I tense.
“This is what’s going to happen, Mr. Ellis. I’m going to give you two choices. Either you end your relationship with Isaac Kendall, or wewillfind evidence that he abused his power and pursued you while you were his student. He’ll lose his tenure. His job. And he’ll never be welcome to teach at another school in this country ever again.”
My skin crawls as I stare at him, wishing this was a nightmare.
“You’re blackmailing me?”
“I’m giving you a lifeline. I suggest you take it.”
This time, somethingdoeshit me all at once.
“Are those the same choices you gave Dylan Ross?”
“I have no idea what you mean,” he says without falter. “Although, you do remind me of him. All bright-eyed and eager.”
And then his hand drops to my thigh.
Not my knee.
Higher.
Heavy and intentional.
A jolt of revulsion hits me so hard I go cold.
“You could do very well here, Jackson. You’re charming. Intelligent. People like you thrive. If they make the right alliances.” His thumb moves, gliding in a slow arc through the denim of my jeans. “Dylan thought Isaac was that person, and look where that got him.”
I’m frozen. I can’t fucking move.
His touch lingers, and bile burns the back of my throat.
My stomach twists and turns and knots into something hardly recognizable. My tongue feels numb. The room feels too small. His cologne, the scent sharp and chemical, is like something rotten prickling my nose. There’s a faint hint of cigarette smoke beneath it that makes my stomach do another somersault.
I force myself to move before I can vomit, shoving his hand away as the chair legs scrape harshly against the floor when I push back.
“Don’t fucking touch me.”
“So dramatic.” He smiles, as if this is all a game. “You’ll come to your senses. They always do.”
They.
Meaning Dylan.
Meaningothers?
Meaning this isn’t the first fucking time.
“So what’s it going to be?”
There’s no way in hell I can give this slimeball what he wants. I can’t let Isaac get fired for me, but…fuck. What am I supposed to do? How do I fight against a man who holds so much power?
“I’ll think about it,” I say, my voice tight and small.
“Of course. I’m sure you’ll make the right choice, Mr. Ellis.”
I stand and head to the door without looking back. If I stay another second, I might do something that really would get Isaac fired.
Like hell I’ll think about it.
