The Professor Next Door (Cider Bar Sisters Book 3)

by Jackie Lau

  “Okay, I’ll stay.”

  She dished out some jook for both of them. She looked very pretty today, as she always did. Unlike usual, however, he had no urge to jump her.

  “It’s is the first time I’ve made this.” She dipped her spoon into her bowl. “When I told my mom why I needed the recipe, she teased me about you.”

  She’d put up with her mom’s teasing because she wanted to make something for him.

  “I was wondering,” he said. “Louie is your mom’s last name?”

  She nodded.

  “I’d never heard of that as a Chinese name before. I’d assumed your hyphenated last name was all from your dad’s family.”

  “I don’t think it’s usually Romanized that way anymore. More often L-U-I, at least for people from Hong Kong? Our language—not that I speak it—is similar to Cantonese, and my family came here a long time ago. I think my great-great-grandfather was the first to come to Canada, but he couldn’t bring his family over. Head tax and all that. My grandfather immigrated here in the early fifties.”

  “What about your grandmother?”

  “She came a few years later. They didn’t know each other in China, and she was essentially a mail-order bride. I always just accepted that, but later I wondered about the legalities. Like, my grandfather was supposedly sponsored by his uncle, but from what I’ve read, I don’t see how a Chinese person would have been allowed to sponsor an adult nephew a few years after the Exclusion Act ended. And then my grandmother? I’m not sure how it all worked, and I’m afraid to ask, but I do know my grandma is a citizen now. Maybe our name was written that way to make it look less Chinese.”

  He wanted to learn all he could about her, but unfortunately, his brain was struggling to form coherent questions today, so he smiled at her instead.

  “My parents came to Vancouver a couple of years before I was born,” he said at last.

  “Would you want to move back there?”

  He shook his head. “My career is here. I have tenure. I’m not going anywhere and—” He started hacking and had to blow his nose again.

  Which was unfortunate, as he was pretty sure this wasn’t a good way to seduce a woman. Not that he wanted to go to bed with Nicole now, but he wanted to nurture whatever feelings had made her cook for him today.

  If she got sick, he’d cook for her as well. He wanted to look after her.

  She left an hour later, and he had a shower—which refreshed him a little—and read before turning out the lights, much earlier than usual.

  When he awoke a few hours later, around midnight, he felt more like himself, but it was as if he was waiting for something.

  Midnight. On a Saturday.

  Right. He’d often hear certain noises from his next-door neighbor at this time, although he hadn’t heard them in a while.

  But since he was indisposed, perhaps she’d seek the company of someone else tonight.

  There was no noise coming from her apartment, though. Had she been sleeping with other people in the past two months? If so, he hadn’t heard her. They’d never talked about being exclusive, and they weren’t together, not like that. She’d be within her right to bring someone else to her bed—or to go to someone else’s bed.

  He didn’t like the idea. He might have been turned on when he’d heard her before, but now, he would be jealous.

  David stayed awake for an hour, and to his relief, there was no thumping and moaning next door. He flattered himself and wondered if she had no interest in anyone but him right now. After all, she’d made several meals worth of food for him and ate dinner with him every Friday.

  At last, he drifted off with Nicole on his mind, and when he woke up, she was immediately on his mind again, and his brain was no longer as fuzzy as it had been yesterday.

  Somehow, he’d try to make her his.

  Chapter 24

  “Can I help you?” the older white lady asked David.

  “Uh, no,” he said. “Just looking. Thank you.”

  But he’d been “just looking” at the florist for the past fifteen minutes, and he still had to purchase dessert.

  “Is this for a lady friend?” she asked, apparently not content to leave him alone. “Or a gentleman friend? It is the twenty-first century.”

  “Yes, for a woman.” A friend with benefits whom I want to be my girlfriend.

  After offering a few suggestions, she left him alone, and he returned to asking himself what the hell he was doing.

  A couple of days ago, he’d texted Nicole to see if she’d like to go out for dinner rather than staying in. The only time they’d eaten outside of home was Valentine’s Day, aka his birthday. Since they’d started having sex, they hadn’t gone anywhere together. But he wanted it to seem more like a date.

  She’d declined, saying they should just get takeout.

  Then he’d figured he’d buy her flowers, maybe a nice bunch of peonies, and lay out his feelings while they ate dessert. He suspected Nicole was the kind of person who’d enjoy a bouquet of flowers on her counter.

  Except when he’d walked into the florist and seen all the flowers, he’d realized a bouquet of roses or peonies might freak her out because of what they represented.

  Yes, they’d been friends for a while, sleeping together for more than two months, but that still felt like it would be moving too fast.

  Maybe something simpler, like daisies?

  No, daisies didn’t seem like the right kind of flower for Nicole. For some reason, he thought she’d like peonies. Big, showy flowers.

  This whole plan was terrible.

  There was no way he could see his confession of feelings going well when Nicole had made it abundantly clear what she wanted. She thought marriage would destroy her, whereas he wanted to get married again. She was afraid of losing her identity in a relationship.

  Maybe the better approach would be to just continue to treat her well and prove that he wouldn’t stop her from being who she was. That he was capable of giving her space when she needed it. Eventually, he would confess his feelings, and it would be easier for her to see that a relationship between them could work without her compromising herself.

  Of course he didn’t want her to be a different person for him. He liked her as she was.

  He understood her concerns, but at the same time, she was different from who she’d been ten years ago; nobody would be able to treat her the same way without her having harsh words with them. She’d never get to the point of losing herself in a relationship again, especially when she was so worried about the possibility.

  And, of course, he’d never behave like her ex.

  By putting off his confession, was he being a wuss, or was he being sensible?

  Sensible. Definitely sensible.

  Yes, peonies would freak her out, so instead he’d get something else. Like the sex toy in the bottom of his dresser. He was positive an anal massager would be less frightening for Nicole than flowers.

  And he found it rather delightful that this was true.

  But.

  He wished he could give her flowers, too.

  Still, the sex toy was meaningful, even if it was more for him than her. It said, I trust you.

  Satisfied, he was about to walk out of the florist and pick up their food, but then something caught his eye. A gift that could be cute and sweet, but he knew exactly what he’d pair it with, and that would make Nicole laugh.

  Alright, he had a new plan for dessert.

  * * *

  Nicole felt guilty. Rose had texted her earlier, asking if she had plans for dinner. Rose never texted about getting together during the week, and if it weren’t for David, Nicole would be happy to meet up. But she’d promised David she’d see him tonight, so she’d told Rose she was busy.

  Last Friday, David had been sick. He’d felt better by Tuesday, but he’d also been busy marking exams, so she hadn’t seen him since bringing him jook and galbitang, and she couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing him today. He w
as supposed to order food from the Nicaraguan restaurant she liked, the food she’d originally planned to get last week before he’d asked her to get samgyetang.

  Sure enough, when he opened the door and she smelled the delicious food, she couldn’t help but smile. Also because he was here and she...missed him?

  It had only been six days since she’d seen this guy. She shouldn’t be missing him.

  Must be because she was horny, that was all.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked as she stepped inside.

  He bent down and pressed a kiss to the base of her neck.

  “Don’t worry. I’m perfectly well.” He gave her ass a dirty squeeze, and for a moment, she was tempted to drag him to the bedroom, but...

  Carne asada. She needed to eat her carne asada first. And the sweet plantains. Those were her favorite. If David had gotten the wrong side dish, she’d be incredibly disappointed.

  But, no. He’d gotten exactly what she’d asked for.

  They sat down at the breakfast bar, and perhaps it was because they hadn’t had sex in over a week, but she was particularly distracted by his body today. After her first bite of plantain, she placed her hand on his leg, her fingers gently stroking his inner thigh.

  “How am I supposed to use a knife and fork when you’re doing that?” he asked, even though he seemed to be eating his food without difficulty.

  It took her longer to eat than usual because she kept touching him. Mmm. He really did have nice thighs, didn’t he?

  At last, she finished her meat, plantains, rice and beans, and vegetables, and David brought out dessert.

  “That’s dessert?” she asked.

  “Well, one of them is. The other is a gift for you. Guess which is the real succulent.”

  It wasn’t hard to figure out, but the pastry succulent was still pretty life-like. It came in a clear plastic container with layers of colorful “sand” that were obviously edible. The “succulent” was a funny-shaped macaron.

  “What flavor is it?” she asked.

  “Matcha and white chocolate.”

  She turned her attention to the real succulent in its little terracotta pot.

  “I thought it would be funny to get a real one, too,” he said.

  She picked up a small spoon and dipped it into the creamy layers of the dessert. “Mmm. Are we sharing this, or do you have your own?”

  “That was the last of its kind. I have this instead.” He set a plate in front of him.

  “That looks depressingly ordinary.”

  “It’s banana, coconut, and chocolate. I’m sure it’ll be good.”

  She helped herself to a big bite.

  “Hey!” he said, then reached to try some of hers.

  She moved it out of the way and shoved the succulent—the real succulent—in front of him. He stilled before his spoon hit the dirt.

  “I’m kidding,” she said. “You bought this delicious treat for me. You deserve to try a tiny bite.”

  “Your bite was hardly tiny.”

  She shrugged and gave him a coy look over her shoulder.

  He took a small bite, and she watched as the spoon slid between his lips.

  Oh, God.

  The first time she’d seen David, she hadn’t been attracted to him, but now she didn’t understand how that was possible. What had her former self been thinking?

  As soon as they were both finished their desserts, she kissed him.

  “I can’t wait to have my way with you,” she said.

  The next thing she knew, her shirt was on the floor, and David’s arms were around her. How had that happened so fast?

  He backed her against the wall by the door and kissed her hard, holding her arms above her head. She might not be able to touch him with her hands, but she could roll her hips against his and feel him hardening.

  She grinned at her good fortune.

  She’d wanted a partner for sex so she didn’t have to find someone new all the time, and she’d found the perfect one, right next door.

  But one day he’ll...

  Luckily, what David said next wiped those thoughts from her mind.

  “I bought something for you to use in bed.”

  “Oh?” She already had tons of sex toys, but she could always use more. “Another candy cane dildo?”

  “No.” He smiled. “It’s for you to use...on me.”

  He let go of her hands, and she followed him into the bedroom. He removed something from the bottom drawer in his dresser. She’d never seen one before, but she was pretty sure she knew what it was.

  “A remote-controlled prostate massager?”

  He nodded.

  “Ooh, I was curious about these. Have you played with it by yourself?”

  He nodded again.

  She pictured David stroking himself, then lubing this up and slipping it into his ass.

  “I always—well, by ‘always,’ I mean for over a decade—wanted to try using one with someone,” he said. “But I never...”

  The fact that he felt so comfortable with her was stirring up feelings.

  She couldn’t have that, so she started undressing him instead. Once she’d unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the ground, she stroked her hands over his lean chest and admired the curve of his back—she’d never found a man’s back quite so sexy before. She reached for the button on his pants just as he started pushing down hers. She quickly removed his underwear, then her own, desperate to get naked with him.

  When she jumped onto the bed, he followed her, and then they were kissing; she was practically riding his leg because she couldn’t seem to help herself.

  He slid down her body and parted her folds. He slipped two fingers inside her at the same time as he started licking her, and she couldn’t help bucking against his face. He suckled her clit before running his tongue over her entrance... She was losing track of what he was doing now, but it didn’t matter, all that mattered was that he was making her feel so good...

  She cried out as she gripped the sheet in her hands.

  He smiled up at her, her moisture on his lips. Fuck, he looked good like that.

  “Your turn.” She pushed him onto his back before taking his cock in her mouth.

  Yes, he had a lovely cock, and she loved pleasuring him. She sucked on him eagerly—but not for long. There was something else she wanted to try.

  She released him and reached into his night table. She knew where he kept his lube, but she’d never used it for this purpose.

  “Turn over,” she murmured.

  He rolled onto his stomach, his arms crossed under his head, and she ran her hands up and down his back before giving his ass a good squeeze. He had a great ass, too.

  “Can I touch you here first?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  She lubed up her finger and slowly circled his hole before sliding inside. She’d never done this with a guy before. When she moved her finger in just a little farther, he made an incoherent noise, and she couldn’t help how excited that made her.

  After playing with him for a few minutes, she grabbed the toy. She wondered how David had chosen this specific one, if he’d gone to a store or ordered it online.

  She put on a copious amount of lube, then slowly began pushing it inside him.

  “That’s it,” she murmured. “You can take it.”

  She thrust it gently in and out of him before lying next to him and picking up the remote. She studied the settings for a moment. There were a bunch of vibration patterns and intensities.

  Nicole turned it to low, constant vibration and began lazily stroking his cock again.

  He hissed out a breath and gritted his teeth.

  “What’s it like?” she asked.

  “It’s...different. I...ahh.”

  She’d turned up the intensity and changed the setting to slow pulsation.

  God, she was going to have so much fun with this. She liked it when he couldn’t form full sentences.

  And to think, she’d onc
e imagined sex with David would be boring!

  Perhaps he thought she was a little too self-satisfied, because he turned toward her and slipped his hand between her legs. His finger disappeared inside her pussy. He adjusted the position of his hand so his palm pressed against her clit, and when she looked at the toy coming out of his ass, she came.

  “David,” she said, “do you think you could wear that while we have sex?”

  “That was my hope.”

  She turned him onto his back, and he bent his legs. After rolling a condom on his erection, she raised her body above him and slowly lowered herself. The head of his cock split her apart, and he was inside her.

  Oh, God, he was inside her.

  Though this was far from the first time, it was still almost overwhelming.

  She adjusted the prostate massager to rapid pulsation.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” he muttered.

  Nicole left it like that for a few seconds before turning it back to the previous setting. She held the remote in her hand as she bounced on his cock.

  His gaze was intense on hers, and sweat beaded on his brow. He grabbed her hips and helped her move up and down.

  It was almost too much to look at him, but somehow, she couldn’t look away.

  “Nicole, I...”

  She’d seen David come many, many times, but today, he came with a force she’d never seen before, and if someone were in her bedroom next door, they’d definitely hear. She turned off the prostate massager when it seemed like he was finished, but then he jerked into her one last time, and that pushed her over the edge. She collapsed on his chest.

  * * *

  After they cleaned up, their need to continue touching each other was stronger than usual. Nicole curled up next to David, her head on his chest.

  For some reason, she couldn’t help thinking of the painting in her closet. He might like it and not think any less of her for it.

  Before she could second-guess herself, she jumped up, got dressed, hurried to her apartment, and retrieved the painting.

  “Is that...?” he began when she returned to his bedroom.

  “Yes, I had someone do a pin-up painting of me. I know it’s vain to spend money on such a thing, and I’m too embarrassed to hang it up, but...” She started to regret showing him, but when she moved to turn it around, he stopped her.