Lessons From the Professor

“You did such a good job, pet. This was exactly what you needed, wasn’t it?”

Sidney pulled her into his lap, and wrapped her in a cocoon made from the soft brown blanket he kept on the couch. He rocked her gently as she rested in his lap, limp and compliant. Small sobs escaped, and tears slid down her face. After a time he spoke.

“Now are you ready to talk about what happened earlier on the phone?” he asked.

“My ex-fiancé Jackson called.” He tensed as a chill ran down his spine.

“Why would he be calling you?”

“He ran into my mother a few weeks ago, and I ended up calling him.”

“Why?” he asked, careful to disguise the anger that built up inside of him.

“Because we left a lot of things unsaid when we broke up.”

“And you want me to believe that was all that went on?” Her body stiffened as she moved to pull away from his embrace. He tightened his grip in response and shook his head.

“I didn’t tell you to get up.”

She remained in his lap, tense as she turned to look at him.

“What do you want me to say? I’ve told you the truth.”

“If it was a simple as what you’ve said, why would you waste your time lying?”

“So we could avoid this moment we’re having right now.”

“I don’t like being lied to, Sutton.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I. Trust goes both ways, and this is a huge breach in my eyes.”

She sighed and glanced down as his heart pounded in his chest. Damn it! I should’ve known this would happen. He was ready to push her off his lap and explode when she began to speak.

“I like being with you, Sidney…. I enjoy what we do.”

“Then why talk to him in the first place?”

“Because I needed to clear the air and reconcile some things with myself before I could move forward with you. I’ve never told anyone exactly why I broke things off with Jackson. I was still in nursing school when we met, and he was a doctor ten years my senior. For a while things seemed perfect. He was polite, thoughtful, sensitive, and respectful of my goals. He even praised me for my virginity. I should’ve known then he was too good to be true.”

“What happened, love?” he asked, his tone gentle now that she’d opened up. He wasn’t a heartless bastard; he just didn’t fancy being played again.

“I walked in on him and one of the nurses having sex in one of the empty patient rooms. It turns out he was sleeping with half the hospital staff. He told me they were just place holders until we got married, that a man had needs. You’d think I’d have slapped him and told him to stick it where the sun don’t shine. But he was so damn smooth, he made it almost seem logical. Plus, I didn’t want to let my family down. They loved Jackson, and for the first time in a long time my mother actually seemed proud of me.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“One of his mistresses had a pregnancy scare, and I realized how much I was compromising my beliefs and myself. I broke it off, accepted this job in Austin, and never looked back.”

“You did the right thing, pet. No man should ever disrespect the woman they claim to love that way.”

“I know that now, yet at the time it was hard to digest.”

“Next time he calls, let me speak with him.”

“I—”

“I promised to take care of you. That means ridding you of pests from your past, if need be. I won’t stand for anyone making you feel uncomfortable or harassed.”