One Night

Chapter 33

Edwin & Audrey

Edwin’s POV

The murmurs had grown into a crescendo, causing me to clear my throat annoyedly.

“Alright, everybody,” I said, rapping my knuckles on the podium. “I know it’s Friday, but you still have to do your work.”

The class fell silent again, students shifting uncomfortably in their seats and shooting me reproachful looks. I didn’t care much about them, if I was being honest; it was Friday afternoon, and I was counting down the minutes until class was over myself. In fact, I had just given them a worksheet to do since I didn’t even feel like teaching today.

But it was Audrey who really caught my attention. She was supposed to be assisting me today, and she was obviously staring at her phone beneath her desk at the back of the room. Every so often, she would smile or giggle softly to herself, her thumbs moving fast across the screen.

Who was she talking to? And why in the middle of my class?

When the clock finally struck three and class was over, I caught her on the way out.

“Audrey,” I said, waving her over to my desk. “Come here.”

Her face turned a slight shade of pink, but she complied. Stopping in front of me, she asked, “Yes, Professor Brooks?”

I had to resist the urge to cringe at that name; just another reminder that what we had done together on New Year’s Eve was completely, totally inappropriate–no matter how satisfying it was to be with her.

“You were texting all through class,” I said, nodding toward the phone clutched in her hand. “Care to elaborate why you were so distracted when you were supposed to be on duty as my teaching assistant?”

The poor girl’s face turned beet red. She quickly shoved her phone into her jacket pocket with a trembling hand. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed out in a rush. “It’s just…”

I frowned and folded my arms across my chest. “What is it? What could be more important than your duties?”

Audrey floundered for a moment before replying. “There’s a party this weekend.”

“A party?”

She nodded, fiddling nervously with the strap of her bag. “Yes. But I swear I wouldn’t normally let such things get in the way of my studies; it’s just that, well… Everyone is going to be there, and my team needs one more person. I’m hoping to make some connections there.”

I opened my mouth to scold her again, but the words died on my tongue. Despite my wolf’s incessant teasing in the back of my mind, I couldn’t be mad at her. Her reasoning was sound, but that wasn’t the only thing; I could see the dark circles under her eyes. She was tired, although she didn’t want to admit it.

Goddess, I was young once, too. A long time ago, maybe, but… still. I remembered what it felt like to be so exhausted and burnt out from studying that I just lived for those weekend parties.

“Anyway, I’m so sorry,” she continued. “It won’t happen again, Professor-”

“Tell you what.” I stood, grabbing my jacket off the back of my chair. “Come to my office later, and we’ll get the grading done together. If you do that, I won’t give you a penalty for texting all through class–and I’ll give you Monday off.”

Audrey’s blue eyes widened, her full lips parting. I had to turn my head so I didn’t stare at them for too long. “Really?” she asked.

Chapter 33

I nodded. “Just be there at eight.”

Audrey’s POV

The halls were dark and quiet by the time I made my way to Edwin’s office, all of the students and faculty already having left for the weekend. 1, too, wanted to leave for the weekend–but for the sake of having the chance to attend the party and find a new teammate, I would happily grade papers with Edwin until all hours of the night.

I didn’t need to knock when I approached. Seeing that the door was already cracked, I pushed it open to find Edwin sitting hunched over at his desk with a pen in his hand. He didn’t even look up when I entered.

“Sit.”

“Yes, sir.” I grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up to his desk, peering at what he was doing. Wordlessly, he shoved a stack of papers toward me, silently ordering me to get to work.

And with a soft sigh, I did just that.

Over the next hour, we silently sifted through piles upon piles of work that needed to be graded–essays, exams, homework. My eyes soon grew bleary, my foot bobbing anxiously beneath my chair. The pile didn’t even seem much smaller, and we had been grading nonstop for what felt like forever.

Suddenly, however, there was a knock on the door. I jumped a bit, nearly dropping my pen. Edwin rose and crossed to the door without a word, opening it to reveal a teenager in a pizza delivery uniform.

“Delivery for Brooks?”

“That’s me. Keep the change. And here’s your tip.”

Edwin took a box of pizza from the kid and shut the door, turning to face me. It was only then that I saw the slight smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth–likely from the way I instinctively licked my lips as soon as I smelled the greasy pizza.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“Oh, uh…” I watched as he set the pizza down, then began rifling through one of his desk drawers. “Sure. I could eat.” My eyes widened infinitesimally, however, as he then pulled a bottle of whiskey and a small crystal glass out of his desk. He uncapped the bottle of whiskey and poured a bit into the glass, swirling it momentarily before taking a sip. So the icy Professor Brooks kept liquor in his office… Interesting.

When he met my gaze over the rim of his glass, he let out a sigh.

“Yes,” he said. “I drink in my office sometimes. But only after hours.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “Well, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a bit inappropriate.”

At that, Edwin let out a scoff and shook his head. I watched, transfixed, as he fished another glass out of his desk, filled

it with the amber liquid, and handed it to me. “Will this keep you from tattling on me, Miss Thatcher?”

My eyes flickered first to the glass, then up at Edwin. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate for a professor to be drinking in his office, but… it was even more inappropriate for a student to drink with him.

I pursed my lips. “If someone saw-”

“No one is going to see.”

7:40 PM

Chapter 33

He was right; the school was empty, everyone having already left for the weekend. With a sigh, I accepted the drink and took a sip. The liquor burned on the way down, warming my belly from the inside.

With that, Edwin took his seat again, opening the pizza box between us. He gestured to it, and I took a slice; for a while, the two of us ate and drank in silence. Before I knew it, the liquor was making my head just a little bit fuzzy, and the pizza was making me feel lazy. Edwin, too, seemed to have the same effect–because he leaned back in his chair, sighed, and refilled both of our glasses.

“Have you ever played two truths and a lie?” I found myself asking, the whiskey momentarily getting the better of me. Edwin shot me a curious look. “Have I ever played two truths and a lie? How old do you think I am?” he chided.

My face flushed red. Edwin gestured for me to continue, and I did.

“I’ll go first, then,” I said.

He shrugged. “Just one round, and then we have to finish grading.”

“Very well. Let’s see…” I paused, tapping my chin, before my two truths and a lie came to mind. “I started sewing when I was ten. I hate the taste of chocolate. And…”

Another pause, a sip of whiskey, and an evil smirk.

“And I was a virgin when we met.”