“I am sorry,” he said with his cheek on her blouse. “Not just for the argument, but for causing you pain those many years ago.”
“Apology accepted.”
“It’s not all good news, I’m afraid. The Dean of Faculty is going to want to see you. You’ll get your letter this morning that he’ll want to see you this afternoon. I’ve already taken all responsibility, so I think he just wants to hear your take on what happened. You’ll most likely just get a lecture about public behavior.”
“How do you know all of this?”
He smiled. Her eyes turned soft and darkened. “I flashed my irresistible smile and women tell me all they know. I heard about it in the offices this morning.”
“That was awfully chivalrous of you. But I can admit I did wrong and take my punishment. Right now I want to know something more important. When will I see you and Beau again?”
“I have a chem lab tonight. But Beau will be home studying if you want to come over. I’ll make dinner and leave afterward. About five?”
“I’ll be there.”
He pushed himself up and away from the desk. He removed a freezer bag he’d had folded in his pocket. A tug took care of the condom which he then zipped in the bag and put back in his pocket. That would have to do until he found an anonymous trash can somewhere. He hoped the damn bag wouldn’t leak, but no way could he leave such a thing in Leah’s office. Then tidying himself meant nothing more than tucking his cock back into his pants and zipping up.
Leah needed a bit more. He helped straighten her skirt and tried to brush out the wrinkles that had formed. She pushed her blouse back in place while he watched. Damn if she wasn’t as sexy getting dressed as she was getting undressed.
“Anything else I can help with?” he asked.
“Yes.” She stepped forward and held his head for a deep, hard kiss. Stepping back, she blinked as though stunned. “It’s a good thing we didn’t go any further that first time. I couldn’t have handled things as they were then.”
“But you can now?” He had to ask, because with the chaos raging in his system, he wasn’t sure he could. God damn. He could love her.
She smiled and stared into his eyes. His blood raced.
“Just barely. But between the two of you, I’ll find a way to manage.”
Chapter Thirteen
Leah set up her portable typewriter on the kitchen table. Across from her, Beau spread his books and spiral-ring binder with sheets of neatly written notes.
“Did you leave school close to when Steve left?”
“Shortly after the infamous party, we failed exams together. That put us on ac pro together, so we decided to leave school together, too.”
She laughed. “Best friends in all things.”
“Oh, absolutely.” He gave her his dimpled smile.
Did he know how devastating that smile was to women? Yes.
“We took off together to find ourselves.”
“Really? I thought you went into the service when you left school.”
“Nope. We wandered around the country trying to decide what we wanted to do.”
“And did you?”
He laughed. “Hell, no. Just a lot of what we didn’t want to do. We supported ourselves with odd jobs and living on the cheap until we got sick of it. By then, knowing we were on Uncle Sam’s radar for the draft, we decided to choose our own fate, and that’s when we joined the Corps.”
“And you went to Vietnam?”
His usually soft gray eyes darkened. “Yes. Two tours.”
“Did you…did you see a lot of fighting?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “That’s the purpose of the Marines. We saw more than we hope ever to see again.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. She had shown these men her body and shared it in ways too intimate to say aloud, but she couldn’t find the courage to pry into his private memories of his darkest days.
“What about you?” he asked after a few minutes of silence. “What happened to you after we left?”
“It’s stupid, really, especially the way the world is now, but I was mortified that anyone would think I slept with a guy. I mean, I was ready to go all the way. I was there of my own free will, but I couldn’t stand the rumors.”
“A lot changes over the years.”
“That’s for sure. After exams, I went home. The new school I’d applied to couldn’t take me until January, so I had six months or so of facing my parents’ disappointment in me.”
His brows wrinkled and he frowned. “You didn’t tell them about Steve?”
“Lord no! They were just disappointed that I couldn’t seem to handle being away from home.” She hesitated, brushing her fingers across the typewriter keys. “I come from a family of overachievers. I’ve never measured up, not in looks—”
“What?”
She smiled. “Hasn’t Steve told you how I used to look? Plain didn’t begin to describe it. I’m the least academically gifted in my family and the least ambitious, I suppose. My father is dean of a very prestigious private school in Chicago. My mother is a psychologist. I have two older brothers. One is head of neurology at a Boston hospital and the other is the managing partner in one of the country’s largest brokerage houses.”
He studied her for several seconds. “So that’s why tenure is so important to you.”
“Yes! I have to get it, and ahead of when most people would. It’s the only way to gain my family’s approval.”
“And writing the book is all part of that.”
“Yes.”
His brow furrowed again. “But, Leah, do you think they would approve of how you’re going about writing the book? Would they applaud you for sleeping with two men?”
“When I couldn’t stand their clucking over me as though I was a poor little chicken who didn’t know how to roost, I went to Minneapolis to visit my uncle Joshua. He’s my mom’s younger brother. He broke the mold for men in the family by choosing to become a cop instead of taking over his father’s business. He understands me. And it so happens, he and his best friend share a wife.”
“Really? How does that work for them?”
She couldn’t ignore the light of interest in his eyes. “They’re happy. They get along well. He told me to do whatever it took to be happy. Just be sure I can look myself in the mirror each morning. And I’m not ashamed of what I’m doing. I want the tenure so I can get the monkey off my back. I’ll always feel second best until I do that. But afterwards, I might write another book, or I might strike out in another direction. I want to experience life, Beau.”
“You won’t write another book like this without Steve and me.” He fairly growled the command.
“I wouldn’t want to.”
“Good.”
She smiled at his attitude. Standing, she placed her pencil on the table before walking around to him. Beau scooted his chair out. Taking hold of her hips, he held her while she straddled him.
He ran his hands up her legs, all the way to her pussy, which he stroked with his thumb. Delicious sensations swirled through her.
“Once again, no panties.”
“No need when I’m coming to see you two.”
“I knew we wouldn’t fall for a stupid woman.”
She lifted off his thumb and then slid back onto it. Curling her arms around his neck, she said, “Fall for. Is that what’s happening here?”
“Speaking for myself, yeah. I think Steve’s feelings go deeper because he was probably half in love with you years ago and just didn’t realize.” He gazed at her, his eyes shading a dark gray. “I know you want to keep it all platonic, but there’s no controlling emotions. Or chemistry. And you have to admit, we have that in spades.”
He swirled his thumb around her clit, adding pressure as he glided two fingers into her pussy. She was ready to give up and give in.
“Chemistry can bind things together or make them explode.”
“Sometimes it’s the explosion itself that binds every
thing together. What are you afraid of? Let go. You’re always safe with me and Steve.”
She came like a rushing tide, a force of nature, unstoppable in its forward movement, both beautiful and fierce.
Beau held her tightly when she opened her eyes and came back to the world. Suddenly, she wanted to be nowhere else. Her family could go to hell. Tenure could follow. What did she really want in life anyway?
“Two men to love me.”
“Honey,” Beau said, “you’ve got it.”
* * * *
When he could stand to let her go, she dropped to her knees between his legs. “You don’t have to,” he said. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel a quid pro quo was necessary.
“I like the way you taste,” she answered and then freed his cock. Studying for his Asian history test tomorrow could wait. In seconds, with the nuzzle of her lips and stroke of her tongue, everything disappeared from his mind. He tangled his fingers in her hair and guided her head up and down. Through half-lidded eyes, he watched the expression on her face. Eyes closed, face flushed, her crimson lips closed on his dick as though it was the most luscious lollipop she’d ever had.
She took him in hand and held his cock away so she could—God love her!—suck on his balls. Using her hand, she stroked his cock while she sucked. His scrotum tightened against him. He was ready to come.
“Leah?” He wanted to come in her mouth but didn’t know for sure if she wanted him to.
In answer, she sank her lovely mouth over him, and he hit the back of her throat. One tickle of her tongue sent him over the edge, and he came.
She swallowed him whole and spit him back out, a wasted man.
“You are incredible.”
“So are you.”
“Steve is going to be sorry he missed being here.”
She sat back on her heels. “There will be time after time for us. All of us. I’m so happy.”
“I am, too.” He took a deep breath while he fixed his jeans. “But we still have work to do. You’ve already ensured that my mind will be on anything but Asia, but I doubt I can explain to Dr. Richards tomorrow why I was unable to study for my test.”
She pushed to her feet. “Bob Richards has had four wives and worked his way through the female student body between them. He would probably give you an A just on principle. But…” She sighed. “I need to get some work done, too.” Leaning over, she kissed his forehead. Not very sexy, but comfortable. There would be enough fireworks with this woman in every other way. A little comfort—familiarity and relaxation—with each other was a good omen for their future.
She settled across from him and took out a spiral notebook. Opening it beside her, she asked, “Did Steve tell you about his visit to my office today?”
Beau grinned. “Yes. Nearly caught in the act.”
A look of surprise flashed over her face. Did she think he and Steve didn’t talk about their new relationship? Maybe she thought the red flag of jealousy should be waving by now.
“Have you ever had sex in public?” He watched her face now for any sign of apprehension. Instead, he saw interest.
“No. Have you?”
He grinned again and waggled his brows. Tapping a pencil against the side of his hand, he said, “I’ll share with you if you do the same.”
She leaned forward, her eyes bright. She licked her lips, watching him. He felt the action in every nerve ending. “You first,” she said.
“Okay.” He searched his memory for what he could share and not shock her. “Back when Steve and I were wandering around, I dated a girl in California who didn’t know the meaning of the term ‘good girl.’ I was walking her home one night around nine, when she dared me to fuck her right there on the street, in her neighborhood.”
“People were still out and about?”
“It was summer. It was dark, but there were street lamps and traffic on the street. People were on their porches.”
“Wow. Did you do it?”
“Backed her right up against a tree, put her leg over my hip, and we did it. I didn’t pull my pants down, but we managed.”
“Didn’t anyone say anything or do anything?”
“One woman yelled that we were a disgrace. Cars drove past and people honked their horns. Someone called out that they were going to call the police. I think we both came with that threat.”
“And then?”
“Then we ran like hell for her house, hid in the shadows on her front porch, and watched to see if the cops showed up on the street. They didn’t. We did it again on her porch before she went inside.”
“Jeez. If you did that on one date, what could you do on the next?”
“I don’t know. I never saw her again.” He shrugged. “We left a few weeks later, kind of traveling with the seasons.” He put the pencil on the table, folded his hands, and stared at her. “Now your turn.”
She laughed. “I don’t know that I can top that.”
“How many men have you slept with?”
“Six.”
“Considering how beautiful you are, that’s less than I expected.”
“I didn’t have sex until I graduated from graduate school and started working. So that’s about a man every other year, give or take.”
“Problems?”
“Selective.”
Beau nodded. “That’s good to hear. Hope you’re ready to give up your variety.”
Leah smiled. “You think you and Steve are the answer to my prayers?”
“Yes.”
Again a flash of surprise crossed her face. Maybe she didn’t think he would be so sure. But strangely, he was. It was as though a neon sign pointed to Leah and flashed YOUR DESTINY.
“How many women have you slept with?”
“Can’t say.”
“I thought we were sharing.”
“I’d tell you if I had any idea. But I’m afraid I haven’t been as finicky as you.”
“Okay…” She sat back, distancing herself from him. “With all of your encounters, have you ever contracted any…”
“STDs? No. Neither of us have. We aren’t stupid, although”—he waggled his head left and right—”we’ve done some stupid things. We used condoms religiously. Steve preached it to me all the time. I think his night with you really affected him. He was afraid he’d hurt you, and then he was afraid he’d gotten you pregnant. That night scared him pretty good. He changed.”
“And you?”
“Until I got into the Corps, I never had a goal. I followed whatever wind blew.”
“What changed you?”
He laughed. “Well, getting shot at makes a dent in your psyche. You learn focus real fast.” He turned to look at the calendar on the kitchen wall. “That reminds me, sweetheart. Steve and I will be gone the weekend of the eighteenth. We’ll be at—”
The door opened, and Steve entered. “Lab was cancelled. There’s some problem in the science building. So. Is there room at the table for me?”
“Absolutely.” Leah moved her notebook to the other side of the typewriter, making space for Steve’s books.
Beau stood. “Anyone want coffee before we settle down?”
“I would. And I’ll come and help,” Leah responded.
At the pot, she kissed him, this time on the lips and gently. “I enjoyed this time with you. And I want you to know, your feelings aren’t wasted on me. I have the same for you and Steve.”
His heart swelled. When they sat around the table, Leah typing and Steve hitting the books, he looked at them. They weren’t just friends. They were family.
Chapter Fourteen
“Should we be in here?”
“Steve said to meet him here.” Beau tugged her into the dark room on the second floor of the science building. Down the hall, overhead, florescent lights sharply outlined the doorway of another laboratory. A man sang a gospel song in a clear alto voice. Beau closed the door, muffling but not killing the sound.
Leah stifled a giggle. She’d never slip
ped into an academic room for illicit behavior before. This felt like something she should have done as a student, not a professor. “What are we going to do?” she asked, knowing the answer full well.
“We’re going to celebrate your not being punished for the argument at Rowlands.”
That afternoon she had received word that she would not be disciplined for the uproar the previous week in the restaurant. She was given a warning about acceptable behavior for Herrisville faculty. “You realize having sex in an academic building would not be seen as acceptable behavior. This would land me right in the soup again.”
“If we get caught.” He stopped, pulling her toward the back of the room, and turned toward her. “We’ll always protect you. But if you’d rather go, I understand.”
She rose on tiptoes and kissed him. “I’d rather feel your cock inside me.”
He grinned. “A woman after my heart.” Once more he led to a table at the back of the room. Someone struck a match and lighted a Bunsen burner. Steve grinned at them.
The room was divided between high tables topped with a hard epoxy resin that were connected to double oak desks that served the students when they weren’t at work. Beau led her to a desk several inches lower than the work table. She knew the room was clean, but the smell of past experiments and the frequent use of chemicals left an odor in the air. Not unpleasant, but if blindfolded, she would still know immediately where she was.
“This is my work area,” Steve said when they reached him. “This is where I want to celebrate chemistry of a different sort.”
“I may be a professor, but I’m always open to new techniques of instruction. Lead on.”
He adjusted the flame on the burner so that it burned from dark blue to clear blue. An eerie glow filled their small space.
“Come closer,” Steve murmured. She stepped into the brighter circle of light. Slowly he unfastened the first button of her blouse. Already her nipples firmed and her skin tingled in anticipation of his touch.
“How’s the book coming?”
Teacher's Pets [Unlikely Bedfellows 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11