Page 62 of Illicit Education
“Then why are you calling?” Greer groaned. “This couldn’t have been done in a text? I’m getting ready for work.”
“Greer,” I growled. “You’re the worst. This is important. You know I wouldn’t pick up the phone andcallyou unless I absolutely had to. Are you sitting down?”
“So, no one is dead?”
“No, God.” I shook my head. “I mean, I think I may have died a little.”
“Why?”
“He told me he can’t stop thinking about me.”
“What?” Her shriek was so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “Who? Reed?”
“Shhh,” I warned, looking around at the people walking past and simultaneously lowering the volume on my phone. It’s not like anyone would hear Greer and put two and two together, but it still felt like sensitive information. “Yes,him,” I murmured into the phone.
“Oh my God. Okay, tell me everything.”
“He literally called me into his office and told me he can’t stop thinking about me. And that I’m like a distraction he can’t have or something.”
“Stop it. No way.”
“Yes!” I caught the gaze of someone passing by and shrugged as I mouthed, “Sorry.” Maybe I should have waited until I got home to tell Greer, but then she’d be at work until two a.m. and I’d be waitingforeverwith this really crazy information burning a hole in my pants.
“Greer?”
“I was just thinking…” She paused and I waited impatiently. “Like… you’re nottechnicallyan employee. He doesn’t even pay you.”
“Oh my God.Greer.”
“What? I’m serious. Think about it.”
I waited for the light to change, then resumed walking with the other people on the busy sidewalk when it did. “I don’t… nah, it seems too murky.”
“Well, it’s defo murky, but…” Another pause, then she added, “Wait. What did you say?”
“Hmm?”
“When he told you that he couldn’t stop thinking about you, Rylan… What. Did. You. Say?”
“Oh.” My cheeks heated as I thought back to the conversation in Reed’s office. “I told him he had a sexual harassment problem on his hands.”
She gasped loudly. “No you did not.”
I giggled. “I did.”
“Jesus, Ry. You cockblockedyourself.”
I grimaced. She had a point. But… “He can’t just go around saying shit like that.”
“Butwashe sexually harassing you?”
“I mean…” I shrugged. “Technically, yes?”
“Technicallyyou watched him whip some lucky bitch and almost orgasmed without even being touched, but–”
“Shhh!” My eyes widened and I rapidly pressed the volume button on my phone again as if anyone on the busy New York sidewalk could hear my best friend. “Is your grandfather home?” I whispered.
“You’re worried about the professor?” Greer snorted. “Like he could hear me even if he wasn’t sound asleep.”