Chapter Eight.

She had to use concealer to hide the very obvious bags under her eyes. She couldn't decide what was worse, the lack of sleep or the fact that Oliver Wilde existed. Either way, both made her feel equally drained.

However, no matter how bad the day sucked she would make up for it by dressing up and her outfit today was nothing less than perfection and she couldn't help but blow a kiss at her reflection. She wore high-waisted, straight-leg gray jeans paired with white chunky platform sneakers. On top, she had a fitted cropped argyle sweater vest in shades of blue and white, layered over a white long-sleeve turtleneck shirt.

She packed her hair in a neat bun so her gold earrings could be on display with her locket necklace in front of her sweater with an expensive Rolex gold watch. For her lips, she opted for a glossy appearance. So if he wanted to punish her, she should at least look good. Then she put on her white squared framed sunglasses, carrying her tote bag.

She wasn't able to sleep after the message fiasco so she got up early and decided to be punctual so the professor won't use that against her. Boba tea in hand, walked into the class to find two students already there. One was Jack, her seat partner, and another stunning blonde girl she recognized to be Rosaline working on a laptop.

"Kay!" Jack spotted her and waved her over and she sat beside Rosaline.

"Good morning!" She greeted with a smile that Rosaline returned

"You look so preppy for someone about to get punished." Jack teased.

"So….Ready to face the music?" Rosaline couldn't help but ask.

"If we don't talk about maybe it won't happen"

She muttered, taking a long sip of her drink. Maybe it would wash down the nausea.

"I'm sorry but you saying that about him was just like insane. Mind-blowing, in fact!" Rosaline chuckled.

"Insane is the right word, Rosa. Girl, what were you thinking?" Jack shook his head.

"How was I supposed to know he wasn't on the group?"She raised her hands defensively.

"The guy's got the whole hot brooding professor look down pat." Rosa bit her lip holding back a grin.

"Hot if you overlook the insane amount of assholery he has!"

"Girl! Haven't you learned anything from yesterday? You can't be saying things like that!" Jack gasped but she shrugged.

"But it's the truth!"

"Want to know the real truth? I'd let him bang me." Jack shifted forward, black eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Hogwash! You guys are so blind!"

"Or you mean you? He takes hot nerdy vibes to a whole other level," Rosa rested her back on her chair.

"And how do you know he's a nerd?"

"How do you not? I'm sure he's obsessed over something like how I'm obsessed with anime."

"Rosa's right. He's like those guys that are subs in the bedroom. The one that lets us take control if you know what I mean?" he wiggled his brows.

"Oh yeah. And what gave that away?" She didn't believe Oliver was the kind to relinquish control. Never in a million years.

"I dunno. Just his overall vibe. He's so uptight and…"

"Has a stick far up his ass."

"Kay! Dude you've got to stop saying things like that!"

"But what's your style, Kay? Dom or Sub?"

"Wanna know? Dobby." she grinned.

"Dobby? As in Dobby the House elf from Harry Potter!?" Both of them were taken aback.

"You are joking!"

"No. I even have a great impression of him." she cleared her throat. "Dobby wants… oh my God I can't believe I'm doing this!" She covered her face with her palms.

"Say it! Come one! You've already started. Don't back out now! Go, Kayla!" Rosa cheered and Kayla exhaled, patting herself.

"Dobby wants Kay to bend over. Dobby wants Kay to cum all over his face!" Her voice became squeaky and was almost spot on making their jaws drop.

"You did not just do that?" Rosa said in disbelief.

"She did and she just ruined a perfectly innocent character forever. I will never look at that elf the same way again." They busted out laughing.

Rosa raised a brow, "I'm still trying to get used to the fact that you actually have a sense of humor," she says, half-smiling. "Thought you were all work and no play."

"Do I look like the Grinch to you?" Hand on her chest, she tried to sound offended.

"Comparing you to the Grinch is a crime! I mean you aren't Green and maybe less intimidating"

"Hey!"

"What?"

"But she's actually smarter than him too." Jack chimed in.

"But now I am certain that you are the type that writes loads of fan fiction, I'm sure." Rosa tried to ease the awkward tension that arose after Kayla's silence.

It hurt her but she forced a smile and replied. "And that's where you would be wrong Rosa. I only read them. Harry Potter of course. So what's your favorite book?" She leaned back, shoulders up.

"Um… Hacker's Psychology 101."

"Did someone just say 'Nerd'!?"

"Jack!" She pushed the boy.

"What's your go-to hacking book, Kay?"

"Probably 'Circular Pyramid'."

"I've gotta admit. You had me fooled, Kay. Who would have thought you were such a tech geek?"

"Yeah, believe it or not, I can do more than just look pretty."

"We should ask the professor his too when he comes," Jack suggested.

"I bet my life savings and all my special edition HP books that he would never tell you!"

"Why do you think that?"

"Have you met him? Hello!?" That was Oliver freaking Wilde. The most arrogant man on planet earth.

"I heard he has never had a girlfriend or has been seen to have close contact with women only the 'Big Six' girls," Rosa added.

"And that's the person you want to ask a question?"

Before Jack could answer, the person being talked about entered the class. Immediately he stepped in, the smell of lavender filtered into his nose. He raised his head and saw the raccoon. Noticing his gaze, she looked at him too. He smirked and said, "Seems you are so eager for your punishment today, Hastings."

"Depends on what it is, professor. Some punishments can be very beneficial to the learning process." The sarcasm seeped into every word. He knew what she meant.

"Looks like you haven't learned your lesson." He made a tutting sound.

"Good morning professor!" Jack and Rosa greeted and that was when his eyes flickered to them. He hadn't noticed them.

"Good morning."

Time seemed to not be on Kayla's side because by the time she knew it, the class was already over and she was standing before Oliver for her punishment. Her eyes darted anywhere but at him. Rosa and Jack looked at her with pity before walking out with Rosa even squeezing her arm reassuringly. She was just being punished not being sentenced to hell! Although with Oliver they might mean the same thing.

"You will write the AlexanderFortranWolfe7Lambda#CriticalError in 3 days."

"No." She was confident in her abilities but even experts had to take about a week to finish the code. This punishment was done out of spite.

"No?" The word sounded foreign to him. "What do you mean by 'no'?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"What no means." She attempted to keep her voice leveled facing him. She couldn't show weakness.

"So you're saying you don't deserve punishment?"

"Yes. What happened was not my fault. Are you really traumatized by what I said that you would go so far as to give me that as a punishment?"

"Traumatized is stretching it, don't you think? More like unsettled."

"Do normal professors lurk in student group chats or is that just a 'you' thing?"

He chuckled darkly, the sound vibrating through the room, sending chills down her spine. "And what gave you the thought that I was a normal professor?" He stepped forward.

"I-"

"It's because of students like you," he interrupted, his voice smooth and biting, "who badmouth their professors, giving others the idea that they aren't worthy enough to teach. So unethical." Another step forward. "So immoral." Another step. "So decadent."

There was nowhere to go. Her back hit the wall. One more step, and he would close the gap. A distance he intentionally left between them, enough to tease, enough to torment. A distance he craved to erase but couldn't. No matter how hard he wanted, he held back.

"All traits of a bad person… a bad girl."

Why couldn't she speak? His gaze was too intense, those whiskey-colored eyes burning into her, rendering her helpless. It felt like he was dissecting her soul, pulling it apart piece by piece. She lowered her eyes, her breath shaky.

"And bad girls need to be punished. Need to be taught a lesson."

Finally, she found her voice. "By who?"

"By whom, Kayla." His voice dropped lower. "Look at me when I'm speaking to you."

She didn't. She refused. So disobedient, just as he expected. His hand moved on its own despite the protest of his body. His fingers gripped her chin firmly, lifting it so their eyes met again.

"Much better."

"Do the assignment, Hastings. I'll know if you don't." He released her chin, and Kayla bolted, her feet carrying her as fast as they could, no longer caring to offer a response.

When she was far enough away from him, she collapsed against a wall, pressing a hand to her chest, sucking in desperate breaths. She could finally breathe.

"What the actual hell!?" she muttered. Where was the confident Kayla? The one who never let anyone speak to her like that? English wasn't even making sense anymore. Red flags. All she could see were red flags when it came to Oliver. She needed to stay away. Far away.

Later, in the safety of her bathroom, the water from the shower cascaded over her skin as Shameless played from her phone. She closed her eyes, running her hands through her wet hair.

Her thoughts strayed to him. To his hand on her chin. The coolness of his touch was firm yet gentle. Into You by Ariana Grande came on, and her mind betrayed her, picturing his hands on her again. But this time, they moved, teasing her, stroking her, touching her in ways she hated to imagine.

A soft moan escaped her lips.

"Fuck!" she cursed herself under her breath. He hadn't even touched her, not really, and yet here she was, reacting like this.

She hated it. She hated how he crept into her mind, how he had this power over her thoughts. She hated that, even in his absence, he could torture her. She hated him.

He had no power over her if she didn't let him. And she wouldn't. She didn't. But why was it so hard to push him out? Why did it feel like he barged into her mind without her consent, a presence that lingered no matter how much she rejected it? She hoped she tortured him in his thoughts as he did hers.

This was unacceptable. And yet… it was already happening.