At 19, she was already a sophomore at the prestigious Xavier Institute, a school for gifted individuals, but Ivy had more than just academic ambition. She knew how to play the game. Always the perfect mix of sweet and sassy, a bright smile paired with a sharp tongue, she had managed to charm her way through every obstacle in her life.
And then came Professor Charles Xavier.
Her first encounter with him had been during his telepathy class—an elective that she had taken purely out of boredom. She’d expected the usual boring professors, with their stale lectures and uninspired teaching. But Xavier... he was different.
There was something magnetic about him. His calm demeanor, the deep warmth of his voice, the way his eyes seemed to pierce through everything. Ivy had immediately recognized the power in him, even if she didn’t fully understand it at the time. And from that moment, she was hooked.
From the back of the lecture hall, she would sit there, absently flicking her hair, her legs crossed over one another in the most distracting way, all while gazing at the Professor with an unspoken challenge in her eyes.
The other students noticed. Some whispered, some gossiped, but Ivy didn’t care. All that mattered was him.
---
The turning point came one afternoon during office hours.
Ivy had been playing the flirtatious game for weeks now, drawing Professor Xavier’s attention with little things—a lingering look, a casual touch of his arm when asking a question, pretending to "accidentally" brush against him as she leaned over his desk. She was confident. She knew that he noticed her.
But this time, as she walked into his office, there was a strange stillness in the air.
Professor Xavier was sitting at his desk, his fingers steepled thoughtfully in front of him. His piercing blue eyes lifted slowly to meet hers as she entered.
“Miss McCabe,” he said, his voice measured, yet there was something about it that sent a shiver down her spine. “You’re late.”
Ivy smirked, a playful glint in her eye. “I’m not late. I’m fashionably late, Professor.” She kicked the door shut behind her, walking with slow, deliberate steps towards his desk.
She saw his jaw tighten slightly, his gaze sharpening.
“You’re here to discuss your grades, I assume,” he said, his voice suddenly colder, more professional.
She leaned forward, resting both hands on the edge of the desk, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. “Oh, I’m here for more than that, Professor.”
Xavier didn’t move, but his eyes darkened just slightly. “Is that so?”
Ivy could feel the tension building between them, the electric charge in the air. She was getting under his skin, she could feel it. And that was exactly what she wanted.
She leaned closer, her breath hot against his ear. “I’ve been wondering,” she said softly, “How do you keep it all together? All that power, all that control... How do you keep your focus when someone like me is around?”
Her voice was teasing, but her words were heavy with something else. It was a game she was playing—one she didn’t expect to win, but she was enjoying every second of it.
For a moment, Xavier didn’t answer. He just sat there, his gaze on her, unreadable. Then, his lips parted ever so slightly.
“I am perfectly capable of focusing, Ivy,” he said, his voice a low whisper that sent a shudder through her. “But you need to understand that I am not like the others you’ve used and discarded.”
Ivy laughed, the sound sweet and innocent, but there was a dark glimmer in her eyes. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Professor. I’m not looking for anything serious. I just wanted to see if you could be... distracted.”
Her fingers grazed his, a feigned accident as her hand hovered near his. She watched as his expression faltered for just a moment, the faintest twitch of his jaw. And that was enough for Ivy. She was winning.
But what she hadn’t expected was for him to rise from his chair.
Xavier’s towering figure loomed over her, his hands gripping the arms of his chair as he looked down at her, his eyes now fully focused, glowing with something far more intense than she’d ever seen. Something darker.
“Ivy,” he said, his voice calm but chilling. “You have no idea who you’re playing with.”
She opened her mouth to speak, to laugh it off, but before she could, he placed his hand on her chin, lifting her face so their eyes locked. She froze, the playful smirk slipping from her lips.
“You think you can just walk into my office, into my mind, and toy with me?” His voice was barely a whisper now, but it hit her like a slap. There was no longer any trace of the calm, collected professor she had been teasing. He was... different now. Dangerous.
“Professor…” she began, but her voice wavered slightly, uncertainty creeping in for the first time.
“I’ve been patient with you,” Xavier continued, his tone darkening. “But you’ve pushed me too far, Ivy. You’ve crossed a line.”
Ivy’s heart began to race. For the first time, she realized that she had pushed him. Pushed him into something that she didn’t fully understand. His grip on her chin tightened, and she felt a strange pull. Her breath quickened as the temperature in the room seemed to rise.
Suddenly, his hand left her chin, only to rest firmly on the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. She gasped as he moved in, his breath brushing against her ear.
“You think you can manipulate me like the others?” Xavier whispered. “You think I can be distracted, played with? You’re wrong.”
He pulled back just enough to look at her, his gaze now cold and intense. “I don’t need your attention, Ivy. I don’t need anyone’s attention. But you…” His lips curled into a dangerous smile. “You will never get away from me now. I have you exactly where I want you.”
The sudden shift was like falling into darkness. Ivy’s mind raced, but she couldn’t move. It was as though he had control over her thoughts, her body. Every impulse she had was smothered by his presence, by the weight of his words.
“Professor, please...” she said, a slight tremble in her voice.
But Xavier only smiled, his fingers trailing over her arm, the touch gentle yet somehow threatening. “No. You don’t get to decide anymore, Ivy. You wanted my attention. Now you’ll have it, whether you like it or not.”
His lips brushed against her temple in a fleeting kiss, and Ivy felt her pulse quicken, her thoughts swirling. The game had changed. It wasn’t fun anymore.
“You’re mine now,” he whispered, his voice dripping with possessiveness. “And there is no way out.”
Ivy shivered, a sense of dread creeping over her. For the first time in her life, she realized—she had underestimated him. And now, he would make sure she would never forget it. ---
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