Chapter 6

I didn't remember getting home, or even putting on my nightgown. I ran a hand over my face in disbelief, I didn't do that sort of thing and I don't remember drinking anything that would knock me out like that.

Then a slight throbbing inside me made me close my eyes again, shit, it hadn't just been a dream. Now I could match Jess, giving it to someone for her benefit was just like her.

I got up with difficulty, my body was unaccustomed to this kind of exercise, and the hangover needed to go. I glanced around my apartment and it was quiet, no strange men walking around and nothing out of place, from the looks of it, I had even locked the door.

I scratched my head and reached into the cupboard for the medicine, I had class today and there was no will in me to face that madhouse tonight, except that I was paying too much to just skip class.

My phone beeped again, I ran into the bedroom with a glass of water in my hand and realized it wasn't the alarm clock. I'd slept all afternoon and Mike was calling me desperately.

I smiled, he must have regretted what he'd done and I was in a strangely good mood to let myself get stressed out by his bad mood.

I turned off the device and ran to the shower, the smell of male perfume had permeated even my sweater and I liked it, at least my sense of smell couldn't be taken away by alcohol, now prudence...

I hurried across campus, my hair wet and wanting to turn around and find my bed. But I couldn't afford that, at least I could be content with my relaxed muscles and good mood.

The joy was even greater when I found the elevator empty, my soul was clean and the glow that woke me up continued to illuminate that iron cubicle. I leaned back and sighed, I hadn't felt this light in a long time.

"Good evening, Miss Taylor."

I opened my eyes slightly, Mr. Clark had his back to me. I was free from his class today, but I had forgotten that there were other classes and that he worked for the college and not for my class.

"Good evening, Mr. Clark."

Then a comfortable silence, I closed my eyes waiting to get to the fifth floor and then he left just before my floor arrived. But...

The perfume, I knew that smell. Fresh, soft, and masculine enough to make a woman sigh.

I opened my eyes in a hurry, alone in the elevator, and my chest quickened considerably. It couldn't be possible, could it? I could remember him.

I snorted, no, it wasn't possible and he wasn't the only one with that scent. I was starting to get paranoid and it was all Jess and her lackeys' fault.

The lesson went smoothly, at least I didn't have to stress about any annoyances. Jess remained quiet and I was able to pay attention in class, everything was under control, at least today.

I managed to make the most of it and I still left without any killer eyes, I laughed, however, Mr. Clark was waiting for the end of the lesson and I only knew that because I bumped into his chest.

"Careful, or you'll end up hurting yourself." That smell, that damn smell. I couldn't even pay attention to what he was saying, the perfume made me think only of the sex that had made me lose my temper last night.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I apologized and turned around, he was supposed to be waiting for Mr. Matthew, as far as I knew, they combined classes so that they made sense and complemented each other.

"Miss Taylor, wait." I knitted my eyebrows together and slung my bag over my shoulder, he stopped next to me facing the elevator and I sighed because of the perfume. "I need to give you something." Since when was he holding that bag?

He held out the brown bag and I suspiciously took it, entering the elevator followed by him and the gang of death. Yes, I could certainly wait until I was home to look at the contents, but my curiosity was getting the better of me. I opened the bag surrounded by people and had to brace my body against the elevator wall.

"Is this a joke?" I had no other reaction.

The snakes' eyes fixed on me and Mr. Clark turned his face away with a slight smile at the corner of his lips.

"You forgot these in my car last night, I didn't want to give them back, but I don't know if I should keep them and take advantage of your brief attention on me, we need to talk about a possible internship, your student record and your resume have caught the attention of the tutors."

I could only stare at the underwear I'd worn the night before, tucked away and folded delicately inside the brown bag. I would never set foot on this campus again.

I wasn't just some guy Mike had bought a drink for to try and get a bit more of my attention, was I? I no longer knew what to believe, and worse, I desperately wanted to know why the hell he was in front of the hospital where I work. Apart from even wanting to die, I wanted to know why he had done it.

Jess's eyes were almost popping out of their sockets and his death squad all had their hands over their mouths, I wasn't the only one who wasn't buying it.

I was trapped inside the elevator with them, looking from the bag to Mr. Clark's slightly smiling face outside the elevator.

Could this be happening?

"I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to talk about the internship." He said, walking back as if nothing had happened, as if I hadn't almost begged him to fuck me the night before.

I blinked in disbelief, the snakes didn't move either and I swore that if the elevator doors closed it would be the end of me.

"Wait! You're kidding me, right?" I jumped out before the doors closed again. "Tell me, how much did Mike pay you to give me this?"

The campus courtyard was quiet and with everything that had happened, everyone had already gone their separate ways and everything was empty again. No one would know what we were talking about unless they got close.

He folded his arms across his chest and the wind made me smell that damn perfume again. It couldn't be true, could it? Of course, it could just be a bad joke between two drunk guys and a drunk woman.

"Perhaps you should lower your voice a little, Miss Taylor, if you want what happened to remain between the two of us." Shit, his voice reminded me of the hoarse moans in my ear and it was blowing my mind. "Now whether it was a joke or not, not that I know of. I don't think it was on your part either, after all, you were pretty excited yesterday."

I swallowed hard at the ball that had formed in my throat and looked around for anything to distract me so that the shame wouldn't consume me like wildfire.

"You can't be serious..." I said quietly, pressing the bag against my body.

Mr. Clark gave me a small smile at the corner of his lips and took a large step towards me.

"You seemed very serious yesterday." I was sure to have a nervous breakdown. "Don't feel guilty, it should be more like yesterday. I loved your courage and composure."

"That can't happen again." I stammered, trying not to think about how good I felt last night.

He sighed as he looked around and smiled again when he looked at me.

"I don't see any problem if that happens again." Which wouldn't be possible, under any circumstances. "I liked seeing you so loose, so free." I ran my hand over my face, remembering how free I had been, so free that my breasts were on his lips. "It was extremely fun."

I denied it, to myself, to him. What would happen to me if they found out what had happened?

"Smile, Miss Taylor. You should be in a good mood like me, at least yesterday, you seemed to be quite satisfied on top of me."

I ran off.

I left him talking to himself in the middle of the campus courtyard and didn't even look back, my head refused to believe it, and my brain was beating itself up giving me a tremendous headache as I ran off to who knows where. I no longer had any capacity to think and going home wasn't a good option.

The hospital was out of the question, Mike must have wanted me gone after what I'd done and even more so after I hadn't answered his calls in the morning.

I had nowhere else to go.

I walked around the campus and plunged into the library. No one, absolutely no one, entered that place. Technology had turned the room full of books into a dusty museum, so I could freak out without the fire department being called.

I walked to the darkest, most hidden corner of the shanty town that had once been a library and dropped my bag on the floor. Freaking out was what I needed. But I just leaned against one of the tables and stood there mentally lamenting about the mistake I'd made by going out with Mike.

It was such a snowball, having to listen to his regrets and then the condemnation of my academic life. I wasn't going to be taken seriously at this fucking college anymore and I wouldn't be surprised if all this shit started with Jess being jealous.

Shit.

She witnessed the whole scene, which made me sigh in annoyance, Mr. Clark could have waited at least until they were a few kilometers away, that would have considerably reduced my shame and perhaps a possible conviction for pure and thirsty hatred.

"Hell." I whimpered, what else could I do in that place forgotten by the students? At least I would have some time to mourn my future and probably sad life before I went back and faced it head-on.

"Wow, you're fast." Not fast enough. "Hiding here is a bad idea, especially since it's where I come to set up classes for you, which proves it's your first time here, right?"

I didn't raise my head, I couldn't face him, not anymore, especially knowing that he'd seen me drunk and naked.

"Look, I'm not stalking you. However, this is the second time you've come to where I already was. For example, what happened in the bar, I was already there and since you and your friend didn't seem to have anything going on throughout the evening, I thought I'd approach you and talk about the vacancy that had arisen." I'd like to bang my head on the table, that's all I wanted right now. "So, not only did you accept the drink, but you also wanted to get out of there, and your perfume left on my car is making me spend a few hours thinking about what happened."