by Raquel Belle
“Like a true college girl,” he said. I glowered at him and debated throwing a spoon at his head.
“Lay off, it was a mistake,” I said.
“But it’s your mother’s birthday, Naomi. Come on,” Dad said. I turned my head to see the waiter coming to the table, thankfully.
“Oh, I didn’t know we would have someone else joining,” he said.
“Really?” I glanced at Jess, who sighed and addressed the waiter, asking for a menu. “If you guys didn’t want me to come anyway, why call?” I asked after the waiter left.
“Look, Nao, it’s mom’s birthday. We all thought you’d show up late. We were talking, thinking about other things. Then when it became apparent that you weren’t getting here anytime soon, we called,” Jess said.
“You shouldn’t have called her Jess. I didn’t think she’d come at all, you know how Nao loves to pretend she has no family,” Casey said.
“Shut the fuck up, Casey,” I said.
“Hey, we don’t need all of this right now,” Dad said in a hard tone.
“Of course, Dad, go to Casey’s rescue since he’s your golden child.” I said. “I shouldn’t have come. When I’m here all you guys do is talk about yourselves anyway. I’ve always been invisible in this family, or dumped on,” I said.
“Naomi,” Mom said, her tone disapproving.
“I should’ve just given a raincheck rather than come over here,” I said and got up. “Happy birthday Mom,” I added before I walked quickly away from the table. I called V once I got back to my car.
“Hello?” she croaked.
“Still want to go to breakfast?” I asked.
“What happened?” I put my car in drive and headed towards V’s building.
“The same shit, I’m just over it,” I huffed. “I can’t take it anymore. I’m disowning myself.” I drove back to V’s and by the time I got to her condo, she was ready to go. As we walked back to the garage, waiting on V’s floor for the elevator, my cell phone rang. I glanced at the screen.
“Don’t answer,” V said. It was Jess calling.
After two rings, I picked up on a whim. “Hello?”
“Naomi, you know Casey is an idiot,” Jess said.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s my brother, why has he never acted like it? All he does is dump on me and Dad is right there to back him up. Then it’s not like you or mom ever do anything to defend me or put a stop to it. I’m over it, Jess,” I vented.
“Look, it was my mistake not to call you sooner when I realized you were running late,” Jess said.
“That doesn’t change what they said, Jess. Just—don’t include me for future gatherings. I’m not coming. I need a break,” I said.
She sighed. “Naomi, you’re taking this too seriously,” Jess said.
“Jess, it’s not just today, it’s since I was born. They’ve always treated me as sloppy seconds. I won’t stand for it anymore,” I said. The elevator finally dinged and slid open. “I have to go, Jess,” I said.
“Naomi, Mom and Dad are just…under pressure,” she said.
“Doesn’t give Dad a right to treat me like he does. I have to go,” I said and ended the call.
V took a deep breath as the elevator cruised to the garage level. “Well…you’re free?” she said. I shrugged, my chest felt hot and my head was throbbing from a migraine. I needed to chug some water.
Chapter Six
Joshua
“…Alright, so that’s that for this lecture. We’re out of time so see me after with questions,” I said. The sound of bags being packed and people getting up filled the room. I leaned against the desk I’d commandeered for myself and waited for the inevitable line to form. It wasn’t so bad this class, which was surprising because I gave a lengthy lecture prompted by my conversation with Naomi. I wanted to clear up the correlation between development theories.
She was in the back of the class, as usual, talking and laughing with blonde kid, Jacob. He put his hand on her shoulder and she didn’t shy away from his touch.
“JJ?” I blinked and looked at the student right in front of me.
“Hi, sorry Audrey. What’s up?” I asked. I started answering questions until it came down to the last student and we were alone. Naomi smiled, her expression friendly.
“Hey Dr. J,” she said.
“How are you?” I straightened off of the desk and started to pack my briefcase.
“I’m here, so I was just wondering about the…entire last part of the lecture with Freud,” she sighed. “Sometimes I get him, other’s I just don’t. Why was everything sexual with him?”
“Ah, well that’s hard to define without delving into Freud’s own mind. Everyone has a take on psychology at the developmental phase and for him, it simply started with the sexes,” I said. I couldn’t stop myself from looking at what she wore. Shorts again and a simple t-shirt that got a bit tight around her breasts. Her hair was wavy and loose down her back. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair but of course I didn’t. I wanted to touch her just as casually as Jacob had and I had half a mind to ask her about him. Were they dating? Did she know that he obviously liked her?
Naomi asked me more specific questions and I answered them for her. When she stepped towards the door, it felt like she was leaving too soon. Again, I wanted to reach out and touch her arm or something.
“See you next class,” she said and left the room. I waved too late and then shook my head, sighing. I needed to go on a date with someone who I could actually date. So, I texted my sister; Know anyone to set me up with? I left it at that and stepped out of the room, into the hallway. Before I made it out of the building, Amy texted back; omg YES! Amy had been wanting to set me up on a date since I bought my house and officially moved back. I hoped that whoever she was, she would be okay with taking things slow.
#
I stood nervously in front of the steakhouse Sophia and I were meeting up at. That’s all I knew about her, was her name and Amy had shown me a picture. I found myself chanting, “please be normal,” under my breath while I waited with a few white lilies in hand.
“Joshua?” a girly voice came from behind me. I turned around, Sophia was pretty. She had dirty blonde hair and big blue eyes.
“Hi, hey, I didn’t know you were waiting inside. I probably…should’ve checked,” I said with a nervous chuckle.
“That’s okay, I probably should’ve known to wait outside,” she laughed, seeming just as awkward as I felt.
“These are for you,” I said and handed her the flowers. She took them, her expression said that she was impressed.
“Thanks, they’re beautiful,” she said. I stepped to the door and held it open for her and we walked into the bustling restaurant. I stepped to the host’s podium and gave my name. We were shown to a booth on the quieter side of the dining room.
“So, uh…how was your day?” I asked when we got settled and were left alone by our waitress.
“It was pretty good. Just another day in the life of a physician’s assistant,” she said and smirked. Her smile seemed a bit smug to me and she was looking at me as if she expected me to ask more about her job.
“Isn’t that basically a doctor?” I asked.
“Right, we’re nurses that can diagnose and treat illnesses, we can perform certain procedures on patients too,” she said.
“Sounds…stressful,” I said honestly. Sophia laughed and agreed with me. She started talking more about her job until the waitress came back with bread for the table and to take our drink and appetizer orders. We made our orders and the waitress left again.
“Your sister told me that you’re a professor at the university,” she said.
“Yes, I teach psychology. This year it’s general psychology and developmental,” I said. As soon as I mentioned the word, an image of Naomi flashed in my head and…well she was a lot more attractive than Sophia. And I could pretty much guarantee that Naomi and I would be having a much more interesting conversation by then.
�
�Wow, that’s interesting. Did you study psychology with the intention to teach it or…?” Sophia reached for her glass of water and took a sip.
“I did work in a practice for a little while but I’d just rather teach,” I said.
Sophia took a hard turn in the conversation, “Amy also mentioned that you were married before?” I cleared my throat, surprised she went there so soon. Before the appetizers even hit. “I’m sorry, when I’m curious I can’t help myself when asking questions,” she said quickly. “We don’t have to talk about it,” she added.
I reached for my own water and took a gulp. Thankfully, the waitress came back with our real drinks and the appetizer we ordered. As soon as my cocktail was set on the table, I picked it up and took a drink.
When the waitress left with our entrée orders Sophie repeated herself. “You don’t have to talk about your marriage if you don’t want to.”
“That’s okay. This is what first dates are for, right? To get to know each other?” I paused and took another drink from my glass. Sophia nodded, her expression was tentative but still curious. “Uh, my ex-wife cheated on me and had been cheating on me for a while until I found out and we ended mutually. The bond just wasn’t there between us anymore. Now she’s…getting married to the guy she left me for,” I said. “Why’d you want to know?”
“Oh, well…like I said, I was just curious and…marriage is something I think about,” she said. I pressed my lips together and played with my glass—turning it around on the table.
“That’s…cool,” I said, nodding. I wondered if Sophia talked about marriage on all of her first dates. “Have any hobbies?” I asked. Sophia laughed but answered my question, we talked about kitesurfing and general beach things. I could tell she was sort of fishing for another date out of me but the whole marriage talk threw me off. I couldn’t think about getting married again so soon. Honestly, I just wanted a fling, something light but with some strings attached. I didn’t mind a few strings.
As we talked about Sophia’s job some more over our entrees, I realized that Naomi really got under my skin. I wanted her and it was looking like I wouldn’t tolerate anyone else. Fuck if that didn’t give me a headache and effectively end the date for me. I didn’t stay for dessert, instead, I left one fifty on the table while Sophia was in the bathroom and slipped out. I hurried to my car and quickly peeled out of the parking lot.
“How the fuck is this going to happen, now?” I muttered. I was crazy, there was no way I’d go through with it. Dating Naomi was a pipe dream that I needed to forget all about.
Chapter Seven
Naomi
My phone vibrated yet again in my purse. I slid it out of my bag and read the screen. Jess was still texting me, trying to get me to go to Sunday night dinner. I muted her texts and calls, especially since I was sitting in class, trying to learn. The operative word was trying.
Dr. J was slowly walking back and forth at the head of the room. Lecturing. I hadn’t heard anything he said since class started because of Jess. Because I’ve been preoccupied still fuming over my mom’s birthday brunch. It’s not like I wanted to be estranged from my family, they were all I had when push came to shove, right? But…it was looking like I’d be estranged from them if they continued to treat me like chopped liver.
I glanced at my phone again. “If we can all try to pay attention? I’m noticing some stragglers,” Dr. J said. My head snapped up guiltily. “Don’t hesitate to ask questions if I’ve lost anyone,” he added. His vibrant blue eyes were trained on me for a few seconds before he continued talking. I shoved my phone into my bag and dropped it to the ground, it didn’t help. It was like Dr. J’s voice was background noise. So, I zoned out until Jacob tapped my shoulder.
“Class is over, Earth to Naomi,” he chuckled.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered, he chuckled.
“We heading to the library, or what?” he asked.
“Naomi,” Dr. J said. I glanced at Jacob and shrugged.
“Catch you next class, then,” he said. I was surprised when there was no one waiting to talk to Dr. J. He sat against the desk that he kept in the front of the room.
“Sorry for not paying attention earlier,” I said, feeling a lot like I was being scolded, yet he only said one word to me. Dr. J was studying me as if weighing something in his mind. He was wearing the most casual outfit I’d ever seen him in, a dark blue polo shirt and jeans. His shirt made his eyes look more vibrant than they already were. He’d just cut his hair, too, it waved neatly behind his ears.
“Did you hear anything I said?” he asked. His voice dropped an octave and he stepped closer to me. My body had a visceral reaction to him, I flushed with heat and my belly clenched. I thought I had ignored all attraction for him. I thought my attraction to him had disappeared but alas, he stood in front of me and my body was in high betrayal mode.
“Um…no, I actually didn’t,” I said. Dr. J leaned closer to me, as if he would kiss me and then stepped back with his briefcase magically in hand.
“Follow me to the office, I’ll print out some notes for you to take home,” he said.
“Okay, thank you,” I said. We walked to his office quietly, I didn’t know what to talk about or bring up and Dr. J seemed okay with the silence. He unlocked his office door in the psychology building and held it open while I stepped inside. Then Dr. J closed the door and walked behind his desk. The shade was pulled over the large windows behind his desk but the lights overhead were bright.
“What’s going on with you? If you don’t mind me asking,” he said while bringing his desktop to life.
“It’s just…some family stuff. My sister was texting me during class, it was distracting,” I said, attempting to brush the question off. Dr. J pulled up typed notes on his computer and printed them out. He grabbed them from the printer before I could—it sat closer to me on his desk than where he stood.
“I hope everyone’s healthy?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah it’s not that bad…I guess,” I said. He walked around the desk and stopped right in front of me to hand me the papers. “Thanks, Dr. J,” I said and he recoiled as if I’d surprised him.
“Doctor J?” he said.
“That’s your name, isn’t it?” I asked.
“No,” he said, smirking. He hadn’t stepped away from me yet and he was looking at me with a focus that I couldn’t really decipher. Then he moved, slowly he tilted his head until his lips hovered over mine. I was aware then, that I’d stopped breathing and my heart was hammering in my chest.
“Is this weird?” he asked, his voice a whisper.
“No,” I said and brushed my lips over his.
“Call me Josh,” he whispered.
“Okay,” I said and he took the papers out of my hand and dropped them onto one of the chairs beside me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. Already, I felt the imprint of his hard-on through his pants. My mind raced as I tried to think back to a time that he showed attraction towards me. I’d been so concerned with tamping down any attraction for him that I’d been completely oblivious. How long had he wanted me? Or was this a one time, on a whim, thing?
Josh’s hands slid down my waist and he gripped my ass. He rotated his hips and nibbled at my bottom lip. I inhaled sharply at the feel of his erection pressed against my pussy and I felt myself suddenly getting really wet. My hands slipped underneath his shirt and I slid them over the ridges of muscle on his chest and abs. Of course, someone as gorgeous as him would be at the gym every day. I unbuttoned his shirt while he kissed and sucked on my neck. With our hips pressed together and the urgency building between my legs, my fingers trembled as I pushed his shirt off of his shoulders.
“Are you nervous?” he whispered. Josh stopped kissing me, he tilted his head to meet my eyes. “We don’t have to do this…I just—I couldn’t hold back anymore,” he said.
“I’m not nervous, I want you,” I said. Josh rested his forehead against mine and his fingers deftly undid my shorts
and he hooked his fingers in the waistband and pushed them down. I sent a prayer of thanks to the fate gods for the fact that I was wearing an attractive set of underwear, couldn’t go wrong with black lace. Josh knelt and kissed my hips and belly button while his hands kneaded my butt cheeks. It wasn’t hard to guess that he was an ass guy. Josh rubbed his thumb against my clit through the lace of my panties and I held onto his shoulder to keep from swaying too far forward.
“You’re already so wet,” he murmured. I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond. I wasn’t used to much conversation while having sex with someone. Usually, I had sex with awkward younger guys who were still a little insecure about how to please women.
Josh stood abruptly and pulled one of the chairs to me. I sat down and he lifted my knees over the arm rests of the chair so that I was completely open to him. He knelt between my legs and bit my inner thigh, causing my pussy to clench with lust. My nipples hardened and my breath stuttered. Josh’s blue eyes bored into me as he moved my panties aside and spread open my lips. He didn’t close his eyes or take his gaze from mine as his tongue flicked against my clit. I gripped the chair tightly and tried to stifle my moan when Dr. J—Josh—sucked and nibbled on my clit. He slid his finger into my core and thrust against my g-spot. I cried out and he paused to kiss my thigh.
“We have to keep it down,” he said hoarsely. I nodded and he put his mouth to the sensitive bundle of nerves again. He knew just where to put pressure with his tongue and his finger. My legs grew weaker and weaker as the pleasure built. It was hard for me to keep my moans at bay and I couldn’t help the whimpers that escaped. My orgasm hit hard and I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from yelling.
Josh stood abruptly and unbuckled his fly. He pulled out his cock and I blinked, doe eyed, at it. It was thick, veiny, and had an upward curve. My first instinct was to return the favor he gave me and suck him off but he slipped his hands under my thighs, picked me up with ease and set me on the edge of his desk.