Page 16 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 1

"I didn't miss class because I was sick. I just needed a day off."

"Classes only just started," I laughed.

"Well I needed an excuse to get together with you so I could copy your notes." He was leaning on the edge of his desk, staring at me rather seductively.

I laughed again. "Professor Hunter basically just defined the word emotion. You're supposed to make your audience feel something when you give a speech. I didn't take notes."

"Penny you're making this impossible. Do you have plans this weekend?" There was something endearing about the way he was looking at me. Confident yet eager at the same time.

I sighed. "My roommate is forcing me to go on this strange double date with her." Hopefully that would make it seem rather innocent. And it was true, I didn't want to go.

Tyler smirked at me. "If you want to ditch it, I'll take you out to dinner."

"If you knew Melissa, you would know that that isn't an option. Sorry Tyler," I said and smiled at him.

"The rejection hurts," he said with a smile. He placed both his hands on his chest and let his head fall back like I had just hit him with a fatal blow.

"Oh, come on," I said, and lightly shoved his shoulder. "Rather dramatic."

"Rain check?" he asked.

I nodded. I looked up as Professor Hunter entered the room. He was wearing his glasses and his hair was sexily disheveled. A tight black t-shirt and light jeans made him look so casual and approachable. I tried not to think about the fact that he may be dressed casually because he was up late with the mystery woman.

It was hard to pay attention to what he was saying. His sweater that I was wearing smelled like him and it was like I was in some kind of trance.Does he notice that I'm wearing it?

Today's assignment was to talk about our weekend plans.

On Tyler's turn, he looked down at me while he spoke: "I will be spending the weekend wallowing in my room, because this girl I'm crushing on is too busy to hang out with me."

"Oh my God," I mouthed silently to him.

"Penny Taylor," Professor Hunter called.

When I stood up, it looked like his jaw dropped slightly. He quickly closed his mouth and looked down at his paper.

I wanted to make him jealous. Tyler had already set me up. "This weekend I'm going on a double date with my roommate and her new boyfriend."

Professor Hunter seemed to wince when I said "date."

I quickly added, "But I'm absolutely dreading it," before sitting back down. I was bad at playing hard to get.

Tyler leaned over. "I wish you didn't have to go either," he whispered.

Professor Hunter called the next name on the list without looking back over at me. When he was finished listening to the other students, he walked over to the board. He wrote "lust" on the board in all caps.

"You want your audience to hang on every word that comes out of your mouth. It's kind of like in a relationship. You want that instantaneous lust you sometimes get."

I doubted anyone else noticed it, but during his speech he seemed to be blatantly staring at me.

"I don't necessarily mean it in a sexual way. Although, there is a reason that sex sells."

I heard a few girls giggle.

"You want to capture your audience's attention. You want them to yearn for more. And that, in my opinion, is the hardest thing about giving an effective speech. Because you can't force lust. It has to come naturally."

Am I forcing it?It didn't feel forced to me.

"Anyway, something to ponder over the weekend. Class dismissed."