Forbidden Love

by Phillips, Laura

  “Look,” Cam started. “I don’t want things to be awkward between us… But are we ever going to talk about that night?”

  Jackie’s lips tugged into a smile. “I guess we are now.”

  “Because I thought that we had fun…”

  “I did,” Jackie said as she brought her glass to her lips. “But then you never came back for the next practice or any practice after that. You vanished.”

  “You had my number… And you ignored my text.”

  “Wait, what text?”

  Cam studied Jackie’s face, trying to figure out if she was bluffing but she appeared to be genuinely surprised at the mention of a text.

  “I sent you a text the next day,” Cam said, resting her arm on the back of the couch.

  “Really? I never got it.”

  Cam nodded and took another drink.

  “What did it say?” Jackie asked.

  Cam sighed softly. “I don’t know… I can’t remember.”

  “Come on,” Jackie said with a playful smile. “Just give me the gist of it.”

  “Okay… I think I suggested that we go out on a date.”

  Jackie’s eyebrows rose slightly. “And?”

  “I may have said something like, ‘I’ve never been kissed like that before.’”

  Cam could feel her cheeks becoming flushed. How had she lost control of this conversation?

  “I didn’t think you’d be such a romantic,” Jackie teased.

  “There was chemistry and I just wanted to acknowledge it,” Cam said simply. “That’s all. So, I was surprised when you didn’t reply.”

  “I swear to you that I never got it… If I had, I would have replied.”

  “And gone out with me?” Cam asked, finding her courage again.

  “Yes. Definitely. But… It was probably for the best, you know…”

  “Because I’m a student at your college now.”

  “Right,” Jackie said as she took another sip of wine.

  “And if I wasn’t?”

  “If you weren’t… I’d have pulled you into a kiss five minutes ago.”

  Cam took another drink and placed her wine glass down on the coffee table in front of them.

  “I meant what I said in that text…,” Cam said, her eyes locking onto Jackie’s. “I’ve never been kissed like that before.”

  Jackie took a drink, averting her eyes away from Cam’s. Cam knew that she was ignoring her comment and Jackie’s cheeks had darkened slightly.

  Cam reached for her hand, running her fingertips across Jackie’s palm. She heard Jackie’s breath hitch and Cam knew that she wanted this too.

  “You can’t deny the chemistry,” Cam continued.

  “I’m not,” Jackie said softly, her eyes returning to Cam’s.

  Cam could see her desire reflected in Jackie’s green eyes. She didn’t think there was any point talking about this any longer.

  Cam leaned forward, her eyes fluttering shut as she inched closer to Jackie’s lips, reversing their roles from the night they’d first met. Cam was taking the lead. She knew this could backfire, but she didn’t know when she’d have this opportunity again.

  Cam cupped her cheek, her thumb lightly brushing across Jackie’s lips before she covered them with her own, her hand sliding down to Jackie’s neck as their lips parted against one another’s.

  Jackie returned the kiss, moaning softly as their lips slowly met again and again. Jackie blindly left her glass on the coffee table, as their kiss became more intense.

  Jackie leaned into her, her hand resting on Cam’s hip, sliding under her top to graze across her bare skin. Cam shuddered under her touch, hardly believing that this was real.

  “I should go,” Jackie breathed, breaking their kiss, her forehead resting against Cam’s for just a second. “I’ve only had half a glass… And the rain seems to have let up a bit too…”

  Jackie stood up. As much as she wanted to, Cam wasn’t going to try and persuade her to stay. She hadn’t really even expected Jackie to return her kiss, so she wasn’t going to push her luck.

  Cam stood up and padded over to the door where Jackie was putting on her coat.

  “Thanks again for coming to my rescue,” Cam said, meeting Jackie’s eyes.

  “You’re welcome. Try not to do it again,” she said with a smile.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Cam opened the door while Jackie picked up her umbrella. The rain had eased off.

  “Goodnight… Drive safe,” Cam said, leaning on the door as she held it opened.

  “I will. Enjoy your weekend.”

  Cam watched her make a run for her car and get in a few seconds later. She waved before closing the door and resting her back against it, her heart still beating faster than normal.

  Cam returned to the couch and took another sip of wine. She was surprised Jackie had kissed her back and that it had lasted as long as it had. She’d been expecting Jackie to dismiss her advances because she was a student.

  Cam knew some professors had affairs with students. She’d heard more than one rumor about several professors who didn’t have an issue with crossing that line.

  She could tell that Jackie was reluctant. They could have easily kept going and things would have eventually led them to Cam’s bedroom, but she wasn’t completely discouraged. Jackie wanted her. She could still see it in her stunning green eyes.

  Chapter 12

  Jackie leaned back in her black leather office chair, stretching her arms above her head as she pushed her chair back and away from her desk.

  She needed a break. She’d been correcting papers all afternoon and she was starting to get a headache.

  Jackie stood up and looked out the window, down at the concourse that was bustling with students coming and going from classes.

  She turned around and slid the stack of papers she’d yet to grade in her handbag. She’d get to them later.

  Her desk was clear again, a rule she’d created in her first year of lecturing. She hated having a messy desk and made sure that it was clean before leaving each day.

  It was a week since Cam had called her from inside the library. Jackie couldn’t believe that she’d been so daring, that Cam had kissed her and that she’d kissed her back.

  She’d been reliving that kiss all week. Anytime she had a few seconds of idle time, her mind went back to that night, to the way Cam’s lips had gently covered hers and how easily things had escalated.

  Jackie slid on her jacket and slung her bag on her shoulder, getting ready to leave, when a thought popped into her head.

  Wait… I didn’t cross a line, did I? She’s not in my class… That can’t be the same, kissing someone that was a student versus kissing your own student, could it?

  Jackie’s heart sped up. She didn’t know what the official rules were because they were never relevant to her. She’d never looked twice at a student.

  Jackie’s phone vibrated, and she retrieved it from her bag. It was from Cam. They’d been sending flirty texts to each other all week.

  They both had too much on this week to see each other and Jackie didn’t even know if she should see her again or not. She didn’t think she could handle any more kissing…

  It was too intense. Cam was absolutely intoxicating. Jackie didn’t know if she’d be able to put on the brakes again.

  The way Cam had taken her hand that night, delicately running her fingertips across her palm… It gave Jackie chills just thinking about it.

  She’d loved the way that Cam had taken control of the situation, the way she’d initiated the kiss, doing exactly what Jackie had wanted to do but was too scared to.

  Jackie left her office, locking the door behind her, glad to have an early finish. She needed to go for a run, her favorite way to relieve stress, and then she’d have a long hot shower and pour herself a glass of wine.

  Chapter 13

  Jackie strode across campus, on her way to a nearby coffee shop. She had a free hour and she needed t
he caffeine.

  Rust colored leaves fell around her as she crossed the tree lined path that led away from the college. It was early October and it was already starting to feel cooler.

  “Jackie!”

  She turned to her right to see Megan, speed walking, trying to catch up to her. Her long blond hair bouncing as she moved.

  Megan worked in the English Department and they’d dated for a little over a year about five years ago. It was Jackie’s last serious relationship and they were still friends.

  “Hey,” Megan said when she’d caught up to her. “I’ve hardly seen you this year. How are your classes going?”

  “The usual… I was on my way to grab a coffee. Do you want to join me?”

  “I’d love to,” Megan said as she adjusted the strap of her designer gray handbag on her shoulder. “Off campus okay? I hate running into students.”

  They made the ten-minute walk to the small coffee shop that Jackie always went to. Megan spent the walk over telling Jackie about her new puppy.

  Jackie pulled open the glass door, holding it open for Megan. There was a short line that seemed to be moving quickly, the three baristas behind the counter certainly earning their money as they moved swiftly around the chrome espresso and frothing machines.

  They ordered their coffees a few minutes later and found a table at the back of the room. Jackie lifted the newspaper that was in the middle of the table and left it on the empty chair beside her.

  Jackie loved the smell of freshly ground coffee. She wrapped her hands around the mug, warming her hands and inhaling the aroma of her Americano before taking a sip.

  “So, what’s new in the English department?” Jackie asked her.

  “Have you heard about Max?”

  “Max Fields?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What about him?”

  Megan leaned forward. “There’s a rumor going around that he’s dating one of his students. Another lecturer overheard him bragging about it at a bar. That in itself probably wouldn’t be earthshattering news. He does this every year. This is just the first time anyone’s heard him admit.”

  “What?” Jackie asked, not quite believing what she was hearing. “What’s going to happen to him? He’s going to get fired, right?”

  “Nothing’s going to happen. No one’s officially reported it. He’d deny it anyway,” Megan said as she took a sip of her coffee.

  “What about the student?”

  “She won’t want the attention. She won’t say anything either.”

  “Is this what’s going on now? I feel so out of the loop sometimes,” Jackie said, leaning back in her chair.

  Jackie never told Megan about Linda. She had a jealous streak and she knew Megan would make a big deal about it even though their affair happened years ago.

  “You act like you’re ancient. You’re thirty-five. You’re younger than Max.”

  “I don’t know… It just seems so cliché.”

  “To sleep with your students?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I have no interest in it. I’ve never been attracted to anyone that much younger than me.”

  “I know,” Jackie said with a laugh. “You made that clear when you came after me.”

  Megan was twenty-four when they’d started dating five years ago. Jackie had been reluctant to date someone six years younger than her. She’d just turned thirty and was feeling sorry for herself when Megan approached her at a bar.

  “Yeah,” Megan said with a smile. “You’re right. I’ve always had a thing for older women.”

  “While we’re on the subject… Hypothetically speaking, of course… Is it against school policy to date a student who’s not actually your student?”

  “I don’t know… Who is it?” Megan asked with a sly smile.

  “It’s a hypothetical question, so no one,” Jackie said seriously.

  “Jackie, come on. It’s me.”

  “I will tell you if and when there’s something to tell, okay? Enough about me… So, who’s on your wish list these days if it’s not a student?”

  “No one.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m going to try online dating, I think,” Megan said as she wrapped her hands around her mug.

  “Good luck with that.”

  “You’ve tried it?”

  “Yeah. I think I’m just too picky though.”

  “You’ll find someone,” Megan said with a warm smile. “I don’t know how you haven’t been snatched up already.”

  Jackie returned her smile. She liked that they were still friends. They’d ended things mutually when they fell into a rut. They were better as friends than lovers anyway.

  Chapter 14

  Cam stood at the back of the room, waiting for everyone to find a seat. Kayla had lined up two rows of ten chairs about an hour ago, making sure that they all had a good view of the forty-inch tv at the front of the room.

  Every Wednesday night, they had a movie night at the youth center. They usually watched comedies, or something uplifting.

  Cam would have loved having a night like this to look forward to when she was in high school. The same faces usually made it each week, happy to have a safe place to be who they were.

  Cam took out her phone and sent Jackie another flirty text. They’d been sending them back and forth all week and somehow, Cam was still surprised that she was getting them back.

  She thought Jackie wouldn’t be interested in sending innuendo filled texts, but she was just as into it as Cam was, if not more.

  Cam had been afraid that Jackie wouldn’t want to see her again now that she knew Cam was her student. Jackie came across as being so put together, organized, in control. Seeing her like this, living a little on the edge, was making her even sexier which Cam didn’t think was possible.

  Cam always did her best to live in the moment ever since her brother died. She’d stopped thinking about the future after he was gone even though that was all anyone wanted to talk about.

  Take this class. It’ll improve your chances of getting into college.

  What do you want to do with your life? Where are you going to college?

  What do you want to study?

  What kind of job do you want?

  Cam had it from all sides: guidance counselors, teachers, her parents, people at church, classmates.

  All she could think about was this gaping hole in her life. Her best friend, her only sibling was gone. The future was the furthest thing from her mind. She just wanted to get through each day.

  Living in the moment was one thing. Being careless was another.

  This was probably the most reckless thing that she’d ever done, but it wasn’t completely out of character.

  Cam just hoped that she didn’t get her heart broken. Being with Jackie was exhilarating. She’d never felt like that before. The way that Jackie kissed her, the way their eyes met… Cam could feel herself falling as each day passed.

  Kayla came to stand beside her, taking her away from her thoughts, as the last person sat down. They had a full house tonight.

  “I think we’re ready to go,” Kayla said as she flicked the light switch and pressed the play button on the remote that she was holding.

  Chapter 15

  Jackie couldn’t believe that they were six weeks into the semester. Time was flying. Three weeks had already gone by since Cam had kissed her again.

  They’d been in touch most days, but Jackie had been struggling with her conscience. She wanted to invite Cam over for a few drinks or dinner, but she knew that the chances of Cam leaving again that night were slim.

  She was wrestling with her feelings, with her ethics and she wasn’t sure what was right or wrong anymore.

  Even though she’d only caught glimpses of Cam from across the campus or the parking lot, her heart still fluttered when her eyes landed on her.

  Jackie kept going back and forth about the whole situation. If Max Fields could
get away with it then, why couldn’t she? And it wasn’t even the same for her. Cam wasn’t actually her student.

  Jackie sighed and stretched her hands above her head. At this point in the year, she liked to meet her students one on one to discuss their first paper. Attendance was optional. She had a meeting scheduled for right about now but they’d yet to arrive.

  She had two hundred and fifty-six students in her behavioral psychology class. Fifty-two had shown an interest in setting up a meeting but only thirty-seven had confirmed that they’d like to sit down and talk with her.

  Jackie had seven or eight meetings scheduled each day this week, throughout the day, between classes and sometimes in the evening too. They only took five minutes, so she tried to squeeze in as many as she could.

  She answered their questions and gave them advice for their next paper. It was hard lecturing a group that size, so she liked to give her students a chance to meet her personally and talk one on one about how they were doing.

  This was her last meeting of the day: 5:15PM. Jackie double checked the time of the meeting and who it was with.

  Cameron Lucas. He’d written a paper title “The Impact of Evolution on Human Behavior” and he’d made some solid arguments. The paper was more like something one of her seniors would have written. It was well researched for a freshman.

  The paper had impressed Jackie but the fact that he was late was having the opposite effect on her.

  Jackie leaned back in her chair. She had this weird game she liked to play before a student came in for their meeting. She liked to think about what they would look like based on their name and the kind of paper they’d turned in.

  Cameron Lucas. Jackie couldn’t decide if he’d be a nerdy looking kid with glasses or tall and athletic. A knock on her door pushed those thoughts away.

  “Come in.”

  Cam was standing in her doorway.

  “Hey,” she said softly.

  “Hi. Cam,” Jackie said with a crooked smile. “What are you doing here?”

  “I have a 5:15 meeting. Sorry I’m a few minutes late.”

  Jackie’s pulse was pounding in her ears and she felt a little nauseous.

  What did she just say?