Desired by Him (Chosen by Him Series, Book 2): (3 page)

My mind shouldn’t have been focused on the things it was, but I couldn’t help it. Her eyes. Her hair. Her smile. They way she smelled. Hell, the way she tasted. I stared off into a daze as I replayed the evening in my mind. Thinking about her made me horny as hell, honestly.

On the other hand, having her in class made me nervous, a strange sensation to me, as a person who rarely got rattled about anything. I didn’t really care what other people thought, but at the same time risking my reputation was hardly something that I was jumping at the chance to do.
And, of course
, my good side chided,
you don’t want to ruin Summer’s reputation, either, Chase.
That was true. I didn’t want to think about hurting Summer. Although I was used to cutthroat competition and less-than-honest business strategy, showing that side of me to Summer didn’t seem appropriate. She was too innocent. This feeling, too, was a foreign one to me. I was used to looking out for myself, to doing anything and everything possible to win.

I shook myself out of my thoughts, putting to rest my nervousness and nodding to the students as they made their way into the auditorium. Everyone had settled down a little, in both their suggestive actions and wardrobes, now that they had gotten through the first few classes and knew how I would react.

I pulled the tablet from my bag and quickly flipped through my notes and emails, doing anything I could to distract myself from thinking about her. It didn’t help.  It was two days ago and she was still all I could think about. The start of class couldn’t begin soon enough. I knew my mood would change as I unloaded the newest news to the class; although they would probably enjoy the news, it had only disappointed me.

Without warning, I felt the air sucked from my lungs, leaving me breathless as I saw her at the top of the stairs, just inside of the doorway. A sleek blue dress hugged her curves and the boots she had on absolutely drove me wild, accentuating her toned legs. She made her way to the front of the room and we exchanged brief smiles and glances.
Stop it
, I told myself.
You’re acting like a goddam schoolboy who has his first crush.

God, though... I wanted her so badly.

“Alright, let’s get started,” I yelled out to the class, immediately commanding silence throughout the room. Time for the good and bad news. “As I mentioned in previous classes, there will still be opportunities for each of you to get recognized, especially as the semester goes on and selected interns fail to perform. Since last class I’ve further narrowed the field and we are now down to nine. I’ll spare them the embarrassment here in class.”

I had never had an intern fail the class, more or less fail at a simple interview. The news had dampened my morning significantly. I considered myself to be a very good judge of character—hell, you had to be, in my position—but I had completely misjudged the intern’s potential.

The students looked around, trying to find the fired intern, but it was pointless. I knew he had withdrawn a day earlier.  My eyes locked on Summer’s as she sat down in the front row and I smiled, my mood already lifting a little.

“I will say that I’ve heard from the mentors that many of the interns show a great deal of promise. I know I’ve been very impressed with the mine.”

I squirmed a little in my seat at his words. Alyssa nudged my elbow, giving me a smile. I reminded myself that no one knew about Chase and me.

Chase moved across the classroom, his movements again reminding me of some sort of cat, a predator. He had perfect posture. The way he moved his hands as he spoke made me press my legs tightly up together. I tried to focus on his face.

“I hope that with each passing class you will all grow in your ability to negotiate, to sidle your way into your client’s life before captivating their attention. From what I’ve seen so far with my own intern, Summer, and from those of you who have visited me during office hours, you have the potential to unlock your greatest negotiation skills—to get your client to agree to something without—” he paused, his green eyes searching for a moment to find mine before looking away, “
begging
for it.”

My face must have turned twenty different shades of red. I had begged him, last night. More times than I could count. I looked around, wondering if anyone had noticed how he had looked at me when he had said that. But no one paid me any mind. They were all raptly paying attention to Chase, who knew how to command the room.

“My intern and I discussed win-win situations in our last meeting, which is something I want to talk about today,” he explained, striding back over to his desk and dimming the lights so we could see his presentation up on the big screen in the front of the room.

From the white glow of the projector, I could see his eyes meet mine again, dancing with amusement. Clearly, he knew he had made me uncomfortable, and he seemed to be enjoying it.

A win-win situation. I pretended to rest my head on my hand, fingers pressing up against my forehead so I could hide my face. Had he been referring to last night, again? As far as I could tell, we had both won in that situation, but I had been left with the extra burden of guilt that I couldn’t get out of my system.

I looked up at him, pointing to something on the screen. I was
not
the kind of girl who slept around for her grades, or who slept around in general. How could he be so calm and nonchalant about this? I couldn’t understand it. He had said he didn’t
usually
do this—had that meant he had done it before? That he was having sex with multiple students?

I looked around. Dozens of girls in the room looked as if they’d happily be intimate with the attractive Professor Kerns. My stomach drew into a tight knot, and I tried to focus on the lecture.

I hadn’t mastered the art of focusing under these conditions, and still hadn’t mastered it when Chase flipped on the lights, dismissing the class for the day.

“Miss Farris,” I heard him call my name. “If you could stay after for a few minutes?”

“Lucky you,” Alyssa mumbled under her breath, giving me a good-natured grin. “Want me to wait around?”

I looked at Chase, who was gathering up his things. “No, it’s okay. I’ll see you back at home.”

I approached the desk, clutching a few of my books to my chest and slinging my already full backpack over my shoulder. He didn’t look up at me. I cleared my throat.

“I’d like to meet with you in my office, if I could,” he said. He still didn’t look up from gathering his things, neatly organizing his papers before placing them in his black briefcase.

“Sure,” I replied, clutching my books a little more tightly.

As we walked along the corridor, he nodded and smiled to more than professor. I hadn’t known Chase was so popular among the faculty, too. Everyone had a smile to give him, and he gave each one of them a polite smile back.

One professor, an older man dressed in a brown suit and red tie, reached out and grabbed his arm, giving him a clap on the back.

“Chase Kerns, it’s been much too long!” he exclaimed, laughing. Chase and I had halted. I fidgeted with my book, trying to look inconspicuous, half-hiding behind him. Although usually I’d jump at the chance to rub elbows with professors, today I just felt awkward and out-of-place.

“Wilson,” Chase greeted him with a classy smile and a handshake. “Back to teaching already? How’d that Bauman deal turn out?”

“Not too shabby,” Wilson replied. “Of course there’s always something that you don’t like, right? But I’ve missed the students. Spending too much time in the shark tank messes with your head, you know?”

“Of course,” Chase nodded empathetically. “Oh, and Wilson, have you met Summer Farris?”

I felt his hand on the small of my back, only briefly, to push me forward a couple steps.

“I don’t believe I have,” Wilson commented, looking at me over his large, rounded glasses. The top of his head was shiny, already beginning to bald. It reflected the lights as he bobbed it in greeting. “Miss Farris, a pleasure to meet you. Professor John Wilson.”

“Thank you,” I replied, giving him a smile and shaking his offered hand.

“Summer is one of my best students and interns,” Chase explained. I looked up at him in shock. Had he really just said that? He looked down at me, continuing, “Wilson is one of the top business professors nationwide. He started his electronics company at the age of 18—isn’t that right, John?”

“Seventeen, actually, but who’s counting?” Wilson joked, slapping Chase on the back again and giving me a wink. “Age means nothing when you get old. So enjoy your youth.”

I laughed politely as Chase said goodbye to his friend. Suddenly he was off, taking long strides toward his office. I scurried to catch up to him.

“Did you really mean that?” I asked him, the words coming out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“Mean what?” Chase retorted, nodding at another acquaintance or friend.

We approached his office, and he fiddled with his keys, trying to find the right one. “You said I was one of your best students,” I reminded him as he unlocked the door.

“And one of my best interns. Yes, Summer, you are.” He shrugged, giving me a glance before swinging the door open.

His office was open, modern, and had two big windows on the accent wall. It looked much like his house, only more business-like, and even more impersonal. Everything was stacked perfectly. The black top of his desk was unmarred, save for a few papers he had been grading.

He shut the door behind me. “Take a seat,” he ordered. I complied, sinking into the cushy chair across from the desk as he sat on the other side.

With him in front of me now, I could see his eyes looking me over, perhaps approving of what I was wearing. I set my books on my lap, sitting up a little straighter. I had been thinking that perhaps Chase had begun to take me seriously now, that he hadn’t been lying the other night when he said I had potential. Now, with his hungry gaze taking me in, doubts filled my mind again.

“I have a meeting this weekend with a client in Miami,” he launched into an explanation, fingers playing with the red ballpoint pen on his desk. “Normally, I ask all my interns to go—”

“The Kerns Five,” I blurted.

“Kerns Five?” he laughed, clicking the pen. “I like that.”

“You’ve never heard it before?”

“No,” he shook his head, laughing again. “Kerns Ten now, though. Anyway,” he continued, shaking his head as the smile faded a little from his face. I got the sense that he didn’t really smile that often. He had smiled a lot around me, but always with some hidden, hungry intention. What I had just seen now had been genuine. “I want you to come with me. I can’t bring all ten interns but you’re mine. You need to be able to work in the real world.”

“I—” I fumbled for words.
What did this mean?
“But...What would I go as?”

His brow furrowed as he looked at me. He knew exactly the question I wanted to ask but was too cowardly to say out loud:
Am I supposed to go as your whore?

“You are an intern, Summer, if you can recall that,” he snapped. “You will go as a student and intern, if you choose to accept.”

I flinched a little at the harshness of his tone. His face softened, a little. “As I said, I would usually bring five interns with me on something like this. But I’ve changed the program. The other mentors will likely take their interns places as well.”

His calm tone soothed me, and I relaxed a little. “But I can’t afford it,” I protested. “And I have a job, a part-time job, at—”

“I can find someone else to go,” he interrupted. “All expenses will be paid for, of course,” he added, eyes flicking up to meet mine again.

“No, please, I...” I realized I had just said please again. I watched him as he raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk growing on his face. I composed myself. “I’ll go.”

“Perfect. We leave tomorrow morning. Be ready by then. I’ll come by and pick you up for our flight. You’re dismissed.”

For some reason my heart sank a little when he didn’t say anymore, as I got up and left the room, shutting the door behind me. I still didn’t understand what he wanted; during class, he had been bringing back memories of the night before, yet during this encounter he had been cold and impersonal. Had he changed his mind completely about me?

I realized this was exactly what I had wanted: to be taken seriously, without any expectations. Then why did I feel so incomplete?

I took a deep breath and stepped away from his door, making my way down the hallway. Whatever the answer was, I’d have to find it in Miami.

The story continues in
Book three, Wanted by Him, the Chosen by Him series
.
Click here to download Book Three.

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