Secrets and Seduction: A Dark Boarding School Romance (Preston Academy Book 1)

After lunch, I had a date with my obnoxious tutor. He was nice to look at, yes, but his shitty character ruined his beauty.

I knocked twice. Stupidly, I had gotten lost twice before I found this room, so I was pretty late.

Without waiting for an answer, I opened the door and walked in. It smelled of fine whiskey and cigarette smoke. I inhaled, missing the taste of burned tobacco on my tongue.

Mr. Preston looked up from his stack of papers in annoyance, surveyed me for a few moments, and looked back down.

“Do you want me to sit down?” I asked as I looked around the small office.

Apparently, he didn’t care for order, because his stuff was all over the place. Bookshelves covered three entire walls. They were so packed that I was afraid they might collapse at any moment. But what amazed me most was the piano in the corner. Dust had already collected on the dark polish, a sad reflection of the fact that no one here valued music.

“Do what you want, as long as you keep your mouth shut,” he said, without giving me a second look.

“But I thought you were tutoring me.” He snorted.

“Do you think I’m wasting my time giving you private lessons?”

I didn’t answer his question and was about to turn and leave when he started talking again.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“You said you wouldn’t tutor me. I assumed that would mean I was dismissed.”

“You assumed wrong. Sit down and do your homework or whatever.”

Disappointed, I trudged to his desk and sat down across from him.

“I don’t have homework,” I retorted. What was the purpose of this meeting? Obviously, he had no interest in teaching me anything and I had even less interest in spending my free time with him.

He exhaled slowly. It was almost as if even my mere presence irritated him. Then he dug out a white string from one of his drawers—headphones, I realized.

What was this all about?

“Just listen to music.” I plugged them into my tablet and put them on, my eyes fixed on his face the entire time.

Finally, he broke our eye contact, so I leaned back in the leather armchair, chose my favorite song and looked at the ceiling, tracing the painting in my mind.

The loud music made me forget my surroundings. I remembered a time when I could play this song even in my sleep, when my fingers had not betrayed me.

As if in mockery, my index finger twitched, and I hated myself for indulging in old memories. They brought me nothing but heartache and sorrow.

A strange warmth spread across my chest, snaking along my neck and arms. I knew my professor was watching me, felt his eyes on my skin, and let him have his way.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, whether I had dozed off or the music had just clouded my mind, but suddenly Mr. Preston was towering over me. I narrowed my eyes and took one headphone out of my ear.

“Class is over. Go back to your room,” he said dryly.

I rose, straightened my skirt, and picked up my satchel. But before I turned to leave, I looked into his bright blue eyes one last time. That color could defy any beach in the world, I had to admit to myself.

“Thank you for your help. My horizons had been widened. I can’t wait for our next meeting, professor.”

With those words, I walked away.

Confused, I awoke from a dreamless sleep, not sure how much time had passed. When I had briefly lain down after my tutoring session, it had still been light outside. From the window, I could guess that the moon was now at its zenith.

Judging by Leila’s snoring, she was sleeping soundly. With half-open eyes, I pulled out my tablet and looked at the time—just after midnight. Despite the exhaustion of the last few days, I felt wide awake. Sleep was out of the question, so I made a very stupid decision and sneaked out.

The door squeaked, making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I was almost afraid I had woken my roommate up, but when my ear hit the cold wood, I heard nothing.

For just such cases, I had told her that I sometimes sleepwalked and shouldn’t be woken up. Better safe than sorry.

The hallways seemed even creepier at this hour. The cold draft made me freeze, and I cursed myself for not having put on something thicker.

Only my footsteps broke the silence. Sporadically lit candles showed me the way deeper and deeper into the heart of the academy. My fingertips ran along the old tapestry, traced the rough surface of the stone pillars. It was peaceful; I could have spent the entire night like this.

I was admiring a portrait of a lovely young woman when suddenly I heard something from the distance—footsteps, almost silent but fast. Fuck. Clearly, I would not have a night to myself.

With my heart pounding wildly, I crept in the opposite direction, trying to move in the shadows the candles had cast.

The feeling of being prey did not subside, no matter how far I moved away from the source of the noise. It was almost as if this strange aura alarmed all my human instincts. I turned left and there….

A narrow wooden door with iron ornaments appeared before my eyes. I didn’t have time to think but let myself be driven by the fear of being caught and disappeared into the pitch black closet.

The adrenaline had taken my breath away. I rested against the stone wall, counting back in my mind from a hundred. At some point, the person would disappear, I thought.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, but before I could sneak away, someone pushed the door handle down and I froze.

“What are you doing here so late at night?” a deep, raspy voice sounded. I recognized the intruder immediately—Mr. Preston.

“I couldn’t sleep.” He lifted a candle before his face so that the flame illuminated the tiny space.

My professor raised an eyebrow and examined me from top to bottom. Something upset him. I could tell by the way his expression changed.

He took a step closer, letting the door fall into the hinge behind him. A certain danger radiated from him, something that I did not understand, perhaps could never understand. His hair was wild, and he had swapped his professorial attire for something more casual. I inhaled deeply, the air heavy with his unique scent.

“What are you doing here on campus so late at night?” I asked to ease the tension in the room.

He snorted, looking utterly arrogant with that expression on his face. “Where do you think the faculty sleep? We live here too, a little off your wings. Besides, I’m free to move around as I please.”

I tried to walk past him, but he blocked my way out, towering over me. “A warning, or rather an order—never wander around at night again.” Mr. Preston took a step closer so that our chest almost touched.

A sort of electricity radiated from his body, and I didn’t know if I liked it or if it scared me.

“What’s going to happen? I’m unlikely to run into any lost souls.” He said nothing in response to my attempt to lighten up the situation.

“Go back to sleep,” my professor ordered tightly and stepped to the side, but before I could finally leave the closet, he took me by my upper arm. His grip was firm around my skin, and yet there was something gentle about his touch. It was almost as if he had to strain not to hurt me, as if that was all he was capable of and yet didn’t want to.

He leaned down, lips almost touching my ear. It felt wrong to be alone with him in such a confined space. And yet there was this thrill of the forbidden that held me back. “Directly.” I fixed my gaze on his much too close face and nodded.

His eyes had lost the hardness, the hatred that seemed to torment him. Instead, only his shell stared back at me, and I could have sworn that there was a spark of fire deep inside of him before it died out.

“Are you going to rat me out to the principal” I asked, almost whispering out of fear somebody could find us here and draw the wrong conclusions.

He thought for a moment, weighing an answer.

“My aunt doesn’t need to know about our late-night encounter.” I exhaled in relief, unable to suppress a smirk. “Thank you, professor.”

With one last glance, I left him and returned to my room. The draft didn’t feel all that cold anymore.

Endless minutes of walking later, I could finally lie down in bed. Leilah still slept like a log, had not even remotely realized what had happened tonight.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, the display of my tablet brightened. Who would text me, of all people? Especially at this hour?

For a moment, I debated just deleting the message unread—maybe it was just a disgusting dick pic. Sighing, I rolled my eyes.

My curiosity got the better of me, so I half straightened up and read the message.

UNKNOWN:

-attachments-

Here’s some homework to help you fall asleep next time.

I pressed my lips together and looked through the files. Dozens of assignments spread out before my eyes, and I cursed myself for ever having set foot outside this room.

AVERY JAMES:

Who is this?

I knew this answer would piss him off. From today on, that would become my favorite pastime—getting on his nerves.

UNKNOWN:

I want you to finish the first 10 pages by the time we meet.

Asshole. I had barely had time to grab a snack before meeting him in his office yesterday.

In resignation, I sighed and put the tablet back in its place. One year, one year, one year.

I fell asleep thinking about freedom.