Bad Professor (An Alpha Male Bad Boy Romance) by Claire Adams

music," I stood up. "Order me another
beer, will ya? I'm going to go stock the jukebox with something good."
    "Sure.
Two beers and shots for a bad date sounds about right."
    I
left Jackson chatting with the bartender and made my way across the bar to the
jukebox. It stood just outside the hallway to the restrooms and I was relieved
to see the pop playlist was almost over. I selected a few blues pieces and
slipped something a little harder in between. My mood was definitely darker
than the upbeat chorus that was currently repeating.
    "Ford
Bauer, what a surprise! Wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."
    The
hairs on the back of my neck bristled. "Barton," I bit out.
    Wesley
Barton sauntered down the hallway from the restroom and held out a hand for me
to shake. I crossed my arms and looked the disgustingly wealthy entrepreneur
over. The suit was Italian, custom-made, and his shoes flashed with a high
polish. Despite his husky build and his salt and pepper hair, Barton was
attractive. His jovial smile had the women that passed us to the bathroom
fluttering their eyelashes.
    I
imagined punching him in the face and almost returned his smile. "Slumming
it?" I asked.
    "Meeting
a friend. He's got connections up at Landsman College. Maybe you know him? Michael
Tailor?" Barton nodded towards one of the tables in the front window. "How
about you join us and I buy you a drink?"
    "Back
off, Barton." I stepped forward and made him rock back on his heels. "We
both know you deserve to be in jail, and you would be if you didn't have my
editor in your pocket."
    "Former
editor," he reminded me. "And I don't think it counts as 'in my
pocket' when I own the entire media outlet."
    "If
you're going to censor stories and only present the facts that you approve,
then it should be called entertainment, not media."
    Barton
slapped me on the shoulder. "Don't be so sore just because we killed your
story. I gave you a chance to stay. You could have found other stories to cover
and kept your career. Who knew you'd tuck tail right away and run for a cushy
academic job?"
    I
knocked Barton's hand away. "You forced me out. You used all your money
and connections to make the facts disappear and then you sent that shark of a
lawyer to warn me about libel."
    "To
warn you, yes." Barton tried to step around me. "It was your decision
to leave Wire Communications."
    "What
choice did I have?" The volume of my voice was edging up past the jukebox
music. "I'm a journalist. I can't work at a place that kills the facts to
protect its own."
    "You
were a journalist. From what I hear, you're now a professor. That can't be all
bad. In fact, I met a Landsman College student the other day. Patrick Dunkirk's
daughter."
    "Clarity?"
My throat closed around her name.
    Barton
nodded with a reptilian smile. "She's interested in journalism
internships. Quite ambitious, oh, and beautiful. I can't feel bad about where
you ended up when the students at Landsman look like her." Barton kissed
his fingertips.
    I
grabbed his hand and crushed it in my palm. "I know you think you're
untouchable, but I'm ready to get my hands dirty."
    "Whoa,
hey, sorry for the misunderstanding. We were just leaving." Jackson
grabbed me by both shoulders and yanked me away from the rich man.
    I
jerked free of my friend and tried to get back into Barton's smug face. Jackson
dodged in front of me. "Move, we're not done."
    "We're
leaving," Jackson said.
    For
a lanky English professor, my friend was deceptively strong. I could have taken
him out with one, well-placed punch, but he knew I wouldn't, so he shoved me
towards the door with impunity.
    "Nice
to see you, professor," Barton called.
    The
bar door swung shut behind us and Jackson let out a tight breath. "What in
the hell was all that about?"
    I
paced up and down the sidewalk. "That? That slimy worm of a man is Wesley
Barton, owner of Wire Communications."
    "The
man you tried to take down?" Jackson asked.
    "The
man that discredited me and forced me to leave