"That depends on a lot of things."
"Like what?"
"Well, if there was even a whisper of sexual harassment, I would get fired. Or if someone in your class found out about us and thought you were getting favoritism, they could file a complaint. Or..."
"I'm not going to tell anyone, Professor Hunter."
"Then I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"Would you still have pursued me if the university's policy was explicitly against it?"
He paused for a moment. "Yes," he finally said. He squeezed my hand.
"Even though you could get fired?" I realized the question was ridiculous as soon as I let it slip. Professor Hunter clearly didn't need this job. If he could randomly buy a country club, he probably didn't need to work at all.
"I know that you want this just as much as I do. I believe that my ethics are sound, so no one can make me question them."
We drove in silence for a few minutes.
"What did your startup company do?"
"Tech."
He was being so vague. "What happened to it?"
"I sold it. But I still have a seat on the board."
"Then why are you teaching?"
"For the same reason I left New York. I needed a change."
"And if it wasn't because of how loud and busy the city was, then what was it? A midlife crisis?"
"How old do you think I am, Penny?" he laughed.
"Actually, I thought you were probably a grad student when I met you in the coffee shop. You can't even believe how shocked I was when I found out you were my Comm professor."
He laughed again. I wasn't sure there was a sound in the world that I liked better than his laugh.
"So take a guess," he pressed.
"Well, Professors have to go to grad school and then get their masters to teach right?"
"Yes, but I didn't do that. I was busy running a company in my early twenties. They granted me an honorary degree at the last university I worked at if I agreed to teach a few entrepreneurship classes in their master’s program. I have the same arrangement here."
"So, maybe you're 29?"Please don't be over 30.
"Close. I'm only 27."
Only 27. If I was 22 like he thought I was, there would only be five years difference between us. An eight year difference seemed worse. But my birthday was soon. I'd be twenty in a few weeks. I needed to tell him. This was the perfect opportunity.
He pulled up outside of my dorm and cut the ignition. "What, you're sad that I'm not older?"
I laughed. "No. No, that's not it. I just..." I took a deep breath. I needed to tell him.
He leaned in and kissed me. "Like I said, you have nothing to worry about."
Temptation - Chapter 29
