Page 8 of Bad Teacher
I blush when he stares at me with wicked thoughts in his dark eyes. I can almost hear him questioning if I’ve heard about other things he’s known for. The answer is yes, and if half of the rumors about Devin are true, he’s a teenage anomoly--a young god among men in the bedroom. Or dorm room as it were, since he’s known for preferring college co-eds after a growth spurt sophomore year helped him pass as older.
Change the subject, Miriam!
Clearing my throat, I nod at my glass. “Is that NA as well, then?”
“No, that’s the hard stuff. ” he says playfully. “Thought you could use a little something to take the edge off. Normally a beer at dinner isn’t a big deal for me, even at home, but I wouldn’t put you in a position where you’re breaking the law for me, even if no one knows about it.”
My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline. “That’s an odd thing to say, all things considering, don’t you think?”
“Not at all.”
No hesitation, no shrug, no sly smile that says he knows I’m right. “How do you figure?”
“Not figuring anything. It’s fact. There’s nothing illegal about what we did earlier.” He pauses to rake his hot gaze over my breasts, and my nipples bead beneath the thin fabric of my dress. “Or what I plan on doing with you later.”
Sweet Jesus. I give myself time to gather my thoughts by taking three long gulps of wine. I hate that Devin was right about needing it to take the edge off, but I don’t hate it enough to not drink it.
“Legally speaking, I suppose you’re right because you’re not a minor,” I concede. “But there’s definitely a solid argument for immorality. Even you have to admit that, Devin.”
He chews thoughtfully for a minute, and I busy myself with cutting more of my steak, if only to give me something to do other than face reality.
“Despite what your body wants, your conscience is fighting it, and I get it. But I don’t have the same reservations you do.”
“Because there aren’t any repercussions for you.”
“True. But besides being judged by assholes--if anyone ever found out, which they won’t unless we tell them--there aren’t any for you either.”
I bark out a laugh. “Are you kidding? I could lose my job for sleeping with a student, regardless of his age.”
Leveling me with an intense look, he says, “Why do you think I waited until summer, Miriam?”
“You planned for us to...” I can’t finish that sentence, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“From the first time our eyes locked when I walked into the classroom. You stood there with your tight skirt and Fuck Me heels and, for a split second, your gray eyes begged me for every dirty thing I could do to you. That’s all it took for me.
“But I’m not a dick, Miriam. I wouldn’t have done anything during the school year. I flirted a lot, but what guy doesn’t flirt with a hot teacher? I know I wasn’t the only one.”
No, he definitely wasn’t. It’s been a common occurence for me, even during my student teaching days. But I knew it was just teens being teens, and it never fazed me.
Until Devin walked into my classroom and the way he looked at me--like I was standing there naked and ready for him--caused a visceral reaction I’d never had with a student. That was the beginning of my mind’s very long downward spiral into the gutter when it came to Devin Adler.
“So then what? You heard your dad mention my name as his next job and decided this was your chance?”
“Chance? No.” He chuckles. “I wouldn’t have left this up to chance. I’ve had this planned from the day you called my dad’s company. I was the one who answered the phone and set up the consultation.”
My jaw drops. “That was four months ago.”
“Yep. Then I told my dad to lowball the estimate because you helped me ace an economics test.”
I frown. “You never had trouble in class. If anything, the material was easy for you.”
“I know,” he says with a wink. “But I had to make sure you’d choose us if you were getting other quotes.”
“Unbelievable. I didn’t call anyone else because the quote was much lower than I expected.”
“Exactly. After that it was just a matter of dropping subtle hints to my mom about taking a vacation in mid-July for their anniversary, and before you know it, my dad’s guilted into a ten-day trip to Aruba.”
I stare at him, dumbfounded. “Holy shit. You totally Trojan Horsed me.” He laughs so hard I throw my cloth napkin at his face, which he of course catches before impact. “Of all the landscaping companies I could’ve called first, I picked yours.”
