pretty cold down here,” Theo explained. “You should put one on. And get one out for me.”
He was writing something in a thick, leather-bound logbook by the door. Signing his name with a flourish, he smiled and turned to Sasha.
“Can I offer you a drink, Miss Miller?”
“Oh, no, we can’t.” She handed him his blanket. “Won’t you get in trouble?”
“Don’t worry about me,” said Theo. “The master’s an old friend. Red or white?”
Sasha hesitated. This felt like the sort of thing you could get expelled for. On the other hand, if Professor Dexter said it was all right…what the hell. After the weekend she’d had she deserved a drink.
“Red.”
Georgia’s always telling me to be more impulsive and let my hair down. If only she could see me now!
“Red it is.”
Theo selected a bottle thick with dust and pulled it out. “This should do to get us started.”
Sasha looked at the label and gasped. It was a Château Petrus Bordeaux, 1984. “Petrus? No, no, no we can’t possibly. Do you realize how much this is worth?”
“I do,” said Theo, expertly drawing the cork with a gentle pop and pouring two glasses. He handed one to Sasha. “The question is, Sasha: do you realize how much
you’re
worth?”
He was staring at her, holding eye contact. Sasha felt her insides liquefy and her knees start to wobble.
Is he coming on to me?
But no, he couldn’t be. He was her professor. Her married professor. Besides, even if he wanted to be unfaithful (understandable in his situation), a man like Theo Dexter could have any woman he wanted. He wouldn’t be interested in a teenaged nobody.
Holding out his hand, Theo stroked her cheek.
Oh my God.
Sasha felt like she was about to pass out. “Sasha. Beautiful Sasha…”
“Professor Dexter, I…”
“Shhhh.” Leaning forward, he put down his wineglass and stopped her with a kiss. It started as a tender brushing of the lips. But before Sasha knew it their whole bodies were entwined, pressing against each other. Theo’s tongue felt hot inside her mouth, caressing her, teasing her. The only other person Sasha had kissed was Will, and that had felt…well, nothing like this, that was for sure. It was all very disconcerting. Her limbs seemed to be acting with a mind of their own. Were those her fingers in Professor Dexter’s hair? Theo pressed his hard thigh between Sasha’s legs, and she jumped like a flea on a hot plate.
“Stop! We can’t.” Panicked, she pulled away from him. “I’m…you’re…this is definitely against the rules.”
“Whose rules?” Theo kissed her again.
God, it was heavenly.
“Everybody’s rules!” She squirmed free again. “I’m your student, Professor…Theo. You’re my teacher. And you’re married.”
Theo’s quick mind was working overtime. He had to tread very carefully here. He’d put in a lot of groundwork with Sasha all term, and he didn’t want to blow it at the last hurdle.
I mustn’t be the bad guy. I have to make her feel sorry for me.
“I know.” He sat down on one of the benches and put his head in his hands. Sasha tried to feel relieved, but part of her—a big part—wished he would wave aside her objections and start kissing her again.
What am I getting myself into?
She took a big slug of her wine, choked, then took another, draining her glass. She sat down next to Theo, who wordlessly reached for the bottle and poured her another.
“I’m being selfish,” he said. “I know that. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. I shouldn’t be burdening you with my marital problems. Sometimes I just feel like…” He paused, as if struggling to find the right words. “Like I’d like some happiness for myself for a change. It sounds awful, doesn’t it?”
“No. Not at all.” Instinctively, Sasha put her arms around him. “And you’re not burdening me. I’m happy to listen.”
The mothering instinct
, thought Theo.
Women can’t resist a bird with a broken wing.
“You’ve been
He was writing something in a thick, leather-bound logbook by the door. Signing his name with a flourish, he smiled and turned to Sasha.
“Can I offer you a drink, Miss Miller?”
“Oh, no, we can’t.” She handed him his blanket. “Won’t you get in trouble?”
“Don’t worry about me,” said Theo. “The master’s an old friend. Red or white?”
Sasha hesitated. This felt like the sort of thing you could get expelled for. On the other hand, if Professor Dexter said it was all right…what the hell. After the weekend she’d had she deserved a drink.
“Red.”
Georgia’s always telling me to be more impulsive and let my hair down. If only she could see me now!
“Red it is.”
Theo selected a bottle thick with dust and pulled it out. “This should do to get us started.”
Sasha looked at the label and gasped. It was a Château Petrus Bordeaux, 1984. “Petrus? No, no, no we can’t possibly. Do you realize how much this is worth?”
“I do,” said Theo, expertly drawing the cork with a gentle pop and pouring two glasses. He handed one to Sasha. “The question is, Sasha: do you realize how much
you’re
worth?”
He was staring at her, holding eye contact. Sasha felt her insides liquefy and her knees start to wobble.
Is he coming on to me?
But no, he couldn’t be. He was her professor. Her married professor. Besides, even if he wanted to be unfaithful (understandable in his situation), a man like Theo Dexter could have any woman he wanted. He wouldn’t be interested in a teenaged nobody.
Holding out his hand, Theo stroked her cheek.
Oh my God.
Sasha felt like she was about to pass out. “Sasha. Beautiful Sasha…”
“Professor Dexter, I…”
“Shhhh.” Leaning forward, he put down his wineglass and stopped her with a kiss. It started as a tender brushing of the lips. But before Sasha knew it their whole bodies were entwined, pressing against each other. Theo’s tongue felt hot inside her mouth, caressing her, teasing her. The only other person Sasha had kissed was Will, and that had felt…well, nothing like this, that was for sure. It was all very disconcerting. Her limbs seemed to be acting with a mind of their own. Were those her fingers in Professor Dexter’s hair? Theo pressed his hard thigh between Sasha’s legs, and she jumped like a flea on a hot plate.
“Stop! We can’t.” Panicked, she pulled away from him. “I’m…you’re…this is definitely against the rules.”
“Whose rules?” Theo kissed her again.
God, it was heavenly.
“Everybody’s rules!” She squirmed free again. “I’m your student, Professor…Theo. You’re my teacher. And you’re married.”
Theo’s quick mind was working overtime. He had to tread very carefully here. He’d put in a lot of groundwork with Sasha all term, and he didn’t want to blow it at the last hurdle.
I mustn’t be the bad guy. I have to make her feel sorry for me.
“I know.” He sat down on one of the benches and put his head in his hands. Sasha tried to feel relieved, but part of her—a big part—wished he would wave aside her objections and start kissing her again.
What am I getting myself into?
She took a big slug of her wine, choked, then took another, draining her glass. She sat down next to Theo, who wordlessly reached for the bottle and poured her another.
“I’m being selfish,” he said. “I know that. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. I shouldn’t be burdening you with my marital problems. Sometimes I just feel like…” He paused, as if struggling to find the right words. “Like I’d like some happiness for myself for a change. It sounds awful, doesn’t it?”
“No. Not at all.” Instinctively, Sasha put her arms around him. “And you’re not burdening me. I’m happy to listen.”
The mothering instinct
, thought Theo.
Women can’t resist a bird with a broken wing.
“You’ve been
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