The sound of heartbreak wasn’t a sob.
It was the slow, sickening ping of a text message that shattered Ava Sterling’s world.Louis: It was just a bet, babe. Chill.
That was it. No guilt. No denial. No shame.
Just the cold truth — that their entire relationship, every stolen kiss, every whispered promise — was a game. A bet. A sick dare between Louis and his frat boy friends to see who could take “the icy virgin” down first.
And he won.
Ava stared at her phone in disbelief, her hands shaking, her stomach hollow. Rage boiled beneath her ribs, but the tears never came. She refused to give Louis that satisfaction.
“We’re going out,” Camille said firmly, pulling the phone from Ava’s hand. “You’re not crying over that dickhead. You’re dancing.”
---
The club was dark, loud, and pulsing with energy — the perfect place to drown out betrayal in bass drops and cheap tequila.
Ava let Camille drag her into the chaos, the lights flashing across their skin, the music pounding against her chest like a second heartbeat. The first few drinks went down hard. So did the bitterness.
She wasn’t ready to flirt. She wasn’t ready to feel anything. Every man who glanced her way looked like another version of Louis — all charm, no soul.
So when she saw a tall man in a dark suit leaning a little too close to Camille at the bar, she didn’t think. She reacted.
Smack!
Her palm connected with his cheek before either of them had a chance to speak.
“Back the hell off,” she snapped, shoving between him and Camille like a shield. “She said she’s not interested.”
The man turned toward her slowly, and the second she saw his face — the clean jawline, the cruelly handsome smirk, the sharp, stormy eyes — her stomach flipped.
Camille choked. “Ava… he wasn’t hitting on me. He was asking for directions to the VIP lounge.”
Ava blinked. Twice.
The man didn’t speak. He just stared, one eyebrow arched, hand still on his cheek where she struck him. Not amused. Not angry. Just… calculating.
She should’ve apologized.
She didn’t.Instead, she gave him a long, unapologetic once-over, rolled her eyes, and turned on her heel like he wasn’t even worth her breath.
Because after Louis, no man was.
---
One week later.
Ava was halfway through her notes in her Modern Literature class, trying to block out the endless whispering about some hot new professor, when the door opened.
Footsteps.
Silence.
Then a smooth, commanding voice cut through the room like velvet laced with danger.
“Good morning. I’m Dr. William Reid. I’ll be taking over this class for the semester.”
Ava froze. Her pen dropped.
Camille turned pale.
They looked up in unison — and their jaws hit the floor.
It was him.
The man from the club. The man she slapped. The man she eyeballed and walked away from like he didn’t exist.
He stood at the front of the room, buttoned shirt, rolled sleeves, and a slow, amused smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
His eyes locked on hers.
Unblinking. Unforgiving. Unapologetic.
And Ava Sterling knew…
This semester just became very complicated.
Ava Sterling could not focus.Every time she opened her books, the words blurred.Every time she tried to concentrate, all she could see was him— The way he touched her. The sound of his voice. The way he whispered "Mine" like it meant something more than just possession.It had been three days since that night behind his desk, and it haunted her in the best and worst ways.She had touched herself more times than she cared to admit, chasing the high he gave her, but no matter how many times she came, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t him.And the worst part? He was ignoring her.Dr. Reid wouldn’t meet her eyes in class. He barely acknowledged her presence. He called on everyone but her. It was like she no longer existed — like he had erased the moment they shared and gone back to being the cold, unreachable professor.But she couldn’t pretend.And today, she was done waiting.When class ended, she lingered behind, watching as students filed out, watching him deliberately avoid her.He d
Ava Sterling sat at the front of the class the following week.Not because she cared about the lecture — she barely registered the words coming out of Dr. Reid’s mouth — but because today, she was playing a different kind of game.She had worn a short skirt. Not trashy. Just short enough. No tights. No panties. No shame.And as he walked back and forth in front of the chalkboard, she let her legs slowly part beneath the desk. Just enough for him to see. Just enough to bait him.At first, he didn’t look.He was composed, as always. Lecturing on tragic flaws in literature. But then — a flicker. A pause in his sentence. A glance too long.She caught it.His eyes dipped, just for a second, right between her thighs. His jaw tightened.And when his gaze snapped back to her face — her smile was already waiting.Got you.From the back of the room, Camille leaned forward, nudging her with her pen and mouthing, “What the hell was that?”Ava just smirked and turned back to the board.She d
That Friday, after school hours. The campus was quiet.The kind of quiet that settled after hours — when the sun dipped low and most students had gone home or were off chasing some version of freedom. Ava Sterling walked the nearly empty hallway of the English Department, her heels clicking softly against the tile floor.Room 314.Again.She adjusted her blouse — not too much, just enough — and took a steadying breath before knocking.The door opened almost immediately.Dr. William Reid stood there, no jacket, no tie, sleeves rolled high, two buttons undone. He looked as if he hadn’t moved since she left on Monday — like he had been waiting.“Miss Sterling,” he said, stepping aside.“Professor,” she replied softly.He shut the door behind her. Then — click. The lock turned.Ava’s eyes flicked toward it. He didn’t explain. He didn’t need to.The air between them was already heavier than it should be.“Let’s get started,” he said, moving behind his desk and gesturing to the chair beside
Ava Sterling stared at the paper in her hands like it had personally insulted her."C+"Written in red ink, underlined twice — as if he wanted to rub it in.Her heart dropped.She flipped through the pages again, eyes scanning the margins, searching for harsh notes or critical feedback — but there was barely any. Just that one, clipped comment at the top:“Surface-level analysis. Expected more.” — Dr. W. ReidHer jaw clenched.She had expected more too. Her work was good — thoughtful, well-structured, insightful. She’d spent hours crafting that essay. There was no way in hell it deserved a C. Unless...Unless this wasn’t about the work at all.This must be about: The slap. The stare-down. The refusal to apologize. The flirtation. The fact that she she showed no fear in his office and had walked away with her chin up.Petty bastard.Handsome, but very petty.Her stomach churned as she checked the grading weight for that assignment: 25% of the final grade.This could cost her her scho
Ava Sterling couldn't breathe.Not because the classroom was warm — the AC was humming softly. Not because the students were loud — they were stunned silent. But because he was standing ten feet in front of her.Dr. William Reid.Same cutting jawline. Same intense eyes. Same smug, unreadable expression.Only now he wasn’t some random man in a dark club. He was her professor.Ava sank lower in her seat, heart hammering against her ribs. Camille nudged her under the desk.“Is that man from the club.” Camille mouthed, eyes wide, "Do you think he recognize us?"Ava didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her mouth was dry, her hands frozen.William Reid’s gaze slowly swept over the room as he introduced himself, but Ava felt it the moment it landed on her again — like a blade brushing across her skin. No recognition in his voice. No mention of their memorable encounter.He just smiled that calm, wicked smile.“Literature is not a soft science,” he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “You d
The sound of heartbreak wasn’t a sob. It was the slow, sickening ping of a text message that shattered Ava Sterling’s world.Louis: It was just a bet, babe. Chill.That was it. No guilt. No denial. No shame.Just the cold truth — that their entire relationship, every stolen kiss, every whispered promise — was a game. A bet. A sick dare between Louis and his frat boy friends to see who could take “the icy virgin” down first.And he won.Ava stared at her phone in disbelief, her hands shaking, her stomach hollow. Rage boiled beneath her ribs, but the tears never came. She refused to give Louis that satisfaction.“We’re going out,” Camille said firmly, pulling the phone from Ava’s hand. “You’re not crying over that dickhead. You’re dancing.”---The club was dark, loud, and pulsing with energy — the perfect place to drown out betrayal in bass drops and cheap tequila.Ava let Camille drag her into the chaos, the lights flashing across their skin, the music pounding against her chest lik