The Learning Curve

by Collins, Kelly

  He shifted on the bed and settled in, using my thigh as a pillow. This would not be quick. He was savoring me. He constantly changed the pace, the direction, and the pressure until I was once again raising my hips to chase his tongue. He let me peak and pulled me down so many times, my vision blurred.

  “Mark, you’re torturing me.”

  He lifted up to look at my face. I was certain it was heated and blotchy. A fire had danced across my skin the whole time he tasted me.

  “You are so beautiful.” He licked my bare skin. “Did you shave it for me?” He dipped his tongue inside me.

  My breath raced, making a reply nearly impossible. “Yes, I did it for you,” I panted. “I need you.”

  “You got me, sweetheart.”

  He returned to my sex, licking and nipping at the swollen flesh. He pressed his tongue inside again and again. I tensed and waited for the fall over the edge. A white flash burst behind my eyelids, but before I could explode, he stopped and shifted so his hardness lay heavy between my thighs.

  He leaned back on his knees and stared at me. “What is it about you? I love you and hate you all the same. You make me happy and angry in a single breath. I can’t live with you and refuse to live without you.” He pressed two fingers inside of me, and my hips flew from the bed.

  I was hot and primed, drenched by my arousal and his mouth, the evidence of his feast running between my thighs. Curling his fingers, he pushed against that spot that always sent my body soaring. There was no finesse in this climax. My body shook and convulsed as his fingers plunged deep inside me.

  “You’re mine, Sandra. Tell me.”

  “I’m yours, Mark.”

  He kept up the pace and pressure until my body tensed again. “Damn right you are.” He fell between my wet thighs and sucked me hard. There was no warning, just the power his mouth brought as he pulled the second orgasm from my body.

  I whimpered and cried out, certain my body couldn’t take anymore, but this wasn’t about sex. It was about power—he finally knew the only place he would ever control me was in the bedroom. It was a battle I realized I would gladly concede.

  Mark took control every second of the journey, and I went along for the ride. And what a ride it was. After he tortured me with his mouth for hours, he finally climbed up my body and took his pleasure. There was a soft, ragged edge to my breath while he pounded into me. My muscles tightened and trembled and clenched around his thickness. His breath quickened, and his body glistened with sweat. A determined expression crossed his face, and his words shook me to the core.

  “I love you, Sandra.”

  My heart imploded with happiness and fear. What did I know about love?

  He pushed harder and deeper as if he was trying to force his love inside me. He was waiting for the words I’d never given him, but they didn’t come.

  I did love him. I loved him more than anything in the world, more than power and money, but I was afraid to say the words because somehow I feared they would weaken me.

  “I love that you love me.”

  At my words, he stilled. His body shuddered, and he splashed his love inside me.

  Chapter 18

  Every muscle in my body ached, but I bolted up in search of Mark. My eyes went straight to the nightstand. If I found a pile of bills and a note, I’d be spending the rest of my days in prison for murder. Thankfully, the tabletop was empty except for his watch and my clock.

  I ran my hand across his side of the bed and felt the receding heat, and then I smelled the coffee. I rolled out of bed and walked into my living room, where I found Mark shirtless on my couch, reading the contract I’d had Dan sign.

  Naked, I sauntered to the kitchen to pour myself a cup. There was no doubt I was in for the fight of my life this morning, and coffee was my special source of power. Last night might have been all about sex, but today would be different.

  On the way back, I picked up his shirt from the floor and put it on. Being surrounded by his scent made me feel protected, like I was holding a shield or wearing a coat of armor.

  I slid onto the cushion beside him and laid my head against his shoulder. “Please don’t be angry at me.”

  He tossed the contract on the table and twisted on the sofa to face me. “Part of me wants to turn you over my knee and punish you. Part of me wants to put you in charge of the college coffers.”

  This wasn’t the reaction I expected. Anger, maybe. Disgust, certainly. Praise? Never. “You’re not angry?”

  “I’m furious.” He pulled me by the hips and laid me flat on the soft plush cushion and climbed over my body. His lips traced my neck to my breast. “I finally figured out that being angry with you is part and parcel of loving you.” He pulled my nipple into his mouth, and just as my body was beginning to hum, he bit down—hard—and I liked it.

  “I hate what you’re doing, but I love it all the same.” He licked a path down my ribs and swiped from side to side across my stomach until he reached my belly button where he dipped his tongue inside. “I won’t interfere with your business, but I’ll deny ever knowing anything about it.” His nose ran across my bare pubic bone and buried itself between my legs, where he took a long, deep breath of me.

  “I separated you from it completely.” I pulled at his pants until they hung below his hips.

  He climbed up me and drove home. “I’ll never be separated from you, Sandra, which means I’ll always be at risk. But at risk with you sounds a whole hell of a lot more interesting than safety without you.”

  “Harder, Mark.” I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him deeper inside me.

  “No, sweetheart. I’m going to make love to you. Then you’re going to make me those pancakes you promised.”

  “I thought you were going to visit your mother?”

  “My plans have changed.”

  * * *

  We ate and then made love again before we showered and dressed. Mark wanted to see the office, and I wanted to share it with him.

  He walked around the space like he owned it, and in a way he did. He owned me, and therefore everything that was a part of me belonged to him.

  When I pressed the entrance to the secret room, he laughed. “My girlfriend has a bat cave.”

  “It’s the first time you’ve called me your girlfriend.” I pulled him into my office and closed the door.

  “It won’t be the last.”

  “I hope not. Now, shall we christen the room with a blowjob?” I wasn’t sure I could take any more friction down below, but I wanted to start the venture out with something positive, and I knew if I hit my knees in front of this man, he’d always remember this room with fondness.

  I pulled him into my mouth and swirled my tongue around him. He needed no further encouragement. He thrust past my lips and past my teeth, filling my mouth with his girth. He hit the back of my throat again and again until I relaxed it and swallowed him up. I loved the sounds he made when the muscles of my throat milked him.

  He twisted his hand in my hair and controlled the pace and the depth.

  “I love this. I love it when you swallow me.” He pressed forward and stilled. I waited for the heat and rush of him to hit my throat. Pulse after pulse I swallowed until his knees grew weak and he fell to the floor before me. “You’re going to kill me.”

  I fell into him, and we both fell flat on the floor. “Maybe, but you’ll die happy.”

  Once we recovered, we left the office with plans for lunch, and over food, I bribed him into helping me paint. It seemed an earth-shattering blowjob went a long way.

  It took the rest of the night to paint the office. We were exhausted when we returned to my apartment. Covered in cream-colored paint, we stepped into the shower together and then collapsed into the bed, wrapped in each other’s arms.

  “Will you ever bring me to your place?” I didn’t know where he lived. It seemed odd that I’d fallen in love with a man I knew very little about. But then again, it seemed odd that I’d fallen in love
in the first place.

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “I need to tie up some loose ends.”

  My heart iced over. Loose ends was code for I’m encumbered or something worse. “You’re not married, are you?”

  I tried to squirm away from him, but he tightened his hold on me. “No, not married. It’s complicated. I was engaged to a physics professor. She took a temporary teaching assignment at Oxford. It’s been a year.”

  “Does she know about me?”

  “No, I just came to terms with you myself, but I’ll tell her as soon as she comes back.”

  I broke free and flopped to my back. “When is that?”

  “Soon.”

  “How soon is soon?”

  He rolled on top of me, trapping me against the mattress. “Don’t worry about it.” He peppered my face with kisses.

  “What’s her name?”

  He growled and rolled off me. “Tabitha.”

  “Tabitha? Who names their kid Tabitha?”

  “Her parents. Let it go. It’s over. She was the past. You’re the future.”

  “Why did she leave you?” I rolled to my side and propped myself up on my elbow. “I would never leave you.”

  He rolled to face me and touched my nose. “You already left me. Twice.”

  “What is it about you that has women rushing to get away from you?”

  “It’s my charm. It’s a repellent.”

  “I’ve always liked repellent.” I buried my head in his chest. “You don’t love her, do you?”

  His fingers ran through my hair and pulled my head back so I was forced to look at him. “I don’t love her. We were compatible. It was more of a merger than a relationship.”

  “You negotiated a merger with her?”

  “You make it sound so lame.”

  “It is lame. Were you actually going to marry her?”

  His silence sliced through me like a hot knife through butter. Then he said finally, “That was the plan.”

  “And now?”

  “I’m naked in bed with you. Does it look like I’m ready to marry another woman?”

  I nibbled at my lower lip. This sure felt similar to the free-love compound where everyone did their thing and met in the middle at regular intervals. I wasn’t opposed to free love in principle; the problem was that when it came to Mark, I had a selfish streak, and sharing was not going to be one of my strong points.

  “Will you sleep with other women while you’re with me?”

  He cupped the back of my head with one hand and my bottom with the other and pulled me so close that I felt like part of his skin. “No, sweetheart. I’ve seen the sharp knives you have in the kitchen.”

  I laughed into his hairy chest. The coarse texture tickled my cheek. “Jason said you weren’t very smart, but I disagree. You appear to know exactly what your fate will be if you mess around on me.”

  “Should I buy a steel cup?”

  “You won’t need one if the only place you plan on putting the beast is in me.” I slid my hand between our bodies and gripped his rigid staff. “Tell me why you love me.”

  He groaned as I stroked his hardness. “Besides the fact that you make me hard with a glance, I love your spirit. I love that you don’t give up. I love that your soul is pure. I love that you’re willing to take risks even if it means losing it all. I love that you fight for what you want, including an old man like me. I love that you want me as much as I do you. I love that you love my school. Most of all, I love you because you’re exactly who I dreamed I’d love.”

  “Dean Hollings, make love to me.” He rolled over my body again and stroked every inch of me slowly. This wasn’t about sex. It was about love. He gave and gave until my heart and body were full of him, and then he gave me more.

  I almost felt sorry for Tabitha. Almost.

  Chapter 19

  On my last day of the job, I sat on the edge of his desk. Mark and I were inseparable. He didn’t hide his affection for me from anyone. We entered the office each morning holding hands, and we left the same way.

  I’d grown and matured in the time I worked for him. He was a consummate professional every day until lunchtime came around, and then he was my lover. Often, he was playful and unlike a thirty-six-year-old man. My favorite times were when he ate his lunch off my body. It was amazing how sexy a hot dog and chips could become when they were strategically placed for his appetite.

  I sat in on most of his meetings because he felt that I could gain something by watching his negotiations. He always managed to get what he wanted, and it made me wonder whether he hadn’t been the master negotiator in our relationship all along.

  “What do you want for dinner tonight?” I let my bare foot rub up and down his thigh.

  “I can’t make dinner.” He averted his eyes and stopped my foot from rubbing his erection. “I have plans.”

  “Plans? Without me?”

  “I’ve explained this before. Sometimes I have meetings you can’t attend. This is one of them.”

  I pushed my toes against the end of his seat and sent his chair rolling backward until it hit the wooden bookshelf. “You never told me.” I hopped from the table. “That’s fine because I have plans, too.” My face felt hot, and my throat felt dry. He never made plans that he didn’t tell me about; this was different, and I had a feeling it had to do with Tabitha. “Is this about her?”

  “Stop acting like a child. It’s just a meeting.”

  His comment infuriated me. It was his go-to jab when he wasn’t getting what he wanted. “You never accuse me of being a child when you’re buried balls deep inside me.”

  He sprang from his chair and pushed me against the wall. “You’re only a child when you act out your insecurities. I want you, not anyone else. Get it through your head.” He reached under my skirt and palmed my sex. “I can get one of these anywhere, Sandra.” He dragged his fingers through my slick heat and brought them to his mouth where he licked them clean.

  Then he tapped his finger on my chest just above my heart. “I’m after this. I want it all, Sandra. Do those words sound familiar? You’re the queen of wanting it all. Who’s teaching who?” He captured my lips and kissed me dizzy. I loved the possessive side of Mark Hollings. “Let me do what I have to do tonight. Tomorrow, it will be you and me because by tomorrow night, I’ll live in your heart forever. Now go make me a reservation at Delilah’s for six o’clock.”

  He turned around and left me to decode his words. By tomorrow night, he’d be mine forever. What the hell did that mean? Wasn’t he mine already?

  I walked out and did as I was told. I made reservations for two at Delilah’s. Two sets of reservations because there was no way I was leaving this situation up to chance. Besides, Jennie and I needed to touch base about her experience with Dan.

  * * *

  “Anal?” I leaned across the table and whispered the word in her direction. She’d done everything to describe what Dan wanted without saying the word.

  She glanced around the restaurant like an undercover spy ready to divulge a secret. “Yes, he wants to push himself in my bottom hole. And …”

  “And what? That’s part of your negotiation. You can say no to anything, or you can try it. You might like it.” I’d never done it, but I would if that’s what my man wanted. Mark had never asked for it, but I wanted to keep him happy.

  She stirred her martini and took a drink. Her body shuddered, and I wasn’t sure whether it was the drink or the thought of having something up her ass. “Have you ever done it?”

  To anyone else, I would have lied, but Jennie was my friend, and I’d never lie to her. “No, but you have to weigh the pros and cons. If this is his big thing and you’re willing, then make it worth a lot. Has he been taking care of you financially?”

  I generally checked in with Jennie once a week, but I’d been spending a lot of time getting Concierge Services ready to open. The front end of the business required permits and licenses, and
I also had to establish connections to procure wholesale tickets.

  Thankfully, Mark had a few connections himself. The dean’s list was proving useful to me after all despite the fact that I couldn’t use it to recruit clients. That was the biggest shame in this whole situation. There was an entire pool of men who no doubt would love to sponsor a young coed, but my respect for him put them out of my reach.

  “Are you saying I should auction off my ass?”

  I choked on my drink. “No, I’m not saying that. All I’m saying is, when men want something bad enough, they’ll do anything to get it.”

  “He pays me a lot of money as it is. He moved me into one of his apartments uptown. He set up a bank account that he fills weekly. I’m in good shape—better than ever before.”

  “Then reward him and keep those perks coming your way.” I thought about her situation, and it sounded lovely; however, it was all under his control. “You need to be taking care of yourself as well. Save your money in case one day he decides he wants something else—someone different. PEOPLE are fickle, in my opinion.”

  Jennie’s face turned white. It wasn’t my intention to scare her, but she needed to know this relationship most likely wasn’t long-term. And she’d need to be prepared for a quick move or a change in her situation.

  “He’s here with someone else.” Her voice shook, and my heart broke for her.

  “It happens. That’s why you need to take care of yourself. You could be in his flat tonight and out on your ass tomorrow.”

  She shook her head back and forth. “No.”