“Your pussy is so tight and wet.” He tore his mouth from mine as my pussy clenched and grabbed him yet again. I sobbed out hoarsely as he buried his face in my neck and nibbled on the skin there. “You are mine alone.” He lifted his head and stared at me as his hips moved, his cock pummeling inside me.
“Yes, yours,” I said in a feverish passion.
My affirmation seemed to undo him. He groaned as he completely lost it. He thrust harder, faster and deeper than I thought possible. “Oh fuck! Ari!”
I held him close as he shuddered in my embrace. I felt his hot breath on my cheek. I felt dizzy with the force of my climaxes, and it was a long time before we pulled ourselves back together and trudged up the stairs.
Chapter 11
B.B.
I waited in the parking garage in a dark corner. That evening I had chosen to drive the truck, just in case anyone happened to recognize the Coupe. I saw her step out of the elevator right on time.
It had been about four weeks since Ari and I had run into each other at Wayling’s that Friday night. The following weekend had been exquisite, to say the least. I lost count of how many times we had made love and of all the rooms we had christened. She had eventually told Carey what she had done the weekend before. Her roommate had approved, and also cautioned her to be careful that we did not get caught. It had become a habit thereafter for Ari to come over for the weekend. She went to the car rental and picked up a vehicle on Thursday evening, then returned it on Monday morning. She no longer needed an overnight bag, as she kept a set of things at my house.
But that weekend was different. Rather than renting her a car, I was taking her out for an official date. And I wanted to do it the right way by picking her up at home. I would take her home afterward. Carey had gone to a sleepover with some other friends for the weekend, and we would have the apartment to ourselves. The following weekend would be Thanksgiving and we would be apart, so I wanted to make that weekend a special one.
I got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side to open it for her. I caught my breath at how beautiful she was. As the light from the cabin spilled over her form I took in every detail.
Her hair was swept up on top of her head, leaving her neck and shoulders bare. The black dress she wore had slender satin straps and fitted her curves like a glove. The bodice clung to her bosom, and the waist cinched in. The fabric smoothed over her hips and ended just at her knee. A slit at the back allowed her to move freely. Her legs flowed down to a pair of silver stilettos which fastened around her delicate ankles. Her accessories were a simple silver chain and silver studs in her earlobes. A silver and black clutch completed her ensemble.
I handed her up into the vehicle and jogged back to my side quickly. I started the engine and turned to face her with a smile.
“You look beautiful,” I told her.
“Thank you.” Her smile lit up her face and took my breath away. I felt my heart skip a beat as I reached for her hand. We very rarely drove together. Whenever we did, I tried to maintain some contact with her. I placed her hand on my thigh and we were off.
I turned in a direction opposite to my home. I smiled as she looked out the window curiously.
“We’re heading to Old Harbor.”
“Old Harbor? But that’s almost an hour away.”
“Forty-five minutes if you take the highway. But it will be worth it, trust me.”
She tilted her head and smiled in a way I found very endearing. “Okay.”
We drove and talked about our plans for Thanksgiving weekend. She would be taking the bus home. It was a three-hour journey. I had already offered to rent her a car for the trip, but she had been reluctant to accept. Her parents, she said, would be suspicious and would ask how she had been able to afford to rent a car on the slim allowance they sent each month.
“Next year, when our relationship is more seasoned, I can tell them you rented it.”
I nodded when she had said that. It wasn’t until later that night, as I sat in my office playing with codes, that the enormity of what she had said had sunk in. Next year. Ari saw us still being together in a year. I had not given any thought to a long-term relationship. It was something to consider.
My parents would be flying in for Thanksgiving on Wednesday morning. The college closed on Tuesday after the first class and would resume the following Monday so students and staff had time to get home or go shopping for the holiday. I had already gone shopping for all the ingredients my mother said she needed. I had discreetly placed Ari’s clothing toward the back of one of my drawers and away from my mother’s prying eyes. They still could not understand why I had left the day-to-day running of my corporation to Ollivander and was content to spend my time in a classroom.
Communication with Ari over the holidays would have to be via text message only, and we would have to be somewhat discreet about it.
I pulled into the parking lot of Chateau 7. It was located along a pier in the town of Old Harbor, an old fishing village which had been developed into a sought-after seaside locale for both businesses and residences. Like a dutiful escort, I opened the passenger door and helped Ari down.
As we walked into the restaurant, heads turned. It must have been hard not to look at us. I suppose we made a stunning couple. I had asked for a table overlooking the water when I had made the reservation. The hostess escorted us to a private alcove that shut us off from the rest of the restaurant.
We feasted lavishly on roasted black bass and seasonal vegetables. Between us both we polished off a bottle of wine. I watched my intake and ordered a cup of strong black coffee. When we got to the dessert I watched as Ari’s face lit up. I had ordered an entire cake. It was made in the shape of an A+, the grade she had gotten on her mid-semester.
“Congratulations, my darling. Your semester got off to a bit of a rocky start, since you were distracted and all, but I think you’ve turned the corner over the past few weeks. This A+ is well-earned and all yours.”
“Oh! Thank you, my love! But I beg to differ. It’s all ours. You’ve really been an inspiration, B.B. I couldn’t have done any of it without you.”
She reached across the table and covered my hand with hers. I covered her hand and looked deep into her eyes. I was powerless to resist as our lips met across the table. Sweet…
The sound of footsteps pulled us apart.
We tasted a tiny bit of the cake and had the rest of it packaged to go. It was nearly midnight when we pulled into the parking garage. The trip upstairs was quick. We barely got the door closed before we were in each other’s arms. We made love that was slow, sensual, and passionate.
Sometime later I stroked her hair as her head rested on my shoulder. She rolled slightly and placed a soft kiss on my chest. I chuckled.
“You’re insatiable. Have mercy on an older man, young one. I’m almost thirty. I haven’t even caught my second wind yet.”
She pinched me playfully and I yelped.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“You’re a dirty old man is what you are. But guess what?” She slid up far enough to rub my nose with hers and kiss me softly. “You’re my dirty old man. And I love every inch of you.”
My heart raced at her admission. Love? I kissed her hard. When I pulled away, she giggled softly.
“See why I can’t help but love you? You make everything better. When I met you in August, life was such a challenge. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do. But now I know.”
I stroked her hair as she crossed her arms on my chest and rested her chin on them. “Have you, now. Your parents will be happy to hear that when you get home on Wednesday. Are you going to tell them first and then give me the good news?”
“Actually,” she said, tilting her head coyly, “I’m going to tell only you. Because it’s you.”
I blinked rapidly, unsure of what I had heard. I continued to stroke her hair as I took a deep breath. “What do you mean?”
She sat up and scooted clo
ser. “I love you, B.B. And what I want to do with my life is be with you. I realize that nothing in my life makes sense apart from you.”
I sat looking at her, stunned into silence. I could see the wheels turning in her head, and I was powerless to stop them. She could not have said what I thought she said. She could not mean what I thought she meant. I took a deep breath. I opened my mouth and closed it. Nothing came out. I felt her pull away from me in more ways than one, and I felt powerless to stop it. She slipped off the bed and fumbled for her nightshirt.
“Ari…”
“No. It’s okay, B.B.” She pulled on the shirt and turned and gave me a tremulous smile. Even in the dim light that shone in from the street, I could see the glitter of tears in her eyes. She walked out of the room and closed the door softly. I sat waiting for her to return. When I could wait no longer, I got up slowly. I turned on the light and got dressed. As I walked out, I saw her curled up on the couch. The television was on. She stiffened as she heard me approach. She turned her head into the pillow, but not before I saw the trail of tears. I stretched out my hand to stroke her hair. She broke my heart as she flinched away from my touch. I stood looking at her for a few moments more. Then, quietly, I walked through the door. I stood on the other side of it, waiting to hear the lock click in place. I imagined I heard a soft sob on the other end as the bolt slid into place.
Tuesday morning came quicker than I had wanted. How was I going to face Ari in class? At 9:05 I started my lecture. She was nowhere to be seen. I looked at the empty seat at the end of the second row several times. I avoided the daggers Carey was staring at me. I had given up all hope of Ari putting in an appearance when I entered the final hour of the lecture. Then I heard the door open. My heart skipped a beat as I drank her in. Her hair was loose and lay in smooth waves around her shoulders. She had on a t-shirt which read ‘I DON’T CARE’ in big bold letters. Her jeans were ripped at the knees and her feet clattered on the tiled floor with the flipflops she wore. She slid into her seats and pushed her aviators further up on her nose. She started chewing and popping gum as she dug her cell phone out of her bag and started texting.
You could hear a pin drop as the class looked from me to her. Slowly I looked at my wristwatch, then at her. I cleared my throat and continued teaching. I was livid.
As the last hour drew to an end, I wished the students a happy Thanksgiving, then all but shouted into my mic.
“Hartley. My office. Now!” The last word came out on a growl and several heads popped up. They looked nervously from me to Ari. I narrowed my eyes. She slowly rose and shouldered her backpack as I finished stuffing my briefcase and walked out, not even looking behind me to see if she was there. I fumbled with the key and flung my office door open. She stepped in behind me and shut the door.
“What the hell was that entrance all about, Ari?”
Ignoring my question, she dug into her backpack, pulled out the black hoodie and handed it to me.
“I don’t think I’ll be needing this again. Would you be so kind as to pack up the things I’ve left at your place? I’ll ask Carey to collect them from you when she comes to class. With finals in two weeks, I think I can get by on what I’ve been taught so far, and Carey would be more than happy to bring me up to date with anything you’ll be teaching in the next two weeks. Also…”
I was around the desk in a flash. I grabbed her by her arms and pulled her against me.
“Baby, what are you doing?”
She spat through gritted teeth. “I’m not your baby. You don’t want me to be. Now let me go, Professor Buckley.”
“The hell I will.” I pulled her flush against me. As she gasped, I devoured her mouth furiously. I stroked my tongue against hers, willing her to respond. She gave a choking sob as she melted into my embrace. I leaned against the desk, taking her with me. I nestled her in the V between my thighs as my hands gripped and kneaded her buttocks.
Dimly I registered the door being pushed open. A warning screamed in my brain, but it was too late. The door was wide open, framing Jerome, one of my grad students, who was holding a book he’d borrowed from me. He was with Monika, a senior student known as the college grapevine. It was a sure thing that before Ari was on her bus the entire campus would know what had just gone on in my office. Quietly I released Ari and walked to the door. I took the book from Jerome and quietly closed the door in their faces. I made sure to fasten the lock. I took Ari back in my arms. It was all shot to hell already, so why not make it worth it?
On Friday morning I sat looking at the message in my email. At least they had allowed me to enjoy the holiday. There was a request for a meeting with me regarding rumors that had surfaced surrounding an affair I was allegedly having with a student. I declared the stories to be facts and declined to name the student and accept my subsequent dismissal. The response still called for a meeting with the disciplinary committee on Friday afternoon.
I went through my classes that week with a heavy heart. Ari was noticeably absent. I had not heard from her since we had made love in my office. Friday morning, I arrived at the board room. I had spent Thursday evening cleaning out my office. So much for my foray into teaching. By Monday morning I would be back in my corner office. I had already informed Ollivander; like the good friend he was, he agreed it would be kept between the two of us. My return was going to upset some board members who had been trying to get Ollie to take over the corporation and force me out. But they had no idea how deep our friendship ran.
I walked into the room and took the seat in the center. There was an empty chair beside me. I thought nothing of it until I saw Ari enter the room. I went pale. She took the seat beside me and the proceedings began.
The questions came hard and fast. Ari insisted that she had thrown herself at me from the beginning. I insisted that I had been the one to make passes at her, knowing full well it could result in my dismissal. Neither of us was willing to back down from absorbing the blame and declaring the other party’s innocence. I could see the committee was baffled. At no point did either of us crack.
At the end of almost three hours of interrogation, the committee was hung. Half decided that Ari should be expelled. The other half decided that I should be dismissed. It could not be both. It had to be one or the other. They decided to reconvene after the Christmas holidays. Until then we could only wait. Our fate hung in limbo.
Chapter 12
Ariana
“So, the formula needs to be inserted here and here and here, to generate the correct solution.”
I made copious notes in my notebook, which was almost half full. It had been only three weeks since I had started, and I felt as if three years’ worth of knowledge was being crammed into a few hours each day. I looked at the board and scribbled the information hastily. The man at the board glared at me over the top of his glasses as he held the eraser in mid-air.
“Still writing? You need to keep up, dear.”
“I’m trying. I really am. But please bear in mind that this is all new to me.”
“I thought you did advanced mathematics and physics.”
“I did, but that was in high school. I need some time to refresh my memory.”
He set his mouth in a thin straight line as his bushy blond brows met in the middle of his forehead.
“Time is a luxury you cannot afford. Time is money. So, figure it out on your own time.” With that, he erased the board and started filling it up with another series of letters, numbers, and symbols.
I wasted no time in recording them in my notebook. I had never worked so hard in school during my entire life. But, at the end of these three weeks, I was beginning to feel a sense of purpose and accomplishment. I had put all the issues of the first semester behind me and had settled into my new routine quite nicely. At the stroke of four, I shoved my books into my bag and hightailed it out of there, rubbing the back of my neck. For the week that I had been through, I thought I had earned a trip to Wayling’s. I grabbed two bubble teas and two pa
stries and headed home. I was the first one there. With the change in the semester had come a change of schedule. I was still getting accustomed to being home alone on a Friday evening. I sipped my bubble tea and placed the extra one in the fridge. In no time I had dinner – pork chops and quinoa – sizzling on the stove top. I had just turned off both flames when I heard the door open.
“Hmmmmmm. Something smells good.”
“As good as pork chops and quinoa can smell, I suppose. How was class?”
“It’s the last class, not just for the day, but for the week. How do you think it was?”
I made a face as I pulled the bubble tea out of the fridge. “Not to worry. I’m sure it will get better as the semester goes on. Now have some bubble tea and drown your woes.” I watched as the stress melted away with the first sip. “Good, huh?”
“Very good. So how was your day?”
I made a face.
“That bad, huh? I warned you that Ollie’s bark is worse than his bite.” B.B. took another sip of his bubble tea.
“I beg to differ, my love. He has absolutely no patience with me.”
“Maybe because I told him you’re a genius like me. I guess he has high expectations.”
“Well, he needs to lower them.”
“Not going to happen. Not with Ollie. But if I were you, I would relax. If he had any serious problems with you, he would have said something to me already. In the three weeks you’ve been working along with him to improve the platform, I haven’t received any complaints. You’re fine. Don’t let his growling throw you off guard.”
I shrugged. “If you say so.” I reached up to grab some plates.
“Let me get that.” He came around the counter and pressed up against me as he reached up into the cupboard for the plates, making it a point of duty to run his fingers down my spine as he stepped away. I turned to serve dinner. We ate in relative silence, our eyes meeting every now and then.
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