Page 16 of Teacher's Pet

He shook his head and went back to copying notes. “You know he’s married, right?” he added under his breath, smirking.

A sharp pain went through my arm and I set my pen down. My heart started pounding, matching the beat in my ears.

“Obviously,” I said. “He’s not ugly.”

“Yeah? Not ugly, huh? I’m sure his wife thinks so too.” Landon chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.

I leaned back in my seat, but now my mind wouldn’t stop circling around that woman. Dammit, Landon. I couldn’t even enjoy the view in front of me anymore.

What did she look like? Blonde like me? Serious? Older? Was she one of those graceful, perfect women who looked like they belonged in a magazine spread? Did she know half the class probably wanted to fuck her husband? Did she care?

I realized I’d started chewing on my pen, trying to piece her face together in my head. It felt like something heavy was pressing against my chest, making it harder to breathe.

Why did it bother me so much that he was married?

I just met him.

“Besides,” I said with a forced smile, “married to a woman? He sounds single to me.”

The words tasted sour the second they left my mouth.

Was he the cheating type? Just like my father?

“Wow,” Landon grinned, then lost it completely, laughing loud enough to break the flow of the room.

Mr. Thorne turned sharply, eyes narrowing on him. “Care to share with the class?”

Landon shot me a look, still grinning, but shook his head. “No, sir.”

“Alright then. Silence is appreciated,” Mr. Thorne said, scanning the rest of the room. “No talking unless you have a question.”

So strict. So commanding.

So married. So unavailable.

Fuck.

***

After class, I ended up hanging around way past normal hours, it was creeping up on 9 p.m. The class was only supposed to be til 8:30, but his office hours dragged on forever.

What the hell could people possibly have to discuss with him when the semester had just started?

The line outside his office slowly thinned, but not fast enough for me. I could hear flirtatious laughter from inside and it made my jaw tighten. He was too nice for his own good, he neededbetter boundaries. If they weren’t getting actual help, they should have been told to leave.

I’d even let some guy cut in front of me so I could be the last one, but now I was starting to regret it.

Finally, a girl walked out smiling, linking arms with her friends.

“Come in,” I heard him call.

I stepped inside and his eyes flicked up, then did a quick double take. He was packing up.

“Hey, good to see a familiar face,” his warm, rich voice spread through me, blooming in my chest.

“Hey yourself,” I said with a smile, closing the door behind me and walking toward his desk.

I didn’t bother with the empty chairs. Instead, I stopped right beside him. He looked up from where he sat.