Educating Eve
Page 14
“Maybe. But this is nice, and refreshing, and real.”
Eve laughed. “Look at us! It’s not real!”
“Maybe not to the outside world, but to us it is, well to me anyway.” Manny shrugged. “I accept that you’re my teacher, but I’m nineteen and you’re only four years older than me and the rules can often be grey.”
“I don’t think they’re grey, I think they’re quite clear.” Eve nodded. “We can be friends, Manny, but nothing more.”
Manny slid closer to her teacher. “But we both want more.”
Eve couldn’t help but stare at the full lips. “We’d get caught.”
“How?”
“Everyone always gets caught.”
“They don’t. I know so many stories about student-teacher affairs. Caroline, England’s defender, she’s now married to her old PE teacher.”
Eve shook her head. “I couldn’t live with the anxiety of always looking over my shoulder wondering if one day you’d tell.”
“Why would I tell if we were still together?”
Eve laughed. “Oh Manny, what are you talking about?”
“I like you, Eve. I really like you.”
“I think you’re confused. I think you’ve had a huge life-change and you’re feeling a bit vulnerable. It would be wrong of me to take advantage of you.”
“Look at me! Look at us! We’re both women who know what they want.”
“Are we?”
Manny smiled. “Yes, but we’ve agreed to take it slow so we should change the subject before you start panicking.”
“How slow is slow? Because you’re not even two months in to your two years at school, yet here we are snuggled up in a limo drinking Champagne, having a really rather highly charged conversation.”
“It’s happening, Eve. You know it’s happening. You can feel it.”
“And what am I meant to do? Just sacrifice everything I’ve worked for? Everything I believe in?”
“You just don’t get caught, that’s all.” Manny refilled their glasses. “Think about it. Who actually has more to lose?”
“Me!”
“Not if I make a comeback. I have to put my past behind me and become a saint, like David Beckham did.”
“You’re thinking of playing again?”
“My knee’s feeling better every day. I’m pushing myself more in the gym, I think I might have another chance if I really worked at it.” She shrugged. “And United keep calling even though I’ve taken my settlement.”
“So what are you doing at school?”
“Making sure it’s a proper recovery. Everyone thinks the professional club physios are great, but they often pump you full of pain killers and perform quick fixes to get you back out there. I’m working with my own doctor and my own physio now and I know what my own body’s capable of. It’ll take time, and in that time I’m being sensible by studying, just in case it doesn’t work out, or just in case United change their mind and don’t want me back.”
“You’ll be snapped up!”
“And I can’t have a sordid story about a student-teacher affair tainting my comeback.”
“So we don’t have one.”
Manny smiled. “We both know we’re having one.”
Eve gasped. “Don’t.”
“Why not? It’s like that piece of cake being offered around. You’re trying your best to say no but deep down you know you won’t be able to resist.”
“You’re not that delicious, Manny.”
Manny laughed. “You should taste me first and then decide.”
“Boom. Banter point for the student.”
“I might technically be your student, but we both know I’m your equal. I could buy a house tomorrow if I wanted to. I could take any number of high-profile jobs. Admittedly your bust size will always be bigger and better than mine, but we’d be a good match in the real world.”
“So we should wait.”
Manny took the glass from Eve’s hand and placed it down alongside her own. She turned to her teacher and smiled. “I don’t think either of us want to wait.”
Watching in slow motion, Eve saw Manny’s full lips moving towards her own and was unable to stop the surge of lust that rose up inside her. She whispered in the intensity of the moment. “I do want you, Manny, but…”
“But what? Just take me, Eve.”
Eve stared at her student who was inches away before dropping her gaze. “I’m not brave enough.”
“I’ll lead.” Manny tilted her teacher’s head up at the chin and pressed their lips gently together.
Eve groaned with deep satisfaction, Manny’s mouth was so warm and her lips were so soft. She felt her heart race as she responded with a passion she’d never felt before, lifting her hands to Manny’s cheeks so she could take her, harder and wider. It was so much more than an innocent mistake of a kiss. Eve was kissing with intent. Intent to take this further. Intent to have the affair. Intent to let desire win out and consume her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Riding high on the adrenaline of the kiss, Manny and Eve pulled away at the same time and squealed, both throwing their hands to their own mouths as they gasped in shock.
“Fuck me!” said Manny first.
“I almost did!” wailed Eve.
“Here. Drink this.” Manny grabbed both glasses and downed her own, nodding for Eve to do the same.
“Bottoms up!” gasped Eve.
“It almost was!” replied Manny.
Both women laughed in shocked realisation at what they’d just done. “We kissed!” shouted Eve.
“Lots!” added Manny.
Eve nodded frantically. “And it was wonderful and I loved it and I feel okay!”
“And I feel fucking fantastic,” said Manny splashing more Champagne into both glasses before drinking her own in one go.
“What now?” said Eve, pouring the re-filled contents of her glass down her throat.
“We do it again.”
“Right now?”
“Yes,” said Manny, taking the empty glasses and placing them back on the table. She turned to her teacher and almost sat on top of her as she pressed herself in for another huge kiss. “You’re fucking delicious, Eve.”
Eve couldn’t reply. She was eyes closed, drowning in the taste of Manny’s mouth, overwhelmed by the feel of the body that was almost on top of her own. She lifted her hands to Manny’s waist, letting her fingers wrap around her back to pull her even closer. Manny was intoxicating and she felt drunk on the fumes of the illicit liaison. “I don’t feel bad,” she gasped between kisses, “which must mean I’m bad.”
“You’re far from bad,” replied Manny, punctuating each small exchange with more and more contact, “you’re very, very, good.”
Eve felt Manny’s fingers riding up her side, towards her breast, but instead of being horrified she felt overwhelmed by the desire to just go there, to just let it happen. She moaned in arousal as Manny’s thumb brushed over the outline of her nipple that was now erect and present through her two sports bras.
“I want to fuck you, Eve,” said Manny, reaching for the strap on the shoulder of the green Frankenstein dungarees. “I want to take you right here in the limo. My mouth between your legs, your nipples squeezed between my fingers.”
Eve felt dizzy with greed. Greed for this contact. Greed for this want. Thirst for more of this pleasure. “I don’t want to stop this.”
“So don’t.”
“I have to.”
“Why?”
Eve pointed up to the red light that had just become illuminated above the driver’s divide. “Because that’s flashing.”
Manny jumped off her teacher. “Fuck, we must be here! Get your mask on.” She gathered herself and reached out to press the intercom button, speaking in a deep voice. “Yes?”
The driver’s announcement was crisp and clear. “We have arrived at The Waterside. Are you ready to exit the limousine?”
Eve frantically shook her hea
d as she re-attached the strap on her left shoulder.
“Five minutes, please.”
“Has he gone?” whispered Eve.
“Yes, and he can’t hear anything unless I press that button again, and he can’t see anything unless I press that other button there.”
“And there are no hidden cameras, in case of vandalism or anything?”
“Of course not. This is an executive limousine, not one of those cheap ones that people like Jasmine and Kitty use on their prom night.” She paused and smiled at Eve. “Are you okay?”
Eve smiled at the concern. “I’m good.” She let out another little squeal. “I’m more than good, and I’m just going with this. I’m throwing my hands in the air and saying sod it.”
“Why?”
Eve signalled to the space between them. “Because I couldn’t have stopped this, even if I’d tried. You were right, it would have happened eventually, so why not just give in to the chemistry?”
“There’s giving in to the chemistry and there’s choosing to throw more lighter fuel over the fire.”
“You’d rather I’d pulled away from you and chastised myself, and swore it would never happen again?”
“That would have been more in character.”
Eve smiled. “Maybe I’m just beginning to find out what my true character’s like.”
“You’re going to eat me alive, aren’t you, Miss Eden?”
“No. Now that stops. I’m not a predator.”
Manny threw her hands in the air. “I was joking!”
“So stop with the teacher references.”
“What if that’s my thing?”
Eve found her Frankenstein face mask on the floor and squeezed the rubber as she spoke. “Is it?”
“You should have asked me about Mrs Howard during our game of truth or dare.”
Eve shrugged. “I don’t get jealous. If you have form with this kind of thing then good for you. But what do you want from me? A gold star?”
Manny whooped with laughter. “I love it! You’re so feisty! We’re going to have so much fun together.”
“Is that what you said to Mrs Howard?”
Manny laughed. “We were just friends.”
“Case closed then, come on, let’s go.” Eve pulled the mask over her head and slid along the seat to the door.
“Wait, that’s it? You don’t want to probe further?”
The rubber neck bolt shook from side to side. “Everyone has a past Manny, and yes, it can sometimes explain someone’s present, but you should never have an opinion on it if you weren’t there.”
Manny smiled. “That’s refreshing. Maybe older women are the way to go. Much wiser than any of my exes.”
“Again, something I’m not interested in.”
Manny moaned in arousal as she moved herself next to Eve at the door. “Indifferent turns me on, do you know that?”
“Maybe you’ll get the chance to show me.”
“Now! Let’s just turn around and go back to yours!”
Eve passed the killer clown mask to Manny. “You promised me fun and frolics. We’ve had a few frolics now let’s have some fun.”
Manny smiled before pulling the rubber mask over her face and tapping on the driver’s divide. She waited for the driver to open the door and spoke in a deep voice. “Thank you. You’ll be here all night?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Sir,” snapped Eve gruffly.
“Sorry sirs, yes sirs.”
“Thank you,” said Manny, before whisking Eve out of earshot. “You really are getting into character, aren’t you?”
“I told you, maybe this is my character. I’ve asked him twice already to call me sir, it’s about time I stood up for myself.”
“Easier when you’re wearing a Frankenstein facemask I guess?”
“Just a good place to practice,” said Eve, leading them towards the entrance of the huge Waterside club. “Next term I’ll be barking orders at Bonnie, just you see.”
Manny laughed before slowing their walk. “Shit,” she said, pointing at the queue of people in fancy dress.
“It’s fine, it’s going down quickly. They’ll just be taking payment at the door.”
“No,” said Manny, trying to nod her clown mask discreetly, “there!”
Eve stared at the woman at the back of the queue. “Oh no,” she said, “that’s not…”
Manny nodded. “It is.”
“But why?”
Manny gasped. “Because I’m a horror.”
Eve stared.
“Shit,” continued Manny, “and there’s another one.”
Eve turned her attention to a taxi that had just dropped off another group of women. One of them was dressed in full England kit with dyed purple hair swishing about in an obviously fake ponytail and a right leg stretched out in a full bandage. She’d got blood dripping from her mouth and dark, angry eye make-up. Eve watched as the woman joined the queue and instantly laughed at the stranger who was dressed identically to her. Her voice was loud. “Manny fucking Jones!” she shouted.
The woman from the queue shouted back. “Manny fucking Jones!”
“Manny fucking Jones!” screamed another woman walking her way across the carpark with the same choice of Halloween costume.
Eve turned to the real Manny who was standing stock still beside her. “At least you went for the killer clown outfit.”
Manny shook her head. “That’s not funny.”
“Relax, it’s a joke. They don’t know you’re here. It’s just a bit of harmless fun.”
“People have chosen to dress up as me for Halloween. How’s that harmless? How’s that even fun?”
“Do you want me to say something?”
“And what are you going to say?”
“Just you watch me,” said Eve, marching over to the queue with her legs wide and elbows out. “Who are you meant to be?” she said in her deepest possible voice.
“That twat who lost us the World Cup,” said one of the Mannys.
“This outfit has sold out on Amazon,” replied another, “there are going to be hundreds of us in here tonight.”
“We could start a match,” said another, “and then beat everyone up like the fucking thug that she is.”
“Twat,” said the first Manny again.
“She is a person,” snapped Eve, this time unable to control her voice quite as well.
“And what do you care?”
Eve felt an arm on her shoulder.
“Oh my god, are you her girlfriend or something?”
Another voice rose up from the queue. “What if it’s her! What if it’s Manny!”
“Of course I’m not her,” said Eve in her regular octave.
“Take your mask off then,” said one of the Manny’s.
“Piss off!” growled the real Manny as she swooped in to rescue Eve, taking her by the arm and marching her away from the confrontation. “What were you thinking?” she hissed once they were far enough away from the group.
“What were you thinking?” countered Eve. “They could have taken your mask off!”
“I was protecting you!”
“And I was protecting you. Idiots, all of them.”
Manny shook her head in disbelief. “I’ve taken a lot of abuse, but wow, a sell-out Halloween costume on Amazon, that’s quite the thing.”
“I don’t want to go in there,” said Eve.
“Yes you do.”
“I don’t, and I don’t want you in there either.”
“I can stand up for myself.”
“You don’t have to anymore. I’m with you now, and I’m making the executive decision. We’re going home.”
“The night’s over?”
“The horror story part of it is.”
“And the romance element?”
Eve smiled under her mask. “That part of the story’s just starting.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Back in the safety of the limousine, Manny yank
ed off her clown mask. While she was pleased that her and Eve would be fast-forwarding to the next stage of the evening, she was cross at herself for letting the bullies get to her. She never fed the troll and never responded to the hate mail, but this was a whole other level of disrespect. She looked out of the window at the queue of people. The fake Mannys weren’t aware she was there, so her choice to leave was obviously down to hurt-pride. She stared at the bandages and fake blood. Was her tackle in the World Cup final a hurt-pride thing too? All of her hard work about to go to waste? Jane Jotta passing their defenders and heading straight towards the goal. She was the quickest in the England team. She could catch her. What choice did she have? Manny spoke up. “I’ve made the wrong choice. I want to stay.”
Reaching into the small fridge for another bottle of bubbly, Eve shrugged. “This wasn’t your choice, it was mine.”
“My pride’s hurt. They’re not actually doing anything wrong. Let’s go back and have a fun night.”
“We won’t be able to.”
“You think I’m going to lash out at them like I did with Jane Jotta?”
“No? What? Where’s that come from?”
Manny sighed as she rested her head backwards on the soft leather seat. “I should have let Jotta complete her run. Put pressure on her from the side. I might have been able to get in front of her if I’d tried. She’d have missed. We might have won.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The tackle. The reason those women are dressed up as me tonight.”
Eve filled both glasses. “People dressed up as the Peru Two a couple of years ago, and there was a craze to go as Coleen Rooney’s Instagram message last year, remember? The one that said: It’s……….. Rebekah Vardy’s account. Halloween can be political, you’re just the latest victim.”
“But I’m not the victim. Jane Jotta is.”
“Your tackle was deliberate?”
“All tackles are deliberate.”
“Did you deliberately mean to hurt her?”
Manny sat bolt upright. “Of course not! I meant to bring her down, there’s a difference.”
“A professional foul then.”
“Exactly.”
Eve took a sip of her drink and tapped on the driver’s divide to signal they were ready to go. “A professional foul that went too far?”