Professor Cline Revealed (The Professor #1)

by J. M. La Rocca

  As I sat there waiting for Mason, I thought about the words he’d spoken just a few moments before. There were things in his life he didn’t want to talk about, things that made him into the man I knew. His words just made me more curious about him. I knew he was a private man. He was, after all, the son of a very well-known attorney.

  Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment to get myself together. He said we could get to know one another, and I wanted to know exactly what that meant. I wanted to be prepared for whatever was to come. Did he want to be exclusive, or did he just want to be fuck-buddies again? Did he want to be in a relationship and date? He said he wanted me, but that could mean so many different things.

  I was zapped out of my thoughts as the car started to move. I looked to the left and right but didn’t see Mason anywhere.

  I leaned forward in my seat and tapped Carlos on the shoulder. “Carlos, what’s going on?”

  “Miss, Mr. Cline asked me to drive around for a few moments. He should be out shortly.”

  I sat back, resting my hands in my lap as I stared out the window, wondering what was holding him up.

  We’d been driving around downtown New York for twenty minutes and I had no idea what was going on. Carlos hadn’t said another word since I’d asked him, and I was starting to get annoyed.

  I should just tell him to pull over so I can get out and take a taxi home. Or I could just request he take me home, but I don’t think he’d do it unless his boss ordered him to.

  Letting out a sigh, I noticed we were making our way around the corner back to the museum. He pulled over to the side, in front of the building, and that was when I saw Mason standing there.

  He had his phone in his hand and a pissed-off look on his face. Either something had happened or that was just his natural expression, because every time I was around him he was wearing it.

  Mason opened the door, not waiting for Carlos to get out and open it for him, and slid into the seat next to me. He slammed the door closed and I immediately became uneasy.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked, trying to gauge his mood.

  He was staring out the side window and I could see his jaw clench before he finally turned to look at me.

  “Everything is fine,” he said with a small smile. “Are you hungry?”

  I nodded and glanced over his face. “I’m starved actually,” I stated. I hadn’t eaten much during the day; I was too excited to go to the event.

  “Me, too.” He smiled down at me. “Carlos, take us to The Deli Shop.”

  “The Deli Shop?” I asked, never hearing of it before.

  He grabbed my hand and lifted it to his mouth, giving it a soft kiss before dropping it back to my lap with his hand still in mine. “Yes, it’s a favorite of mine. I go whenever I can.” He smiled again. “You said you wanted to get to know me better, so that’s where we’ll start.”

  I matched his smile and turned to look out the window, giddy with excitement. I was starting to feel like this might actually go somewhere, like we had potential, but only time would tell.

  ~*~

  The rest of the ride was filled with silence. He kept his hand in mine the whole way to The Deli Shop and I didn’t move my hand an inch, too afraid he would realize it was still there and move it. I took it as a sign that maybe good things were to come. Maybe finally voicing my opinion would solidify what we had. He’d never held my hand before, so it gave me hope.

  We pulled up to The Deli Shop a little after nine and I waited to exit the car until Carlos opened the door for me. I gave him a small smile and watched as Mason walked onto the sidewalk and headed for the door.

  Making my way toward him, he opened the door for me to enter and my senses were immediately overwhelmed with the smells of fresh-baked bread. I stayed where I was in the doorway and took a deep breath, savoring the smell.

  “Tony makes the best bread in town,” he stated as he placed his hand on my lower back, guiding me into the building.

  It looked somewhat run-down: cracked tile flooring, old wooden countertops, and some of the tables and chairs had rusted metal. But the bread smelled so good.

  I looked up to Mason to see him smiling down at me.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  I shook my head and shrugged. “I’m just surprised is all,” I replied as I glanced around again. There were only a few people in the place.

  “Of what?”

  I looked back at him to meet his gaze. “This doesn’t seem like a place you would eat. You seem more like a… fancy restaurant kind of guy.” I smiled.

  He chuckled and looked around himself. “I used to come here when I was little with my mom,” he said, seeming lost in thought. “We’d come on the weekends when we were downtown. She’d always stop here to eat, so I always try to do the same.”

  “Do you get to see her at all?” I asked. I had been introduced to Mr. Cline’s fiancée, so I knew they weren’t together.

  He looked at me with a frown and shook his head before looking away. “She died when I was seven.”

  Sadness flowed through me at his words. I felt like an ass for even asking, but I had no idea she’d died.

  “Mason, is that you?”

  I looked up to see an older man walking around the counter, heading in our direction.

  Mason smiled at him and opened his arms to give the man a hug, not caring the man was wearing an apron covered in flour that would get all over his tux.

  “It’s good to see you, Tony,” Mason said as he embraced the man, patting him on the back.

  Tony pulled away from him and smiled. “It’s been a long time. You must not stay away for so long. Martha has missed your face.”

  “How is Martha?”

  “She’s good, but will be disappointed she missed seeing you,” Tony answered as his focus turned to me. “And who is this lovely lady?” He beamed.

  I smiled at Tony as Mason pulled me closer to him. “This is Emma. I wanted to treat her to one of your famous club sandwiches.”

  “Of course, of course. Go get a seat and I’ll get you both fixed up with your usual.”

  Mason smiled at Tony. “That sounds great. Thank you,” he said as he turned and guided me to a seat.

  “I take it you’ve known him for a long time?”

  He laughed. “Ever since I was little.”

  We took a seat and I watched him as I sat back, getting comfortable. I should’ve felt strange sitting in a run-down deli wearing the dress I was, but Mason looked so relaxed, it put me at ease.

  “What were you like when you were little?” I blurted.

  He tapped his fingers on the table and grinned. “Going into the questions already?”

  I nodded. “Better late than never.”

  He sat back in his seat and looked down at the table for a few moments before glancing back up to meet my gaze.

  “I was quiet and kept to myself mostly. What about you?” he countered.

  Tony arrived at our table and set bottled waters down, nodding to Mason before walking off.

  I watched him retreat then smiled at Mason as I remembered my childhood. “I was a bit of a tomboy growing up. Besides my sister, I didn’t have any other girls to play with in my neighborhood; it was all boys. It wasn’t too bad, though, because I liked getting dirty.”

  Mason grinned slyly. “Is that so?”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Dirty as in riding bikes through the woods and falling in the dirt, you perv.”

  He laughed and I was enamored by his carefree behavior. I wondered how many people got to see that side of him. He wore his mask so well.

  “Where exactly are you from?” he asked, just as Tony stopped at our table with two plates and sandwiches piled sky high with fresh bread and meats.

  My eyes widened as I looked from the plate to Tony. “There is no way I’m going to eat all of this.” I pointed to the sandwich and laughed.

  “Do not worry. We have take-home boxes,” he sai
d with a wink and walked off.

  I eyed the sandwich then Mason, who was smiling at me.

  “Go on,” he encouraged, nodding toward the sandwich. “Take a bite.”

  I grabbed a fourth of the sandwich with both hands and leaned in to do just that. I looked up as I began to chew and couldn’t help my moan. The meats and cheese and whatever condiments Tony used mixed with the fresh-baked bread were amazing. Mason’s gaze was centered on my mouth as he watched me finish the bite.

  Self-consciously, I grabbed a napkin and wiped at my lips. “Did I get something on my face?”

  He shook his head. “No, I was just admiring your mouth,” he said softly.

  I averted my gaze as a blush took over my face. I was amazed that after everything he could still make me blush.

  “So, where were we? Ah, yes, where are you from?” Mason asked before starting on his own sandwich.

  After taking another bite and wiping my mouth, I answered. “Pensacola, Florida. Have you heard of it?”

  He nodded. “What made you want to come all the way to New York and pursue a career in law?”

  I shrugged. “NYU is a great school. Plus, Melanie is here.”

  “Why criminal law?”

  I glanced at his plate and noticed he’d already eaten half of his sandwich. I was the one who was supposed to be asking the questions.

  “It’s my turn,” I stated before taking another bite. He smiled. “Why did you decide to teach instead of joining your dad? I’m sure you would be a great lawyer.”

  He looked down at his plate with his eyebrows pinched for a moment before picking up his napkin, wiping his mouth, and then staring at me. “I wanted to make my own path, do things the way I wanted to do them. I’d been in John’s shadow for so long it was time I did things on my own. You’ll see when you begin to practice that lawyers have their own way of doing things. Yes, they follow the law to a certain extent, because there isn’t much you can get by without doing it, but there are those who walk a fine line.” He pushed his plate away and rested his forearms on the table as I stared into his eyes, caught on every word he spoke. “I wanted to teach so I knew good lawyers were being put out into the world.”

  “So it’s a control thing,” I pointed out, causing his lip to curl up into a grin.

  I was learning that he was a man who wanted control in all things in his life, which didn’t surprise me. He was intimidating and had an aura of power around him. If I hadn’t met him the way I had, I would never have had the nerve to talk to him.

  “You could say that.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. That was what I had wanted, him to be open, to remove his mask for once and let me in. Even if it was only a little, it was a small step.

  “This is nice,” I added when I stopped laughing.

  “And what’s that?” he asked, leaning toward me a little bit more, his eyes focused on my lips.

  “You. Letting go of whatever it is you hold onto so tight. There’s no tension in your expression and I’ve seen you smile more in the past ten minutes than I’ve seen since I first met you. It’s nice. You should do it more often.”

  I smiled at him, but his gaze never faltered from my lips.

  “You still owe me,” he said, finally looking into my eyes.

  I scoffed and looked at him confused. “I owe you for what?”

  “You still owe me a drink for spilling alcohol on my suit.”

  I laughed and he had a smug look on his face as he pushed his seat back and stood.

  “Come, let’s have a nightcap,” he said as he tossed a hundred on the table.

  I looked up at him as I bit my bottom lip. After everything that had happened between us, I knew in that moment I wanted to give this a chance. I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach that there was something about him. He was someone I wanted to get to know better. I didn’t know where it would lead, but I was willing to find out.

  Making my decision, I took a long drink of water before wiping my mouth and pushing myself out of the seat..

  I felt like I had broken past a barrier. I wanted to keep going to see what else I could find, and there was only one way to do that: follow him.

  ~*~

  The ride home was quiet and I could feel the sexual tension building, but it also seemed like he was starting to distance himself again.

  When we finally arrived to Mason’s colonial home, he opened the door for me to enter and guided me through French doors which led to his study.

  He took off his tuxedo jacket and laid it on the black leather sofa before unwrapping his bowtie and tossing it down on his desk.

  I watched him, waiting for his next move. It was as if his whole demeanor had changed as soon as we left the deli. The mask he’d so easily taken off was back into place.

  It was part of his personality I was getting used to.

  He walked to a cherry wood cabinet off to the side of the room that held a decanter of brown liquid and poured it into a tumbler. He threw it back in one gulp then poured another glass. He grabbed it and walked in my direction as I stood there, watching him approach.

  He stopped when he was mere inches away from me. I tilted my head back to look at him, wondering what was going through his mind. I was amazed at how his presence could change so drastically and yet, I wasn’t fully uneasy. That was the Mason I was used to, the brooding, domineering side, the first side I’d gotten to meet, and it was such a turn-on.

  Lifting his hand, he dipped his index finger in the brown liquid and then brought it to my lips. I took shallow breaths as I looked into his eyes, not knowing what he was doing. But then he leaned down slowly, his gaze never wavering from mine, and licked the liquid off my lips.

  My eyes closed at the sensation and my first instinct was to lift my arms and wrap them around his neck to kiss him, but I held back. I knew what this was. He was exuding his power. Showing me who was boss, his controlling ways wanting to take over.

  “These lips,” he said softly, running the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip. “These beautiful lips could seduce any man.”

  I darted my tongue out, licking his thumb and the remnants of what his tongue left behind.

  He looked into my eyes before slowly lowering his lips to mine, holding my chin in place.

  As soon as the taste of him entered my mouth, I lost all sense of what was right and wrong. I couldn’t help it. I knew I couldn’t deny my feelings, and resisting was futile.

  I lifted my hands to unbutton his shirt as our mouths devoured one another’s. Then he reached behind me and unzipped my dress, making it fall like a puddle at my feet.

  I moaned into his mouth as I ran my hands over the contours of his chest while he undid his cufflinks, letting them drop to the floor. It was the first time my fingers had touched him, the heat of his skin warming my fingertips.

  I pulled away from him, breaking our kiss so I could look him over. Running my hands up to his shoulders, I pushed his shirt so it would fall freely to the floor. My heart was racing as my eyes roamed over his body, which I wasn’t permitted to see before. I let my mouth hang open so I could breathe him in, the smell of scotch and his cologne attacking my senses. He was a breathtaking sight. His body was built like a runner’s, lean and muscular. I let my hands glide over his skin so I could outline every curve as I made my way down to his abs. My favorite part was the “v” leading down his pants. It was like a beacon, pointing to the most precious part.

  I tilted my head down to kiss his chest when his hands wrapped around my wrists, causing me to jerk my head up and look at him. I gazed into his hooded eyes and waited. I waited for him to move, to say something, to push me against the wall, to kiss me, anything, but he didn’t. We just stood there and stared into each other’s eyes.

  He continued to stare at me, looking over my face, at every feature as if to lock it into memory. I remained still and let him. I wasn’t sure what was going on in his head, but I didn’t want it to stop. No man had ever looked at me
as if I was his treasure, something precious to hold onto. It meant something. I wasn’t sure what, but I could feel it.

  Lifting a hand, he ran his knuckles down my cheek and I closed my eyes and leaned into him, savoring the feel. It was the kind of tender touch I’d been aching for, one I wasn’t expecting to get from Mason, and it caused butterflies to form in my stomach.

  His hand disappeared from my cheek and I gasped in shock as he grabbed my ass and lifted me, making me wrap my arms and legs around his body.

  He walked forward and pressed my back against the wall before bringing his lips down to mine once again. I could feel his erection grinding into my core and I moaned at the sensation it was causing.

  “Mason,” I panted as he pulled away from my lips and kissed down my neck. “I want you,” I moaned as he nibbled on my collarbone.

  He pulled back, breathing heavily, and looked into my eyes. He didn’t say a word. His piercing blue eyes searched over my face as I rubbed my thumbs along the stubble on his jawline.

  Then without warning, he pulled me away from the wall and walked toward the stairs, keeping his eyes on mine the entire way to the room. It was like he was lost in lust or stuck in a daze and I was the only focus, the only thing that mattered.

  Coming to a stop in front of the bed, he slowly lowered me, letting me rest upon the soft comforter. I licked my lips and panted with need as he pulled away from me, running his hands down my body. His touch alone was putting me in a sexual trance, my core pulsating harder the further his fingertips traveled. He circled my bellybutton with his fingers and then quickly lowered them to the strings at my hip, pulling them from my body. The cool air hit my wetness and I sucked in a breath as his fingertips glided over the smooth skin of my lips.

  The teasing was becoming too much and my body was starting to move on its own, begging to be pleased.

  He stretched up onto the bed and I felt his hot breath as he bit my ear lobe.