Page 18 of Teach Me

“You could definitely make that assumption.” He exhaled a quiet chuckle and then gestured to the steam rising from my omelet. “I’ll leave you in peace with your omelet before it gets too cold. Back to check on you in a bit. Enjoy.”

I kept an eye on him as he walked off, wondering if I’d pried too much and also determined that I should work harder to maintain a professional demeanor with him. He was still my student, after all, good rapport outside the classroom notwithstanding.

I dug into my omelet—perfect, as always—still scrolling idly through emails between bites when a message notification popped up.

A thrill curled around my stomach as I opened it.

Unknown:Hey. I’m just now seeing your message. I’m very interested, but I need to doublecheck my schedule. Can I get back to you later today?

Grady:Of course.

I’d messaged him asking if he’d be free for the upcoming weekend and interested in another tryst. I’d been thinking about it for days, despite telling myself I’d let more time elapse between our last encounter and the next. Something about the guy and our arrangement was proving more addictive than I’d anticipated. I even enjoyed the rather basic chats we had.

Unknown:Okay, great! I hope your day is off to a good start.

I could have left it at that. We were operating on a perfunctory basis, after all, but after a moment, I continued.

Grady:It’s very nice so far, just enjoying breakfast and the strongest coffee east of Seattle before heading into work. Yours?

The bubbles appeared and disappeared several times, and I wondered whether he was having the same conversation in his head as I’d had.

Unknown:I’m already at work. It’s shaping up to be an interesting day.

Grady:I hope the rest of it goes well. Also hope to “see” you soon.

When there was no further response, I tucked the phone away and polished off my omelet and coffee. Cameron was back at the table with my check before I could lift a finger to signal him. The cafe had gotten busier, and there was a crowd of people waiting just inside the door, and yet he still gave me the same unhurried smile as he set my check down.

“Whenever you’re re?—”

“I’m ready.” I extended a twenty. “Keep the change. It sure picked up, huh?”

“Usually does around this time.” He took the bill and then seemed to register what it was. “Give me a second, and I’ll get you change.”

“Not necessary.”

“Are you sure?”

“Keeps it simple.” I smiled. “Besides, it’s busy, and you’re busting your tail. You’ve more than earned it.”

His lips parted, and then he shook his head with a soft chuckle and tucked the bill in his apron. “Keep it simple. Alright. See you in class later.” He spun around and walked away, leaving me again wondering over the shift in his demeanor.

9

CAM

“Eric would so kick your ass if he caught you staring at Lusk,” I teased with a nudge to Nate’s rib cage as the professor entered the lecture hall. I was one to talk since I was ogling him, too.

“Psht. I’m not staring.” Nate scowled playfully at me. “And Eric knows I’m his fool.” He inclined his chin toward Lusk. “The dude knows how to dress, though. He gets style points for days. Think it’d be weird if I asked him where he got his pants? They might look good on me.”

“You couldn’t fit those ham hocks in even one leg of those pants.”

Nate smirked, and we both eyed Professor Lusk’s slacks, cut in a stovepipe style that molded to his ass and tapered slightly, skimming over his long legs. Not a style I could get away with, but Nate was right. In addition to being outright sexy, the guy was a good dresser. I liked his personality, too. He wasn’t stuffy like other faculty members who frequented the cafe, and he always tipped well. Hell, he’d shocked me by leaving me a twenty-dollar tip the other morning. I’d looked for a ring when he’d joined me on the bench outside while I ate lunch, which,not gonna lie, had kinda thrilled me a little that he’d even approached, much less had seemed interested in what I was saying. But I hadn’t seen one and thought it might be weird to ask him directly, no matter how curious I was. I’d wondered if the guy he often dined with was a boyfriend or friend with benefits, but I couldn’t get a good enough read on him. And then the other professor had interrupted. I’d not liked his arrogant attitude or the slightly condescending tone in his voice when he spoke to Professor Lusk. He was exactly the kind of tool I dreaded serving at the cafe.

But what had really thrown me was the offhand comment Lusk had made about keeping it simple. I’d stiffened with tension for a second before I relaxed because there was absolutely no fucking way that wasn’t a coincidence. Lots of people used that phrase. I’d heard it earlier that morning when Jesse was debating making chicken and waffles or eggs Benedict and Mark told him to keep it simple because we weren’t in a five-star resort, just a bunch of horny heathens living under one roof. Jesse had then told Mark he could eat cereal.

No way a guy like Lusk, with a book deal, an actual sense of style, and a teaching career would ever be caught dead using a glory hole. Which I guess made me the only degenerate around. Besides Nate, who was currently texting rapidly on his phone.

“Hey, what’d you get on your essay draft?” I whispered to Nate as Lusk fiddled with the bag on his desk.