by Ivy Smoak
Chapter 25
Saturday
My head rose and fell with his breath. I was dreaming about Professor Hunter again; dreaming about being wrapped in his strong arms. I listened to his slow, steady heartbeat. I could lay here forever in his embrace. I let my hand wander beneath his shirt and felt his abs. His body seemed to tense from my touch, which made his muscles even more pronounced. He was so sexy.
"Are you feeling any better?" he whispered.
I almost jumped out of my skin. Tyler. I was with Tyler, not Professor Hunter. We must have fallen asleep watching the movie. I pulled my hand out from under his shirt and sat up.
"You lovebirds must have been exhausted. It's almost noon," Melissa laughed.
Oh my God, Melissa's here? All I wanted to do was disappear back into my dream. I felt my face flushing. "We fell asleep watching a movie," I said quietly. I didn't want to look down at Tyler and I didn't want to make eye contact with Melissa so I just stared at my lap.
"Sure," Melissa said.
I heard Tyler yawn as he sat up beside me. "Good morning, Melissa."
He rubbed his hand on my back. "Penny?"
"Yeah. I do feel better. Thanks, Tyler." I still didn't look at him. What had I done? This was the opposite of what was supposed to happen last night. And why had I just touched his abs? He had really nice abs. What the hell is wrong with me?
"Did you want to get something to eat?" Tyler asked.
"Yes, we'd love to," Melissa answered for me. Her coming to the dining hall with us was going to be a disaster. Everything was a disaster!
Tyler hopped off the bed. "Do you mind if I borrow this?" He lifted up the mouthwash from my dresser.
"No, go ahead." He took a swig and walked out of the room.
"Oh my God, Penny! Spill it."
"Nothing happened." I slid off the bed and quickly changed into jean shorts and a t-shirt. I tried hard not to make eye contact with her.
"I don't believe that for a second. You both slept so long. Like you just had sex long."
"I was sick."
"Yeah sure. Why aren't you giving me the details? Was he small or something?"
"No!"
"So he's big?"
"Melissa!" I smoothed my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. "We're just friends."
"He doesn't look at you like you're his friend."
I grabbed my shower caddy and went to the bathroom without hearing what else she had to say. I brushed my teeth and washed my face without looking in the mirror. This was getting out of hand. I needed to find Tyler a girlfriend so that I could stop lying to both him and Melissa. My addiction to Professor Hunter wasn't going anywhere. I was already breaking rules if I was going to date him. I didn't want to have to feel bad about anything else on top of that.
***
"Okay, Tyler," Melissa said as she sat down across from us in the dining hall. "I can't get the truth out of Penny, so I'm going to ask you instead. You guys had wild sex last night, right?"
"Not wild sex, no." Tyler laughed.
"But you did have sex?" Melissa asked. My face was turning scarlet.
"No. We're just friends." He shrugged and smiled at me.
"Ugh, you're both ridiculous."
Tyler laughed again.
"I hate to break it to you, Tyler, but friends don't usually sleep together."
"We didn't sleep together sleep together. We just fell asleep together."
"So, you're trying to tell me that you don't like Penny?" Melissa never backed down easily.
"No, I hate her guts. She's the worst."
"Hey!" I said and nudged his shoulder.
"So, Penny, you're telling me that if you found out Tyler was dating someone you'd be okay with that?" Melissa was staring at me.
Tyler silently took a bite of his bagel.
"Yes. I'd be happy for him."
"Prove it," she replied.
"Wait, what?" Tyler asked.
"Go ask a girl out. There are at least fifty in here right now. I'm sure one of them would say yes. I can point out a few that have definitely checked you out since you've sat down."
"Look, I don't want..."
"See. That's because you like Penny. Boys and girls can't be just friends. It doesn't work. I have homework to do. I will let you two soak in your denial." Melissa left the table.
"Your roommate doesn't like to be wrong," Tyler said once Melissa was out of earshot.
"Tell me about it," I sighed.
Tyler finished his bagel and turned to me. "So is that what you really want? For me to be dating other people?"
"Well we're friends. I want you to be happy."
"Right." He pushed his scrambled eggs around with his fork. "Well I actually have lots of homework I have to get to too. I'm glad you're feeling better." He stood up and grabbed his tray.
"Tyler?"
He walked away without looking back at me.
Chapter 26
Saturday
As I got ready for my date with Professor Hunter, I tried not to think about hurting Tyler's feelings. I truly did want him to be happy. And I wasn't the person that could do that for him. He deserved better. I just hoped we could remain friends because he had become one of my closest friends since we had met.
Professor Hunter hadn't told me where we were going, but I assumed we were going out to eat. Fortunately Melissa was out to dinner with Josh, or else I would have had to sneak around and get ready in the bathroom. I put on a strapless, summery dress and added a brown belt above my waist. I strapped on a pair of high heeled sandals and looked at myself in the mirror. I added some red lip stick because I liked to think that it made me look a little older.
My alarm went off, letting me know that it was 8 o'clock. I grabbed my clutch and made my way to the curb behind Sussex where Professor Hunter had dropped me off before. His sleek black car was already waiting there. Before I reached the car Professor Hunter stepped out. He was wearing a perfectly fitted black suit with a white dress shirt underneath and a black tie. Just seeing him made my knees shake.
He walked around the car and opened up the door for me.
"Hi, Professor Hunter."
He grabbed my face in both his hands, leaned in, and kissed me deeply. We were supposed to discuss us, but instead all I wanted to do was rip off all his clothes again. He pulled away far too soon.
"Good evening, Penny." He tilted his head, motioning for me to get in the car. "We should get going. We have a reservation." I slowly stepped back and got into the car. He closed the door behind me.
He sat down in the driver's seat and we sped off into the night.
"Where are we going?"
"Someplace where we can be alone."
His words sent chills down my spine. "But I haven't had anything to eat." He made me so nervous.
He had a funny look on his face. "Yes, I'm taking you to dinner."
I was a little confused, but I decided to wait and see. I always loved surprises. "So you wanted to discuss what you meant by just this once?"
"I meant what I said."
"Oh." I turned to look out the window. We were on I-95, cruising by all the other cars. The trees were a blur. I felt like I was going to be sick. "I don't understand why you asked me to dinner then."
"Because I've changed my mind."
I tried to slow my breathing. "Why?" I turned back to look at him.
He took his attention away from the road for a second. "Because I can't stop thinking about you, Penny."
I gulped. "I can't stop thinking about you either." We drove in silence for a few moments. I couldn't believe this was happening. "Did you grow up around here?"
"No. I'm from New York."
"What made you come here to teach then?" I was reminded of Melissa saying that he had gotten fired from his last job. Had he worked as a professor in New York?
"I needed a change."
"Did you live in the city?"
"Yes."
"I understand why you n
eeded a change then."
He laughed. "Not a fan of New York City?"
"Everything is so loud and busy all the time. And everyone seems so depressed on the subway."
"I wouldn't know, I rarely rode the subway."
"I'm sure the taxi's aren't much better. And there's not enough grass."
He laughed again. "Well it is very different from here. Is this where you grew up?"
"I live about an hour away. Well, an hour from school. I don't really know where we are now."
We pulled up to a huge building. There was a tennis court to the right and a pool beside it. Behind them I could just make out a golf course in the dark. A valet quickly came to my door and opened it for me.
"Welcome, madam," he said and put out his hand for me to grab. No one had ever called me madam before. I took his hand and he pulled me out of my seat and closed the passenger side door. Professor Hunter stepped out of the car and the valet walked over.
"Hello, Mr. Hunter," the valet said with a huge smile. "I've heard so much about you."
Professor Hunter handed the valet the key. "Thank you." Professor Hunter walked over to me and put his hand on the small of my back. He escorted me into the building.
My heels clicked on the white marble floor. The biggest chandelier I had ever seen hung above us. A woman with her breasts pushed up to almost her chin walked up to us. "Mr. Hunter. Your table is ready." She seemed nervous to be talking to us.
We followed her down a hallway and entered an elegant restaurant. I wasn't dressed nearly fancy enough. Most of the women wore lace dresses and the men were in suits like Professor Hunter. It felt like they were all staring at me. But as we made our way to the back of the restaurant I realized that they were staring at Professor Hunter. I didn't blame them, he was so handsome. But I felt a little jealous.
The woman showed us into a private room in the back. There was a roaring fire and an elegant loveseat to one side. In the middle of the room was a table with a beautiful flower arrangement in the center. A bottle of wine and two glasses were already on the table. Oh no, they are going to ask me for my I.D.
Instead of questioning my age, the woman said, "Your waiter will be right with you," and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I turned to Professor Hunter. "Where are we?"
"My country club."
Memberships for country clubs were usually extremely expensive. I hadn't realized that Professor Hunter was wealthy. That was probably why he never rode the subway. Professor Hunter walked over to the table and pulled my chair out for me.
"No one's ever pulled out a chair for me before." I sat down and stared at him as he sat down across from me. I was experiencing a lot of firsts tonight.
"Then you haven't been dating the right people."
Dating. Were we dating? "And I've never been to a country club before. Do you come here often?"
"This is actually only the second time that I've been here."
"Oh, so you just joined?" That explained why people were staring. They had never seen him before. They were wondering who the new person was.
"Yes. Earlier this week actually."
Just at that moment the waiter walked in and hurried over to the table. "Good evening. My name is Jerrod. It is my pleasure to be serving you tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter."
I was about to tell Jerrod that we weren't married when Professor Hunter gave me a mischievous smile. Jerrod started telling us about their daily specials but I couldn't stop staring into Professor Hunter's eyes. Jerrod uncorked the bottle of wine and poured us each a glass while he was talking.
After Jerrod was done his spiel, Professor Hunter said we would need a minute to look at the menu. I skimmed through mine, trying to find the cheapest thing as Jerrod left the room. Most of the meals were as much as the used text books I always bought for classes. I didn't feel comfortable letting Professor Hunter pay for this.
"Penny?" He reached over and grabbed my hand.
"Professor Hunter, I've never had food that costs this much. What did you say this place was called? The name isn't even listed on the menu." I picked up my glass with my free hand and took a sip of the wine.
"I was thinking Hunter Creek Country Club."
I coughed, choking on my wine. Hunter. The way he was greeted, the way that people stared. I already felt like he was out of my league, but now I felt completely inferior. What was he doing with a girl like me? "Professor Hunter, do you own this country club?"
"It seemed like a good place for a first date."
So you bought it? "What exactly did you do in New York?"
"I was a professor."
"For how long?"
He lowered his eyebrows slightly as he looked at me. "Less than a year."
"And before that?"
"I owned a startup. Would you mind if I ask you a question?"
The mystery of who Professor Hunter was had barely started to unfold and he wanted to talk about me? I wasn't the one that was interesting. "What did you want to know?"
"Everything."
The way he said it made me blush. He had already seen me naked. He had already had me in the most intimate way. "There really isn't that much to know," I said.
"I don't believe that's true. You enjoy challenging me and aren't afraid to speak your mind. I find you unbelievably refreshing ."
I took another sip of wine. I felt so nervous under his gaze.
"So why is it that you don't feel like you're interesting?" he asked.
I gulped and looked up at him. It was because of Austin and all the times that he made me feel insignificant. "Honestly, you're the first person that's ever made me feel like I'm the only girl in the room. I'm not used to feeling like I matter."
Jerrod came in to take our order. I looked back down at the menu. I scanned the menu for something that wouldn't get stuck in my teeth. Professor Hunter reached his hand out and grabbed mine again.
"Penny, I've heard that the crab cakes are wonderful here."
I smiled, relieved that I didn't have to choose. "That sounds perfect."
Professor Hunter ordered for us. When Jerrod left the room, Professor Hunter put his elbows on the table and leaned in slightly. "When we're together, I can assure you that I don't see anyone else in the room. You always have my undivided attention."
"That must make grading other student's speeches quite difficult."
Professor Hunter laughed. "It does."
His words should have comforted me, but all I seemed to be able to focus on was when he had said "when we're together." I was reminded of the woman from his office. I wasn't necessarily the only person he was dating. If we even were dating.
Professor Hunter reached in his pocket, pulled out a penny, and slid it across the table. "A penny for your thoughts?"
I smiled up at him. This was why we were here. To talk about what we wanted. "The last guy that I dated didn't believe in labels. So really, I'm just wondering, where it is that we are? I mean, I'm not trying to pressure you. It's only because I'm curious. I just want to know where you stand on things."
Professor Hunter started laughing. He was laughing at me. I could feel my face turning scarlet.
"Where I stand on things? Penny, I don't relish the idea of sharing you, if that is what you're referring to."
"I don't relish the idea of sharing you, either, Professor Hunter."
The expression on his face grew serious. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.
"I know that you have a girlfriend. That woman from your office. You were going on a date. It was obvious."
He sighed and smiled at me. Did he look relieved?
"That wasn't a date," he said.
"No?"
"We had a work function that we were both attending. I am not interested in Professor Keen. I am only interested in you. But since you've brought it up, if I were dating Professor Keen, you'd prefer that I'd stop, yes?"
"Yes," I replied instantly.
"Then you won't mi
nd me asking you to stop dating Tyler Stevens." He raised his left eyebrow as he looked at me.
"Tyler and I are just friends."
He sat back in his chair. "Then I guess neither of us have anything to worry about."
Chapter 27
Saturday
"There is one more thing, Professor Hunter."
Jerrod opened the door and brought in our entrees. I took a bite before he had even left the room.
"This is amazing." I had completely forgotten that I had asked Professor Hunter a question. I took another bite of the crab cake.
"What is it that you wanted to ask me?" Professor Hunter asked.
I finished chewing. "My roommate, Melissa. She can be rather, well, persistent. She always wants me to go out on the weekends and tries to get me to go on double dates and stuff."
"And?"
"And what am I supposed to tell her?"
"That you're dating someone."
"But she'll want to know who it is."
"So tell her about me. Maybe leave off the professor part though." He smiled at me. He had no idea how hard this was going to be for me to do.
"You want me to tell her I'm dating an older, wealthy, unbelievably handsome gentleman who is way out of my league?"
"And you'll want to say my name is James, not Professor Hunter. Which you should probably start doing in public as well."
I was wondering when he'd ask me to call him by his first name. "She won't believe a word of it."
"Hmmm. You'll have to mention that it's the best sex of your life as well. Maybe you can distract her with those details."
I felt my face begin to flush. I hoped he thought it was because of the fire. I had been wondering if sex was on his mind. I still barely knew him, but I knew I wanted him again. He was right, it was the best sex of my life. It wasn't even comparable to anything I had with Austin. Austin was like a jack rabbit. He always finished in just a few minutes. I didn't even know what an orgasm felt like until I met Professor Hunter.
And I think I knew how to get what I wanted. "Thank you for dinner. That was one of the most amazing things I've ever put in my mouth."
His Adam's apple rose and then fell. "Certainly not the best, though. Do you need to be reminded?"