by Ali Parker
He didn't respond, but deepened the kiss, leaving me weak to whatever he wanted from me. "We only have twenty-eight minutes and I hate rushing these things."
I laughed. "We have all night. We're not having sex in this bathroom. I'm not a wild-"
"Yeah, you are. I know you like to play proper like a good girl usually does." He stood up and walked around me, dragging his fingers over my lower back as he moved. "You pull it off well, but the woman covered in soapy water with her beautiful ass in the air moaning for me to go deeper is the one I want to spend twenty-seven minutes with."
Nerves danced in my belly, but I forced them down and turned to face him. "And what if she doesn't really exist?"
"I know she does." He licked his lips and ran his eyes down my body before reaching out and gripping my waist. "Up on the counter."
I reached back and pressed my hands to the cold counter as he lifted me and sat me on the edge. "What are you doing, Kendal?"
"Loving you when I want to." He slid his hands up my thighs, forcing my dress to go with him. "Where I want to."
I reached out and gripped his shoulders, not too sure of myself. "What if someone hears us? Did you bring a condom?"
He tugged my dress up enough to leave a tiny pink triangle showing between my thighs. "Hush. Just lean back and give me some room, angel."
I whimpered as he ran his thumb over my center. His eyes moved back up to mine and he slipped his fingers underneath my panties, spreading me open and pressing in a little.
"Kendal. We can do this later t-"
"Shhh..." He moved down to his knees and pulled me closer to the edge before tugging my panties to the side. Leaning in, he breathed in deeply. "Fuck, I love the way you smell."
"Oh shit." I gripped the counter as he rolled his tongue through my folds, teasing me with strong flicks and the hope that he would force a finger deep inside of me.
"Wrap your pretty legs around my shoulders." He glanced up and smiled. "Relax. It's just me. I'm going to be down here a lot. I love the way you look. The way you smell and taste." He leaned in and pressed his mouth to me, sucking softly and then harder.
I wasn't going to last long. Cameron refused to go down on me, and Kendal had been my first time a few weeks back. I wasn't used to it, didn't know what to expect. The naughty part of me wanted to reach down and hold myself open for him, but I wasn't sure how he would take it.
"So soft and wet, Dana." He pressed two fingers into me, driving me over the edge with nothing more than a few deep pumps. "That's it. I feel you tightening. Let go."
I let my head drop back as electricity raced across my stomach. The moan I let out would have been embarrassing if I could make sense of anything. All I could hear, feel, see was him in front of me, lapping at my body.
"Again," he commanded and flicked his tongue over my clit.
"Harder," I whispered and arched my back.
He complied, and I had a hard time holding myself up. The room spun around me as the sound of him licking and sucking at my flesh filled the air.
"I'm going to fuck you so good when I get you home, Dana. You're in for a long night, baby." He pressed his mouth to my center and I almost came off the counter as a cry ripped from my lips, my body shaking, my mind dizzy.
He stood and gave me a naughty grin. "Fuck, that was hot."
"I love it." I reached up and gripped the back of his neck, pulling him down into a long kiss. "I love you." I needed him to know.
He pulled back and ran his hand over his erection. "You turn me on so much. Did you know that? Everything about you."
I worked to get my panties back into place and reached for him as someone knocked on the bathroom door. The sound of it almost scared the hell out of me.
"Hey guys. Dinner is ready!" Matt yelled.
"We're coming," Kendal called out and glanced back at me, whispering the rest. "At least one of us is."
I smiled and moved toward him. Why hadn't he repeated my affection? Was it too early? Had he not heard me? "You wanna a turn."
"You know I do, but not here. We'll take our time together soon." He brushed his fingers down the side of my face. "You were incredible."
"I don't wanna go yet." I pressed my hands to his chest and lifted to my toes. "Tell them I'm not feeling well."
He laughed. "That was our plan for later tonight, I thought."
"It was." I stepped back and fixed my skirt. "I know this isn't the right time, but I met with Ana today. She told me that you were in love with me."
He turned and leaned over the water faucet, splashing his face, leaving me in silence. Awkward silence.
I continued to fill the gap. "It was good to move past things with her. I think we did, at least."
"That's great news, baby." He patted his face with a white hand towel and turned to face me. "And you told your brother’s friend to jump off a cliff? I'd hate to go to jail for killing some poor guy."
I smiled. "I did. And what about you?"
His expression tightened. "What about me?"
I was expecting a different response, but I got somewhere between tense and put off. For some strange reason, it agitated me. Maybe I just needed to be direct with him. He was my lover, my boyfriend and soon to be my best friend. I wanted everything clear between us.
"I'm moving past the shit with my sister for you. I'm thinking about transferring for you. So we can be together before May. That's too long. You know it is." I reached up and brushed my hair back, trying not to lose my nerve. "Are you getting past the rules of the university for me?"
He moved past me and opened the bathroom door. "It's not that easy. I'll explain."
I took his hand when he reached for me, because I wasn't sure what else to do. I'd just opened my legs like a whore in the bathroom for him. Sure, it was all for my own pleasure, but to have him not respond to my admission of love and then say that he wasn't going to reject the University rules for me?
Shit. Maybe Jackie was right. Maybe my sister was right.
"We'll talk about it tonight, okay?" He glanced over his shoulder, his expression meant to reassure me no doubt.
"Of course. It's all good." I pulled my hand from his and walked into the kitchen to find Bethany and Karen laughing about something. I missed my own mom in the moment. "Hi ladies."
"Hey. Where did you run off to?" Bethany reached out and brushed my hair from my face.
"Kendal wanted to chat for a minute. We've both been going through some crazy crap in our own lives." I shrugged and pointed to the carrots that someone stopped chopping midway through the bag. "You need me to finish those?"
"I'd love for you to." Karen smiled over at me. "How long have you and Kendal been dating?"
"A couple of weeks, I guess." I moved over and started to chop the carrots, grateful for something to do. My panties were ruined, my hormones on full alert and my knees week. It was a shitty way to feel in front of almost strangers.
"That's great. He's a wonderful man. His life has been a little bit ridiculous, don't you think, Beth?" Karen moved over toward me and took the chopped veggies I'd completed. "He just needs to find a good woman, but it seems like he already has."
"Yeah. Every time he gets ahead a little, something stupid happens. This latest thing with Heather is just fucking disturbing." Bethany moved up beside me as her mom barked from behind us.
"Language please!"
"Sorry, Mom." Bethany laughed and picked up a bottle of wine. "You want a drink?"
"Um, sure." I needed to get my head out of the conversation Kendal and I had half-ass had in the bathroom. It was stupid. He would tell me that he loved me when he could. He would walk away from the University when it was the responsible time to do it. It didn't have to be him that sacrificed. It could be me. Just me. Right?
"Did he tell you about the latest crap with Heather Turner?"
"The professor at UT that he knew back in college?"
"Yeah." She rolled her eyes and poured a glass of wine before extending i
t toward me. "I guess him and Damon used to sleep with her together. That's weird."
"I agree." I forced a chuckle and lifted my glass. "I knew she was bothering him a little, but he was supposed to go to the dean about it."
"Well, it's gotten worse. She's claimed that he forced himself on her three times." She finished her glass and filled it up again. "Have you ever heard of anything so stupid?"
"No," I whispered as dread filled me. There was no way Kendal would sleep with this chick. He hated her. An angry fuck? It's not like we were together at all the last two weeks. I couldn't believe it about him. He wasn't that guy.
Or was he?
I'd never met anyone so aggressive and forward in the bedroom, and where I loved it, I could image Heather did too. How hard would she have to push to get him to buckle? A hot guy like him? He wasn't the only one with the looks.
She was beautiful too. The day she'd been spying on us gave me a quick chance to see who she was. Why hadn't I been worried then? Because everything seemed fine.
But it wasn't fine.
He didn't love me or he would have said something in the bathroom. It was the perfect chance to validate it for me.
And he wasn't going to push against the University rules to make sure we were together. Jackie and Ana were right. Men didn't change for the woman they liked. They did it for the ones they loved.
And that wasn't me.
I twisted the knife and cut the tip of my finger, yelping loudly as Karen rushed over.
"You okay, dear?"
"Damn. I'm so sorry." I pulled my hand up and reached for the towel she offered me. "I'm really sorry. I cut my finger pretty bad. And I ruined the carrots." Tears burned my eyes. Where the cut was on purpose, the tears were real. I needed an out. Now.
"I'll get Kendal." Beth walked out.
"Just tell him that I'm okay and just need to run up to the hospital to get a stitch. No big deal." I walked toward the door, grabbing my purse and did not stop.
The sound of Kendal's voice behind me was far enough that I knew I could make it to my car and get out of there before he could reach me. It was childish and stupid, but I was at a loss for how to save myself.
He wasn't going to love me the way I loved him. How could he? I wasn't Ana.
I cried all the way home and called Olivia once I was settled on the couch with a bandage on my hand. She calmed me down and offered for me to come up and visit for the weekend, all expenses paid.
"Can I come tomorrow morning? I wanna get out of here." I glanced around my living room. "I think I've made a mistake. I just want to run from all of it."
"Then come on. My computer is showing a five o'clock flight in the morning. I'll send the ticket through e-mail. Come stay with me. I'll take care of you."
"Okay. Love you," I mumbled in the phone and walked to my bedroom, closing the door and dropping on the cold bed. The sound of knocking at my front door ten minutes later had my heart racing, but I ignored it. Kendal would get the message sooner or later.
I wasn't willing to be the only one to bend, nor was I capable of being the only one in love.
Chapter 15
Kendal
"Dammit, Dana." I walked around my living room, my kitchen, the back yard. Nothing. Nothing calmed my nerves. She wasn't answering her phone. She wouldn't open the door the night before. What the hell?
Anger burned through me, and I began to question everything.
Maybe she was too young for me. I was thirty-one and Dana was in her mid-twenties. Maybe the difference was too much? A grown-ass woman would have picked up the phone by now. Or returned a call.
Karen had told me that Dana had cut her finger and ran out like she was missing half of it. Why the fuck wouldn't she call and let me know that she was okay?
Surely she knew that I cared. That I wanted to make sure she was good. I would have taken care of her. Waited on her hand and foot.
I growled loudly and walked back into the house, letting the back door slam. "Think!"
What happened? What could have messed up the evening to the point of her running from me?
I ate her out in the bathroom, doted on her as much as humanly possible, and reminded her that she was mine and I was hers. Aggravation overwhelmed me.
Dropping down on the couch, I pressed my face to my hands and let out a long yell. Every cell in my body screamed for me to find her and force her to see me. To hear me.
Why did women have to be so damn difficult?
My phone rang from the kitchen, and I jumped up like my ass was on fire.
"Please let it be her." I picked it up to find someone from UT calling. "Great." I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and pressed the answer button. "Dr. Kendal Tarrington."
"Kendal. It's Mark. We met with Lance and he wants to have a mediation just before lunch today. Can you make it up here? He wants to close this down as quickly as possible."
"A mediation?" I almost swallowed my tongue. Of course the University would want to have a mediation that would become an arbitration. Anything to keep the scandal out of the news and off the books. I was a liability to them. I had to be.
"Yes. It's the cleanest way to figure this out. We've done a few interviews and without video evidence, all we have is your word against Heather's. I'm going to warn you that she's looking like the victor here."
"Of course she is." I walked toward the backyard, suddenly needing fresh air. My stomach ached from the pain of whatever was going on with Dana, and now this.
"Let's get together with Lance and talk. We'll figure it out."
"I didn't touch her, Mark. I was going to come talk to you about her sexually harassing me a week ago because Eliza told me I should, but I didn't want to bother you. That, and you'd just kicked me in the dick over helping Heather get along better on campus because of her father giving loads of cash." I sighed and pushed the back door open. It was chilly outside and the leaves were starting to fall.
What I wouldn't have given to be wrapped up in a blanket with Dana laying against my chest, both of us able to simply enjoy the promise of a life-long relationship together.
Bullshit. It was all bullshit.
"What? Why is this the first I'm hearing of this? Are you serious or just looking for a counter-conversation?"
"I'm dead serious. The bitch has been hitting on me, throwing herself at me, asking for things that would make a whore blush." I ran my hand down my face. "I told you we were partners for a while in college. She obviously wants to go down memory lane. I told her no. She got really pissed. She's been after me since then."
"Let's bring this up today. Maybe between her claims and yours, Lance will shut you both down and slap you on the hand with a warning." He sounded hopeful.
"I doubt that. This would be my third slap. I'm pretty sure you strike out at this point in most ballgames."
"I know, but stop thinking like that buddy. It'll work out. Get up here a little early and we'll talk before the meeting."
"Is Heather coming?"
"Yes, and Daisy is too for some weird reason. You know anything about that?"
"Nope." I pursed my lips. This shit was so messed up. Did things like this really happen to normal people?
"Alright. See you then."
I dropped the call and dialed Eliza's number immediately. She picked up on the first ring.
"There you are. I tried to call you yesterday, but I must have had a digit off?"
"How did you know this was me, then?" I smiled, unable to help myself.
"I'm a numbers savant, remember? I knew six of the seven numbers I had were right. They're stuck in my brain." She took a quick breath. "I finally got a hold of Daisy."
"And?" I started to pace, unable to stand still any longer.
"And she and Heather have become friends somehow. Probably Heather's doing. The little witch is quite conniving."
"You're not telling me anything new here."
"I honestly think that Heather talked Daisy into quitting the dep
artment so she could have her job."
"What? Heather is brand new at the school. How would she have even known Daisy? Heather came after Daisy left. That seems impossible."
"They've been friends for two years, Kendal. This black widow decided she wanted to work in the UT accounting department years ago and looked for the right person to attach to. So she introduced herself to Daisy at a conference two years ago. They become fast friends. You know, single professors nearing their thirties with no family or spouses. They clicked. I'm sure Heather made sure of that."
I dropped down in a lawn chair as Eliza kept going. Somehow the surreal was very real. Heather was so much smarter than I'd given her credit for. Her coming to UT wasn't by chance. It had been planned. For years? Fuck me.
"So they get to talking and sharing over the two years and of course Daisy tells her about the affair with Mark. Heather consoles her when it's over and talks her into quitting. Says they can switch jobs. Daisy can have her old job wherever she came from, but that conveniently fell through. So now Heather has Daisy's job and Daisy is stuck out."
"How in the hell-"
"Wait. It gets better."
"Really? Better isn't the word I would use for this insanity."
"Hush. Okay, so Heather isn't satisfied with having Daisy's job. It's too low on the totem pole, and between you and me, she doesn't have the power in her current position to force you to your knees. She can only push a little, but she can't hold you to the fire or force you to become her pet."
"Did you just call me a pet?" I lifted my eyebrow and dropped back on the chair, laying down fully.
She laughed. "You know what I mean. She needs more power, Kendal. So who's job does she go after next?"
"Mark’s?" I sat up. "No way. How would she go after Mark's?"
"By putting him in a very odd predicament. She set this whole thing up to get you, her, Daisy, Mark and Lance in a room together. How many of you know about Mark's affair and Daisy leaving campus, completely destroyed because of it?"
"Holy shit. All of us but Lance."