ONE.THE COLD PROFESSOR

“Psst... Shanon.”

Shanon looked back and frowned when she heard Sarah's voice calling her name. She shook her head, her lips mumbling to keep Sarah quiet, and turned back to the blackboard to listen to her professor’s lecture.

“Psst... Shanon. Look behind you.”

A paper landed on her table. Shanon took the paper and looked back with an annoyed frown on her face. Sarah grinned at her and gestured for her to unfold the paper.

“Stop bothering me. I have to listen to Mr. Bruce's lessons.”

Shanon snorted when she saw her friend suddenly straighten her back and pretend to take notes from their professor. Shanon suddenly felt an odd silence around her. All the students suddenly looked at her, and she no longer heard Mr. Bruce explaining the material in front of the class.

“Ms. Wilson?”

Shanon's heart was pounding very hard when she heard a groaning sound near her table. She turned her body slowly and her eyes immediately collided with the ocean blue eyes of Anthony Bruce, her professor who was known to be cold, but extraordinarily handsome.

“You know that I don't like it when my students don't pay attention to my lessons. What are you talking about with your friend?"

Anthony's gaze fell on a tattered piece of paper in Shanon's hand. His hand moved quickly to snatch the crumpled paper before Shanon realized it, and he opened it.

Shanon's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know what was inside the paper. But because the paper came from Sarah, she was sure it contained something bad. And her suspicions seemed to be correct. Anthony's expression turned darker and colder.

“You're discussing your feelings with your friend?”

Shanon's breath hitched when Anthony showed the paper right in front of her face. She saw a picture of a very big heart with the words; I Love You, My Sexy Professor. Anthony, will you fuck me tonight?

Shanon's whole world seemed to collapse at that moment. She couldn't bear to look at her professor's face. She lowered her head deeply, looking at the floor to avoid the judgmental gazes of her friends. Shanon counted one to three silently before hearing the punishment she would receive from her professor.

“Meet me in my office after class. And to all the students in this class, I will give you straight F in my course if this disgusting thing happens again. You understand?"

"Yes, sir," all the students answered simultaneously.

Shanon closed her eyes while biting her lip nervously. She was haunted by an F and the various sadistic punishments Anthony Bruce might give her after class. She firmly believed that she could not escape Anthony's punishment. Anthony was a handsome and smart professor, but he was very disciplined and did not tolerate mistakes. All the students on campus only dared to admire Anthony secretly.

Shanon had heard stories from several of her seniors who tried to tease Anthony in his room. These students were finally expelled from campus and would never be accepted at another university in the town, unless they moved abroad.

For the rest of the class, Shanon couldn't concentrate on listening to Anthony's explanation. She imagined that her scholarship would be revoked, and she would be severely scolded by her stepmother for making her have to pay expensive tuition fees. Shanon cursed Sarah for her nosiness, which caused her to have problems with the sexy, but cruel professor.

“Shanon. Hey, I'm sorry."

After the class was over, Sarah approached Shanon and hugged her shoulder.

“I didn't know if that sexy professor would catch us. I'm sure he was explaining the material in front of the class when I threw the paper at you. He really shows his reputation as a strict lecturer to his students."

“You're getting me in trouble,” Shanon replied coldly.

“I've never had anything bad to do with the lecturers in the two years I've studied here.”

 She put her books into her bag. She sighed softly at the thought of having to go to Anthony's room to hear the punishment that would be handed down to her.

"Are you mad at me?"

“You think? I'm going to get punished, Sarah! I freaked out. I've heard some rumors about him.”

“But those are just rumors. You can explain to him if you weren't the one who wrote on the paper.”

“You wrote something disgusting. I'm not sure my explanation will prevent him from giving me punishment.”

"I'll take you to his room. Actually, I don't mind if I have to replace you to face him in his room. Oh my gosh, you're going to be alone with that handsome professor in his office, Shanon! Imagine what you could do there, without onlookers disturbing your intimacy," Sarah cupped her face with her palms and started imagining dirty things in her head.

“You crazy girl.”

Shanon pushed Sarah's shoulder away and walked away from the classroom. Some of her friends wore worried expressions, while others looked indifferent. Shanon wasn't surprised that they didn't sympathize with her. She was not a popular student on campus. She was just an ordinary student who happened to get a scholarship, and she was not a rich girl. She was just an orphan who lived with her older sister and stepmother after her father died several years ago.

“Shanon, wait for me.”

“Can you shut up? I'm dizzy and nervous, but you just chatter around me about Mr. Bruce. What if he revokes my scholarship?”

“Calm down. I'm sure he won't be that cruel to you."

“One of our seniors was expelled from campus when she caused trouble with Mr. Bruce. Do you think he will be kind to me this time?”

Sarah grimaced softly. “Yeah, he's kind of mean. Dammit. Why are handsome guys always cold and scary? But I wonder, would Anthony be that scary in bed too?”

“Sarah, you have horrible thoughts,” Shanon snorted in annoyance.

“Hey, don't blame me. He shouldn't be a professor and teach on campus if he has features like the hot guys in playboy magazine. Gosh, I want to bite his hard bicep. Every time he wrote on the blackboard, his shirt sleeves seemed unable to accommodate his oversized biceps. And one of the students once saw him topless in the swimming pool. She took a photo and spread it in the chat group.”

“What chat group?”

Sarah looked right and left, as if the people around her cared about her and would eavesdrop on their conversation. She then pulled Shanon to a secluded corner in the campus hallway and took out her cell phone.

“Ssshh... This is a secret. We have a chat group about our wild fantasies.”

“Fantasies About Mr. Bruce?”

Shanon looked at Sarah in amazement when Sarah showed her the terrifying contents of her group chat. There were several photos of Anthony from various angles when Anthony was teaching in class or when Anthony was walking in the campus hallway. Most of the group members commented on the photos with lewd things and emoticons that made Shanon chuckle in disgust.

“Do you want to join the group too? I will tell the admin of this group to add you.”

“No, thanks. I'm not interested,” Shanon took Sarah's cell phone away from her and walked away to Anthony's room.

“Tsk, you're weird. You're the only student here who isn't attracted to Anthony's good looks. Are you a lesbian?” Sarah tried to catch up with Shanon's very fast steps.

"Shut up. I still like handsome guys, okay. But that professor is not my type. Go to the cafeteria. I'll meet you there after I'm done with Mr. Bruce.”

“Are you sure you don't need company? I'll tell Mr. Bruce if you weren't the one who wrote on that paper.”

“It's okay. I will face it myself. You don't need to worry about me.”

Sarah hugged Shanon and encouraged her before she headed to the cafeteria.

Shanon sighed softly in front of Anthony's tightly closed room. She had even been intimidated just by reading his name plastered on the front of his office door. Professor Anthony A. Bruce. Shanon knocked three times with her heart pounding loudly in her chest cavity. Anthony's cold voice floated inside, allowing Shanon to enter his room. The door began to open slowly as Shanon pushed it. And the appearance of Anthony behind the door almost made her heart jump out of her chest cavity.

“You're suspended. You don't fucking deserve to be here.”