Voyeur

As they’d packed up, I’d scrambled for a reason to get her to talk to me after class, making it appear anything other than my need to reassure myself and her that the night at Voyeur hadn’t been just a figment of my imagination. Ask her what it meant?

Instead, she’d brushed me off and bolted.

Now, as I backed out of my spot, my body urged me go, go, go.

I pulled up to the stop sign to leave the school campus and my hands gripped the wheel, pulsing tight around the leather.

Right to Voyeur?

Left to home?

Right?

Or left?

Taking a deep breath, I began to turn the wheel to the right, when my phone rang. No one was behind me, so I waited at the sign and answered.

“Hello?”

“Callum,” Reed greeted me. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just leaving work, man.”

“Work? At seven-thirty on a Friday? Damn, your life is boring.”

“You have a point or just calling to criticize?”

“I do love to give you shit, but no. Come over for dinner, and we can watch the game. We ordered way too much food and Karen has her sister over. I need some help to balance out the testosterone.”

I didn’t even hesitate. “Yeah, man. I’m on my way.”

I turned the wheel left and headed to Reed’s house.

“So,” Reed started, which should have been my first warning. “How’s the student? You cave and fuck her yet?”

I choked on the beer I’d just tried to swallow. Cupping my hand beneath my chin, trying to catch any liquid before it spilled on their couch. Karen would kill me if she walked in and saw me making a mess on her new couch. We’d had dinner and then Karen and her sister sat at the table drinking wine, while Reed and I had gone to the bonus room to watch the game. At that moment, sipping wine and talking shoes sounded preferable to answering Reed.

Had I fucked her? Not really.

“No. Jesus.” I settled on complete denial. “Things are fine, why would you say that?”

“I think thou doth protest too much.” Reed knew me too well.

“Everything is . . . fine.”

“So, you’re thinking about fucking her,” he said with a smirk, trying to rile me up.

“Fuck you.”

“What? If she’s interested, why not?” he responded with a shrug.

“I’m her teacher. She’s nineteen. She’s my student. She works in the department.” I held my fingers up as I listed off each reason.

“Will you have her again in class?”

“No, she’s a different major.”

“Is she underage?”

“No. Where are you going with this?”

“Is she hot? Interested? Willing?”

“Reed,” I growled. He’d obviously had too much to drink. I didn’t need him listing off reasons why I should rather than reasons why it wouldn’t be insane.

“Come on, man. Live a little.”

“She’s a child.”

He tossed his head back and laughed out loud. I looked toward the door, waiting for Karen to pop in to see what was so funny. That was all I needed, Reed telling his wife about my predicament. God, the look she’d give me would probably wither my balls, and I wouldn’t have to worry about sex ever again.

“She’s an adult,” Reed said once he’d recovered enough. “And even hearing you say she’s a child, I know you don’t believe it.” He stared at me with knowing eyes. “I haven’t seen you this riled up about a woman in a long time. It’s good to see, man. Even if there is the issue of her being your student. She won’t be forever.” Another pause. “Tell me about her.”

I finished off my bottle of beer, wondering if it was a good idea to talk to my friend about my student, whom I liked and had already been sexual with.

Fuck it.

“Oaklyn is . . . ” Closing my eyes, I pictured her laughing on the other side of my desk. Of her smiling and calling me Clark Kent. “She’s smart. Determined. Beautiful. She’s kind and god, the way she looks when she laughs.” Nothing could stop the smile stretching across my lips. She did that. Just the thought of her.

“She sounds hot.” Reed broke the moment, and I gave him an irritated side-eye. He only bobbed his eyebrows and took another pull of beer.

“You’re a pig. Karen deserves better.”

“You’re damn right I do,” Karen said from the doorway. My heart thudded hard, and I wondered how much she’d overheard. If she heard anything, she didn’t let on. “But I love him anyway,” she said, walking over to perch on the arm of the couch. She leaned down to kiss Reed. “Aubrey left and it’s late, so I’m heading to bed.”

“Okay. You feeling okay?” Reed asked Karen and a look passed between them.

“I’m fine, babe.”

“Should we tell him?”

“Tell me what?” I asked, trying to keep up with the conversation.

“I’m sure you’re dying to gossip with your boyfriend.”

“I really am,” Reed agreed before turning to me. “Well, friend. It’s happened. Hell has frozen over, and fate has decided I’m fit to be a father. We’re pregnant.”