlocked the door before walking out into the hallway. I was confused as to what would happen from that point. He didn’t even have my number. How would the relationship work?

  Whoa, not a relationship.

  This was not the kind of thing I was expecting when I’d thought about starting law school. I’d been in a steady relationship. I was happy. I had things mapped out. Now, I was single with no home, happy yet confused, and completely unfocused.

  He was right. He was bad for me. I had no idea what I was doing. Did I really want to be someone’s fuck-buddy? I didn’t understand why I had such a strong connection to him. It made me feel off-balance, and I wasn’t sure I could continue with the way things were going. Yes, he was a great lover, but I knew I wanted more than that. I wanted to be romanced, and I wasn’t sure he was the guy who would give it to me.

  Chapter 19

  Mason – Seventeen years old

  My days were long and hard, but I was doing everything I could to keep my grades up so I’d be accepted to NYU. I wanted to get into the best possible program so I could eventually do something about John. I wasn’t sure what I’d do, but I’d figure it out as I went. I had to focus on Sophia for the time being.

  She wasn’t as scared as she was when she’d first gotten there. Since she wasn’t being drugged every day, I think she’d come to accept her fate. I didn’t want that for her, but the thoughts of getting her out were pretty much illusive.

  I visited her every day, if only for a few minutes. I didn’t want her to think I’d forgotten about her, because the truth was, I couldn’t get her out of my head. She was all I ever thought about.

  She’d turned into my reason for dealing with John.

  I hated him. I hated him with everything I had. If I had the guts I’d kill him, but I couldn’t do it. Even though he was a horrible human being, I couldn’t bring myself to be like him.

  Sophia and I were both trapped. She had no way of getting out, and I had no way of getting her out. I had nowhere to turn. John was a powerful man with other powerful men behind him. Who did I turn to? If I talked to the wrong person, there was no telling what John would do to me. Even though I was his son, I wasn’t sure that would stop him.

  I couldn’t just let her out, either. For a full week, I’d tried to figure out the surveillance system he had in and around the outside of the house, but I wasn’t technical. He’d catch me. He had a bird’s eye view of everything that happened in and out of that house. I was trapped in every sense of the word, just like Sophia.

  When I arrived home, I walked into the house and moved straight toward the hallway to the left which led to John’s downstairs office. The only door on the right was the one that headed to the basement. A basement I’d never been in before that day. I turned the light on and it illuminated the stairs that went down to Sophia’s room.

  I made my way down the stairs and lightly knocked on the door before opening it, in order for her not to fear who was coming into the room. I wanted to at least show her a little bit of respect, but my main reason was because I didn’t want her to be afraid of me. I wanted her to trust me and know I wasn’t there to harm her.

  I entered the room to see her leaning against the wall as she sat on the floor, a book in her hand. She closed her book and laid it on her lap as I shut the door and approached her.

  “Hey,” she said with a small smile. I had yet to see her smile fully, but I didn’t expect that to happen until the day I was able to set her free. “How was school?”

  I sat down beside her with my legs crossed in front of me and rested my hands in my lap.

  “It was good.” I nodded softly and pointed down to her book. “What are you reading today?”

  She shrugged and tossed the book away from her. “Some stupid historical romance. I hate reading, but the fantasy is so much better than what I have right now.” She tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling.

  My heart broke for her. I hated that I couldn’t do anything to help her.

  “I’ll get you out one day, Sophia. I promise.”

  She turned her head to look at me. “I don’t expect it, Mason. I know what they’re going to do with me. I don’t think I can even cry about it anymore.” She turned her head back to look up at the ceiling, blinking back the tears I knew she was holding in.

  Hearing her talk that way always felt like someone was kicking me in the stomach. I hated that she’d given up hope. She had been there for a little over three months, but I knew the uncertainty of how long she’d remain had been getting to her.

  I wasn’t sure why John had presented me with her in the first place. I knew what she’d eventually become, but why did he offer to me like a present? That was the one thing I had a hard time comprehending. What was his end game?

  Sophia got up slowly and walked over to the side table to grab the water bottle. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, both too big for her, but they were the only things John would let me bring her after our first encounter. I was just happy she was entitled to use the bathroom and shower attached to the bedroom, which I was sure was also monitored by John.

  Even the thought of him being able to see her in all her private moments fueled the rage I had for him, but it was just a wasted emotion. I needed to stay focused on what was important.

  I watched her as she lifted the bottle to take a drink. The sleeve of the shirt lifted as she tilted her head back and that was when I saw the bruises on the back of her arm.

  “What the hell happened?” I shouted as I quickly stood up and made my way over to her.

  She looked at me confused as I grabbed her arm and pushed up her sleeve. I could automatically tell they were finger marks.

  “Did he hurt you?” I asked her through clenched teeth as I dropped her arm.

  She diverted her eyes and sat on the bed. “It was my own fault, Mason. I shouldn’t have tried to run again.”

  I paced the room and ran a hand through my hair. I felt weak. I couldn’t do anything to protect her.

  “What did he do, Sophia?”

  John was the one who brought her food, when he remembered to do so. I couldn’t be there all the time so it was expected of him to take care of it, although he wasn’t always home. When she’d first gotten there, it had taken me three days to realize no one had brought her anything to eat. It wasn’t something she would have noticed since she was kept drugged most of the time, but she was starting to wither away. She was already skinny, but I could tell she was losing weight. And seeing as though I didn’t know how long they’d had her before they brought her to the house, it was a major concern for me.

  But seeing those marks on her, I didn’t want the motherfucker to come anywhere near her again. I was her protector. I was the only one who cared for her. There wasn’t much I could do for her, but I would look after her while she was stuck there.

  “Just tell me, Sophia. Don’t make me search you for marks.”

  Her eyes widened in shock and I stepped closer to her. I hated that I was scaring her, but I needed to know.

  She stood up from the bed, keeping her eyes trained to the floor as she slowly lifted her shirt. I clenched my teeth and tightened my fists at my sides as I saw the huge black and blue bruise splayed across her stomach.

  “What the fuck, Sophia? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I walked closer to her and examined her stomach before she dropped the shirt back into place.

  “So what if I didn’t tell you, Mason. What are you gonna do, huh? Go reprimand your daddy? It wasn’t him anyway,” she spat. “There’s nothing you can do about it. I
t was two days ago. I don’t even know who he was. I shouldn’t have tried to run out the door. Where would I have gone anyway? I was stupid for even trying.” She sat back down on the bed and held her head in her hands. She took a deep breath as I stewed over the whole situation, then she finally looked up at me with tired eyes. “I think I’m going to lie down for a bit. Can you come back later?”

  I stared at her as she quickly slid under the covers and closed her eyes. It was the first time she’d asked me to leave, and I frowned at her request. I didn’t want to leave her alone, but I didn’t want to disrespect her privacy either. She had to deal with that enough.

  I needed to get out of there anyway. I knew John was home, and his office would be my first stop.

  Chapter 20

  Mason

  Emma made me feel weak and out of control, but somehow she was burrowing herself deeper inside of me. She made me look past my habits and in a sense it was liberating, yet terrifying. I’d fucked her in my classroom earlier in the day with no blindfold. At the time, it wasn’t even on my mind. I was losing control. Everything I’d worked so hard to maintain had all gone to fucking shit after only a week. I’d told her I was bad for her, but she was worse for me.

  I couldn’t sleep and she was on my fucking mind all the time. There was a reason I lived my life the way I did. Everything I’d done was for a reason. But I knew I still wouldn’t let her go.

  Getting up from my office chair, I went upstairs. My mind had been in a fog since I’d fucked Emma on my desk. There were so many things I needed to think about before I saw her again. So many things I was trying to ignore. Emotions I’d tried to forget were begging to rear their head, but only one was poking its way through.

  I walked into my room and headed to the bathroom, stripping off my clothes as I went. I knew that giving into the feeling only fed the beast, but I couldn’t stop. The anxiety from not giving into it was beyond the fight of stopping it.

  Standing in front of the mirror, I was disgusted as I stared into my eyes. On the outside, someone would see a man any woman would be lucky to have, but looks were deceiving. No one would be lucky to have me. I wasn’t good for anyone. Fuck, I wasn’t even good for myself.

  I lived in darkness, my demons too powerful to allow anything else. I’d wished it to be different so many times, but there was no changing who I was. It was in my blood, embedded in my soul.

  I reached down and pulled the drawer open to grab the razor. I still hadn’t replaced the damn thing, but I was fine with that. The more it hurt, the more relaxed I became.

  Resting my hand on the counter, I stared at it as the light gleamed off the metal. I could feel myself withdrawing, something my mind usually did before a cut. An escape from my actions to avoid what I was about to do to my body.

  Bringing my hand down along my hip, I pressed the razor against my skin. I’d been cutting more often than usual. It used to be twice a month, if that, but it was up to almost three times a week, maybe more. The need to remind myself what kind of person I was seemed all-empowering. It always had been.

  Pushing the corner into my skin, I let out the breath I’d been holding and dragged the blade an inch across my skin. I clenched my jaw as the nerves reacted, sending pain throughout my body like someone pinched me ten times harder than any normal pinch could possible hurt. The endorphins immediately flowed through me as the blood started to run down my leg.

  I stared at it in wonderment. It never seemed to feel any different. The same calm always washed over me; a high that could never be replaced. There was no drug that could make me feel that sense of relief. I knew deep down I shouldn’t feel that way, that cutting wasn’t the answer, but it was the only other control I had in my life.

  On the outside, I exuded power and strength, but deep down I was still stuck in the past, not able to let go. All the wrongs I’d done weighed on my chest with no escape.

  Dropping the bloodied razor into the sink, I made my way to the shower. I stepped in and let the water flow over me, my tainted blood rushing down the drain. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back into the water, running a hand through my hair. I could already feel my arousal. The sense of control I got from a cut always set me off. Pictures of Emma lying chest down on my desk with her ass in the air earlier that day flowed through my mind. It was a beautiful fucking sight, one I was sure would get me off on many occasions.

  Grabbing my dick, I stroked myself slowly as I envisioned Emma on her knees in front of me. Her tongue wetting her top lip as she stared on and watched me stroke myself, all too willing to please. But I’d make her watch. I wouldn’t let her touch herself or me. She’d have to endure the agony of her arousal as she watched me get off.

  Reaching down, I grabbed onto my balls and squeezed to the point of pain as I pumped myself harder to visions of Emma panting as she stared at my cock, wanting so badly to put it in her mouth.

  I groaned as image after image flowed through my mind. Her fingers itching to touch, caress, and please. It was all too much. With a loud groan I came, shooting my release all over the shower wall, pumping my dick and squeezing the head as I went. Picturing releasing myself all over her face and chest and her all too willing to lick her lips and enjoy it.

  I rested my head against the shower wall, taking a moment to catch my breath. I had to figure out how I was going to handle our situation because in the end, someone was going to get hurt, and it wasn’t going to be me.

  After washing up and bandaging the cut, I dressed and made my way out of the house. I had things that needed to be done. I needed a new girl and there was no way to get around it.

  Chapter 21

  Emmalynn

  I received a text from Brian around ten Tuesday morning after my class and waited for him to arrive in the library. I was ready to get going on the case we needed to look over; anything to get my mind off Mason.

  Thoughts of our night together and desk action kept flowing through my mind. I still couldn’t believe I’d done it, and it was all I was able to think about. It was consuming my every thought. I’d even looked for him when I’d arrived on campus, hoping maybe I’d run into him or just see him for a moment. It was a disturbing behavior, one I wasn’t too comfortable possessing. I’d never behaved that way with anyone else before, so I wasn’t sure how to handle it.

  Brian arrived at twenty after ten with his laptop in tow. He grabbed the chair next to mine and sat with a smile.

  “So, did you finish reading over that case?” he asked, situating his things on the table I’d claimed as mine.

  I pulled up the case notes I’d typed the night before and pointed to them. “I got a lot done last night. What about you?”

  “Yeah, I have a lot of notes, too.” He pulled out a notebook and flipped open to his pages of notes. “Reading over this case makes me wish I could’ve been the detective on the scene. They have just as much to prove as we do as lawyers, ya know.”

  I smiled and nodded as I pulled out my case file and opened it to the back page where Mason had listed some points he wanted proved.

  “So, this is what I’m thinking,” I started as I went over all my ideas on the case and what I thought was missing.

  We each discussed our notes and I was surprised to see we had the same mentality of thinking. We both thought the wife did it, but we had our differences on the motive. We’d each have to do some digging on the wife and per Mason’s notes, we needed to be creative in retrieving any information, but do it legally. He wouldn’t be subject to anything we did that would get us into trouble.

  After two and a half hours of going over information and coming up with a plan on how we could investigate a little further, we decided to break for lunch.

  We walked to a nearby deli and ordered their special platter before finding a seat in the back where there weren’t many people.

  “So, tell me about yourself,” Brian suggested as he took a bite of his sandwich.

  I smiled and took a drink of my soda before I
spoke.

  “There’s not much to tell, really. I’m from Florida, and I’ve lived in New York for four years. My mom and dad still live down south, but my sister actually lives out here, too. She’s also a lawyer,” I said, giving him a cheesy smile before taking a bite of my sandwich.

  “That’s it? No juicy information, like whether you have a boyfriend or a long-lost love you’ve been searching for your whole life?” he asked with a grin.

  I shook my head as I finished chewing. “I don’t have a boyfriend,” I answered as he smiled down at me, causing a blush to rise to my cheeks.

  I hoped he wasn’t getting the wrong idea with our study partner thing, because I really didn’t want it to be awkward. “I’m actually not looking for anything while I’m in school. I just want to focus on the work. There really isn’t time for anything more than that.” I picked up a chip and ate it, avoiding eye contact. I finally looked up to ask, “What about you? What’s your life story?”

  He sat back in his seat and wiped his mouth. “I don’t have much to tell, either. My life is pretty boring, really. I’m born and raised in New York. My father is a banker and my mother stays at home. I’d say her job was to shop, but she’d slap me upside the head if she heard me,” he said with a smile and I laughed. “I was a nerd growing up, always having my head in the books. My dad thought I’d follow in his footsteps and go into finance, but it wasn’t what I wanted. So here I am.” He gestured with his arms.

  I looked at him suspiciously. “I get the feeling there’s more to the story than that.”

  He smiled. “There might be, but you’ll never know,” he replied with a wink.

  “So, do you have a girlfriend or a long-lost love you’ve been searching for?” I asked, repeating his line of questioning.

  He shook his head. “I haven’t had a girlfriend in a long time, but I am searching.” He looked into my eyes as he said those last words, causing a sweat to form on my skin.