Page 9 of A Reputation Dark & Deadly

Chapter 3

The next day, Peyton stepped into the Coffee Cafe, an on-campus cafe students frequented, especially during midterms. Considering it was only the beginning of the quarter, the place wasn't too crowded. Peyton was able to get her iced mocha and grab a small circular table in the corner of the cafe, right next to the window. It was her favorite place to lose herself in her studies and the best part was, because everyone was here for the same reasons, no one tended to bother her and she never felt any pressure to give up her table even if she hadn't gotten a second iced mocha in a while.

Even though she had nothing to study for just yet, Peyton took the time to simply relax in her corner, taking a long sip of the hot beverage before leaning back against the smooth, wooden seat. She wore her favorite hoodie, a grey fitted sweater she liked to wear during chilly days. A lot of the times she would pull the hood up, even if it wasn't raining. She liked blending in, being unnoticeable. Ex-boyfriends had complained about her casual choice in dress but after her last one, she promised herself she would never dress for a man ever again. It was probably why she felt her defense mechanism snap into place when Logan tried to make an example out of her answer in class. She wouldn't let a man talk to her a certain way, either.

Maybe she should have let him say what he needed to say and drop it. It definitely would have made the quarter go by easily. Not just the quarter but the next two months. She should have just kept her head down, agreed with whatever he said, and only spoke when he spoke to her. To contradict him in front of the class and continue to argue her point after he pointed out its flaws was just asking for a target to be put on her back.

But she couldn't summon up the amount of regret she knew it would take to compel her to change her actions. And she knew it had to do with the fact that she didn't regret what happened at all.

"Excuse me," a voice murmured over the dull thrum of the cafe noise.

Peyton picked her head up, surprised she had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Karla Greene, a second-year grad student and one of Logan's former TA's. She was gorgeous - long, lean, dark eyed, dark haired. There was a mysterious aura that surrounded her, one that was both alluring and transfixing. It was definitely clear why he slept with her. Plus, she was peppy and focused and was one of the more intelligent people Peyton knew of.

What wasn't clear was why Karla felt the need to sleep with him. Peyton did not think he deserved her and the fact that they weren't sleeping with each other now certainly said something. Didn't it?

"Hi," Peyton said.

"Mind if I sit?" Karla asked. Before Peyton responded, she slid into her seat with the feral grace of a cat, placing her purse on the floor next to her feet. She smiled a mega-watt smile, her teeth perfectly straight and practically white. "Thanks. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Peyton furrowed her brows together. What could Karla possibly need to talk to her about? They hadn't shared any classes together, weren't assigned the same research. The only thing they had in common was the fact that they were both Crim majors and they were both Logan Jeffrey's TA.

"What's up?" Peyton asked, trying not to show her confusion.

"I hear your Logan's TA," Karla said. She didn't sound possessive or annoyed with Peyton. It was a simple question with a simple answer.

Peyton nodded. "I am," she said, her voice still unsure, still guarded. It hadn't helped that Karla had referred to him as Logan, like they were on some kind first name basis. And maybe they were. Maybe they were still sleeping with each other. Peyton wouldn't have been surprised, exactly, except for the fact that Logan Jeffrey went through sexual partners the way students went through classes: on a quarterly basis.

"Did you know you're his only TA?" Karla asked, raising a brow. "He's teaching three undergrad classes and the only TA he has is his lecture class. You know there's supposed to be at least three TA's for that, right?"

Peyton shrugged. "I didn't know that," she said, "and to be honest, I have no idea why you're even telling me this."

"I'm giving you a head's up," Karla said. She rolled her shoulder back. "Look, it’s no secret that Logan and I slept together. Sex was a release, a place for us to forget about our stress and get all of it out of our systems. I wasn't the only TA he slept with either at the time, which was fine by me. Some of the girls do the stupid and develop feelings for the man, but the truth of the matter is Logan Jeffrey isn't the type to deal with trivialities such as feelings and compassion. He wants one thing and one thing only."

"So you're telling me to sleep with him?" Peyton asked.

"I'm telling you it might be beneficial for you to at least consider it," she replied. "Think about it: he's going to be grading exams in every class except your lecture hall by himself. He's going to be grading blue books and papers by himself. He won't admit it but it will stress him out."

"Maybe he shouldn't be such a raging prick," Peyton pointed out with a shrug. "Then more people would be willing to help him."

"Maybe,” Karla allowed with one shrug of her shoulder, "but I don't think it's in Logan's nature to be anything but what he is. It's something I've always respected about him, that what you see is exactly what you get. There're no games with him. No reason to over analyze. If he's attracted to you, he'll say it or insinuate it. For the most part, he waits for us to voice our consent, for us to go to him and tell him we want him. I'm sure he'd be all about the chase but he values consent more than anything else."

"Is that why he got all frustrated with me when I insinuated he might not want to pass up the opportunity to bang one of his intro students?" Peyton asked, and even as it came out of her mouth, she realized that it sounded pretty bad. Her cheeks pinched red for even saying such a thing. God, her pride got her into trouble sometimes.

"Well, I can tell you from that statement that he would get frustrated for plenty of reasons," Karla said. "For one, he has a lot of rules that must be acknowledged before any sort of relationship is even started."

"Like the whole Fifty Shades thing?" Peyton asked, her brow wrinkled with disbelief.

"Come on," Karla said with a roll of her eyes. "No. But he does have things he will not do. Call them boundaries, rules, call them whatever, but in his own way, he has a code of honor he adheres to no matter who his sexual partner is. First and foremost, consent. His partner has to be willing and wanting. It's why he won't sleep with a student. He refuses to do the whole consent under duress bullshit."

"Technically, I’m his student," Peyton pointed out with a smug grin. "Therefore, he won't sleep with me."

"Maybe," Karla said. "The difference between you and everyone else, though, is that you're a grad student. He might make an exception."

"You just said there weren't exceptions."

Karla pressed her lips together. "You're right," she said, "but I also wouldn't be surprised. You're... different."

"Thanks?" Peyton questioned, furrowing her brow and cocking her head to the side.