Bad Professor (An Alpha Male Bad Boy Romance) (21 page)

Ford
was on the phone in his fishbowl office. Despite the office using the latest
technology, his desk was covered in mounds of paper. Ford waved a notepad
around as he discussed something quite loudly with the person on the phone.

"He's
a good boss," Thomas said. "Much more demanding and on the ball than
when he was a professor. But, I guess I don't have to tell you he's a different
man nowadays."

"Different?
How?" I asked.

Thomas
gave a sad smile. "Isn't it obvious? He's in love. Once he left campus and
you two were able to be together, he turned into a completely different person.
He's driven, he's ambitious, and I bet he's doing it all for you."

I
looked at my lovelorn classmate and caught a glimpse of a young woman staring
at us. She wore the same tirelessly hopeful expression that Thomas used to turn
on me. "Who's that?" I asked.

"Mindy,"
Thomas said. His whole face brightened. "I've been thinking about asking
her out."

"Then
don't hesitate," I said. "There's no room for doubt when it's
love."

Thomas
grinned and spun back through the maze of desks to join Mindy by the copier. Within
seconds they were both laughing about something and the look on their faces
buoyed my courage.

I
turned back and caught Ford watching me through the glass walls of his office. His
words, his hands, the whole passionate morning crashed over me, and for a
moment, I couldn't move. Then he gestured for me to join him and my feet moved
so fast I felt like I was flying.

"Wow,
you're in a rush," Ford said as I burst in his office door and skidded to
a stop. "What's the good news?"

I
couldn't get the words to form or my mouth to work. Instead, I asked, "Is
everything alright? That looked like a pretty heated phone exchange."

Ford
chuckled and handed me a slip of paper. On it was nothing but an astronomical
sum. "Barton is trying to buy The Mirror again."

"That's
awful. Why are you smiling?" I asked.

Ford
shrugged and plucked the coffee cups from my hands. "I take it as a
compliment. It's weird, but ever since I confronted him on the golf course, I
feel like he respects me. These offers are a sign of respect, like he's proud
of me."

"Or
he's trying to con you like Tailor did my father," I said.

"Don't
worry, I'm a cautious guy," Ford said.

"Are
you? Because I've been feeling lately like I'm too cautious and you're the one
that's willing to go out on a limb." My throat dried up and so did my
words.

Ford
arched a dark eyebrow at me. I had his full attention now. "What are you
talking about?" he asked.

An
intern saved me by standing at the glass door and waving a stack of proofs. "Sorry
to interrupt, Ford, but these need approval before we can let everything go
live."

"Oh,
god, that's right. You're under deadline. I'm not the only one that's under
deadline. Sorry!" I stepped out of the way.

Ford
caught me under the chin as he passed out the door. "I'll be right back. Then
you have to tell me what's on your mind."

I
watched him march up and down the rows of desks. Ford knew everyone by name and
he insisted they call him by his first name. The mix of familiarity and
authority he gave off set his whole staff at ease. They worked hard for him. They
respected him. They loved him.

Suddenly
the words welled up and I could barely contain myself. I felt like shouting it
out his office door. The thought of interrupting the newspaper with a headline
of my own was tempting but terrifying.

Ford
saw me shifting from foot to foot in his office door. He initialed the stack of
proofs without taking his eyes off me and then dropped the papers on the
intern's desk. He marched clear across the floor and swept back into his
office.

This
time I was ready for the tsunami. "I love you," I said.

He
stopped in the doorway and held on to the frame for support. Then Ford looked
around as if he'd been dazed with something heavy. When his eyes focused back
on me, I said it again.

"I
love you, Ford."

This
time, he was at a loss for words, but there was no doubt how he took the news. Ford
strode across the office and swept me up in his arms. We spun three times
before he pulled me to him and in front of the entire Mirror staff, we kissed
as if the world had faded away.

The
raucous cheer that met our ears was enough of a reminder.

"The
walls are glass, aren't they?" Ford asked. His face was still a mix of
wonder and relief. "Everyone saw everything."

"Isn't
it great?" I asked. "We don't have to worry about who sees us or
not."

Ford
brushed his lips against mine again. "Because we're just two people in
love."

"Yes,"
I laughed. Then I unhooked my arms from around his neck. "But you are also
the person under deadline and, trust me, I know how that feels."

Ford
spun away with a hundred last-minute things to do, but he stopped at the door
and circled back to me. "You came all the way to my office just to tell me
you love me?"

"Yes.
I didn't say it this morning and I didn't know why."

He
stopped and his face sobered. "Why didn't you?"

I
reached up and brushed a hand over his cheek. The caress drew the scent of his
aftershave to my senses and I was dizzy with happiness. "I've never been
in love before," I confessed.

Ford
laughed and scooped me back into his arms. "Then I've never been in love
before either, because I've never felt like this before."

"Like
what?" I asked with a challenge in my eyes.

This
time, it didn't matter that the walls were glass. When our lips met it felt
like time stood still. Outside, the office worked at a frantic pace, but for
just a moment longer, there was only Ford and I in the world.

I
thought of Lexi and her engagement ring, Jasmine and her new romance, and my
father finally with his dream artist. The world slowly came back, but I
welcomed each part of it. The people around us had seen it from the very
beginning and Ford and I had just caught up. It felt good to finally know what
everyone had realized long before us.

"Please
wait right here. Jackson didn't give you any homework, did he?" Ford
asked.

"Just
a few new comments, but nothing I have to do this weekend." I waved the
short story pages.

Ford
frowned at all the red marks. "I thought he liked it."

I
smiled. "Professor Rumsfeld gives great feedback. And my story was very
well received in class."

"So?
Is it the one?" Ford asked.

It
felt like sunlight spreading across my chest. Everything felt right. "Yes,
I think it's the one."

Ford
kissed me again. "I'm so proud of you, Clarity. You're going to do it,
right?"

"Yes,
I'm entering the contest. There's no predicting if the judges will like it but—"

"But
if you win, you'll be on your way to getting published at the same time as you
graduate from Landsman College." Ford grinned and squeezed both my hands. "That's
a reason to celebrate if I ever heard one."

"I've
heard one better," I said.

Ford
pulled my hands to his lips. "Tell me again."

"I
love you, and you love me. That's the only reason I want to celebrate."

An
alarm clock sounded on the floor and all the newspaper staff members jumped up
from their desk. A big monitor on the far wall flickered to life and the IT
staff fluttered around getting the last minute codes in place.

Ford
looked from the newspaper floor, poised to publish, and then back to me.

"Go
on; I don't mind waiting," I said.

"Put
that in the top drawer of my desk. It locks and it will still be here when we
get back."

"Get
back?" I asked.

"Sorry,
I have to go take care of this," Ford slipped onto the floor and took care
of the final details before he could publish the new online edition of The Mirror.

I
took a seat at his desk and unlocked the drawer he suggested. Once my short
story was inside, I sat back and took a moment to breathe. It was impossible to
not want everything all at once. Then I thought about how far we'd come. From
strangers at my father's party, to a student and professor, to journalists
fighting against a well-funded enemy.

"What's
that look?" Ford asked when he returned.

"Life
just keeps getting better and better with you," I said.

Ford
sat on the corner of the desk and tapped the locked drawer. "Listen,
Clarity, I understand if you want to spend the weekend working on your short
story. It's a huge deal. When you win the contest, you'll have the chance to
find an agent or a publisher."

I
shook my head. "I'm not in it for the money or the accolades," I
said.

"Those
things are important," Ford said.

I
leaned back in his office chair and fixed him with a sharp look. "This
coming from the man that is currently missing his own awards reception at
Landsman College."

"It's
only for being a good example. They don't expect me to actually show up to
receive it," Ford joked.

I
crossed my arms. "I thought we had fun the last time we were dressed up
and on campus."

He
smiled at the memory of me in my formal, black dress. "Well, we could go
and do that, but I really had something else in mind."

"Do
I have to remind you again that these walls are glass?" I joked.

Ford
grinned and stood up. He held out both hands and pulled me to my feet. "Nah,
I don't have to hide this from my staff because they covered for me while I
went home and got everything packed."

His
intern lugged two suitcases to the office door and dropped them off with a
jaunty salute.

I
looked from the suitcases to Ford in surprise. "What's this?"

"This,"
Ford said, taking my arm and gathering up the suitcases in his other hand. "Is
me taking you away on a road trip."

We
went out the office doors and found his car waiting at the curb.

"A
road trip?" I asked with tears of joy. "I hope it has plenty of
detours."

CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE

Epilogue

"
It's
okay to admit if you're
lost," I said.

Ford
scowled and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. I'd never seen him so
tense on a road trip. He pushed the accelerator down and seemed determined to
beat the clouds to the horizon.

"I'm
not lost, I'm just trying to find something special," Ford said between
clenched teeth.

"Hey,"
I joked, "I thought I was your something special."

Ford's
jaw relaxed a little. "You're something else, that's for sure. I was just
hoping to catch a good sunset before we have to get back to town. Hang
on!" He pulled hard on the wheel and we skidded into the gravel parking
lot of a scenic overlook.

I
laughed. "This is the same exact overlook you brought me to two years ago.
Remember? We finally left on our first road trip and we stopped here to enjoy
the sunset."

Ford
leaned back in the driver's seat and shrugged. "Really? I can't quite
remember. That was two years and two dozen adventures ago."

"Come
on, was the book tour really that bad?" I asked.

"Twelve
cities in ten days? No." He reached over and squeezed my knee. "I
loved every minute of it."

"You're
just anxious to get back to The Mirror and dive back into work," I
concluded. "I get it. When you find the work you love, it's hard to be
away from it."

"I
think people say that about people more often than work," Ford chuckled.

"So,
I'm ambitious. I thought you loved that about me. Besides, I'm not the one
under deadline at the moment. Don't you have the first fall publication due out
at the end of the week?" I asked.

Ford
shifted in his car seat and smiled softly at me. "That's right. It's
almost Thanksgiving. It's almost exactly the day that I first met you."

I
grinned. "Remember what we talked about?"

"I
remember you telling me about the headline game you liked to play. How about
this one: Couple Misses Stunning Sunset, Stuck in Car."

I
laughed and reached for my door handle. Ford jumped out and ran around to open
the car door for me. "Here's one for you: Exhausted Editor Fills Empty
Spaces with Headlines."

Ford
laughed and pulled me out to the scenic overlook. The sun was still warm as it
nudged against the horizon. Still, there was chill sent to the air that meant autumn
was on its way. It was my favorite season, especially when Thanksgiving was only
a few weeks away.

"Did
I tell you that my father and Polly will be home from Cuba in time for
Thanksgiving?" I asked.

"I
know, your father mentioned it when I talked to him the other day." Ford
popped his mouth shut and admired the sunset with a sudden keen interest.

"Oh,
no, what are you and my father planning now?" I asked. "I can just
imagine the headline: Men Plan Elaborate Feast, Use Every Dish in the
Kitchen."

I
laughed at my own joke and turned, but Ford was gone.

He
was down on one knee. The sky streaked with reds and golds as he reached for my
hand. "I have one last headline for you: Will you marry me?"

I
dropped to my knees and kissed Ford a dozen times over before I took a breath
and said, "Yes. And you can quote me on that."

That’s
the end of the Bad Professor. Below I included 3 of my previous books to read
as a free bonus.

Click here to continue to my next book.

Get Each of My Newly
Released Books for 99 Cents By Clicking Here

Click
here to get my book Swipe for free

VALENTINE

By
Claire Adams

This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products
of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be
construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events,
locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright
© 2015 Claire Adams

Chapter
1

Val

"I really don't see what the big deal
is." I tugged my scarf tighter around my neck and glanced around the table
at my friends. "Just because all the women in my family have led the Delta
Gammas through the generations doesn't mean that I have to. I don't even fit
into the group. But does anyone give a shit? Nope."

Lucinda huffed and ran her hand over her
dark hair. "Your mom and sister are a different breed of human altogether,
Val. You know that. Don't go getting all stressed out again just because elections
are coming up at the end of the spring."

Katelyn sat to my left, playing with her
straw and dipping in and out in what looked like a day dream state, but
something about the conversation seemed to pull her from her thoughts. She
glanced up and lifted her eyebrow at me, her blue eyes filled with concern.

"You don't really think Carolyn is
going to get the presidency again, right? She's been nothing less than
horrible." Katelyn was the only one in my group of friends that lived in
the Gamma house with me. The rest of them had sense in their head.

My fourth and favorite gal pal in the
group spoke up as she ran a French fry through the mound of ketchup on her
plate. "I think you should run, Val. You're the most logical girl in the
house."

"Hey!" Katelyn huffed and
swatted playfully at Amy. "I'm logical. Sort of."

I snorted and glanced around the fast food
restaurant we sat in. The place was relatively empty, which wasn't surprising
at all. It was three degrees below freezing and getting out of the house was a
hazard to our health, but being cooped up any longer with Carolyn and her
lackeys meant I was going to crack.

"You guys ready for classes starting
back tomorrow?" Lucinda turned as the door opened behind us and freezing
cold air blew in. "Damn. Close that door!"

Amy chuckled and shook her head. "No,
I'm not looking forward to it at all. I have my senior level physics class, and
from what I heard, it's going to be the death of me."

"Please. You're the smartest person I
know." I got up and gathered my stuff before walking to the trash can and
letting out a long breath. The situation with Carolyn wasn't something I was
honestly willing to discuss with anyone. The girl had been dead set on being a
thorn in my side the entire time I had been at the University of Minnesota, and
she was damn good at keeping her promises.

Truth be told, I didn't want the
leadership role with the Gammas. Not in the slightest. They were the rich kids,
the elite, and though my family had money, I wasn't interested in flaunting it.
Ever.

"What's the plan for today?"
Lucinda walked up beside me and worked to get something out of her teeth.

I gave her a look and buttoned up my heavy
coat before walking back toward the table and grabbing my backpack. "I'm
headed to the library. I have a paper due when I walk into my business law
class tomorrow."

"What? That's messed up."
Katelyn tossed her stuff in the trashcan and turned to give me a sympathetic
look. "You want us to come with you?"

"No, and you wouldn't even if I did
want you there." I chuckled and pulled my phone from my back pocket as it
buzzed. My mother. "I gotta take this. The world might be ending."

"Your mom can't find her favorite
brand of shoes at the mall?" Lucinda poked at me and shook her head.
"No clue how you ended up odd man out within your family, but I'm sure glad
you did."

"Why is that?" I opened the door
and shuddered as the chill of winter wrapped around me.

"Because we wouldn't be friends
otherwise." She laughed.

I waved to my friends and answered the
phone as my stomach tightened. There was no one in the world I dreaded talking
to as much as I did my mother. I wasn't good enough, smart enough, or working
nearly hard enough for her. This coming from a woman who hadn't worked a day in
her life and looked like a Barbie doll, thanks to a group of surgeons who got
paid quite well to keep her that way.

"Mom. What's going on?" I kept
my tone even. I might not be my mother's favorite, but to disrespect her would
bring more harm than good, and besides, my father raised me to be a better
person than that.

"Valentine, why didn't you tell me
that you weren't planning on running for the Presidency of Gamma? You're the
Vice President now. That I have to hear these things from Marilyn Jacobs is
upsetting. You know she's just looking for a reason to make me feel inadequate.
Why do you keep giving her one?" My mother's voice was tight and filled
with tension.

I let out a slow breath, praying like hell
that she wouldn't hear me and-

"Don't you sigh at me. This is
serious business." She continued to grumble as I jogged toward the
library. Huge piles of snow lined the narrow path that someone had taken the
courtesy to create earlier that morning. My mother was forever concerned about
Marilyn Jacobs, much like I was concerned with the dealings of her bitchy
daughter, Carolyn. Funny how some things just moved from generation to
generation – whether we wanted them or not.

"Mom, I'm not sighing at you. I'm
jogging to the library. It's freezing out here. Give me a minute and I'll talk
about this with you. I can't breathe right now." I pulled the phone from
my ear as she started up again.

Why she couldn't just let me be was beyond
me. My older sister Allison wasn't badgered her whole life; but then again, she
had been the measure of success by which all my failures were compared and left
wanting.

I opened the door and walked in as a group
of giggling girls walked out. Their excitement labeled them as freshman, and I
was almost jealous. The thought of graduating in a year and a half left my
insides turning to ice. To say I was scared was a mild understatement. I wasn't
capable of pulling my weight in high school and now college. Real life was
going to eat me alive.

My mother's voice rose up from the phone
as I lifted it to my ear and forced myself to sound much more pleasant than I
felt.

"Sorry, Mom. That was a long jog. I'm
in the library. I have a paper due for my business law class tomorrow," I
whispered as loudly as I could without grabbing unwanted attention from the
people working at the checkout desk.

"You're out of breath. Have you been
going to the gym? Your father and I don't pay for you to go to the gym just to
spend our money on the hope that you'll stay in shape, Valentine."

I found an empty table near the back of
the library and quietly sat my stuff down before dropping into one of the
chairs. The last thing I needed that morning was to have my mother remind me
that if I didn't stay in shape, I wouldn't be a prime candidate for a man.

"You know that if you let yourself
continue to gain weight, you'll end up alone and living with me and your
father." She let out a frustrated sound, and I leaned back in my chair,
unwilling to give her fuel for the forest fire she was creating. "Start
using the gym membership or we'll cancel it."

"It's part of the campus fees, Mom.
You can't cancel it, and I'm not getting fat." I ran my hand through my
dark brown hair and glanced around to make sure I wasn't being disruptive.
"Besides, basketball is starting back up, and I've been on the courts,
which I assure you is a great workout."

"Basketball." She huffed loudly.
"That's a boy's sport, Valentine. You need to stop spending your time on
things that aren't going to be part of growing your future."

"Like the sorority that you made me
join?" I closed my eyes and dropped my head in failure. I hadn't meant to
bring it up. It was like putting a target on my head and handing my mother a
loaded gun.

"That sorority, young lady, has the
ability to help you get any job or any man that you want. It's a powerful group
of women, and you not even trying for the leadership role, which is rightly
yours, is disturbing." She was running out of breath, which means the
drama was just starting. "What's even worse is that you let Marylyn’s
daughter take the presidency. You have no clue of how incredibly disappointed
and embarrassed I am."

"I'll try harder, Mom. Sit down and
don't get upset over this." I opened my bag and tried to ignore the
sickness swirling deep inside my stomach. I loved her, I did, but she was a
monster most days of the week – and that was when she was in a relatively good
mood.

"How do you know I'm not
sitting?" she barked into the phone.

"I can hear you pacing. You know your
blood pres-"