Taught by the Billionaire Professor

Chapter 8: Good Girl

*Ellie*

I knew the dreaded day would come eventually.

It had only been a matter of time before I was confronted by Edenbrook's own campus mean girl, Penny Scranton.

I noticed the annoying dark-haired girl was also in the Shakespeare class, sitting a few seats away from me, but it wasn't easy to ignore the hostile glares she sent me throughout the class period.

This wasn't the first time Penny singled me out as a target for bullying. We unfortunately had a history that spanned the last two years.

Most people here knew that I was at Edenbrook on a scholarship. In many of the students' minds, I didn't belong at the prestigious university if I couldn't afford it with my own money. Or really, my parents' money.

I was lucky to have gone through freshman year without crossing paths with Penny, and the pranks were mostly harmless at first when they started during my second year. I learned quickly not to leave my bags unattended even for a second at my desk. One day, I found a hairy tarantula nestled in between two of my textbooks.

About a month later, my shampoo had been replaced with glue. I tried my best to ignore those jokes but was mainly amused that she was stooping to such childish pranks.

Toward the end of my junior year, however, Penny took a step too far and somehow had my answers on a huge test tampered with. I got the multiple choice test back to find I had gotten every single answer wrong. I was shocked, but reread the test and realized that those were not the answers I had put in initially. Fortunately, I was able to prove to my professor that I knew the answers and she was nice enough to let me retake it.

I was mentally prepared that since this was my last year here, Penny Scranton would probably do her best to make my life a living hell. It was just a matter of time before she would begin to act out.

Sure enough, it wasn't even two weeks into the new semester, and here she was.

Penny appeared in front of me, flanked on either side by hostile-looking girls with heavy makeup and matching sneers.

Penny's dark straight brown hair was always perfect, and some loose strands were held away from her heart-shaped face with glittering silver pins. Her nose was slightly pointed as she tilted it up at me and her almost-orange eyes blazed as she stared at me.

One of Penny's sidekicks, a stocky blonde, threw an arm around my shoulders, pulling me toward the side of the building. I nearly dropped my five-hundred-dollar textbook as she yanked me along.

“Ellie!" she shrieked. “I dropped an earring over here! Could you be a dear and help me find it?"

It was obvious that this was a lie, so I dug my heels into the ground and tried to pull away. “Move. I don't have time for this," I spat between my teeth.

“Don't be such a b***h," I heard Penny snap, putting an arm around my shoulders as well and hauling me into a tiny alleyway between two of the academic buildings. “It won't take long. What is it? Think you're too good to help us?"

Penny shoved me further into the alley, causing me to stumble, but I righted myself quickly and whirled around to face her and her posse.

“All I know is that no one lost a damn earring. Just leave me alone!"

“Ooh," hummed a girl on Penny's other side. “What if we just won't?"

Meanwhile, Penny shook her head and snatched my textbook out of my arms.

“Give it back, b***h," I spat, lunging for her, but the other two girls grabbed my arms and forcefully pushed me down so I was kneeling in front of Penny, who looked down at me hatefully.

“You need to stop walking around here like you actually belong, you piece of trash," she hissed in my face.

I tried to pull away, but the two girls were ganging up on me.

“A dumb b***h who barely passed her classes last year doesn't get to tell me I don't belong," I sneered, “I bet you even paid the professors to give you barely passing grades, didn't you?"

“You'll regret that you useless little beggar slut," Penny said in a low voice. She smirked. “Tell you what, I'll think about forgiving you if you stay away from Professor Bennett."

“I obviously can't do that," I said slowly, enunciating each word as if Penny was a toddler. “I'm enrolled in that class and need it to graduate. You're out of luck if that's all you wanted from me."

Penny shrugged carelessly, holding my textbook in one hand.

“No skin off my back," she said. “I can think of another way you can repay me for your disrespect."

I watched in absolute horror as she opened up my textbook and started to tear out the pages, one by one.

“What the hell are you doing!" I shrieked. “Stop that!"

I struggled and was finally able to yank my arm out of the shorter girl's grasp. The tall blonde just tightened her hold on me. Penny's arm was a blur as she tore out several more pages, the sheets fluttering down to the ground.

I gritted my teeth. This girl was absolutely insane. She knew very well that it would be difficult for me to pay for another expensive textbook.

Penny laughed maniacally, the piercing sound echoing through the alley. The obnoxious sound cut off suddenly when something past me made her eyes widen. She dropped my book and the three of them quickly took off, walking quickly away from me.

What the hell happened?

I snapped my head back. When I saw who was there, I immediately ducked my head.

No, no. I didn't want him to see the angry tears that were streaming down my face.

I bent down to gather the torn pages from the ground as fast as I could, trying to flee the scene, but it was too late.

“Are you alright?" Professor Bennett's velvet voice was concerned as he kneeled next to me to help me gather the pages.

“I'm fine," I muttered, my eyes fixed on my own legs, which were dirty and scraped up.

How much of that did he see?

I wanted to scream with frustration. If I told on Penny and her friends, the revenge she would bestow on me would be catastrophic.

Professor Bennett didn't say anything else though and I appreciated the silence. He helped me gather up the couple dozen pages Penny managed to rip out of the book. I lowered my head deeper, ashamed to have him find me in such a distressed state.

“Here you go." He handed his stack to me once we were both on our feet.

I looked up to thank him, but the words died in my throat when I saw the livid expression on his face. It was gone a moment later, but only because he turned quickly on his heel and started to walk off.

“Come with me. I'd like a word with you in my office."

What did he want from me? Was I not miserable enough? Why did he act like I did something wrong?

I grimaced but obeyed, following dutifully behind him. God knows why Professor Bennett just had the magic to make me do as he said.

We walked in silence as thoughts flashed through my mind. Penny ordered me to stay away from him. I should have known Penny was also lusting after the professor like most of the girls in the class.

If that was the case, she would have to do this to over a hundred females. Did she come to me just because she liked to pick on me?

Or was it because the professor did seem to pay more attention to me during sessions, often calling on me and glancing over at me?

I thought it was just my imagination at first, especially since the glances he gave me were subtle and quick for the most part. But was that also Penny's impression?

On that thought, I stole a peek at Professor Bennette's straight back, and my heart started to speed up, because now, all I could wish was that he would pay even more attention to me.

Gosh, Ellie. Just how horney you were! Your number priority at this moment was your five-hundred-dollar textbook!

“This way."

I wasn't surprised when we went into the literature building and he led me to an arched door with reddish wood. He opened the door for me and my eyes widened when I stepped through.

The office was huge, about the size of a small apartment. The ceilings were high and the walls were made of glass and overlooking a French-style garden with rose bushes and nicely-trimmed hedges. There was even a koi pond in the middle of his hardwood floor with a fountain.

He shut the door behind him before stepping toward me.

With every step he took, my heart pounded louder. What was he going to do to me?

Then he reached out his hand, gently but firmly taking my ruined textbook away, setting it on the large desk made of a dark almost black wood.

“Professor…"

“The in-suite bathroom is through there. Please clean off your legs and then we'll talk." He swept a hand across the large space at another, smaller wooden door.

He just asked me to use his private bathroom…I shook my head hard and walked into the bathroom, trying to get rid of any more dirty thoughts about the man who just helped me.

“Damn, rich schools and their fancy offices," I muttered, taking in the clean, white bathroom with gold-colored accents, desperately trying to distract myself from the hot as hell Professor Bennett.

After cleaning myself up, I looked in the mirror and wished I hadn't. My eyes were red-rimmed from the few tears I shed and I looked pale. I was a mess, everything but attractive.

Penny was right, someone like me should stay away from him.

I hesitantly exited the bathroom, Professor Bennett was seated at the large desk.

“Come here." He gestured for me to go over to him, and my legs automatically moved towards him. “I happen to have a spare."

There on his desk was a pristine copy of the textbook that Penny just destroyed minutes earlier. My eyes widened. “Professor, I—"

His expression turned cold as he watched me. “You'd best stay away from those girls, Ellie."

My head shot up. I felt a red tint on my cheeks as I balked at him. Why was he scolding me for what happened?

He didn't wait for me to respond, his tone hardening even further. “I must insist that you make yourself scarce where those girls are concerned. If it happens again, let me know."

“I tried to stay out of their way, but they wouldn't let me!" I couldn't help but snap. I pressed my lips together before looking away from him. “Anyway, they don't really bother me. I can take care of myself, so there's no need to report this."

“I didn't see anything, so I have nothing to report," Professor Bennett said firmly. “However, I can advise you as I see fit, considering that you are a student of mine. You'll do well to avoid putting yourself in those kinds of unpleasant situations going forward. Correct?"

I looked at him with surprise, realizing what he was trying to do. He probably knew even more so than I did that reporting this kind of incident wouldn't get anywhere considering the amount of money these students had. They could buy their way out of any situation.

He was just trying to help me. In fact, he did. He had replaced my five hundred dollar textbook.

I knew I should thank him, but all of a sudden my throat tightened and I couldn't make a sound.

It was so unfair! Yet, there was not much I could do.

So instead of fighting back, I dropped my gaze to the ground and nodded. “Yes, sir."

He paused for a second. And then his tone softened, like music, and he said, “Good girl."

My breath caught in my throat. How could his voice be so intoxicating and irresistible?

My heart started to race, my cheeks were burning, and what was worse, my panties were dampening.

“You may leave now."

Turning on my heels, I nearly sprinted to the door, desperate to escape the office.

If I spent one more second there he would definitely notice how much he had aroused me when he called me “good girl."