This time, he hesitated. His eyes flicked to mine, only to dart away again. I caught the quick flush coloring his ears, and my smirk deepened.

“I wasn’t joking, sir…” I paused, glancing at his nameplate. “Griffin… nice name. I wasn’t joking. I really was making out with one of the students here. So, I apologize for the… confusion, sir.”

“You may leave, Ms. Valoria. See you tomorrow in class,” he said quickly, and I almost burst out laughing.

I sighed as I stood. “See you, Sir Griffin. Or… do you prefer I call you by your first name?”

He just stared straight into my eyes, so I flashed him a grin.

And for the first time, I caught the faintest flicker of interest in his.

In my entire life, I had never encountered a man who, whenever he looked at me, showed no interest at all. Every man I had met was either interested in me in a sexual way, or they were looking for a serious relationship—which I wasn’t capable of giving them.

But this professor—Griffin—was different.

My eyes followed his every move at the front as he taught seriously. He didn’t even glance at me, no matter what I did to get his attention, as if he did it on purpose. When I tried raising my hand for recitation, he didn’t call on me, even though only two of us had our hands up. He chose a classmate I didn’t even know over me.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you dressing like that?” Megan criticized me.

I just stared at her and unbuttoned three buttons of my blouse until the curve of my chest was fully visible.

“Let’s see if he still won’t notice me,” I thought.

Just as the bell rang, signaling the end of class, I quickly approached his table while he was putting away his things.

“Hi, sir…” I deliberately leaned forward in front of him so he could see my chest.

I saw him glance down at my chest, and immediately his forehead furrowed. He seemed suddenly irritable before lifting his gaze back to me.

“Do you need something, Ms. Valoria?” he asked coldly. There wasn’t a hint of emotion on his face, which made me purse my lips.

“I just wanted to know if you’ve really forgiven me about last time, sir… Because if not…” I paused and leaned even closer to his table. “I know what to do about it.”

His forehead furrowed even more. His cold gaze was still fixed on me as he packed up his lesson plan, then suddenly stood up.

“You’re forgiven, Ms. Valoria. Fix your blouse, or else I’ll bring you to the guidance office with your parents,” he said strictly, then walked straight out of the classroom.

I felt the heat of embarrassment crawling up my neck and spreading across my entire face. My mouth fell open as I stared blankly at the door he had just exited.

What the fuck? Did he just turn me down?

“Yeah, he turned you down. The one and only Lilith Eris, rejected by a man for the first time in her life,” Megan said mockingly from behind me, still patting my back.

Annoyed, I turned to glare at her. She glanced at my chest before bursting into laughter.

“Didn’t even enjoy it? Weird,” she said, pinching my chest again, so I smacked her hand away and adjusted the buttons of my blouse.

Yeah, weird. Is he really that decent not to give in? Or maybe he’s just playing hard to get? Maybe if I suddenly pulled his pants down and just sucked the life out of him, he’d give in.

We were sent home early that day. Megan had her own plans with her brother Axel, so our idea of going to the bar never happened.

When I got home, I found a Montero Sport parked in front of our gate. It was the first time I had seen a car in the garage besides Erika’s, my mom’s. Who could the visitor be?

Even before I reached the door, I could hear Erika laughing in the living room along with a man’s voice. When I peeked inside, I saw a large man sitting next to Erika. He was obviously tall even while seated. His side profile made it clear he was handsome—sharp nose, perfectly shaped lips, and a strong jawline.

“Eris! There you are. Come here,” Erika called as soon as she saw me.

I quietly approached them. The man finally turned his head to face me, and I gasped at the sight of his perfect face. He was probably in his mid-forties. Even in a simple short-sleeve polo, he radiated presence.

“This is my friend, Hugo. Hugo, this is my daughter Eris,” Erika introduced me.

I raised my eyebrows as her smile widened while she looked at the man called Hugo.

“Nice to meet you, Eris,” he said, extending his hand toward me.

I just looked at it and then glanced at Erika. She seemed excited, though I wasn’t sure why.

“Nice to meet you too, Mister. I’ll be heading up. I have plans tonight,” I said, walking over to Erika and kissing her on the cheek. “He’s not your friend,” I added.

She just tapped me on the arm before I left them there.

I know her too well. Out of all the friends she’s ever introduced me to and brought home, this was the first time she brought a man to our house. She’s too carefree and easy to read, so I’m certain that man isn’t really her friend. Even if my suspicion is right, I’ll still support her. Especially if I can tell she’s happy.

My mom deserves to be happy too, after everything she went through when she was pregnant with me.

The bass was already shaking the walls as I slipped into the crowded club, but I knew I didn’t need the music to draw attention. Tonight, my outfit did that for me. A silk slip dress clung to my skin like it had been painted on—short enough to tease, low-backed enough to tempt. The straps kissed my shoulders, while a slit along one thigh gave each step a rhythm of its own. I paired it with strappy heels that added a few inches to my height.

“Eris! Nice to see you again. Lucky your mom let you out,” Gino teased as I sat on the high chair at the bar counter.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a kid anymore, Gino, and you know that. Give me the usual.”

He just laughed and began mixing the drink I always had here. I let my eyes wander. The club was packed, some people already on the dance floor. When I looked up, my gaze met a man across the room, whiskey glass in hand, watching me. I could see the lust and desire in his eyes, so I smirked back.

A few moments later, he made his way over and immediately sat next to me. The first thing I noticed was the tattoo peeking from the rolled-up sleeve of his polo. I guessed it covered his chest and wrapped around to his neck.

“Are you alone?” he asked in a full, deep voice.

I felt heat rise through me as I stared at him. His appeal was almost too much for me to handle. Handsome, tall, and by my guess, around my age.

I smiled when I noticed him sneaking glances at my legs spread out in front of him.

“Earlier, maybe… but not anymore,” I answered meaningfully.

He bit his lower lip. “Mind if I join you here?” he asked.

I nodded and took a sip of the drink Gino handed me.

His hand brushed against my leg, and I caught my breath at the sudden closeness.

“While I do this to you…?” he whispered to my ears as he suddenly slid his hand under my dress. In just one swept, his fingers slid into my womanhood. A soft gasp escaped my mouth.

Things escalated so fast that suddenly we were alone in his car, the space between us electric with anticipation while I moved on top of him feeling his big cock inside of me.

“Finally got the taste of the great Lilith Eris,” the man uttered in his hoarse voice between sucking my breast.

I can honestly say that was the best one-night stand I’ve ever had in my life. That stranger was… different. After starting things in his car that night, we ended up the next morning at a hotel near the bar.

And even now, I can’t stop thinking about who that man was.

“Shit. What if you get pregnant? Did you really forget to tell him to use protection since you’re still a student, or did you do it on purpose because he was just too good?” Megan scolded me as we headed home that afternoon after I told her what had happened.

I bit my lower lip. Before I could even process it all, I remembered at home that we hadn’t used protection—but I was confident I wouldn’t get pregnant since I was on the pill.

I shook my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Professor Griffin walking as if he was heading home.

“I’m not going to get pregnant,” I insisted.

Megan laughed. “How can you say that?”

“I’m on the pill, Megan. You know that. Focus on your stuff for now. See you later at Carlo’s place,” I said, waving goodbye.

There was a drinking session at Carlo’s, our blockmate, and everyone was invited because it was his birthday. I had heard they tried to invite Sir Griffin too, since they were close, but apparently, he didn’t respond.

So here I am, following him to try to invite him again. When I saw him walk into the library near the university, I immediately trailed behind him.

“You like this kind of thing, sir?” I teased when I saw him reading the blurb of a dark romance book, grinning to myself.

He looked surprised and immediately turned to face me. He put the book back on the shelf, which made me smile.

“I was just curious. What are you doing here? The dismissal was a while ago,” he said, avoiding my gaze and then marching toward the literature section.

I glanced at the dark romance book he had been holding earlier and couldn’t help but grin when I saw what it was about.

A book about student-professor affairs. Interesting, huh?

When I looked up at him again, he was already heading for the exit, so I hurried to catch up.

“Sir, can I ask you something? What’s your opinion about student-professor affairs?”

I saw him pause for a moment but he kept walking without even glancing at me. I matched his pace, wondering if he would answer or just ignore me.

“Is it really taboo for everyone? What if they truly love each other? What if they were in love before one of them even became a professor? Is it really necessary to sacrifice a relationship for the sake of a career?” I continued.

By now, we were outside the library building, walking across the university’s wide open field. There weren’t many students around since most stayed inside the main library building. Only a few came out here when they couldn’t find the book they were looking for.

“I’m not against how they love each other, but the law says otherwise.”

I was momentarily surprised by his sudden answer. I glanced at his expression to see if he was serious, and was even more surprised to find it completely neutral—not cold, not blank. Just neutral.

I smirked. “So, if it’s not against the law, you’d be willing to have an affair with one of your students?”

Sir Griffin’s brows creased as he looked at me. “Yes… if it’s not against—”

“But don’t you know how to break rules?” I interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

He was caught off guard. His lips parted slightly, and he looked at me again, making us both stop walking.

I bit my lower lip and smiled at him. The setting sun highlighted his features even more—I couldn’t deny how striking he looked.

“I heard Carlo and the other students invited you to their place. I’m going. Hope you come too. See you!” I said, waving goodbye, then turned and walked away.

If I can’t have your attention by force, then I’ll make you crave it, sir…

It was already evening when I arrived at Carlo’s condo. Megan was already there along with the others. I had half-expected to run into Sir Griffin, but he wasn’t there, which made me smirk to myself.

I flopped down next to Megan, who was holding a red cup filled with drink.

“You know, Sir Griffin’s only three years ahead of us,” Megan told me.

Before I could even respond, Carlo handed me another cup and sat down to my left.

“He’s just a substitute teacher, but the person he was filling in for isn’t coming back, so the university hired him. He just graduated abroad,” Carlo explained.

I nodded. No wonder he had that aura about him.

“Will he come?” I asked them.

Sam, who was playing billiards with the others, glanced at me and laughed.

“Is he your type? He won’t fall for you. Too much of a saint, Eris. And you—you might as well replace Satan for all your sins,” he joked, and the others burst out laughing too.

I didn’t take offense—they were right. I’ve bent a lot of rules. I’ve had my thrill in risky places, and I craved challenges. But I’ve never experienced something like this with a professor. That’s uncharted territory.

As I quietly sipped my drink, I felt Carlo brush my thigh occasionally. I shifted away when it got too close.

He chuckled nervously. “Come on, Eris. Just relax,” he whispered.

Megan was still beside me, absorbed in watching the billiards game in front of us, so she didn’t notice what was happening between Carlo and me.

I stayed still as Carlo got a little too close. I didn’t encourage it—he had a reputation I wasn’t interested in, and every time we hung out like this, he tried his luck with me.

“Stop it, Carlo. You know I don’t like you,” I said firmly, moving away from his unwanted advances.

“You don’t need to like me while I fuck you, Eris. Come on,” he insisted more and grabbed my legs. I let out a gasp when I felt the pain.

I tried to push him away, but he was too big and didn’t budge. I didn’t want to ruin the night—it was his birthday—and I certainly didn’t want to make a scene just because I said no.

“I don’t go for guys like you who have an STD. Stop it, or I’ll scream,” I whispered firmly.

He chuckled softly in my ear, still teasing.

“Try it. Let’s see who’ll believe you. You’re known to play games, Eris. Stop pretending to be innocent.”

“Sir Griffin!”

My ears shot up the moment I heard him. I lifted my head—and froze—when I met Sir Griffin’s dark, piercing gaze on Carlo. His expression left no room for doubt, and the intensity of his stare made me shiver.

“Shit. He’s here,” Megan hissed, glancing at me. When she realized what was happening, her eyes went wide and she slapped Carlo’s arm hard.

“Fucking pervert! How many times have you been rejected? Stop pushing! Get out of here!” Megan shouted, furious.

As expected, no one else intervened, though a few whispered and stared. Carlo just laughed nervously, raising both hands as if surrendering.

“Easy, Meg. I was just joking. Okay, I’ll leave now,” he said and quickly stood up.

Megan just flipped him off before turning back to me.

“You okay? Why didn’t you say anything? I was right beside you, Eris. That guy’s a total idiot.”

“Is this seat taken?”

We both turned to the voice. Before either of us could respond, Sir Griffin had already taken the seat beside me. I felt my heart slow and then skip a beat—especially since I was sure he had seen and heard what happened earlier.

“Ah! I’m just grabbing some drinks. What would you like, sir?” Megan asked as she stood up.

“Whatever you’re having,” Sir Griffin replied, glancing at me.

Megan went to the condo’s bar counter, leaving the two of us alone. I still didn’t know what to say after earlier, so I stayed silent. He shouldn’t have seen or heard that.

“Are you okay? Was that guy forcing you earlier?” His voice was serious, commanding, and I felt it press against me.

My throat went dry. I swallowed and looked away.

“I’m fine, sir…”

“Cut the ‘sir,’ Eris. We’re not at school. I’ll stay until you get home,” he said, his tone serious but slightly softening, making me even more speechless.

“Bro, Kael! Glad you made it!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two guys walk in, immediately greeted by Carlo and Sam. I almost ignored them, but then my gaze caught one of their faces.

My jaw dropped. I froze. It was the guy I had the one-night stand with!

I kept my eyes on him until he finally looked back at me. Just as it seemed he might recognize me, he smiled—but the moment he saw who was beside me, the smile quickly vanished.

“That’s Eris, bro. You heard about her?” I heard his companion say as they passed in front of us.

The guy they called Kael glanced at me again and smirked.

“Never heard of her. Introduce me later,” he said, deliberately letting me hear him.

I swallowed hard. The same flutter I had felt that night at the bar while with him tickled my stomach again—but it vanished as Megan returned, handing Griffin his drink.

“We thought you didn’t drink, sir,” Megan said, sitting across from me and flashing me a knowing grin.

I went even quieter, feeling their eyes on me.

“I drink occasionally. I break rules sometimes too,” he said, his tone meaningful, and I nearly choked on my own heartbeat.