The Dating Lesson

by Penny Wylder

  I go to the campus coffee shop. Standing in line, I hold my phone in my hand, hoping it will buzz to let me know I have a message. I haven’t heard from Leo since our encounter in the classroom. I start to wonder if maybe it was a one-time thing and he’s had his fill even though he eluded to it happening again. I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to pursue this. An affair with a student isn’t exactly ideal for him either. But I have to admit, I’d be disappointed if it was over. I know I can’t afford the distraction, and an affair in person is definitely that—especially with a teacher. But I’ve never had anyone make me come like that before. I’m not ready for it to be over just yet.

  I look at my phone to confirm there are no messages. I sigh.

  Once I’m at the front of the line, I order my latte. I go to pay the barista, but someone behind me steps up and hands the girl his credit card. “It’s on me,” the man behind me says.

  I look over my shoulder, surprised to see Leo. My heart skips a beat and already I start to feel something stir in my core at the sight of him.

  “Hello Ms. Stevens,” Leo says with a smirk.

  “Hello Professor—”

  “Leo,” he says.

  “Hello Leo.”

  He orders his drink and we wait for them to be made.

  “I’m surprised to see you here so late,” I tell him. The sun has gone down and there are mostly students sitting at the tables around us, though it’s surprisingly dead for the first day of school. I figured this place would be packed with people studying. I like it this way, though. I have a feeling with being Brenna’s roommate, there are going to be a lot of study sessions here and in the library.

  “First day is always hectic.” He gets his order and holds his cup up. “Needed some fuel to finish up.”

  I get my latte and he says, “Sit with me for a little while.”

  I have so much studying to do, and if it were anyone else, I would politely decline, but there’s something about him that makes it impossible for me to say no. We sit at a corner table for privacy. Suddenly I feel self-conscious.

  He chuckles, breaking the silence. “Imagine my surprise when you walked through my classroom door this morning,” he says.

  I laugh too. “I know exactly how that feels.”

  He lifts an eyebrow. “You’re telling me that wasn’t done on purpose?”

  “You think I found out who you were and signed up for your class?”

  “Nothing surprises me these days.”

  “Well, if you look at my transcripts you’ll know I applied for this class long before we ever started talking, and I had no idea who you were or that you just happened to be on the particular dating site I was scrolling through that night when we first met.”

  His lips slide into a crooked smile. “Trust me, I know your transcripts like the back of my hand by now.”

  “Who’s the stalker now?” I say playfully.

  He surprises me again by saying, “Well, considering I hate coffee and would never come here unless I thought I could see you again, I guess that makes me the stalker.”

  “You just assumed I would be here?”

  “I hoped you would. You had a cup of coffee in your hand when you came to class, and reading your file, I know you have Brenna Keeler as your roommate. I had to kick her out of one of my classes last semester because she was so disruptive. Seeing how dedicated you are to your schooling, it wasn’t hard to guess you’d wind up here at some point tonight.”

  I feel my face flush. He’s been waiting here for me this whole time, hoping I would show up but not knowing for sure if I would. That doesn’t seem like the behavior of someone who thinks this is just a one-time fling. It seems like something you’d do if you wanted to pursue someone.

  I try to get rid of those thoughts the second I have them. Of course, this was just a fling, is just a fling, even if we do hook up again. I have to stop thinking that way. No distractions. That’s what I told myself, and I mean it. We are not entering into a relationship.

  “Where’s your boyfriend this time of night?” he asks.

  I look at him, offended. He laughs. “Do you really think I would be on a dating site and letting you do … you know, if I had a boyfriend?”

  He shrugs. “Just checking. You never know about relationships these days. Commitment is old fashioned. Relationships are open and fluid.”

  “I guess that makes me old fashioned,” I say.

  “Do you have a girlfriend or wife?” I ask.

  My throat goes dry and I suddenly wish I hadn’t asked. If he tells me he does, I think I might be sadder about it than I should be.

  “Nope. Not since college a hundred years ago,” he says, mocking his older age. I know he’s thirty-six, but he doesn’t look it. He has a maturity about him that makes it obvious that he’s not a college student, and there are a few wisps of gray hair dappling his temples, but other than that, his skin is smooth and flawless and his hair is styled in a way that could be worn on older or younger men. He’s just classically handsome which makes his age mysterious if you don’t know for sure.

  “I guess I just haven’t met the right girl … yet. I’ve been holding out for someone beautiful and smart and who I can spend hours talking to in the middle of the night.” He gives me a long, knowing look. There have been times when we’ve talked on the phone for six hours. The only reason we hung up in the first place was because neither of us had the strength to keep our eyes open any longer.

  I blush and smile, looking down at my coffee as I pick off the label with my name on it.

  He chuckles. “You’re beautiful when you blush, you know that?” I lift my eyes to look at him. His gaze pierces me right in the heart. Shit. I could fall for this man. It would be far too easy to do.

  Leo touches my leg under the table. “Go into the bathroom,” he says.

  I open my mouth to ask a question, but he makes me shut it with his teacherly glare. He wants me to do as I’m told. No questions asked. So I do.

  I slowly get out of my chair and look around the room. No one is watching us. No one seems to care what we’re doing. They don’t think a thing about it, so I allow myself to relax just a bit. When I’m certain no eyes are on me, I go into the bathroom. It’s a single, gender neutral stall with a door that locks. There are two more bathroom stalls in the hallway so I don’t have to worry about anyone walking in.

  Leo comes a few minutes later and locks the door behind him. My breathing becomes rapid as he approaches me. There’s only one reason anyone looks at another person that way, the hunger in their eyes, the want. My stomach has butterflies and I start to get wet with the anticipation of what’s to come. I don’t think about getting caught or hogging the bathroom. All I care about is the promise in his expression and what’s about to happen.

  My breath shivers out as his hands slide under my shirt. He touches the skin of my belly, circling my belly button with his finger. “Your skin is so soft,” he whispers. He looks at me and my knees start to weaken. He moves his face toward me, achingly slow. The excitement causes a rush of blood in my ears and I can’t hear anything but my own rapid heartbeat. When his lips touch mine, I feel it in every inch of my body. The nerves under my skin tick on one at a time like an assembly line of light switches until everything feels bright and illuminated. His lips are sweet, a hint of coffee, cream and sugar. My lips buzz as his press against mine, and I part them, teasing my tongue past his lips, feeling the warmth of his mouth. Our tongues slide together in a delicate dance. I reach my fingers to his head and take strands of his hair through my fingers. I love the way his hair feels on my skin. Just yesterday I could only imagine how he’d feel, how he’d taste, how he’d smell, and now he’s here in front of me, and the reality is so much better than anything I could have imagined. I pull his head closer to mine, deepening the kiss, but still, it’s not enough for me. It’s not close enough. I want him inside me, all over me, I want to crawl up inside him. The need for that connection becomes despe
rate.

  He unbuttons my jeans and slides his hand into my panties. My head is filled with silk and cotton, my thoughts are a blur. All that I know right now is how my body feels and it’s the closest thing to heaven that I’ve ever known. I let out a whimper as his fingers slip and slide across my wet, swollen clit and sensitive folds.

  His smile is devilish when he says, “You’re already so wet. You’re a horny little girl, aren’t you?”

  I nod, unable to speak actual words. Every muscle in my body has turned to liquid. If he let me go now, I would be a puddle on the ground, the same as the wet spot building in my panties as my pussy drips from his attention.

  My eyes flutter closed when he dips his fingers inside of me. He pumps his finger inside me, just to the second knuckle, and even though it’s slow and soft, I feel full and wonderful. With every stroke of his finger it’s like he’s activating a launch code in my body. I feel boneless and euphoric and yet, at the same time, I’m on edge and electric. How is this feeling even real? I’ve been touched before. I’ve touched myself before, plenty of times. I’m not exactly on the same level as Brenna when it comes to sexual experience, but I’m not a virgin either. Yet being with Leo is like being touched for the first time. It’s like that old Madonna song, Like a Virgin, and girl, I get it now. The only thing that exists in my universe right now is this. His finger, sliding in and out of me, the growing need between my legs, his silky hair in between my fingers.

  His voice snaps me out of my reverie.

  “Look at me,” he demands.

  My eyes snap open and I look him in the eye as he commands me to. He has the most beautiful shade of green eyes I’ve ever seen with flecks of gold and brown. They are the color of late spring, of tranquil ponds and churning oceans. A silly thought pops into my head so suddenly that I don’t have time yet to realize the absurdity of it. I think, “I hope our future children have his eyes.” It’s crazy, I know, but somehow, I’ve let the thought of a future with this man sneak past the barbed wires of the walls I’ve put up. Break through any reason I had, any self-control.

  I try to shake away the thought, but then others follow it so fast I can’t stop them, a prison break of ideas that I would never entertain if I were in my right mind. I imagine us married. A wedding on a beach, or maybe in a really cool old library—yes, that’s it. That’s so us. Surrounded by books and knowledge, and our loved ones. I picture my father walking me down the aisle and my brother as one of the groomsmen …

  Leo moves his fingers in a way that turns my knees to jelly and my eyes start to flutter closed again, and all other thoughts slip away. I’m focused only on my body again and not these crazy visions of a future that could never happen.

  “No. Keep them on me,” Leo says.

  I force myself to keep my eyes open. Looking at him while I’m being fingered isn’t hard to do … until it is. I mean, he’s gorgeous, and if ever there was a face I want to watch while nearing orgasm, it’s his, but it’s hard to keep my eyes open when I’m so close.

  His fingers are magic, and my body responds with moans and contracting muscles, but I force my eyes to stay locked on his. God, he’s beautiful. Those little dimples in his cheeks I never noticed before, the scar on his lip, are all little perfections I notice on his face. That’s a face a girl could easily fall in love with. It’s the kind of face you imagine having future children with, the kind where your DNA screams to procreate with.

  My mind continues to go to ridiculous places and being unable to close my eyes makes it take me longer to come. Usually I close my eyes and focus on that wonderful feeling and my body just responds. But having to look someone in the eyes, my mind is all over the place. Until it happens. My orgasm is imminent. I can feel it coming. But instead of a speeding train, it’s a leisurely trip down a country road. Our eyes locked together, and the growing feeling between my legs spreads, until my whole body is humming. Leo is nodding his head, ever so slightly, urging me on.

  When he adds a second finger into me, filling me up, I know I’m at the point of no return. His thumb now grazes my clit, matching its movements to his fingers pumping inside me. I grab the sink next to me, making sure I don’t move an inch and accidentally change his hand’s position in my panties. I want this now. I need this now. And then, like a waterfall, my orgasm rushes over me. My entire body releases and I’m in a freefall. I throw my head back and moan. Not too loudly, I do have some sense left to remember where I am. There are dozens of students just feet away. He smiles and kisses me as my body clinches and spasms around his fingers. He keeps them there until I’m spent and wasted, my body in a state of complete relaxation leaning against the wall.

  When he pulls his hand out of my panties, they come out glistening. “Good girl,” he says. He watches me through the mirror as he washes his hands. I still can’t move.

  “I’ll see you in class in the morning. Don’t be late this time,” he says, a stern edge to his voice, but with a smile.

  I nod lazily and watch him walk out. A little smile creeps to my lips. What is happening? I take a few minutes to put some distance between him and me, wash my face, and then head back to my table. I grab my laptop and bag, and head back to my room. Halfway across the quad I realize I didn’t even study. I also remember I should have texted Brenna before heading back. Oh well, I guess I may be in store for an eyeful.

  Brenna doesn’t seem to even be slowing down as I walk into the room. She’s naked on her bed, her bedside table lamp on. She’s riding one guy while the other is fucking her from behind. Whether it’s anal or the men are sharing the same hole, I’m not sure. They barely glance at me before continuing their bombardment on her holes.

  “How was studying?” Brenna asks me as if nothing is happening around her.

  I’m not sure where to look or what to do, so I try to be just as casual with the conversation as she is. “I didn’t get as much done as I hoped.”

  She winces as the man behind her thrusts harder. “It’s the first day. Don’t get so down on yourself,” she says. “Want me to wake you early before I go get coffee so you won’t be late for class?”

  “Sure,” I say. One of the men glares at me, not liking how distracted Brenna is by my presence.

  “We’ll be quiet so you can get some sleep,” Brenna says with a wink.

  “That’s okay,” I say, heading back out the door. “I think I’ll try to get a few hours of reading done in the lounge. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  I close the door behind me because there is no way I’m sticking around for that. I don’t get nearly enough work done as I should, since my thoughts keep drifting back to Leo. Once I finish about half of my reading I walk back to my room. I open the door slowly and I’m relieved to see Brenna in bed, alone, and crawl into my bed and fall asleep instantly.

  The next morning Brenna wakes me up like she promised. Completely naked, but still, she’s true to her word. She gently shakes me, and I wake up to see her breasts hanging inches from my face. I don’t come from a family that walked around nude so nonchalantly, but who am I to judge? By the end of the semester I imagine I won’t even think twice about it.

  Today I am determined to everything right. To do everything I need to do that will keep me on track to graduating with perfect grades, a pristine reputation, and ready to conquer the world right out of the gates of law school. I wash and dress quickly. Gather my books, laptop and materials, and I’m out the door exactly on time and heading to the coffee shop to pick up a to-go before my first class. The quad is already buzzing with other students, all heading in the same direction. All seeking their first taste of caffeine to start the day.

  With a sigh I get into the long line. It’s a good thing I left as early as I did or there’s no way I would make it to class on time. Waiting for my turn to order, my mind wanders back to last night with Leo’s fingers inside me and that beautiful face and his mesmerizing eyes. I wanted him more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I have a feeli
ng he’s ruined me for all other men. I even cringe at the thought of being with another man. No one will ever be able to make me feel the way he makes me feel. To lose that would be devastating. And yet to keep that could derail my career.

  I finally get my coffee and head to Greyson for my first class of the day. This time I know my way, and I have time to appreciate the beautiful building around me. The ornately carved doorways, the busts of famous alums and the founders of the school, the famous stained-glass window that’s actually a tourist attraction for the town. I walk up the stairs and down the hallway, heading straight to Leo’s lecture hall.

  My heart speeds up as I open the large oak doors. Yesterday my heart was pounding because I was late. This morning I know it’s in anticipation of seeing Leo. When I see Leo leaning on the lectern at the front of the hall, my breath catches. He’s talking to some students in the front row, but he looks up at me and smiles. A perfect smile that some may interpret as just friendly, but I know there’s so much more to it. He watches me as I walk down the aisle and sit in the same seat I had the day before. The same boy is there. He’s not attractive in any classic way. He’s very nerdy, tall and lanky, but there’s something interesting about his looks that I can see some women might be attracted to. Leo glares at him as the guy makes it awkwardly obvious that he’s flirting with me. I’m mildly amused by Leo’s reaction. His jaw tightens. Even from the back of the class I can see the muscles in his face flex in annoyance.

  The guy flirting with me, Jaime, I think he said his name is, is oblivious when it comes to our professor. Jaime is asking about my hobbies, interests, where I’m from, why I chose this particular school, why I want to be a lawyer, what kind of law I want to focus on. I answer the questions politely, but watch Leo the whole time. I’m not used to someone being jealous over me and I hate to admit that I like it. I would never try to make someone jealous on purpose, but it is flattering when it happens.