by Sarina Dorie
Students turned in their seats and whispered. Probably they were gossiping about us.
The next time I could talk to him was after school before Art Club started. While my students came in to practice remedial charms that I should have been practicing with them, or brought out their paintings, I went to Thatch’s office. It was unlocked, but he wasn’t in. I wrote him a detailed note, explaining the list of things that had happened: Gertrude Periwinkle’s surprise wedding shower and the maid of honor problem, which now meant I had a matron of honor and three bridesmaids. He’d wanted to keep it a secret, but all the staff knew because of that shower.
I almost forgot to mention the origami crane.
I didn’t say I had slipped and given myself away to the students, but I did say I was pretty sure the students had found out. The note ended up being a full-page letter.
An hour and a half later, Hailey went to check my mail in the administration wing and dropped off a note from my box in Thatch’s hand.
I comprehend your concern in this matter. I will work on a magical remedy to ensure you remain safe.
I left the group of students in my classroom, some working on art and some working on magic, and returned to the dungeon in the hope of catching him before dinner. Students serving detention in his classroom told me he had said he would be right back. I went to his office to leave him another note.
As I was pillaging his desk for a piece of paper, the drawer screamed in warning.
“What are you doing?” Thatch barked out, making me jump.
I sighed in relief, seeing it was just him. “I couldn’t find you, so I was going to leave you a note.”
He leaned against the doorway, watching me. “You were going through my desk. Again.”
I laughed at his grumpy expression. “I was looking for a piece of paper to write on.”
He snorted. “Not stealing my supplies? Not trying to find secret items I’ve hidden from you?”
I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t looking for Alouette Loraline’s journal if that’s what you think.” For one thing, Vega had translated enough that I could use her spell if I wanted to solve the Fae Fertility Paradox; I didn’t need his book. Second of all, I had given that up.
Probably he had burned the book. I had learned regular fire couldn’t destroy it permanently, but he might have found a better method.
“I didn’t say you were looking through my desk to find your mother’s diary. I suspected you had broken into my private rooms searching for . . . presents.” He arched an eyebrow upward in mock seriousness. “A wedding present.”
I laughed at that. “Are you saying you’re hiding something for me in your desk?”
He closed the door. I suspected that meant we were safe to speak freely. He strode forward.
“You aren’t very good with boundaries, are you?” He scooted back his comfortable chair and plopped into it. “I suppose I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.” He sighed overdramatically.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I could see the mischief brewing in his eyes. I inched back. He was faster than I was. He hooked an arm around me. In a fluid swoop, he threw me over his lap, lifted up my skirt, and smacked me on my bottom.
“Bad girl. Bad. Bad.” He punctuated each word with a smack.
I burst out laughing. It was more funny than painful.
I tried to push myself up, but he laid a firm hand on my back. “I’m not done with you yet.”
He yanked my leggings and panties down and spanked me again. The contact of his hand stung, but not to a point beyond my tolerance. I suspected his pain affinity helped him monitor how much was too much. I felt like I could trust him not to go too far.
I lifted my head so I could see over his desk to make sure the door was truly closed. “You stop! Someone could walk in here and see us.” The door wasn’t locked.
Khaba might have been my friend, but he would freak if he caught teachers being naughty, engaged or not.
“If they do, you’ll have to explain yourself,” Thatch said haughtily. “Snooping in my things. Meddling. Woman’s feminine curiosity plaguing the land.”
“Shush, you old Bluebeard.” I tried to grab onto my panties, but he wrestled my hands away and held my wrists above my head.
“The insolence I have to put up with.” He smacked me again. “You deserve to be punished. Really, I’m far too lenient with you.” He pinched me.
Two could play at this game. I squirmed my foot out of my shoe, hooked my toes under the handle of the bottom drawer of his desk and yanked it open. “Oh, look,” I said. “I’m in your desk drawer again.”
“Some people never learn.” He leaned away to slam the drawer closed. Each word he punctuated with another smack. “Don’t. Go. Into. My. Desk.” He lifted me and sat me up on his lap.
I turned to lace my arms around his neck. I leaned in to kiss him. His grin was playful, and he turned his face away. “No, you don’t deserve kisses. Only consequences for you today after the many ways you’ve snooped in my desk and disrupted my schedule. If it’s not one problem you’ve embroiled yourself in, it’s another.”
He grabbed me by the shoulders and pivoted me away from him. He held me around the waist, arms pinned at my sides, as he shifted me off him. His other hand slid under my skirt, kneading circles into my thighs. He nudged one knee between my legs.
“I’m going to make you beg for mercy,” he whispered into my ear.
“Not a chance.” I was already close to begging. I didn’t doubt he knew it too.
He swept my hair aside and kissed the back of my neck. I melted against him, moaning. Pleasure built up inside me, the sensations of my body mingling with my affinity.
“Please say you locked the door,” I said.
“Indeed.”
We didn’t need another incident like what had almost happened the other time he hadn’t locked the door. Now that we had a principal who wanted us both fired, I didn’t want to risk getting caught. On the other hand, now that we didn’t have nosy invisible security staff sneakily spying on us, I doubted anyone was just going to happen upon us. That’s what I told myself anyway.
He slid his hand between my legs and stroked me. I closed my eyes, sinking into the sensations. His erection pressed against my back.
“Tell me only I can make you this wet,” he purred.
“Yes. Only you,” I gasped.
The waves of ecstasy inside me threatened to break loose. Any second now I was going to lose control of my magic.
“I love that I can make you come.” He cupped my breast and pinched my nipple through my clothes.
I arched against him, about to surrender myself to pure bliss.
“Or not.” He drew away, cutting off contact. I would have fallen over if he hadn’t held on to my shoulders. The sensations died away.
I turned to look at him. He sat back in his chair, his smile wicked. “A fitting good punishment, wouldn’t you say?”
“No.” I seated myself on his lap. I tried to kiss him, but he turned his face away. “Are you mad at me? Is this really because I went through your desk? Or because I told Khaba and Josie.”
His eyes danced. “You’re an art teacher. You have plenty of paper in your own room. Maybe you should plan ahead and bring some with you next time.”
I poked him in the ribs. “You’ve stolen sticky notes out of my drawer and used them. You’ve taken chalk from my supply cabinet without asking.”
He looped his arms around me. “Are you saying I should be more lenient on you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll consider it.” He kissed his way across my neck and between my breasts.
I leaned in closer. He pressed his thumb against my clitoris, making desire rise up in me again. I threaded my fingers through his hair. A warm breeze wafted my hair into my face.
The teasing in his tone was gone. “Control your affinity, Miss Lawrence, or else I’m going to
stop.”
I imagined the ball of red light within me staying contained and small.
He unbuttoned the collar of my blouse low enough to reveal a valley of cleavage. Burying his face between my breasts, he nibbled at my skin. He teased back the lace edge of my bra.
It was growing increasingly more difficult to focus on my affinity. I wanted to give in to the pleasure inside me.
He brushed his lips back and forth across my shirt until he found my nipple through the fabric. He teased me with his tongue, getting my shirt wet.
I glanced over my shoulder at the door. A prickle of worry crept over me.
“It’s locked. Plus warded,” he said. “No one can get in.”
I relaxed. His fingers were slick against me. The waves inside me crested higher. It felt like a tidal wave this time, stronger, more urgent. Magic rose up in me, intertwined with the pleasant throbbing between my legs.
He drew his hand away. “Well, that’s enough punishment, don’t you think?”
“No. You can punish me more.” I kissed him, pressing my body against his.
He lifted me up and sat me on his desk. “I’m done with you. If you want more, you’re perfectly capable of satisfying yourself.” He leaned back in his chair, scooting just out of reach.
I pushed my hair out of my face, trying to figure out what he was actually saying. “I’m sorry I opened your drawers. I won’t do it again.”
“Good.” His smile was catlike. “What else?”
“I won’t call you an old Bluebeard?” I asked.
He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. “Indeed. Now, go on. I give you permission to pleasure yourself while I watch.”
“Permission?” I was hoping that smile twitching at the corners of his mouth meant he was kidding.
He leaned forward, but only to tug away my remaining shoe and finish removing my leggings. He parted my knees and pushed back my skirt. “That’s a better view.”
I never could tell what was going through his head. I rubbed my hands up and down my body, watching him for a reaction. He sat, his usual expression of bored indifference giving nothing away. I squeezed my breasts. It wasn’t particularly arousing when I touched myself like this. He watched as I slid my hands up and down my thighs. I caressed myself, but I was self-conscious, unused to him watching me. I glanced down at the stack of handwritten essays he’d been correcting earlier.
“Look at me.” He touched my chin.
I leaned into his hand, staring into his eyes. His touch made everything more potent. I circled my fingers around my clitoris. Touching myself wasn’t anything special. The true satisfaction came from his fingers stroking my jaw.
“Do you like it when I punish you?” he asked.
“No.” I turned my face out of his hand in frustration and tugged my skirt down. “I don’t think I deserve to be punished.”
“No, of course not. I was only teasing you.” He rolled his chair closer and set my feet on the seat on either side of his legs. “Tell me what you want.”
“You.”
He grinned. “That’s all I wanted to hear.” He stood, circling his arms around me. He kissed me deeply, cradling me against him. The contact of his body against mine was like a long drink of cold, sweet water after climbing through the desert.
The gratification of that moment was almost stronger than an orgasm. My affinity somersaulted inside me, threatening to spin out of control. Magic filled my veins and pulsed through me. In another few seconds it would be crackling under my skin if I wasn’t careful.
Thatch pushed the papers off his desk. He fumbled with the waist of his trousers with one hand, and he held me tightly to him with the other. I was ready for him. He thrust inside me, hard, plunging deeper than he usually did when we first started out. I gasped, but it wasn’t pain. It was the intensity of pleasure.
He paused, and I thought he meant to tease me again, to taunt me about his desk or something else, but it was the crinkle between his eyes that told me it was something else.
“Did I just hurt you?” he asked.
“No. It was nice. Couldn’t you tell?”
He thrust again. “I’m less objective about sensing your pain if I’m preoccupied.” He kissed me. “If I ever hurt you, you’ll tell me, right? Or you’ll give me your pain?”
I nodded. The pleasure was so intense I cried out. I was so close. I wanted this to be like before, a physical and spiritual experience for both of us. It had taken him coming at the same time as I had for that to happen. I craved that peaceful state, being a dragon, and at one with the universe.
“Will you come inside me?” I asked. It was a miracle I even got a sentence out.
He momentarily faltered. “We’ll see.”
“What’s wrong?” I touched the worry line between his eyes.
He kissed my hand. “Nothing.” He thrust into me again. “I just don’t want to accidentally burn you.”
I hugged him tighter, speaking between pants. “Practice makes . . . perfect, right?”
He didn’t answer. He probably had some residual apprehension from his past about the idea of coming inside a woman. He’d been thoughtful and attentive to me. I wanted to be sensitive to his issues and help him through them. We were a team. We would work through our problems together.
Something else crashed to the floor. It sounded like glass. Neither of us paid it any mind. I moaned again.
He murmured into my hair. “Someone’s going to think I’m torturing you down here.”
I panted, struggling to form words. “They wouldn’t be far from the truth.”
He kissed me again. I lost myself as my affinity blazed inside me. The rising tide of my pleasure crested, about to overflow. My body and my affinity competed for first place in a contest of speed.
I broke away. “I can’t stop it.”
He thrust faster. “I don’t want you to stop.”
“I want you to come inside—”
I moaned. My body arched. White light blinded me, and I closed my eyes. I wanted to transcend from my body like before and join him in the stars as a dragon. The experience had been spiritual as much as physical. Now that I knew I was capable of that kind of magic, I wanted us to replicate it.
Instead, I remained rooted on this plane of reality. My fingers clawed into his back. A smile played at his lips as he watched me. My body reacted to the orgasm, but I felt like I was outside of myself. I knew I was experiencing pleasure, but I couldn’t actually feel it.
Thatch squeezed me to his chest more tightly. He buried his face in my neck, his moan muffled. From the way he shuddered and gasped, I wondered if he had come. Only, I hadn’t felt fire like when we’d been in the Raven Queen’s court. Nor had we ascended from our earthly bodies. I was simultaneously exhausted and energized, my limbs languid.
It took me a few more seconds to notice the electricity crackling under my skin. Slowly it ebbed away. I couldn’t tell if I had electrocuted him.
I shook his shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“More than all right.” He laughed and nuzzled his face against my neck. “You sent your magic into me—along with your orgasm. It was quite . . . surprising. Refreshing really.”
That would explain why I felt tired and I’d missed the actual climax of my orgasm. “You’re welcome.” I kissed his damp forehead. It was nice knowing I could give him pleasure, even if it wasn’t always safe to do so through gratifying him in the traditional methods. One of these days I would learn to control my affinity enough that I would be able to purposefully send pleasure into him.
“I should warn you against making a habit of such indulgences on my behalf,” he said. “It’s a waste of your affinity when you could be saving up that magic for something more practical. On the other hand, I shan’t complain about it this time.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Right. You complain?”
He covered my face in kisses, grinning.
> I wanted to snuggle with him and bask in his happy mood, but I hadn’t planned on sexy time. My bladder was about to burst, and I was thirsty.
“Can I use your bathroom?” I asked.
“If you must.” He squeezed me tighter before releasing me. “You know where it is.”
I found my panties and leggings where they’d fallen on the floor and took them with me.
His private quarters weren’t locked. I refreshed myself in the bathroom adjoining his room and drank some water using the cup at his sink. As soon as I was done, I started for the door to exit his bedroom.
The nearness of his voice startled me. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I froze. He reclined in the bed. He wore a T-shirt instead of his work clothes. He peeled back the blankets, his gesture inviting. “Cuddle with me.”
I slid into place next to him, smiling. He coiled his arms around me and brought me close. “That was nice. I never knew that was what it was like for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve read that orgasms are different for women. Stronger. But I didn’t know until you pushed it into me.” He massaged his fingers into my scalp.
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “How can you not know? I thought you could send your awareness into me and feel what I feel.”
“Not precisely. I can feel your pain, almost exactly as you feel it. I am aware of other sensations in your body, but everything is dull compared to discomfort. This was completely different from my magic.” He smiled, eyes drunk on pleasure. “It was nice . . . intimate. More so than when you’ve given me your pain. Maybe because you don’t like pain, and you liked this. You were willing to give it up for me.”
I hadn’t even known I’d given him my orgasm until he’d told me. I felt guilty I’d never thought of it before. Or done it on purpose.
“We could try it again sometime,” I said.