Page 15 of Do It With Me

“You’re out of your damn mind,” he said, giving it to me straight. At least that part, I appreciated. There weren’t enough people who leveled with me the way he did. “Why a student? Are you trying to get fired? Because you could just walk away from academia once and for all. You do have a whole empire waiting for you to get over this little phase you’re in. You don’t need to see how far you can bend the rules before they force you to leave.”

Something in me hardened. I’d explained to him time and again, but he wasn’t the only one who didn’t get it. When I’d first started teaching, the tabloids had just about lost their minds. No one would expect someone like me to give half of his time to a local college. I understood that.

What I’d done had been unconventional, unusual, and a shock to everyone. Hell, I’d even surprised myself when I’d signed up for it, but it had been five damn years. I figured he would have learned to accept it by now.

“It’s not a phase and she’s not really my student. Not in any way that matters, at least. It’s just a night class. There’s no power imbalance.”

He widened his eyes at me, a soft scoff coming out of him. “It still sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“I’ve got NDAs,” I said dryly. “Besides, I did ask her out before I pitched it as a business proposition. She turned me down, but accepted the deal. See? Efficient.”

He paused, a confused frown furrowing his brow. “She turned you down?”

“Yep.”

“And now she’s your date?”

I shrugged and pumped my eyebrows at him before I hit another ball. “I guess money really does solve all problems.”

Jimmy let out a laugh like he was admitting defeat. “Just be careful, man. That’s all I’m saying. You start mixing real life and the classroom, who knows what happens?”

“Relax,” I said, drawing out the word. “It’s one night. Then she goes back to being my student and I go back to teaching about quarterly projections. Clean. Easy. And⁠—”

“Efficient,” he finished for me, finally turning his attention back to his club again. “Sure, man. That’s definitely how this ends. If you want to be your most optimistic self, be my guest.”

I ignored him, focusing on my next swing rather than the jackass beside me, but even as I lined it up I could feel the ghost of a smile tugging at my mouth. Because for reasons I didn’t care to examine too closely, I was actually excited about this.

Jimmy teed up another ball and sent it slicing into the distance. “So, have you signed off on the plans for the Renewal Initiative yet?”

“Done and dusted.” I wiped a bit of turf off my club. “Have we started making offers to the shopkeepers?”

“Not yet,” he said. “We still need to meet with the board first. Get their approval. There’s no sense in spending money until we get the green light.”

“Have you set it up?” I asked. “We need to get that meeting on the books. Like, yesterday.”

“I called Veronica and blocked a slot for next week. Just don’t let this wedding shit distract you.”

I glanced over at him. “Distract me how?”

He gave me a pointed look. “You know what I mean. This project? It’s your legacy, man. You’ve been talking about it for years. The renewal is supposed to be your mark on the city. The thing people remember you for. I know you’re worried about your ex, but don’t let her fuck up the next stage of your life too.”

I swung again, harder than I needed to, and the ball rocketed downrange. “She won’t. Trust me. I’m fine.”

Jimmy raised an eyebrow when he met my gaze again, a knowing gleam in his eyes that made my stomach twist. “Yeah? Are you sure about that?”

I leaned on the club and watched the ball vanish into the sky to avoid looking at him any longer. “Absolutely. Shannon doesn’t get to take up space in my head anymore.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he let it go. “Good, because if this board meeting goes well, we’ll be breaking ground by the summer.”

I nodded, but my mind was already drifting. Ellora had said yes and it was hard not to feel triumphant about it. The girl was gorgeous. Curvy, sparkling blue eyes, and a rack I would love to bury my face in. She was worth every penny.

Shannon was going to hate her, and while I had zero interest in rekindling things with my ex, I was very interested in making sure she knew I had moved on to better things. I took another swing and muttered under my breath, “I’m totally fine. Absolutely, completely fine.”

Jimmy glanced at me and I pretended not to notice. I knew he was worried about me and it was sweet, but I didn’t need a fucking babysitter.

The Renewal Initiative was my priority. Always. The fake-date bullshit was just another necessary step along the way—attend the wedding of the guy who heads the construction company we’d be using without my ex thinking she was winning the breakup.

Jimmy and I whacked a few more balls, but soon the sun started setting and the chill was really sinking in, so we called it a day. I headed home and peeled off my damp clothes before I stepped into the shower.

The hot water washed away the sweat from the range but not the thoughts crowding my mind. While I should’ve been mentally running through budgets and reviewing floor plans, I kept thinking about Ellora.

The way she’d carried herself into that last class like she was on top of the world when she very clearly was not, the tilt of her chin when she argued back, and the fire in her eyes. It all played on a loop in my mind.

By the time I got out, toweled off, and slipped into a pair of sweats, I gave up trying to force myself to focus on anything else. Instead, I grabbed my phone.

Me: You’re going dress shopping. On me. I’ll send the details.

I hesitated for only a second before hitting send. My thumb hovered as I imagined her reaction, but it turned out I didn’t have to wonder about it for very long. Her reply came through almost immediately.

Ellora Porter: Yes.

I stared at the message, and for just a second, I let myself grin like a complete fool. I even shook my head at myself and laughed. Quietly. Just a little.

Yeah. I’m definitely happier than I should be. And I might be way too invested in this fake-date shit already.