The Teacher’s Pet

I’ll admit: I side-eyed the Virtual Voice narrator at first. In a genre where husky whispers and dramatic gasps are the norm, a synthetic voice feels like a gamble—but damn, does it pay off. The lack of inflection forces you to *engage* with the text in a way live narration doesn’t. When Victoria’s internal monologue drips with sarcasm (‘*Of course he quoted Baudelaire. Of course.*’), the deadpan delivery makes it funnier. When the tension spikes, the absence of melodrama makes it *more* intense, like eavesdropping on a confession in an empty room. Cross’s writing is the real star. This isn’t just ‘teacher-student’ as a kinky premise; it’s a dissection of power, consent, and the stories we tell ourselves to justify desire. The pacing drags slightly in the middle—Victoria’s self-flagellation over ethics can feel repetitive—but the payoff is worth it. The sex scenes are *literary*, heavy on psychological stakes and light on purple prose, which I appreciated. My one gripe? The ending leans a tad too neat for a story that otherwise thrives in moral gray. Still, if you’re tired of erotica that treats taboo as window dressing, this is the audiobook for you. Just don’t listen at work—unless you *want* to blush through your Zoom meeting.