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  She lifted her face. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll call it a night.” Thank God they’d arrived in separate cars. The last thing she needed was to sit in awkward silence with Doug on the way back to her condo.

  “Okay, hon. You sure you’re all right?”

  “Yeah. Call me tomorrow?”

  “Of course.” Doug squeezed her closer and planted a kiss on the top of her head. He turned toward the hall, still holding her hand. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  “Thanks, Doug.” She squeezed his hand, silently thanking God Doug was so nice and easygoing. She felt like a bitch for leaving him like this and practically lying about it at the same time.

  At the entrance, Doug kissed her softly on the lips and held her face tipped back to stare into her eyes. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She smiled and headed out the door.

  The man who worked at the entrance nodded. Frank. He introduced himself when she arrived. “You need help getting to your car?”

  “Nope. It’s close. You’ll be able to see me from here.” She could spot her dark red Honda Accord in the second row of the parking lot.

  She turned to step in that direction when she noticed movement out of her peripheral vision. Her automatic response was to glance that way. She was a smart girl. It wasn’t prudent to ignore her surroundings in a dark parking lot late at night.

  Her breath caught for the second time. Dr. Bascott. She couldn’t see his face in the shadows, but she would know his stance anywhere. And now that she’d turned to face him, she had no choice but to acknowledge their acquaintance. She cleared her throat and took several steps toward him, her head held high.

  Before she could say a word, he beat her. “Aren’t you kinda young for this sort of thing, Ms. Duluth?”

  Sabrina gasped. “Pardon?”

  His voice was gruff, accusatory. “Which word didn’t you understand?”

  Jesus. The nerve. Was there any reason for him to be such an ass? They were both adults. So they’d run into each other at a local club. That wasn’t a crime. No need to be an ass about it. It wasn’t her fault he’d fucked her in a pizza restaurant bathroom. If he regretted it, that was on him.

  She was on the defensive immediately, however. There was no way to avoid it. She wasn’t a woman used to being stepped on. Sure, she dabbled in BDSM. She had for several years. But she was smart enough to know the power was all hers. If she chose to give herself over to a Dom for an evening of fun, it was her decision.

  “How old do you think I am?”

  Dr. Bascott chuckled. “Too young for a fetish club.”

  “Is that so? Isn’t the age requirement eighteen?”

  “Yep. But that’s way too young in my opinion. No one that age knows themselves well enough to practice submission, or dominance for that matter.”

  “Huh.” She set her hands on her hips and glared at him. She was close enough now to make out the edges of his face, but she couldn’t read his expression. He stood in the shadow of the building. She was aware the reverse wasn’t true. He could see her fine. The outside light hit her in the face, making her squint. “I guess as long as I’m eighteen, I should be able to make my own choices with regard to where I hang out and with whom.”

  “With whom?” He chuckled again. “I never saw you fraternize with anyone in class. You don’t sound like a college student. Even an English major has worse grammar at your age.”

  She cocked her hip to one side, fighting the urge to slap him. She lowered her voice, glancing around to make sure no one could hear her. Frank wasn’t paying any attention. “I wasn’t too young for you to fuck in a public bathroom. But now I’m too young to frequent a club you happen to attend?” She didn’t hesitate before she continued. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m twenty-six, and I’m pretty sure I’m capable of making up my own mind about how I spend my evenings.”

  “Twenty-six?” He righted himself, pushing off from the wall and stepping into the light. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

  What did that mean? “Listen, obviously it pisses you off to no end that I would dare to appear at the same club as you. Don’t worry. I won’t return. I don’t know why you need to be such an asshole about it. It’s hardly my fault you were here tonight.”

  “Good. As long as we agree on one thing.”

  “Seriously? That’s all you have to say? You’re an ass.”

  He flinched, his eyes going wide. “You shouldn’t cuss. It’s unbecoming.”

  “Fuck you. You spend the entire semester being a complete dick to me, without speaking more than a few words, you fuck me in a restaurant, and then you run into me at a club and wig out like you own the planet and my presence anywhere near your vicinity is appalling. I do live in this city. I can assure you I’ll probably run into you from time to time. It happens. I eat at restaurants, drink coffee, grocery shop. It’s life.”

  Dr. Bascott stepped closer. “I wasn’t an ass to you all semester.” He winced. He had been, and he knew it.

  She hesitated and then rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Even the other students wondered why you acted like I had the plague.”

  He winced again, but didn’t comment on her observation. Instead, he changed the subject. “Who was that Dom you were with? He’s too old for you.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? You have some nerve. Why do you care who the hell I sub for? Or fuck for that matter? You don’t even like me.” Her voice rose, and she fought to control her emotions. She could feel her cheeks heat with fury. He might be a sexy god, but that didn’t mean she liked who he was on the inside. “Like I said, it’s none of your fucking business. I’ll choose my Doms, thank you. Although I’ll be lucky if Doug ever calls me again after the way you disrupted my scene.”

  Dr. Bascott chuckled. “Me? I didn’t do shit. If you got distracted, that’s on you.”

  She gasped. He was right. Still an ass. But right.

  “What are you, jealous?” The words slipped out unbidden before she could filter her response. He acted like a jealous teenager, though.

  He shook his head and took another step toward her. Only a few feet separated them now. “I don’t date students. And why would I care who you fuck?”

  The way he said fuck was so harsh, she stepped back. “You shouldn’t.” She turned away from him and took two steps toward her car, hoping her legs would carry her that far before she lost her ability to command her muscles to move. She twisted to look back over her shoulder as she walked away. “I’m not a student anymore, big guy. I was only taking that one class.” She bit her lip as she strode away, head held high, wondering why the hell she bothered to tell him that.

  She was surprised he hadn’t known before he thrust his cock into her. He could get fired for fraternizing with a student. Just thinking about what they’d done that day made her pussy cream all over again.

  As if it hadn’t been wet and waiting to do it again for two months.

  •●•

  Conner watched Sabrina’s sexy backside as she strode toward her car without looking back. God, she was hot. Smokin’ hot. Her ass swayed as she walked, and he wondered if it was intentional. She tossed her hair over her shoulders. And she was not eighteen, but twenty-six. Still too young for the likes of him, but not a teenager. And not a student.

  “Fuck,” he muttered.

  He watched her get into her car and drive away before he turned around and headed back inside. He’d intended to leave. But whoever Doug was, he decided he needed to have words with the man.

  Sabrina Duluth was under his skin. He never wanted to see her again, but he sure didn’t want her coming to Extreme. This was his territory. She and her Dom could go elsewhere.

  Nope, he wasn’t fond of that idea either. He didn’t want to think about her with the man she’d been with this evening. Notably she hadn’t left with Doug, but after the weird confrontatio
n Conner had with her, she’d probably been unnerved by the Dom and called the evening off early.

  Good.

  Oh, yeah. He was a world-class asshole. He didn’t want her for himself. And the Dom she was with needed to lay off also. Both of them were too old for her anyway.

  Keep telling yourself that, Conner.

  It didn’t take long to find Doug sitting at the bar with a soda in his hand. After all, his date had fled the building.

  Conner sidled up next to the guy, his gaze roaming up and down the man’s body. He was tall. Not as tall as Conner’s six four, but almost. In either case, they both towered over Sabrina’s tiny frame. She was at least a foot shorter than Conner. Maybe five two. Doug wasn’t nearly as built as Conner, but few men who didn’t fight MMA on the side were.

  “Sorry, man,” Conner said as he took the stool next to Doug.

  Doug furrowed his brow. “For what?”

  Suddenly it occurred to Conner that perhaps Sabrina hadn’t mentioned to her date why she was leaving. “I saw your date leave. I might have had something to do with that.”

  “What?” Doug twisted his body to face Conner.

  “She saw me watching your scene. I know her. I think she was stunned.” That sounded polite enough.

  “Ah.” Doug took a drink of his soda. “I wondered what her deal was. One second she was all in, and the next she was…well, all out.” He smiled. “Has she subbed for you before?”

  “Oh. Hell no. Nothing like that. I’m way too old for her.”

  Doug flinched. “You can’t be older than me.”

  Conner swallowed hard. Doug was right. He was probably older. Open mouth. Insert foot. “Maybe, but I don’t Dom for women that young.”

  “She’s twenty-six. I know she looks much younger, but trust me, I asked for her driver’s license the first night we met.” Doug laughed. “I didn’t believe it myself.”

  Conner forced a smile. He hadn’t actually been sure what to believe when Sabrina announced the same thing outside.

  “So, how do you know her?”

  “She took a class at the university last semester. I was the professor.”

  “Ah, she mentioned that class. Said the teacher was a dick.” Doug didn’t drop Conner’s gaze. The man had some balls.

  Conner didn’t doubt Sabrina said that about him, considering what she insinuated outside, but it smarted.

  “Yeah, well…” What, dude?

  “You want her.” Doug grinned. He didn’t phrase the statement as a question.

  “Of course not.”

  “You do. And you’re fucking jealous she was here with me.”

  Doug was astute. Conner couldn’t really dispute this claim. It was spot on. “Maybe. Look, I’d appreciate it if you’d back off.”

  “From Sabrina? Fuck no. That woman is sexy and funny, and she makes my cock hard every time I’m near her. If you hadn’t shown up and fucked up my scene, I would have finally had her in my bed tonight.” Doug stood, leaving his can on the counter. “Not a goddamn chance in hell I’m giving her up without a fight.” He glanced up and down Conner’s body. “You may outweigh me by several pounds, but I can take you in other areas, especially since she thinks you’re an ass.”

  Doug had a point. Again.

  Conner didn’t know why he was posturing with this guy. He hadn’t come over here to play cave man. But something had changed. And he was no longer quite so certain Sabrina wasn’t someone he wanted to get to know better.

  It pleased him immensely to find out she’d never slept with Doug.

  Doug turned around and walked away. In a few seconds, he headed for the door, never glancing back at Conner.

  Doug had one thing on Conner. That was for sure. He had Sabrina’s phone number and address. Conner had neither. “Fuck me.”

  As if he didn’t have enough on his mind, the second Doug left, someone else took his place at the bar, her hand sliding down Conner’s back with a precision that told Conner exactly who he would face when he twisted toward the stool next to him.

  Sure enough, there she was. In the flesh.

  “Hello, Conner.” Her syrupy sweet voice grated on his nerves with those two words. When he didn’t respond to her, she stuck out her bottom lip and put on her pouty face. “What? No smile? No hey, Missy, how are ya?” She flipped her fake blonde hair over her shoulder and batted her blue eyes.

  What the hell he’d ever seen in her, he didn’t know, but she was officially on his last nerve. “Not in the mood, Missy. Got a lot on my mind.”

  Missy leaned into him, pressing her enormous fake tits against his forearm. She ran her hand up his bicep and gave him more of her syrupy voice. “Bet I can help you forget your troubles.”

  Her touch did nothing for him. He wondered how it ever had. Instead of making him desire her, her fingers on his arm made him wince. He’d gotten a bigger hard-on for the feisty woman in the parking lot who did nothing but throw obscenities at him than Missy. Of course, Sabrina’s cute little frame was more his type anyway. But when she cocked her hip to one side and took him to task… “Not tonight, Missy.” Not ever.

  Conner hadn’t done a scene with Missy in months. And he never intended to again. The woman had ulterior motives. He was sure of it. She didn’t just want his hands on her body, she wanted her hands in his wallet. And contrary to what she believed, his wallet wasn’t that exciting.

  Missy knew he was a fighter on the side. She’d made it clear she found that sexy. The trouble was she didn’t believe he was strictly amateur. No matter how many times he explained that he made no money fighting and never intended to, she didn’t buy that truth. She’d giggle. “Nobody fights like you do for no money.”

  Trouble with her theory was she was wrong.

  Conner fought. He had for over half his life. He did it for the exercise, the exhilaration, the thrill of the win. He’d turned down many attempts to get him to go pro over the years because he valued his brain and his professional work over having his head beat in week after week until he became a vegetable.

  Not that amateur fighting was significantly safer, but it was an improvement. And he only fought in competition every few weeks. Giving up his academic life as a professor to tour the world getting pummeled had never been an option.

  He’d also received numerous offers over the years to fight with the underground. He had absolutely no interest in that. But no matter how many times he explained that to the local Russian mob king, Anton Yenin, the man continued to hound him.

  Missy pouted again. “Ah, honey…” She danced her fingers up and down his arm.

  It was all he could do to keep from jerking away from her. There was no need to hurt her feelings. Just because he didn’t care for her style didn’t mean he needed to cause a scene. Although, he wondered why he bothered. How was it he could go head to head with Sabrina in the parking lot and not with Missy in the club?

  Because Missy doesn’t mean shit to you. She isn’t worth the effort.

  “Bet I can take your mind off whatever’s bothering you.” She moved her hand from his bicep to his thigh and squeezed, letting her fingers inch closer to his cock.

  Conner stiffened. He really didn’t want her hands on him. The only hands he wanted on him were Sabrina’s, and that wasn’t going to happen, but it didn’t change where his mind was. He set his hand over Missy’s and lifted it off his leg. He needed to make himself clearer. Grasping her fingers a little bit too tight, he looked her in the eye. “Missy, it isn’t happening between us. We did a few scenes. It was fun. I’m not interested.”

  She gasped as though he’d slapped her.

  “Sorry, but I need you to understand how I feel.” She sure wasn’t taking any hints.

  “You’ll regret this, Conner Bascott.” She jerked her hand from his and jumped down from the stool to turn on her heels and stomp away.

  Good. He was exhausted. The last thing he needed was a fight with another woman.

  Conner glanced around. He was too p
issed to stay at the club. Rafe and Mason were not there yet. Even though they had planned to hang out, Conner decided he was in no frame of mind to be good company. He nodded at the bartender, stepped off the stool, and headed for the door.

  The sooner he got home and climbed into bed, the better. His track record sucked for the night.

  Chapter Two

  On Monday, Conner was in a mood. Nothing he did chased Sabrina Duluth from his mind. He wanted her worse than he had for months. Maybe if he had never seen her again, he’d have been able to shake her from his dreams. But now that she’d come to Extreme, she’d given him a lot to think about. She was submissive, old enough to not be considered jailbait, and no longer enrolled at the university.

  He thought he might sleep better knowing he hadn’t committed a serious infraction by fucking her that day in King Pizza. The idea had haunted him for the two months since the incident. Whatever the fuck he was thinking that day, he didn’t know. But sticking his cock in the woman in a public restaurant had been the dumbest decision he ever made in his life. If she’d still been enrolled, if she’d wanted to turn him in for harassment, if someone had seen them…

  He shivered at all the thoughts that had circulated in his head since that insane moment of complete stupidity on his part. He could have easily thrown away his career for a quick fuck with a woman he didn’t really know just because he had the hots for her. More than the hots.

  He was relatively certain no one saw them meet in the bathroom, but there was always the possibility. Now it didn’t matter what anyone saw. He could fuck her anywhere he wanted. There was no law against dating former students.

  Relief was short-lived, however. He had too damn many things on his plate to take a moment to breathe. The weekend had been spent grading papers and recording scores. Monday was hectic. His only break was a student-free office hour. He wasn’t shocked. After an exam, most students didn’t have a lot of questions.