DEDICATION
To all those who scream, laugh, cry, and love with no reservations
when I grow up, I want be just like you.
CHAPTER ONE
P R E S E N T
LEVI
This was going to be the worst week of my life. It had to be. After the week I’d just had, I knew there was not a thing in the world that could top it. I had met the woman of my dreams, and I’d fucked her all across the city. How could anything top that?
I was tempted to call her now, or swing by after work, but we’d made a deal; it was meant to be just a one week fling, after our week was up, we agreed that we’d both go our separate ways.
Why had we made such a stupid fucking deal?
Sighing, I scrawled my name on the board for the fresh new lambs. I was always surprised that many of them had even graduated high school, and the fact that they had been accepted into Harvard Law made me wonder whose pockets had gotten fatter.
I was known as El Diablo by most – well – all the law students, even the ones that managed to pass my class. Regardless of what they thought of me, almost all of them applied for jobs within my firm after graduation. It led me to the belief that they were all masochists... I had taught them well.
“Come in, and sit anywhere,” I told them as they filed in.
As I listed over two-dozen books on the board, I heard a chorus of whispers echo though the class, but this didn’t stop me from moving on to my second column of tittles.
“If you haven’t read any of these books, get out. You will fail, and once that happens, there is no hope for you. I do not care if your mother was sick, your house caught fire or even if you were taken off the planet by aliens. If you want to pass this class, and if you want to be a lawyer, working for it isn’t enough. You’ll need to bleed for it,” I said, placing the chalk down.
I waited for a moment, smiling to myself as I heard a few students rise from their seats and leave. It was the same story every time I chose to teach.
Thank God I only teach one class.
“My name is Professor Black. Now that we have weeded out the weak…” My words trailed off as I turned to face the class.
There she was, my girl, sitting in the front row, dressed in tight, dark jeans, with one of my shirts under her blazer. Her brown eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open as she stared back at me.
Flashes of her lying naked in my bed, with myself embedded deep within her, as I kissed down her dark skin, of me gyrating against her hot, sweaty body in the club, of making love in my car, all of it, came rushing back to me.
Fuck. This can’t be happening.
Looking up, I found what appeared to be a hundred eyes, focused on me. Clearing my throat, I began again, “For those of you who have stayed, I expect that you’ve heard the rumors, and let me assure you, they are all true. By the time you are finished with this class, I’m sure you will have more to add to them, but for now, come up, sign your names, and grab a syllabus.”
She didn’t move. She remained in her seat, her gaze transfixed upon me, looking as mortified as I felt. One by one, I watched them come forward, but not her.
Finally, she got up, grabbed her things, and then stopped. She looked as though she was trying to decide whether or not to run.
Run Thea! Please, for the love of God, run.
But of course she didn’t. With her head down, she came forward, signing her name as Thea Cunning, before taking a syllabus from my desk. I took a step back from her. I couldn’t touch her… not after everything we had done together.
I had screwed one of my students, repeatedly.
Shit.
THEA
“Who can pay attention with him up front?” a girl whispered to her friend beside her.
“I heard he’s a total Nazi, but he’s one of the best lawyers in the state. If you’re in good with him, you might even get a place at his firm. Even a recommendation from him and you’re set,” the blonde whispered back.
The moment I saw him, I just knew that I was going to be in for one hell of a semester. I had screwed one of my professors. Hell, I had licked honey off his chest! This was not supposed to happen. It was supposed to be one week of amazing sex, and then, we’d never ever see each other again!
This morning I had missed him, but knew it was over. I needed to focus on school, and on getting my life together. I had promised myself that I would do this; that I wouldn’t let anything get in my way, yet here I was, staring at Levi… and to think that just two days ago I had… Oh God.
I had to transfer. I was going to transfer.
“Ms. Cunning,” he called, and I jumped slightly.
“Yes, that’s me,” I muttered, raising my hand, knowing full well that he knew who I was. He didn’t even look up, he just kept reading the other names.
God had the most twisted sense of humor.
CHAPTER TWO
P A S T
D A Y 1
THEA
All I really needed was a drink. No, not just a drink, but vodka. I was willing to drink it straight from the bottle. It was only by luck that I saw the lights of the upcoming nightclub called Twenty-Four, through my foggy, rain-covered windshield.
Parking as close to the entrance as I could, I grabbed my purse before dashing out of my car and into the rain. This was a bad idea. It was pouring, I was annoyed, and I didn’t have someone to take me home if I got drunk… which I most likely would. But right now, I didn’t care, because what I really needed was a drink.
I sound like an alcoholic. Jeez.
The bouncer looked at my ID, and then at me as I stared passively back. He nodded and waved me in. I didn’t pay attention to any of the couples grinding onto each other as I made my way across the dance floor, and to the bar.
“Vodka anything, fast,” I said to the bartender who wore a top hat atop his unruly mop of brown hair.
“Tough day?” he asked, his eyeliner eyes narrowing, as he poured me the nectar of the Gods into a glass.
I downed the whole thing in one shot, before coughing and taking a deep breath.
“You could say that,” I sighed, waving for him to pour more.
“Please tell me you’re not a recovering alcoholic,” he half joked, pouring more into my glass.
I smiled at that. “Maybe.”
His brown eyes brimmed with worry, and I rolled my eyes. “My mother died two months ago. Today is her birthday, and right now, I really don’t want to be at home, alone with all of her crap. So just keep them coming.”
“I’m sorry.”
I’m not sure if I made him feel better or worse, but this time he filled the glass, and I tried to be more civilized.
“What’s your name? Because I believe you and I are going to be very close by the end of the night,” I muttered sipping.
“Tristan,” he said, then added, “I’m sorry about your mother, hon.”
“Don’t be, she was a horrible person,” I muttered truthfully. “I’m Thea.”
“Nice to meet you Thea. Drinks are on the house.”
“No, it’s okay, I don’t want any pity.”
“It’s fine. I’m screwing the boss,” he said, dropping me a wink, and I couldn’t help but laugh.