Double Grades

by Kristine Robinson

I glanced at the ceiling. What had I gotten myself into? Mustering all my courage, I accepted the proffered bikini and went to change. Once I was dressed, or rather more accurately undressed, I glared at my reflection in the mirror. I was not looking forward to my stomach being on display next to Natalie’s washboard abs. They weren’t ripped like a man’s, but lean and defined. She had an innie for a belly button, and her stomach was just as tan as the rest of her. A real tan, too, not the kind gotten from a bed.

  I jumped when she knocked on the door. “Stop overthinking, and come on,” she said.

  “Stop reading my mind,” I retorted when I opened it. I could feel my face heating as she took me in, her gaze roving from my head to my yellow painted toes. Would it be too much to ask her to put on a suit? Equal amounts of nakedness for all. Not that her shorts and sport bra covered much more than the bikini would. I followed her out of the apartment and to the floor above, staring in amazement at the indoor pool. “Wow.”

  “Nice, right?” She let one crutch fall and bent her knees.

  I was at her side in an instant, ignoring her protests as I helped her sit. “I’m not letting you damage yourself ‘cause you’re stubborn.” She appeared surprised, and I felt a stab of satisfaction. She wasn’t the only one who could be bossy. I helped her position herself so she could comfortably recline with the leg that wasn’t injured in the pool while keeping the other dry. Her blue painted toes shimmered under the water, and she flexed her foot, showing off the high arch.

  Once she was settled, I didn’t waste time diving into the water. It felt like ice. I broke the surface, gasping, and slicked my hair back from my face. Natalie said, “Here,” and I glanced up in time to catch the hair tie she tossed me.

  I was acutely conscious of her attention as I started laps. Swimming was something I did okay. I didn’t have time to get to a gym, and my apartment building certainly didn’t come with a pool attached. It had been years since I’d done this, and I knew I was rusty.

  She talked the entire time, and between long strokes of my arm and kicks off the walls for momentum, I realized she had a habit of filling the silences in general. I’d known her for twenty-four hours, and I already knew what her favorite television shows were and what movie she couldn’t wait to see. I knew she didn’t like Brussel sprouts and she loved cheese, even though her dietician disapproved. Tiny details that were somehow very personal.

  It struck me, as she told me about a dog she’d had as a child and how she missed having a pet, that Natalie’s perfect life might not actually seem so perfect to her. Natalie was lonely.

  The realization was mind boggling.

  Under the guise of needing a break, I settled my arms on the tile by Natalie and kicked lazily with my legs to remain afloat. She smelled of chlorine and vanilla body butter, and every so often her leg would bump against my side as she swung it. Without thinking, I reached a hand down and curled my fingers around her dainty ankle when she grazed my side. I stroked my thumb over the hard not of bone. She didn’t pull away, so neither did I. “I can’t have a dog at my apartment, so I’ve got fish instead,” I admitted. I told her about the small aquarium, and the clown fish that was actually quite a bully to the other fish. I talked about how I’d always had a pet growing up, and how living somewhere alone seemed untenable. The fish weren’t the same, obviously, but they were something to take care of other than myself.

  Natalie listened attentively, and she asked plenty of questions. When she laughed, I found it hard to remember what I’d been saying. She had the lightest giggle, quiet and musical, and as the minutes flew by, I tried to elicit the sound more. I counted every smile and every burst of mirth. I catalogued what it took to reveal Natalie’s dimples and to make her nose scrunch up—an action which broke her laugh into a snort. It was such a disarming noise, so unexpected, that my immediate desire was to cause it again. The more she laughed, her eyes began to water, turning the dark green irises incandescent. Her lush lashes spiked with the moisture, thick and black, and she was, hands down, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

  Chapter Three

  The school week started, and my days off disappeared. Still I managed to find time to see Natalie. She encouraged me to bring my books over, and she made me the most delicious meals after I’d had long days. I checked on her ankle constantly, making sure it was healing as it should. She helped me organize index cards, and she’d spend hours sitting opposite me on her couch, quizzing me until I had them memorized. She was good about making sure I took breaks as well. We’d pause for an episode of something light and funny on Netflix, and then we’d resume. I’d tell her about my day and any crazy patients I’d seen, and she’d share hers. There was genuine interest on both our parts, and the part of my day I looked forward to most was the part which would be spent with her. My crush was becoming something out of control, and I didn’t have the self preservation to stop it. Not when this was the best thing to have ever happened to me.

  It was a Thursday night, and I’d taken my last midterm of the semester, and we sat on the couch with tubs of ice-cream in our laps. One of the films Natalie had wanted to see was playing on the television, and our legs were intertwined on the cushions. Mine cradled her injured ankle where it rested on a pillow. We had plush blankets tucked around us, and occasionally we’d sit up to dig our spoons into the other’s ice-cream carton. The pretense of preparing for a marathon had largely flown out the window after that first day—though Natalie still insisted on healthy meals and a half an hour swim.

  I steadily sank into the cushions, my eyelids getting heavier with each passing second. The apartment was so warm, and Natalie’s legs against mine were radiating a heat of their own. I felt… cocooned was the best way to describe it. Exhaustion overtook me, and before I knew it I was asleep.

  Apparently I slept for several hours before Natalie gently shook my shoulders. I blearily opened my eyes to find her hunched over me, braced on her crutches, and a soft smile quirking her lips. “Hey, sleepy-head.”

  I slurred a question of the time as I tried to regain full consciousness.

  “A little after eleven. Why don’t you sleep here?”

  I sank back into the couch. “M’kay.”

  She laughed. “Not on the couch. I’ve got beds.” She was still hovering above me, her face inches from mine. I wanted to trace the path of her freckles with my fingertips. With my lips.

  I’m not sure who moved first.

  Our lips met in a soft glide, and I cupped Natalie’s cheeks, memorized the movement of her jaw beneath my palm. I grew more confident as the kiss continued. I nudged into Natalie’s space, demanding, and moved my lips with more surety. I traced my tongue over her bottom one, teasing her. I slid my hand into her hair, my fingers tangling in the silky auburn strands. My breath was stuck in my lungs and fire was licking its way through my insides. I’d never felt anything like this before.

  Our noses bumped, and she giggled breathlessly into my mouth. I could feel the curve of her lips against mine and the dent of her dimple with my thumb. Her hair had fallen forward, swaying around our faces like a curtain, shielding us from the outside world. She opened to me, and I slipped my tongue inside, tangling with hers. The glide was slick and hot, and there was a fire burning in my belly. Without breaking our contact, I tried to shift closer while simultaneously pulling her down. I wanted Natalie on top of me, her weight solid above me and pressing me into the couch. I wanted pressure against my core, something I could grind down on before the sensation building inside me became too much. The sound of one of her crutches hitting the tile floor was loud and had us parting for air. Our gasping breaths filled the silence that was left behind.

  Natalie bit her bottom lip, sucking it between her teeth to worry. My gaze was glued to the movement, perfect white against plush pink. I wanted to be the one biting on her lips. I wanted to leave marks. “Do you want to… move this to my bedroom?” It was the first time I’d ever heard Natalie sound anything close to unsure
.

  I don’t know how she thought I’d say anything but yes. I needed to find out what came next. My being yearned for it. Unable to put all of this into words, I nodded and swiftly rose from the couch. It was a lesson in patience following her to her bedroom. Thanks to the crutches, we couldn’t continue where we’d left off on the way. My hands kept twitching with the urge to touch her, wanting to reach out and trace the curve of her back, the swell of her ass, and even just hold her hand. Soon I’d get to touch her. I’d get to explore all the parts of her I’d been dreaming about.

  I was desperate by the time her bed was in sight. It was a huge thing, king-sized and with a decadent deep blue comforter. The head of the bed disappeared under the mound of pillows. It was the picture of comfort, and as I took it in, that was when the nerves hit. I’d never done this with a woman before. I had no clue what I was doing. I was shaking as I sat down, my hands trembling and my exhales unsteady. I wasn’t scared—this was excitement and anticipation and the strong desire to make Natalie happy.

  She shut the door behind us with a soft click, and her crutches were loud on the floor as she crossed the room to me. I helped her lay them aside and come to rest on the bed beside me. We stared at each other, eyes wide and lips parted to allow for our faster exhales. Our chests were rising and falling in near synchronization. Natalie was nervous too, and the knowledge calmed me.

  This was going to be good. No… it was going to be perfect.

  I straddled her lap, spreading my knees around her hips, framing her face in my hands, and I gazed down into her intense, beautiful eyes. Her skin was warm against mine, and her hair brushed my knuckles, soft and faintly tickling. I brushed my lips over the tip of her pert nose, the stunning arch of her cheekbones, her eyelids, and finally… finally I laid my mouth on hers. Much like our lips were pressed together, our bodies were flush. I could feel the press of her breasts against mine, the way she shivered when our tongues met.

  Everything was slow and languid. We had all the time in the world to do this, here in our own little bubble. Our noses bumped and our teeth clacked more than once, but it was still the best kiss I’d ever had. We didn’t let anything deter us. As we explored the other’s mouth, I began to move restlessly, hips shifting wantonly. I stopped fighting for control and let my hands wander. I lost myself in the feel of Natalie. The silky strands of her hair as they fell around my fingers. The shivers down her spine and the warmth of her so close.

  Natalie was doing her own exploring. She’d worked her hands under my shirt, her palms pressed flat to my back. She went from the base of my spine to the top, spread her fingers, and moved to feel the flex of my shoulder blades. She curled her fingers, and her nails began to retrace the same path. She didn’t press hard. It was barely there pressure, but I found myself moaning, my hips twitching, and my hands clenching on her shirt.

  She fell back to the bed, and I followed her down. I broke the kiss to trail my lips over the sharp line of Natalie’s jaw, and then lower. I learned the planes of her neck, what it felt like to feel her pulse thudding beneath my lips. When I licked over that patch of skin, she shuddered beneath me and whined. So I did it again, applying my teeth to the spot and sucking. One of Natalie’s legs came up around my waist in response, and she put a hand on the back of my head, holding me in place.

  I gave the spot my full attention, only relenting when the curiosity of what was left got to be too much. I nosed my way to the sensitive skin behind and below Natalie’s ear, and I found it drew a very similar response in Natalie. Her exhales were high and breathy things, each one spurring me on. She sounded amazing, and the constant rush of heat to my lower regions left no doubt as to my reaction.

  It took a few minutes for me to register her hands on the hem of my shirt and the way she was tugging at it, trying to draw it up. Getting unclothed required parting from one another long enough to do so, and the idea was surprisingly hard to wrap my head around. She drew my shirt over my head, and then her fingers deftly moved over the clasp of my bra, freeing me in record time.

  Bare from the waist up, I returned the favor. Natalie arched off the bed, and with fumbling, nervous fingers I tugged her shirt off and then went to work on her bra. For someone who clasped her own bra every day, I would have thought this part would be easier. But my hands shook and my fingers slipped. It took me nearly a minute to get the clasp undone and Natalie’s breasts free.

  And then I stared in awe.

  I’d seen plenty of breasts before, they weren’t the new or unknown. But I was acutely aware that these perky, pink tipped nipples belonged to Natalie. And that I was allowed to touch. Acting on instinct, I bent my head and rubbed my lips over one hard tip, then the other. I tried to keep in mind what I liked when guys had done it to me before. I flicked my tongue out, laving it around the tight bud. This elicited a shiver from Natalie, and her hands came to grasp my waist and squeeze.

  When I took one into my mouth, sucking gently, Natalie ran her hands from my waist to my breasts, and her fingers plucked. It was incredibly difficult to concentrate when she was doing this to me. My body shook and I moaned around her, my fingers clawing into the bed sheets beneath to keep me upright. I’d never felt anything like this before. I was burning up from the inside, the heat of arousal flushing me from head to toe. I wanted to touch everything, kiss everything, all at once.

  I wasn’t expecting Natalie to roll me over, to put her weight over mine and kiss me until I saw stars behind my closed eyelids. When I was limp and trembling, she kissed a path from my chin to my navel, derailing for only a few seconds to pay my needy breasts attention. She made me arch from the bed. My mouth dropped open on a silent groan. My calves framed Natalie’s sides, squeezed tight to her as if that could help contain all the sensation running rampant through me.

  I screamed when she went lower.

  She kissed the top of my mound, and then right above my clit. She skipped over it, moving lower, her tongue playing over the lips of my entrance. She urged my legs up and over her shoulders, turning her head to kiss the inside of my thighs. She gently bit the sensitive skin there, sucking lightly. My muscles shook, trembling around her. She licked a strip from my entrance to my clit, and then back down. Teasingly. It was the barest of touches. Absolutely no pressure to it.

  Over and over she did this, getting firmer every time.

  She hovered at my entrance, and I felt her fingers spreading me. My breath caught in my throat, anticipation stringing me tight. She entered me with her tongue, keeping my spread for her as explored. My back left the bed, and my hands scrabbled at her shoulders as sounds I’d never made before left my mouth one after the other. I thought I might be scratching her, but she was moaning encouragingly into me, her lips moving, tongue moving. My brain was whiting out.

  She moved her hands to my waist, keeping my lower half pinned to the bed so she could do as she pleased. Her mouth left and I cried out, arching wildly. She made a soothing noise, and then her mouth was on my clit, her tongue insistently flicking my button. I twisted and squirmed, and she didn’t let me budge. She was relentless in her task, and soon I found myself tumbling over the edge. I was shouting, my hands in her hair and my back off the bed. I’d never felt anything like it before in my life. The feeling went on and on, and her tongue kept rubbing me. She was sucking as she worked, and it was like the orgasm was being physically pulled from me. She didn’t stop till I was a limp mess on the sheets, gasping for air and not able to form a single coherent thought. There might have been tears on my face, and I’d swear I was seeing literal stars.

  She came to lie beside me, a warm palm on my stomach, her fingers absently stroking. I shivered beneath the touch, my whole body sensitized to her. She nuzzled my neck, and I could feel the curve of her smile against me. I tilted to give her better access, wanting her to explore wherever. She slung a leg over mine, her skin warm and sweaty, sticking to mine, and her voice was entirely smug when she asked, “Yeah?”

  It took far long
er than it should have for me to recall how to speak, and even then I only managed, “Hell yeah.”

  Her laugh was music in my ears, and the moment I regained enough strength in my muscles to move, I made sure to return the favor.

  I rolled on top of her, drawn as I had been before to her breasts. I sucked one pert nipple into my mouth, tweaking the other with my fingers. Light pinches and teasing bites had Natalie shifting beneath me, her legs spreading, her heels coming to rest on the curve of my ass. I could feel her wet against me, the slick of her glazing my skin. She panted and moaned from nothing more than my contact with her tits. She was a wave movement beneath me, and a little maneuvering on my part had my thigh between her legs.

  I moaned around her as she began to hump my thigh. Her noises got higher and breathier, and I felt incredibly empowered. Her other leg remained wrapped around my waist, her muscles straining as she kept me tight to her for maximum friction.

  When I finally pulled away from breasts, she tried to bring me back with her hands in my hair, tugging on the strands. I had to pry her fingers away and then unwind her leg as she mumbled her disgruntlement at me.

  She went silent when I settled between her legs, my mouth inches from her mound. I ran my hands over her thighs, down to her ass. I couldn’t help but cup the firm flesh, my fingers exploring the muscle I’d spent so much time staring at.

  It was a work of art.

  I took my time before I put my mouth on her. I was undoubtedly nervous, but I gave it my all.

  She tasted sweet, and I closed my eyes, giving myself wholly over to the moment. I sipped at her, my tongue lapping her up. I slid one finger into her, probing my tongue around it, feeling the stretch of her walls around me as I added a second. I could feel her fluttering around me, the hard squeeze of her internal muscles when I did something particularly well.

  I worked a third finger in, crooking them just so, and I moved my lips to Natalie’s clit. I wanted to make her scream with pleasure. I wanted to make her come as intensely as I had. I wanted to render her speechless.