The Boy Who Has No Faith (Soulless 5)

I liked that he addressed his students with respect instead of just calling them by their first names right off the bat. He treated them like adults, and since they were adults, it made sense. But none of my professors extended that level of respect.

She came back to him. “Well, I wanted to tell you that I’m really enjoying your class, and even though it’s challenging, you’re always so willing to help us…and you give a lot more than all my other professors.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Richmond. I want the best from each one of you, and I believe that every single person in this room is going to have illustrious careers that will impact lives. It’s my personal responsibility to make sure you’re prepared for that.” He had a slightly different tone when he spoke to his students, like a father teaching his child an important lesson. He was professional, but there was also a hint of affection.

“And I’m sure we will be prepared.”

Silence. A lot of it.

“Anything else?” Derek asked.

“Well…I wanted to see if you wanted to get coffee sometime?”

Oh my fucking god. Did she just ask out her professor? It made me cringe because it was so inappropriate. After watching him teach his class for two hours, I could completely understand a woman’s infatuation with his raw magnetism, his masculinity, his potent sexiness…but to actually go for it?

And she was the right age for him, in her midtwenties. Derek even said that was what he liked. But would he accept? Based on what I knew about him, he seemed too professional to be enticed, but he’d also thought Fleur was a good idea because he was still a man who thought with his dick instead of his brain sometimes.

I really had no idea.

There was another super-long pause…like an eternal one.

When Derek found his response, he spoke. “Ms. Richmond, if you’re asking what I think you’re asking, it’s incredibly inappropriate. I’ve extended nothing but respect for each and every one of you, and for you to proposition me in this way is very disrespectful. I don’t have any kind of personal relationship with my students, not now and not ever.”

“But according to the university’s handbook, it’s not against—”

“Doesn’t matter. Furthermore, you’re an inspiration to people you’ve never met. There are so few women in this field, and there need to be more. You need to exude a level of professionalism, and this behavior certainly doesn’t qualify.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’ve just seen the kind of women you—”

“My personal life is my personal life. It’s not up for discussion. Again, completely unprofessional.”

Geez, he ripped into her hard…kinda felt bad for her.

He spoke again after a pause. “You’re a very bright student, and I have no doubt you’ll be a great engineer. I’m going to forget this happened when I walk out the door, and I hope you take this as a hard lesson. A young woman like you shouldn’t even be interested in a man my age. Don’t waste your time on men who will only use you, who won’t respect you. You deserve more than that, Ms. Richmond. You’re dismissed.”

Her footsteps sounded a moment later, and she headed to the door.

I quickly moved farther down the hallway so it wouldn’t be so obvious I had eavesdropped on the entire thing.

Thankfully, she went down the hallway in the opposite direction, so she didn’t even see me.

A minute later, Derek came out, his satchel over his shoulder, visibly annoyed by the confrontation. Instead of blowing past me like he used to, he slowed down his gait so he could walk beside me—instead of in front of me.

It was a subtle change, but it made all the difference in the world.

Twenty

Derek

I was at the dining table working on my laptop when Emerson used her key to get inside. She had a few containers in her hands. “Hey.”

I watched her carry the food into the kitchen, move in her heels like she was walking across water with supernatural abilities. Even when we worked after hours, she still wore nice clothes, like dresses or skirts. I’d never seen her in jeans. She had long and toned legs that always looked silky smooth. When she carried herself, her shoulders were always back and she had impeccable poise, as if she was on the runway and the position of her body was her livelihood. “Hey.”

“I picked up dinner from the chef because I saw him in the lobby.” She grabbed two beers then placed them on the table, along with the containers of food.

“You can have some wine if you prefer.”

“The chef made Mexican food, so I prefer the beer.” She walked to the closet and retrieved the whiteboard.

My eyes followed her and stared at her from behind, noticing the hourglass shape of her body. She was in a skintight skirt, and when she bent over to grab the easel, her perky cheeks pressed into the fabric and gave a display of how plump her ass was. “Fuck…”