“You must have done something special to become a professor at the age of twenty eight,” I say. “It would be a pity to lose everything because you propositioned a student.”
I expect his eyes to flash or his grip to tighten, but the look on his features almost looks like relief before it morphs back into outrage.
“Explain,” he hisses through clenched teeth.
“You’re not canceling our date on Saturday,” I say, my voice trembling. “I want a fancy dinner and a tour of your play room, and then a fuck.”
“And?”
His grip neither tightens nor loosens. I can’t tell if that’s because he’s agreeing to my demands or if he wants to give me enough rope to justify my imminent murder.
I gulp. “And you’ll make yourself available to me whenever I want for sexual favors.”
His nostrils flare, and a muscle in his jaw flexes. “You’re insane.”
What’s insane is that he hasn’t choked me to death. I decide to take that as a positive sign.
Professor Segul raises his brows in a silent question. I interpret that he’s asking if I have any further demands.
Shit. I’m on a roll now.
I may as well blackmail him for everything.
“I want money.”
His eyes narrow. “How much?”
“I need to pay my tuition, rent, and expenses,” I blurt.
For the first time since pinning me to his desk, he averts his gaze, releases his grip on my neck, and steps aside.
The lack of eye contact feels like a rejection.
“How much?” His voice is cold.
“What?” I ask.
“Your expenses.”
The words are the shot of courage I need to push forward. In a roundabout way, Professor Segul just agreed to pay my rent and tuition fees. Now he wants me to demand my spending money.
Dad gave me two hundred a month, which covered food, stationery, and very little else. I had to beg for extras for books and he always demanded receipts.
“Two thousand a month should be acceptable,” I say, my voice breezy, even though I’m quaking on the inside and expecting him to laugh in my face.
He stares down at me, his eyes hard.
“Do we have a deal?” I ask.
Professor Segul doesn’t reply. He’s not choking me or pinning me to the table, so I take that non answer as a yes.
“See you on Saturday for dinner then.” I pat his chest over the tailored suit. “And we’ll discuss the finer points of our arrangement.”
I walk around him, my veins thrumming with triumph. I have never felt so powerful.
ChapterSix
MARIUS