A trio of students still lingered in the lecture hall,
chattering loudly in one of the aisles. Hesitating, Sheila
walked toward Ethan, her insides tight.
She couldn't put it off any longer. It was time.
"Professor Tao," Ethan said as she approached. His
light gray eyes crawled over her face, missing
nothing. "Great lecture today. Very engaging. Even
learned something new, though of course I took this class
as an undergrad. You have such a refreshing take on
classic theories."
Always the terrific bullshitter. He usually got away
with it because of his good looks and cocky demeanor. But
today, the very sound of his voice made her want to throw
up.
"We need to talk." Her voice was low. She was
hyperaware of the three students still chatting about
twenty feet away in the otherwise empty hall.
"Oh?" He continued to study her. "About anything in
particular?"
"You know exactly what this is about."
"Let me guess. Leanne Armstrong tattled on me." He
finally broke eye contact to glance at his watch. "Can
this wait?"
Unbelievable. He knew damn well this wasn't about
Leanne. Fine, he wanted to play it that way, so be it.
"No, it can't." Her voice was still quiet, but she
spoke with authority. "Whatever the hell's going on
between us, you still work for me, and you still need to do
your job."
Ethan laughed, and the sound echoed in the large
auditorium. He didn't care who might be
listening. "You're ballsy. I always liked that about
you. Always so professional."
"Ethan—"
"So why don't you do my job as well? From now on, I'll
redirect all student concerns to you. You can handle that,
can't you?" He cocked his head to one side. "I know how
much you care about your students, Dr. Tao. You'd never
let them down. Especially me."
The three students still chatting in the lecture hall
were watching them, perplexed looks on their faces. Sheila
didn't think they could hear anything from where they were
standing, but there was no way to know.
Ethan leaned in closer and she could smell his cinnamon
breath. "I watched our video again last night, Sheila, and
I am this close to making you famous. Go ahead. Push me."