"That's how things work in my class." If possible, Ricardo's voice grew even softer. "I will not pass a student who has a poor attendance record for half the semester and either fails to submit assignments or turns them in late. If you'd read the syllabus—as I told you to do on the first day of term—you wouldn't be in this mess. You have only yourself to thank. Do you have any other questions? Any particularly clever ones?"
"No," Boby grumbled.
"Now, are we done with all this, or is there anyone else who wants to waste my time with pointless questions you should already know the answers to?"
The silence was almost suffocating. No one dared breathe.
"Good." Ricardo returned to his desk.
"Wow," Rio whispered, barely audible. "What crawled up his ass and died?"
Maybe he's upset he couldn't disappoint me, Angga thought.
His skin prickled. He looked up to find Ricardo staring at him with a glare that made him feel like he was being chased out of the room. Angga lifted his chin and met the stare firmly. Seriously, what was the guy's problem? It wasn't like he'd forced Ricardo to stick his dick in his student's mouth.
That thought… that memory… made Angga blush and shift uncomfortably in his seat. Looking at Ricardo's face, it was hard to believe it had actually happened.
But it had.
Angga glanced at Ricardo's hands—remembering how they'd gripped his face as Ricardo pushed his cock into his mouth….
Angga licked his lips, feeling hot and uncomfortable all over, then stared straight ahead.
He would never think about it again.
He wouldn't allow himself to think about that day ever again.
Angga thought he could push the incident out of his mind. He thought Ricardo would just ignore him after it was over.
But he was wrong on both counts.
Angga sighed and glowered at the assignment in front of him. Ricardo had been impossible to understand these past few days—constantly giving brutally hard assignments, then yelling at Angga in front of everyone when he failed to meet Ricardo's impossible standards.
"Are you finished, Angga?" a familiar cold voice asked, and Angga's body tensed automatically. He glanced at Rio to his left, but his friend was staring at the book in front of him with exaggerated interest. Traitor.
"I'll be done soon," Angga lied. He tensed as Ricardo set his hand on the desk and leaned down to look at the blank paper before him.
"I see," Ricardo said.
Angga turned to glare at him and was startled by how close the man's face was—just a few inches away. Dark eyes locked with his for a moment before the man's lips twisted into a sneer. Ricardo straightened his tall frame and said, "Your assignment is due in ten minutes, Angga."
"But you said….."
"Ten minutes," Ricardo repeated, his voice making it clear there would be no argument.
He walked away, and Angga glared at his back.
He turned his gaze back to the paper and scowled at it. This was completely unfair. How was he supposed to finish this in such a short time? The questions were impossibly hard and barely reflected anything they'd learned in class. Why wouldn't the bastard leave him alone? It felt like Ricardo was determined to make his life hell—and he was succeeding.
Angga's scowl deepened as he tried to keep his emotions in check and failed. He was tired, sleep-deprived, hungry, and furious… not a good combination.
And then Ricardo would blame everything on his lack of sleep. He'd blame it for whatever nonsense Angga ended up writing—nonsense he'd never have penned if he weren't so tired, hungry, and angry.
Angga turned in his assignment exactly ten minutes later and walked back to his desk. He hadn't even made it halfway there when Ricardo spoke, his voice very soft: "Angga—come to my office after class ends."
Angga's mouth went dry immediately. He nodded slowly.
Stupid, Angga told himself. He should never have let his emotions get the better of him.
When class ended, Angga headed straight for Ricardo's office as ordered.
He took a deep breath, then knocked on the all-too-familiar door.
"Come in…."
Angga entered and closed the door very carefully.
Then he walked over to Ricardo's desk.
"Are you well?" Ricardo asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Slowly, Ricardo looked up. His expression was completely cold as he slid a sheet of paper toward Angga—his submitted assignment. "What is this supposed to mean?"
Angga took the paper and read the single sentence written on it again, as if he didn't know what it said.
'Are you trying to disappoint me so I have no choice but to suck your dick again?'
Inside, Angga winced slightly. He couldn't believe he'd lost his temper and actually written that.
But aloud, he said, "Can't you read it, sir?" Just a few days ago, he wouldn't have dared use such a cocky tone with Ricardo—but apparently having the man's dick in his mouth worked miracles.
Ricardo stood up and walked toward Angga.
He stopped just a few inches away.
Angga didn't move, refusing to be intimidated.
"I could have you expelled for this," Ricardo said.
"Sure, but that would get you fired and ruin your career when everyone finds out you traded grades for sex."
Ricardo grabbed his throat. "You little bastard…. Fucking asshole." His hand tightened around Angga's neck. "Are you threatening me?"
"No," Angga said hoarsely. "I really don't like being intimidated. I didn't force you to put your dick in my mouth, sir."
Ricardo's nostrils flared instantly. He said nothing, the muscles in his jaw working.
"Seriously, what's your problem with me?" Angga asked, struggling to breathe against the pressure of Ricardo's grip. "I can't be the only student you could use. I'm not proud of what I did, but it was a fair deal—we both got something out of it. Why are you always on my case?"
"I have never traded grades for sex," Ricardo stated. "You are the only exception."
Angga blinked. "What? But I heard stories…"
"Yes, I get offers all the time—but I report anyone stupid enough to suggest it directly. Do I look like someone who would trade grades for anything, Angga?"
Well, no. That was why Angga had had trouble believing the rumors when Rio told him about them.
"But then…" Angga studied Ricardo. "What about me? Why me?"
The silence stretched wide and long. And stretched again. And again.
Oh.
Angga licked his lips. "You wanted me." He let out an uncertain laugh. "Wow. I… I guess… I'm a little flattered….."
Ricardo glared at him, his grip still on Angga's neck. "It was just lust—nothing more. I will not give you special treatment."
"You already are giving me special treatment, sir. You've been a total asshole lately—even more than usual." Angga held his gaze. "Let's be honest here, buddy. I didn't need to fail your class, so I sucked your dick. I didn't force you to take my offer. You wanted your cock sucked and you got what you wanted. Not my fault you couldn't resist it. And it's definitely not my fault I made you so hard. So please stop taking all your frustration out on me. I get it—you're sexually frustrated—but either be an asshole to everyone, or go fuck someone else…."
"I think not," Ricardo said very softly.