Exposed Affections

by Rene Folsom

  “Thanks for being patient with me as I got to know you all. Wednesday we will be utilizing the lab time so everyone can continue to work on their spring projects. I would like to see where you are all at with them, so please make sure you bring in all of your prints and negatives relating to the project,” I said, addressing the class as they started to walk out the door.

  Chapter 3

  “God, her touch, her hold on me was like fire and ice—blazing agony.”

  Hearing her speak to her friend about plans to go on a photo shoot tomorrow made me insanely jealous that it was not me who got to spend time with her. The feeling may have not been rational, but it was real.

  I couldn’t help but glance at her beautiful breasts peeking out of her tank top. Her skin was so smooth and milky white, I just wanted to run my tongue along each peak and make her shiver beneath my touch.

  I stared at the gorgeous creature next to me and was thankful I didn’t need to stand at this moment. There was no way in hell my erection would go unnoticed, especially with all the barbaric thoughts going through my mind.

  As soon as the last student meandered out the doors, I shifted my body so I was fully facing her left side. Feeling a bit devious, I wanted to see if I had an affect on her. Any reaction at all would likely set me off.

  In an attempt to get closer to her, I straddled her stool, causing my left knee to press lightly against her thigh. She jumped at the contact and a shudder blew out from her perfectly pink lips.

  I could tell I affected her, yet she still continued to stare ahead. Probably attempting to look anywhere but at me. I didn’t blame her for avoiding my heated gaze. I was probably making her extremely uncomfortable with the creepy way I was gawking.

  Even though I had an excuse to keep her here, I didn’t want to make her late for her next class. I didn’t need a reason to feel even guiltier after the shit I put her through earlier this morning.

  “Do you have a class to get to, Juliana?” I whispered as I leaned in closer to her. I was so close, I could feel her quiver as my breath caressed her perfectly fine skin, bathing her in a faint sheen of goose bumps.

  The idea of making her tremble drew a wide smile across my jaw. She looked over at me, our faces mere inches apart. A myriad of expressions crossed her face, mostly puzzlement and then a hint of realization as she began to speak.

  “Um… actually, my next class used to be a personal session with Mr. Barnes. The Digital Photography class didn’t fill up, so they cancelled it. Mr. Barnes kept me on—sort of as his protégé. But it doesn’t count toward my credits, nor do I pay for it, so…”

  Her voice was barely above a whisper and her breath was warm, causing a delightful thrill straight to my insides. All the confidence I saw before went out the window, and she looked at me with pure vulnerability in her stare.

  The fact that she was mine for the next fifty minutes made my heart pound with excitement. I was definitely not letting her get out of her personal commitment, even though Old Man Barnes didn’t tell me about the agreement, and I would likely never agree to such an obligation with anyone but her.

  “I would be more than delighted to continue your one-on-one lessons, Julia. Mr. Barnes did not inform me of such an arrangement, but since I don’t have a class during this time slot anyway, you might as well continue to use me while I’m available,” I said with a smile, making my sincerity obvious and my suggestion even more apparent.

  I had to control myself as she looked at me and bit her lip. If she kept up with the lip biting, she would soon find out just what it did to me. Watching her sensual lips made me lose myself in her.

  As she steeled herself and coldly thanked me for my consideration, I was stunned. Oddly, her confidence and clear, hard-ass demeanor attracted me even more.

  Awareness slammed into me as I thought of kissing those soft, supple lips with a force to make her realize who was boss. I couldn’t allow myself to put the moves on one of my students. Absolutely not. I would rather quit than risk her college career or reputation. She obviously deserved so much better than a horny teacher hitting on her.

  I attempted to separate myself from her physically. I needed to control myself.

  “I probably should catch you up on what you missed due to your tardiness, Ms. Petersen,” I said in an attempt to sound like I was in charge of the mad desire raging through my bones. My words came out callous and insensitive. It was my only chance of pushing her away before I lost full control of my desires.

  Her words cut through me like a knife and caused me to look up from my gaze on the table.

  “I was only late because you stole the parking spot I was waiting for,” she explained as she stabbed a finger down to the mess of prints on the table in front of her. She was clearly angry with me for continuing to pick on her.

  Her arms snaked around herself protectively, and she looked like she was wounded more than angry—almost as if her feelings were hurt by my lack of consideration.

  I wanted to hold her and comfort her, to tell her I wanted nothing more than to run to her in the parking lot and apologize for my actions. But, I knew none of it would seem sincere, so I took a different tactic.

  I smiled and said, “Ahh. That was you? I’m terribly sorry, Julia. I honestly didn’t see anyone waiting for the space. I was in too much of a hurry because I did not want to be late for my first day as a new teacher. The administrators haven’t assigned a space for me yet, and I only found out this morning. Will you forgive me?”

  My puppy-dog look always worked on females. They couldn’t resist a man that asked for forgiveness and pouted like a baby. At least, that is what I always thought. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem fazed by my sulk attempt.

  “You really didn’t remember it was me you screwed just an hour ago? I was all but jumping out of my goddamn window when I yelled at you,” she said. As she said the last few words, I could tell she looked sad. Sad I didn’t remember it was her who reamed me for my thoughtlessness.

  Grinning, I tried my most sympathetic voice as I continued my apology. “How could I forget that beautiful face of yours? Yes. Yes, I remember it was you. However, I was really being honest about not seeing anyone waiting for the parking spot. I was so ticked off at the idiots from administration, I completely lost my cool with the fact I had to battle for a spot in the student lot. I do wish you could forgive me for my actions.”

  A small, timid smile crossed her face.

  “Forgiven. Although in my haste to get to class as soon as I could, I managed to dump most of my spring project all over the asphalt. I’m praying my negatives aren’t ruined,” she said as she looked down at the messy pile of negatives and prints sitting in front of her.

  I already noticed the prints were likely going to be fine. And it would take closer inspection to make sure the negatives weren’t scratched or damaged in any way.

  My attempt to separate myself from her physically didn’t last long. I moved close, closer than I was before, until I was pressed tightly up against her.

  Her hair smelled so wonderful. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I inhaled and thought about burying my face in her silky curls.

  My right knee pressed against her ass as I straddled her stool once more. I placed my right hand on my right leg and reached over to assess her work with my left. Being close to her was making my heart pound through my entire body.

  I heard her breathing shudder, and I wanted nothing more than to catch her gasps with my lips.

  Then I focused on her work, and I lost all control over my thoughts. Her work was astonishing. I’d never seen such a high caliber of work from a student before.

  She was talented—probably even more talented than I could ever dream to be.

  “It doesn’t look like anything is damaged, although the negatives did get a bit of dirt on them,” I said as I tried to assure her that everything would be ok. I couldn’t help but express my reactions to her talent. “Julia, these prints are astonishing. I can’t
wait to see how you arrange them. You truly do have a passion for black and white infrared and your interpretation of the subject matter is amazing to say the least. Do you still need to print more from these negatives for your project?”

  Basically, it looked to me like her project was complete. All she had to do was find an appealing arrangement and mount them all. Her work was going to blow everyone out of the water, especially the Exhibit Board of Directors.

  She turned her face toward me and looked at my lips, then into my eyes. God, she was beautiful.

  As she began to explain her desire to continue working on a few other shots, I decided I wanted to see what she was attempting to describe. I also did not want anyone to disturb us. So, I quickly got up and shut the classroom doors before continuing to discuss her project. They stayed locked at all times, which meant I now had her all to myself.

  Collecting her negatives, I gestured for her to take my hand. At first, it was meant as a simple gesture to help her from her stool, but as soon as her fingers glided into mine, a slew of flares ignited inside me. She gasped at the contact and a smile broke across my face at the sound.

  I led her to the light table and began dutifully cleaning each negative with a duster. As I bent over and began looking at each shot with the magnifier, she sighed and began to speak with a renewed confidence I admired.

  “These are the prints I’ve already completed,” she explained as she gestured to several different rows. “And these are the three I think I want to play with a bit more. The infrared glow of the plants is so vibrant, I worry I may lose some detail, but I can’t pass up the challenge to try and bring these shots to life.”

  Her passion tugged at my heartstrings. I knew we were going to be a great pair working together. The word challenge coming from her lips caused a new thrill to surge through me. I decided to play with the word some more, just like I did during her presentation of herself.

  “Oh, so you do like a challenge, don’t you, Juliana?” I said with clear seduction in my voice. I smiled as I looked up at her while still bent over the light table.

  I noticed she stood there, stunned, and holding her breath. Realizing my words had shocked her, I didn’t think, I just acted.

  Moving towards her quickly, I touched her face and whispered, “Breathe, Juliana.” Her soft skin felt like silky butter beneath my fingertips.

  The sight of her as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths made my cock jump to attention. I would give anything to watch her close her eyes and breath heavily while I had her beneath me, making her moan, pleasing her.

  As soon as she caught her breath, she opened her eyes and stared straight into mine with clear desire emanating from her expression. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of green I had ever experienced. And they clearly took on a whole new gleam when she was aroused.

  “Green, clear, and beautiful, like sparkling peridot…” I whispered. I touched her cheek and wanted to do so much more. But I knew I couldn’t. I had already gone too far.

  I had to separate myself before I did something stupid, so I stepped back and brought my attention to her work once more.

  The way she captured the subject of her photos astonished me.

  “These are really great shots. You should definitely try to play around with these. I could almost see these three being a series all on their own. So vibrant and full of life…” I trailed off. I had no more words. Her work rendered me speechless.

  I stood and looked at her. A small smile was lighting up her entire face with delight as she stared down toward the light table. She was even lovelier when she smiled, if it was even possible for her to be more stunning.

  “What thoughts are putting that beautiful smile on your face, Angel?” My nickname for her accidentally stumbled out. I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but once I did, it felt so right.

  She immediately retreated, backing away and hiding her face from me with a frown.

  Shit. I’d overstepped and I was going to lose her.

  “Oh, Julia. Please don’t hide your face from me. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. You had such joy written on your face, I just wanted to know what thoughts made you so happy,” I said, attempting to be sweet and gentle. I didn’t want to spook her more than I already had. I needed to see her. I needed her to look at me.

  Reaching out and hooking my finger under her delicate chin, I said, “Julia? Look at me.” Once those sparkling eyes were looking directly into mine, I continued and asked, “Tell me what makes you happy, Angel.”

  As she looked at me, I could tell she wanted more than just a simple touch under her chin. Ever so slightly, her face leaned into my hand and I responded by caressing her soft skin with my thumb. Creamy, ivory skin buzzed under the pads of my fingers. It was all the control I could muster not to grab both sides of her face and plunge my tongue deep into her warm mouth.

  After a few short seconds, she finally spoke and said, “I’m just happy you find my work so…”

  She stopped as she pondered what to say. I imagine it was hard for her to compliment her own work, so I took it upon myself to continue her words for her.

  “Inspiring? Vibrant? Beautiful?” I praised. “There are many words I could use to describe you, Angel. Although, I’m having a hard time putting into words just how your photographs touch me. You say you’re focusing on sculpture and not photography?”

  My last question just popped out unwelcome. I didn’t want to doubt her motives or desires. But curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know why this gorgeous woman, obviously so talented with a camera, would chose anything else over photography, when she clearly loved it.

  Her brow creased as if she were pondering her answer, or maybe how to phrase her answer, or possibly contemplating why I was even asking the question. Finally, the sides of her lips lifted and she spoke from her heart.

  “Yes, I’m focusing on sculpture even though I have an equal amount of passion for photography as well. They are both loves of mine. I could get lost for hours, even days, when working on my artwork. However, the sculpture program at the university is very highly recommended. I would be nothing short of lucky if I even had a chance to apply, let alone actually be accepted.”

  Something worried me about her answer. It seemed like she was trying to make someone else happy before thinking of herself. I smiled kindly to make sure she knew her answer didn’t offend me and added, “Well, we’ll just have to see about what photography programs are available also.”

  Her face broke out with a sweet smile when I winked at her.

  We both busied ourselves with reorganizing her project. Her dainty little fingers guided the negatives neatly into their sleeves while I dusted her prints.

  As I was wiping off her photos, I saw a certain pattern begin to emerge within each image. Suddenly, an idea hit me like a bolt of lighting. I backed up a few feet to assess the prints I had currently scattered across the table.

  Looking over at her to see if she was aware I had an idea, I saw her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed as her sexy bottom lip became locked between her teeth—again. I was beginning to realize it as an act of nerves or desire, the latter being my hopeful reasoning.

  Heat radiated through my body as I thought of sucking that lip, biting it, licking it. I wanted to taste her, feel her warmth on me.

  As if she sensed my lust, her eyes opened and caused a groan to escape my chest. I swiftly made the single step it took to stand inches in front of her.

  Slowly, I brought my thumb to her mouth and released her bottom lip from the death grip her teeth had on the plump, soft tissue. Wanting to soothe any pain I may have caused, I quickly smoothed my thumb over her perfectly pink lip.

  God, her lips are so soft, warm. What I wouldn’t give to have them wrapped possessively around my—

  Just as I was losing myself in lusting thoughts, Julia reached for my hand and I tensed. I was so afraid she was going to pull me away and tell me never to touch her again, but instead, she
held my hand gently and leaned into my caress.

  Out of pure instinct and absolutely no cognitive thought, I wrapped my fingers around the nape of her neck and began to pull her in for a kiss. I had to have those lips on mine, now. Every fiber of my being was screaming to consume her, make her mine.

  As if I was being punished for some horrible crime, a door slamming outside the classroom made me jump and she pulled away quickly. She knew just as much as I did that this was not safe. We both knew better, yet could we really survive the rest of the semester with this much sexual tension between us? I think not.

  I could tell she began to panic with the possibility that we were almost caught. Her skin flushed as she tried to pull out of my arms. What she didn’t realize was she was the one holding me hostage.

  “We can’t…” she said, making me feel like a total shithead for putting the moves on one of my students. What was going on in my head, I’ll never know. This woman seemed to take all my self-control and crumble it to little pieces.

  As she backed out of the hold I had on her, I sought out to soothe her.

  “I know we can’t. But don’t worry. I locked the doors so we wouldn’t be disturbed during your independent study,” I said nervously.

  Since we obviously needed a distraction, I decided to focus back on her work. After rearranging several of her photos in to various sequences, the pattern finally popped. Her work was truly brilliant.

  Eager to show her my ideas, I looked at her with a smile and motioned for her to come to me as I said, “Come here, Juliana.”

  A confident smile spread across her face as her fine body slid from its perch on the stool. She watched me as if she knew I was her predator and she was the wary prey. I positioned her so she was pressed against me, facing the table, hopefully allowing her to see what I saw.