Blurred Lines by M. Lynne Cunning Read Free Book Online Page A

smile at Libby and added, “But I do hope to not have to do it again anytime soon.”
    Lauren’s gaze landed on the door opening at the left entrance of the room. She watched Anthony shuffle in, his armful of books and papers and a laptop bag slung over his shoulder making it difficult to get past the heavy door that threatened to close before he and his luggage were safely inside.
    “Looks like class is about to start soon,” Libby said.
    “Here we go again,” Lauren muttered quietly, and Libby laughed, reaching over the arm of the chair to pat her hand.
    “I will leave you two to go at it again,” and she winked at Lauren. Questioningly, Lauren arched an eyebrow and watched Libby stand, smiling at the sight of someone beside her. Lauren turned to see Dean coming down the central aisle, his eyes set on her.
    When Lauren turned back to tell Libby she didn’t have to leave, Libby was already side-stepping past other students and making her way to a seat toward the front, giving Lauren a quick wave before lowering herself into a chair. Lauren wondered if she knew some of the students in the front of the room.
    “Hey, sorry I’m late for the big reveal,” Dean remarked as he placed his book bag and jacket into the chair beside him. He sat down and watched Anthony prepare for class, a stack of papers placed in front of him.
    “Big reveal?” Somehow, Lauren didn’t like the sound of that.
    “Yeah, Anthony told me yesterday afternoon when I was handing our assignment in that he was going to be reading a few of the submissions to the class. I don’t think he intends to name names though.”
    Lauren’s first inclination was to groan in protest. Her intention had never been to show that assignment to anyone other than the professor himself. It was a written secret between Anthony, Dean, and herself. She wanted to protest. She wanted to agonize over other people being privy to their little secret. Instead, she did what Sarah would do.
    “Interesting. I’m curious to know if our masterpiece will be chosen.”
    Dean smiled. “It was a masterpiece, wasn’t it? We work well together, you and me.”
    Lauren bit the inside of her lip and faced the front when she heard Anthony clear his throat.
    “Good morning, everyone,” Anthony said. “Well, it’s safe to say that yesterday’s assignment was an eye opener for some of you. Some of you obviously struggled with the genre, feared the subject at hand, or even showed reluctance to delve into the sensuality and sexuality I had hoped you’d attempt to convey. That said, it was also blatantly obvious that some of you took a no-holds-barred approach and tackled the subject matter with such exquisite raw strength that I look forward to reading your upcoming assignments. We have a classroom full of literary geniuses in the making, my friends!” The excited whispering that followed his exclamation was quickly cut off as he continued.
    “Every now and then, a piece of prose comes along that makes a reader and writer stop in his tracks. When that moment occurs, the world as we know it seems to temporarily stop turning on its axis and the way we view that world is forever changed. I had one of those rare moments last night while I sat in my armchair at home reading through some of the assignments handed in.” A few of the girls in the front row visibly deflated, their shoulders slumped in disappointment. Either they had waited until that morning to hand in their assignments, or they hadn’t handed one in at all. One way or another, they seemed to know Anthony wasn’t referring to their work.
    “One pair constructed something so darkly seductive, so riskily pensive, that I dare say their words could be used to define not only the unsustainable hunger for the most intimate of desires, but also the innate drive that cause all of us to act in our day-to-day lives despite our knowing that right or wrong fails to always exist when the need for power and control overwhelms the