Read Master Class: An Alpha Billionaire Romance (+ Bonus Book 'Silent Daughter 1') for Free Online Page B

level."
    "How so?" I want to know.
    "Well, um," she stutters, fixing her blouse with nervous motions. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. Lilia Esquin, Sociology."
    The others straighten in their seats and nod. Yes, time for pleasantries.
    "Robert Warwick, Sociology as well," the old guy says.
    Not surprisingly, the last of the bunch, Mindy, also outs herself as a lecturer in Sociology.
    "Portland," I introduce myself. "But you already seem to know that."
    The blonde lets out a girlish giggle and nods. "Well, it's not like your face and name is unknown to the world."
    I nod, but don't say anything to that. The distance between them and me is a little too big to hold a proper conversation, but instead of letting it go after our little round of introduction, they decide in unison to move over to my area and place themselves in the armchairs that gather around the small coffee table in front of me. They sit in a circle around me as if I had invited them to listen to my tale, when in reality that couldn't be further from the truth.
    "The thing is," Lilia Esquin continues, leaning forward to include me in their little gossip circle. "We were talking about a colleague in another department. I'm not going to say who, but-"
    "You already mentioned his name," I point out, looking at Professor Warwick. "Professor Miller, wasn't it?"
    He snorts. "It doesn't matter."
    "He's not working at the University anymore," Mindy interjects, as if I showed any sign of interest in finding out who this guy was.
    "They let him go, because he...," Lilia whispers, leaning in even closer, too close for comfort. "He slept with one of his students."
    Her eyes are wide, and she's nodding, inviting me to join her indignation.
    "Was it consensual?" I ask, unimpressed.
    Her face changes, giving way to a quizzical confusion. "What do you mean?"
    "Was it consensual?" I repeat. "Did the student want it - or did he rape her?"
    The three of them exchange looks as if they were silently asking each other what I was talking about.
    "I'm assuming it was a her?" I clarify, if only to mess with their heads a little more.
    "Yes, yes, of course," Lilia retorts. "But what do you mean, consensual? Why would that matter?"
    Now I'm the one who widens his eyes with shock.
    "It doesn't to you?" I ask. "It doesn't matter to you whether we're talking about rape or sex between consenting adults?"
    "It was a student !" Professor Warwick throws in. "It's just wrong . Period."
    I scan the little circle of tattletales, narrowing my eyes. It's unsettling how little these people are able to think outside their strictly rule-designed box.
    "It even says so in our contracts," Lilia adds, as if she wants to prove me right. "Intimate relationships with students are forbidden."
    Forbidden. I like that word.
    I lean back, completely unimpressed by their demeanor. "I don't have a contract that states anything like that."
    Professor Warwick clears his throat, while the women exchange a telling look. Neither of them even come close to being my type, but I'm not an idiot. Lilia is sitting closest to me, her skinny knees pointing in my direction and her eyes have that nervous flutter every time she looks at me. If she wasn't the sealed and withdrawn person I believe her to be, I'm sure I'd see the same infatuation on her face that I've seen in my classroom on so many faces a few days ago.
    "Still, it's just not done," Professor Warwick comments. "Contract or not, relations like that are nothing but trouble."
    He glares at me, wrinkling his nose and narrowing his eyes as if he's trying to warn me. That jealous bastard. His receding hairline, the wrinkles around his used up face and the giant beer belly don't speak of the dignified, strong man he could be, had he taken care of himself in the past few decades. Even if there was no such regulation in his contract, there's hardly a student who'd willingly share a bed with him. Except if they wanted to fuck for grades. I'm sure this happens a lot