The Professor's Girl | 18+ | COMPLETE |

+ chapter 22 +

Kahlan told me he would stay with me if I wanted to call out of work the following day. But I insisted on going. I wasn't going to let Jay frighten me out of living my life. Not now. Not ever again. On my way in, I called my carrier to have my cell number changed. During downtime, I blocked Jay on every social media account I had. Now I only had to worry about seeing him in public, and if he dared to come to my house again. I honestly wanted to pack up and move, but in the middle of the semester on a tight budget, it was impossible. There were only so many cheap apartment options near the university.

"You can stay with me," Kahlan offered immediately. "As long as you need to."

I turned down the offer, but gladly spent the next night sleeping at his house. But the thing was that I couldn't just hide from Jay forever. I couldn't just keep hoping he wouldn't show up. He had to be faced, in one way or another.

"Don't be scared," Kahlan said, as I lay in his bed to sleep for the first time. "I won't let anything happen to you. This will be handled."

His kisses that night were fervent, his grip on me hard enough to make my muscles ache. He tied my wrists and ankles, so that I was spread eagle beneath him. Helpless, basking in the glory of submission. His every movement - from the sharp slap of the leather crop he had pulled from within his toy chest, to the bite of his teeth along my inner thighs – left my body tingling with sensation and longing.

"Don't be afraid of the lack of control," he said, whispering down my body as he trailed the crop along my spine. "Don't be afraid to trust me."

Blindfolded and gagged, he commanded all my senses. I enjoyed the strain against my bindings, I relished struggling when I knew I couldn't escape. I trusted him. Of course I did. Every touch, every scratch, every bite, every slap, was controlled. He was conscious of my expressions, my smallest noises. He listened for the point at which my muffled shrieks reached a pitch that said the pain was too much. He pushed my limits of frustration, pushing me to the brink of orgasm only to skillfully pull me back again. Blind and bound, I could only wait for what he intended to do to me.

It was thrilling, therapeutic. It took away the worries that tormented me and made them insignificant. It forced me into the moment where there was just the two of us, just his voice commanding me and the experience of my body.

It made 3 little words that I was terrified of ever saying again press dangerously hard against my lips.

The day before class, Kahlan assured me again, "Trust me. Everything will be fine."

I was torn between my trust for him and my doubts. I wanted to believe him. I just couldn't see a scenario in which everything would be "fine."

Walking to class, I saw Jay and Heather go in ahead of me. I felt like running at her, shaking her, asking her if she knew what the person she was with was truly like. But I bit my lip. I met Jay's gaze when it went over me. I kept my face hard and didn't let him see my intimidation. I sat in my seat at the front of the class, head up, and waited for Kahlan to come. I waited for that rush of relief I always felt when I saw him.

But the professor who arrived wasn't Kahlan.

"Good morning class, I'm Mrs. Tichmond. I will be taking over this class for Mr. Travis, who is unfortunately unable to finish out the semester due to personal circumstances."

My heart felt frozen in my chest. The woman was middle-aged, blonde hair, and wore a plethora of bug-themed brooches on her sweater that I swore I had also seen my grandmother wear. She took 10 minutes to get the projector working, but even when the lesson began I could hardly hear it. I stared blankly, my phone clutched tightly in my hands, resisting the urge to leave the classroom and call Kahlan immediately.