“Yeah. I like it when you call me that. I mean, I like ‘pet’ too, but you hardly use my name. It feels more meaningful when you do.”
What the fuck do I say to that? What did I just do? It’sobvious that she’s getting attached, and based on the fact that I demanded Alyx give me her number just so I could check on her after our run-in after class today, it’s safe to say that I’m getting entirely too comfortable with her.
This is why I have rules. I’m not supposed to get attached, but I can already feel myself slipping.
CHAPTER 9
EMMA
There’s nothing more beautiful than Faith Union College in October. The air is crisp enough to wear a sweater and enjoy a pumpkin latte while I walk to class. Leaves fall from trees in vibrant shades of reds, oranges, and yellows, blanketing the green landscaping on the quad.
I’m determined not to let the A-hole get under my skin. He’s been less grumpy in class the past couple of weeks, but I know better than to let my guard down around him.
It’s been well over a month since I’ve been to the club and seen Daddy Dom in person. Getting him on the phone has proven difficult as well. He’s gone to great lengths to conceal his identity, and I’m beginning to wonder why that is.
Is he ugly under the mask? Or a burn victim with scarring on his face that he’s self-conscious about? That doesn’t explain why he’s disguising his voice, though. Maybe he’s famous and he doesn’t want the world to know about his secret bedroom activities? It would explain him masking his face and voice. But I can’t think of any A-list celebrities with tattoos like his. Could he be an athlete? A hockey player? He certainly has the build of one.
Our text conversations have been somewhat regular,though. He’s even given me a few rules that he thinks will help me get along with my professor.
Don’t take it personally.Easier said than done when everything out of Professor A-hole’s mouth feels like an attack on either my character, my intelligence, or my skills.
Pick your battles. This one came after I told him about how I confronted the A-hole about my paper.
Set clear boundaries and stick to them.This one seems fairly simple, and since I don’t plan on being around this man any more than I have to, it should be easy to implement.
When I enter the classroom, I take my usual seat in the second row. I like being close to the front in most classes, but with as much as Professor Ali walks around, there’s not a seat that’s safe from him.
“We’ve talked a lot about his plays and themes, but I’d be remiss if we didn’t cover the rules and conventions that Shakespeare would adhere to when writing his works. It’s widely known that he uses iambic pentameter when writing in verse. And he tended to use verse to show higher-status characters while prose was used to show humor or lower-status. But even he would break his own rules for dramatic effect to showcase a shift in a romantic relationship between characters.”
He pauses after the last sentence, and I glance up from my computer screen, my fingers hovering over the keys. There’s a look on his face that I can’t quite place, a mixture of disgust, anger, and hope, like he’s coming to terms with a revelation. His eyes dart up to mine before I quickly drop my head, glancing over my notes.
He clears his throat and continues. “There were also rules about what style and color clothing individuals could wear based on their social standing. For example, purple was reserved for members of the royal family and those close in nobility. Another rule, or more of a status quo perhaps, was the fact that all the actors in the shows were male, including those playing female parts.”
I nod my head and carefully pull my phone out of my pocket holding it close to my laptop screen to conceal it while I type out a message to Alyx.
Save me. I’m bored in class.
What do you expect me to do? I’m working a double today. You’re lucky you caught me after lunch rush.
Entertain me.
Send me memes.
I’m not sending nudes.
I said MEMES!
I need a distraction from this droll speech filled with facts I learned in high school.
I’m not your puppet, Emma.
[gif of a marionette on strings dancing]
Classy
Pretty please. Anything to distract me from Professor A-hole.
With as much as you complain about the man, I’m starting to think you have a crush on him.
