Teacher's Toy (Loftry University Playthings 1)

Melody

I bury the hurt that doesn’t ever seem to go away, not after that scene between Professor Richards and Chelsea. I shouldn’t have been surprised. A man like him probably had a harem to attend to his needs. Looking over at Chase, I can’t help the laughter that bubbles up out of me. His antics are the only things keeping me from truly breaking down.

"No, no. You're doing it wrong!" Chase stops for a moment, a fraction away from stepping on my foot. Easing back, I study him for a moment. How in the hell did he get the lead? He's got two left feet. Rewinding the video of the simple waltz, we watch the steps again, his arms poised in the air before he twirls around. I’m starting to feel a little bad for his Juliet. Luckily there seems to be only one major dance, and it’s at the beginning. The problem is, it’s where he meets Juliet, so it’s a pretty big deal. "Don't you have a choreographer for this? I'm doing my best, but this isn't quite my thing."

Sighing, he sits down on the quad steps and buries his head into his hands. "I do. She's gone for a few weeks, and we're supposed to work on this outside of rehearsal." I sit down next to him, looking out over the dead grass. He reaches over and lays a hand on my knee, his strong fingers stroking me, sending his heat even through my pants. My mouth dries as I watch his fingers move across the fabric. Is this even appropriate? Shaking my head, I pull out my phone, looking first through my normal messages, then through our special app. Still no messages. It's been close to a month, and I haven't heard so much as a peep.

Putting it away, I stare at the hand resting on my body. The urge to grab it and pull it around me nips at my brain. It's not even sexual. I just want someone to wrap me up in their arms and tell me it will be okay. No. What I really want is Professor Richards. Brushing that thought away, I stand back up and pull him to his feet. He chuckles and resists my pull, yanking me back down beside him.

"Let's take a break. What do you say about a movie?"

Biting my lower lip, I mull over his words. Friends go to the movies all the time. Right? I glance over at him, taking in his quick smile. Are we just friends? My stomach flops again as warning bells go off in my head. Despite my better judgment, I nod and take his outstretched hand.