Chapter 7 How to seduce older men

ARIA

I have no idea why the professor behaved like that at the office.

Maybe he was in a fowl mood.

I brushed the thought off and went for my remaining classes.

When the school day was over i met up with Laura again and we went to my place together.

She prefers staying with me than at her dorm. She said the students there were crappy.

I would invite her to live with me but she already paid for the dorm until she graduated.

"Ugh, our first semester exams is in 2 weeks" she said as she flopped on my bed.

"Yeah, after this semester we have one last semester before we graduate" i said.

"Fucking finally, i'm so tired of this darn school" she groaned.

"Aren't we all" i rolled my eyes.

"There's a party next weekend..."

"Laura please tell me you're not thinking of going to that party, we need to prepare for our upcoming exams" i said turning to face her after removing my hoodie.

"It's a school party. Besides the school wouldn't host it if they thought it would be of any harm to the students"

"Laura..."

"Pretty please" she said giving me the puppy dog eyes.

"You're such a party freak Laura"

"And you love me anyway" she smiled as she rolled on the bed.

"Whatever" i muttered and climbed onto be with her.

"Your boobs are so perky" she said touching them.

I slapped her hands off.

"Don't make me think you're a lesbian now" i said eying her.

We spent the remaining day ordering takeout and watching TV until Laura was fast asleep.

I checked the time and it was 11pm, and i was still wide awake.

Thinking about the professor.

He seemed so mysterious though. Nobody knew his background.

Like what was his previous job?

Is he married?

If he was, he'd be wearing a ring.

Does he have a girlfriend?

Why does he look so sexy and young?

Laura googled him before, but nothing came up.

No social media, no university press, no LinkedIn, nothing but a mare Westbridge staff profile account... which had no photo and only said "Visiting Professor, Department of Literature."

That's it?

Who the hell has zero online presence in 2025?

Unless... he was hiding something.

Or someone.

Now i was curious and wide awake.

They say he's 38 but i hardly believe it. Maybe I do, i just didn't want to accept it.

'God why did you decide to punish me like this'

I shouldn't be thinking about my professor. That man wants nothing to do with me, at least he made that clear. But that only annoyed me.

I picked up my phone and googled: how to seduce older men.

"God i'm so stupid'

I scrolled and clicked on the first link.

#1. Be confident.

Right. That was already a disaster.

I could barely walk into his class without tripping over my own anxiety. I literally used a textbook to hide my face like a 12-year-old at confession.

#2. Make eye contact. Hold it. Let it linger.

Have they met Professor Carter?

His eyes could swallow me whole. One glance and my brain short-circuits. I'd rather eat chalk than hold his gaze longer than five seconds.

#3. Dress mature, but alluring.

Does hoodies and jeans stained with coffee count?

I sighed, dropping my phone onto the bed beside me. Laura was snoring gently on the other side, her face half-buried in a pillow, legs tangled in the sheets like she'd gone twelve rounds in her sleep.

Must be nice... being carefree.

Me? I was wide awake and spiraling over a man who clearly didn't even like me.

Worse? He looked through me. Like I wasn't even there.

Except in that office.

The way his fingers brushed mine when he handed my textbook back to me. It was brief, probably nothing.

But i swear i felt something electric. Or maybe that was just my blood pressure reacting to his cologne.

I reached for my phone again, flicking the screen back on.

"God, I'm really stupid," i whispered to myself, but still, i clicked on the next link that read:

"Older Men Crave Power: How to Seduce Without Trying Too Hard."

I blinked.

Power?

I kept reading.

"Many older men, especially those in positions of authority, are drawn to women who make them feel powerful and needed. It's not about being weak... it's about knowing when to step back and let him take the lead. Men love mystery, softness, and subtle submission in a relationship."

I reread that part.

Subtle submission?

My face flushed instantly, and i dropped my phone on my chest.

Why was my heart suddenly racing?

I wasn't some fragile, submissive girl who needed a man to lead her. But then again... when i pictured his sharp green eyes, his cool commanding voice, his intense presence and his touch that burns.

I couldn't help but wonder what it'd feel like to just... let go.

Let him lead.

Ugh. What was wrong with me?

I sighed.

"Nope," I whispered. "Not going there."

Still, I picked up my phone again.

And kept reading.

*****

I tried to concentrate, I swear.

But the more Professor Carter talked about Romantic literature, the more my thoughts drifted... not to the syllabus, but to the man standing at the front of the room.

Why was he so... composed? Why did he never smile?

Laura was beside me, jotting down notes like her life depended on it. James sat on my other side, and every now and then, he leaned in to whisper a sarcastic comment about the reading.

I laughed quietly but Professor Carter looked up at that exact moment.

Our eyes locked. Just for a second.

Long enough for me to forget how to breathe.

"Miss Giovanni," he said, "if there's something humorous about Frankenstein, please, do share with the class."

Heat rose to my face like a fire alarm had gone off in my bloodstream.

I lowered my gaze.

"I'm sorry, sir." i muttered.

He didn't reply. Just turned back to the board and continued with the lecture like i didn't exist.

I hated that. I hated how invisible he made me feel and how badly i wanted him to look at me again.

God help me.

I tried writing something down, but I realized all i had scribbled was his name.

Pathetic.

James leaned in again. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," i whispered. I wasn't.

"Before we end today's session," he said, placing the marker down and turning fully to face the class, "I have an announcement."