“Just us? You’re not adding Elle to that possibility?”
“Uh, have you seen her? No way is she a bad fuck.”
Heat crawls up my neck. “Well, sex with guys is pretty foolproof. They’ll come if you moan and squeeze enough?—”
A throat clears, startling us. Sutton stands at the edge of our aisle, arms crossed over his chest. “Is this a conversation you four would like to share with the class?”
I lift my chin, catching his eyes with my own. His are hard as jade, unyielding and mesmerizing. “Only if the class is interested in learning how easy it is to make a man orgasm.”
Percy coughs into his fist, his eyes bulging out of his head.
Sutton remains unamused. “Perhaps we should keep discussion confined to relevant talents, Ms. Anderson, and not hobbies we may engage in outside the classroom.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
A muscle in his jaw twitches, and my thighs clench. “Please see your assignments forOthelloposted on the exit when you leave today. The short list is still being finalized, but you’ll see which nonspeaking roles you’ve been given. Remember, we’re putting this production on by ourselves. It’s all hands on deck for the final.” He starts to walk away, pausing briefly to look over his shoulder. “Ms. Anderson, I’d like a word after class.”
Percy makes awhomp whompnoise with his mouth, sinking lower in his seat.
“Damn, he does not like you,” Meg says, cringing.
Sutton’s sudden claps fill the air as he stalks across the stage, instantly hushing the crowd to a silence. A bitter taste burns the back of my tongue when I look at his stupid dark hair and the stupid sweater vest he has on. Those stupid hands that ran over me last night to make sure I was okay.
The annoying mouth that hurt my feelings afterward.
He doesn’t look at me at all as he begins the lecture, so I exhale and open my notebook, scribbling notes.
“…the importance of acting exercises cannot be overstated. If you want to continue to grow in your craft and preserve the talent you possess currently, it’s imperative you make exercises like these a part of your warm-up routine,” Sutton tells us.
My stomach twists into a million little knots. How easily he can compartmentalize is unsettling.
He points to the rolling chalkboard behind him. “Now, get into groups of…let’s say four, and I want you to practice the first three of these in preparation for our impending rehearsals.”
I join Lexington, Percy, and Meg and try my best to focus on the task, but my mind keeps drifting. A few times, I sneak glances at Sabrina as she works with her own group, but she never makes eye contact.
By the time class is over, I’m starting to wonder if I made up the events of last night altogether.
“Ms. Anderson,” Sutton calls out from the stage as I sling my backpack over one shoulder. “Don’t forget I requested a quick meeting in my office.”
He disappears backstage, and I clench my teeth.
“Someone’s in trouble…” Percy sings, grabbing the back of Meg’s chair as he starts wheeling her up the aisle.
Lexington hesitates. “Need me to stay for moral support?”
I shake my head. His presence would likely make things worse.
Leaving Lexington there with a wave, I head to the annex, pausing outside Sutton’s office door. I knock before entering, and he gestures for me to have a seat—but not in the plastic chairs right in front of his big desk. Instead, he points to the green suede armchair against the far wall, and I can’t help feeling a little like Iamin trouble, even though I don’t know the full extent of what I did.
He folds his arms over his chest, leaning against his filing cabinet. “Do you know why I asked you to come here today?”
“Are you finally going to ask me to be your TA? I could really help whip your students into shape, you know. I have a lot of experience. With acting at least. Teaching, not so much.”
Sutton exhales, pinching the bridge of his nose. “As if I could deal with that temptation.”
That almost draws a grin out of me. “Well, we could test that theor?—”
“You have no idea what you’ve done.” He lifts his eyes, dropping his hand onto the desk with a loud smack. “What the hell were you thinking, going to a Death’s Teeth gathering?”
