Page 48 of The Naughty Professor

Another burst of laughter erupted from the back of the room.My shoulders tensed.Juniper and Ron were hunched over his workstation, whispering like teenagers.Ron’s face was red from trying not to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”I called.

Juniper waved a dismissive hand.“Nothing, Dr.Sterling!Just, uh, discussing reaction rates.”

They dissolved into another round of muffled snickers.

I started walking toward them slowly, because nothing terrifies students quite like a professor approaching at one mile per hour with the dead eyes of someone who hasn’t slept.

“Everything okay back here?”I asked.

Juniper’s shoulders were shaking.Ron shoved something under his notebook so fast he nearly knocked over a beaker.

“Perfectly fine,” Juniper said, voice too high.“Just… catalyzing some laughter.You know.Chemistry jokes.”

“Uh-huh.”

Ron looked like a man caught with contraband plutonium.

“Care to share what’s so hilarious?”

He swallowed.“It’s, uh… not important.”

“Then you won’t mind showing me.”

Juniper started wheezing, covering her mouth like she was going to choke.

Ron hesitated, then sighed in defeat.“You might as well see it, Dr.Sterling.”He slid his phone out from under his notebook.

My stomach did a slow, graceful somersault.

On the screen, neon lights flashed.The video was shaky—someone screaming with laughter behind the camera—but unmistakable.

There I was.

Or rather, he was.

Jax.

Dancing onstage like sin had a PhD, wearing nothing but a glittery red thong.My hips were moving like I’d been born to scandalize Puritans, and the crowd was absolutely losing its collective mind.

Ron looked both proud and apologetic.“I didn’t know you were, uh… moonlighting, Dr.Sterling.You were on fire last night!”

My mouth opened and closed a few times, like a dying goldfish.“That’s… not… uh—” I took a deep breath.“I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t show that to anyone.”

He grimaced.“Oh.Um.About that…”

“No,” I said.“No ‘about that.’Just delete it.”

Juniper was openly laughing now, leaning on the counter for support.

Ron winced.“I already posted it.”

“You what?”

He cringed.“To Instagram.And TikTok.It’s kinda blowing up.”

“How much is ‘blowing up’?”