Educated

by Gray Gardner

  “Oh believe me, Mary Madeline, I’ll kiss your ass all over.”

  She involuntarily shuddered, then continued trying to wiggle free from his grasp. She couldn’t lose focus now. She had a whole speech prepared… after her assault ended, of course. She was about to tell him that when he continued instead.

  “But not before I paddle it until you settle down.”

  What? She stilled in his arms as he wrenched the squash paddle out of her hands and dropped her feet to the floor, still keeping a tight hold on her upper arm. Her senses finally returned when he turned and tried to pull her into one of the glass walled rooms.

  “No!” she screamed, never knowing she could be so loud as her high-pitched voice echoed down the empty halls. She didn’t care. She absolutely was not going to let this happen.

  He easily pulled her into the room, though she was throwing her full weight backwards, digging her heels into the glossy wood planked floor like a naughty child. She never stopped screaming, either, so enraged that when she finally paused to take a breath she found herself facedown over his hard thighs. Suddenly doubling her efforts to get free with wild kicking and nonsensical screaming, she felt the first hard whap of the paddle on her tennis bloomers and exposed thighs. Her fists clenched around his jeans and her eyes scrunched closed as she told herself she had to keep fighting. But she couldn’t.

  Mait was surprised when she absolutely abandoned her struggling after only a couple strokes of the squash paddle. Her back heaved up and down as he heard her sob into the leg of his jeans. Well… shit… he just wanted her to stop and listen to him. Maybe she needed this cry, though. He dropped the paddle to the floor and gently rubbed her back. He’d give her a minute before pulling her up and apologizing. As usual, though, she totally shocked him.

  “I’m sorry!” she cried, sniffling as he held her and settled her onto his lap and in his arms. “I’m sorry…”

  “No, baby, no,” he softly said, engulfing her in his arms and holding her into his chest. Why was she apologizing to him? “Don’t be sorry for being yourself, for saying what you feel. I’m the one who’s sorry. I… you had something to tell me that was difficult and I just wouldn’t listen.”

  She swallowed and leaned back, looking at him with watery eyes and hot pink cheeks. Grinning, he held her face and ran his thumbs under her eyes. He loved feeling her so close to him, looking at him.

  “You have friends who really care about you,” he sighed, pulling her in and kissing her forehead. “They told me about what happened with you and Sam.”

  Mary pulled back and gave him a confused look. Patty and Emmy had gone to him and told him everything about her life? She wanted to feel betrayed but she actually felt relieved. Her feelings about the whole thing were complicated. She knew she was supposed to move on, to take that first step, but no one had seemed good enough. Everyone had just seemed to be the generic version of Sam, the real thing. Then she met Mait and felt things that scared her. And she’d hated being away from him the last few days even if he had been such a jerk.

  “I haven’t,” she tried to say, finding her voice hoarse and scratchy. She wanted to start explaining and being forthcoming. “There hasn’t been anyone since him…”

  “And then I had to go and be an asshole,” he sighed, visibly relaxing as her mouth turned up into a small grin.

  “I tried to be honest with you but I’m not sure if I was even being honest with myself,” she croaked, looking down at her hands in her lap. Yep, complicated. “I guess I’m really not ready—”

  “Bullshit,” he interrupted, holding her chin and turning her head up so he could see her eyes. “You were ready for me. You are ready for me.”

  “Your arrogance is not as charming as you think,” she grumbled, smirking at him. He’d said it. He wanted her. She knew she wanted him. Could she put herself through this again? He leaned in and softly pressed his mouth against hers. Her stomach flipped. Yes, yes she could.

  She swung her leg up and straddled his lap, his back pressing into the glass partition, and grabbed his shirt tightly. She didn’t kiss him right away, though. She was attempting to organize her thoughts so that she could finally say what she meant.

  “God, you’re so beautiful,” he softly said, running his hands up and down her bare legs. He liked her on top of him. Honestly, he liked her anywhere near him. “Don’t ever make me go so long without seeing you again.”

  She quickly leaned into his mouth before he did something like threaten her with a spanking. His soft lips opened hungrily for her as she ran her hands up his neck and into his hair. He groaned happily as she let her hands glide back down to his shoulders and squeeze.

  He had her. She was his now and he’d see that she never left him again. He greedily grabbed for her bloomers under her skirt as she kissed him and leaned up on her knees. He expertly wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her up, yanking the pink bloomers completely off and settling her back down on his erection as it fought to escape his jeans.

  “Mait,” she whispered against his mouth as his large hands gripped her bare ass under her skirt. “There… shouldn’t we talk…”

  She desperately didn’t want everything to get so screwed up again. There were things that needed to be discussed… boundaries, expectations, the fact that she could end his entire career if she ever told anyone they were sleeping together and/or he spanked her over his knee.

  “Shh, I know,” he replied, kissing down her neck and back up to her ear. “I’m your professor and you’re my very naughty student…”

  “Mait!” she tried to protest, melting further into him as he ran his fingers between her legs.

  He grinned at the amount of moisture he felt. “You’re ready for me. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later.” He undid his pants and slowly sank into her, letting her adjust at her own speed since they both knew this wouldn’t last long. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as she sucked in her breath and pressed her forehead against his.

  “Oh my God,” she choked, as her breathing increased. He was inside her as she straddled his lap and she hadn’t even moved once… and she was about to have an orgasm. Slightly humiliating.

  Holy shit, she was so tight. And she felt so good. And she was all his. Pure joy swelled inside him as well as an unavoidable orgasm. Embarrassingly quick.

  “Ride my cock,” he urged, holding her hips as he shifted his upwards off of the hard bench. He was so deep inside her that he swore her eyes crossed in ecstasy. He knew his already were. “Oh fuck, Mary, that’s so good.”

  His strained praise was all it took. She screamed, scrunching her eyes shut as she threw her head onto his shoulder and repeated his name, over and over. That had to have been less than a minute. She was still catching her breath, his name a whisper on her lips as he suddenly stiffened and joined her, thrusting into her as he held her against him tightly.

  He was sure that he’d never felt so good in his life. She was on top of him, a blonde heap of unadulterated ecstasy, and she was his.

  “I’ve got a barely touched Antonio’s pizza with our name on it,” he said into her hair, more as a statement rather than an offer. He didn’t tell her that it was barely touched because he couldn’t really eat when she occupied all of his thoughts.

  Laughing quietly, she pushed off of his chest and looked right and left for her bloomers. She sucked in her breath when he handed them to her with one hand and gently swiped a towel between her wet thighs with the other. It was thoughtful and intimate, something a boyfriend would think to do.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, watching with hooded and heated eyes as she leaned over and slipped the pink briefs on. He wanted to know so that he could do or say whatever it was again and hear her little laugh.

  She was surprised she was able to keep her balance after sex that fantastic. Clearing her throat, she stood up straight and smoothed out her skirt, unsure of what to do with her hands. “Huh? Oh, nothing. I just… you seem like th
e kind of person who eats organic produce and almond milk, not commoner’s grub like pizza from a food truck that lurks around campus.”

  Grinning as he stood and gathered both of their bags, he replied, “Is that really the impression I give?”

  “Yes,” she sharply spat, walking out of the door he held open into the dimly lit hallway.

  He laughed as he led her towards the entrance. “Judging from what little information I’ve managed to gather you aren’t quite the commoner, either, Mary Madeline.”

  “What?” she asked in a high voice, nodding at the security guard who looked like he was undressing her with his eyes. She thought she saw him wink at her professor, but she didn’t say anything as they walked out to the sidewalk. Headlights flashed by slowly as she turned towards the brightly lit campus five blocks away.

  Mait jiggled his keys in his pocket as he realized she wasn’t following him to the parking lot. “Where did you park?” he asked, pausing under a decorative street lamp.

  “I walked.” She shrugged, turning and walking back to him. She guessed if they were going to his place she should get into his car. This would be the first time it would be voluntary.

  “What?” he barked, causing her to jump. “At night?”

  “It wasn’t dark when I got here,” she mumbled, knowing she hadn’t really done anything wrong, but still unable to meet his eye. She hated that he had that effect on her.

  “Well it is now,” he stated, sounding really irritated. “Do you walk after dark a lot? Don’t answer that, I already know.”

  He thought of how she walked to and from campus, most classes not even ending until after five, not to mention her frequent late nights at the library. He shuddered as he thought about all of the bad things that could happen to her. Someone grabbing her. Someone else staring down into those eyes but with malicious intent… “No more walking the city streets alone in the night,” he demanded, turning on his heel and heading for the parking lot ahead. “I mean it.”

  “Yes, Dr. Frasier,” she sang, holding her head up and walking past him as he stopped. He was so bossy. If he was going to treat her like one of his students then she’d act like one.

  Shocked at her mockery, he shook his head and walked behind her. “Keep up that attitude and see what happens,” he warned, clicking the key fob and opening the back to toss their bags in.

  “I’m not one of your undergrads that you can just order around,” she grumbled, climbing into the car reluctantly. She wanted to just go home now but… she’d have to walk.

  “No, you’re a grad student who is old enough to know better,” he retorted, backing out of his spot and pulling out onto the street with slight undertones of road rage.

  “Stop telling me what to do, Dr. Frasier. I already have parents.”

  “Yes, and they’ve done a bang up job,” he icily said, gripping the steering wheel as he thought about someone attacking her in a dark alley.

  The derisive look immediately fell off her face as she quickly turned her head to look out of the window. He sighed and instantly regretted what he’d said as he realized he’d hit a nerve. Of course her parents cared about her. They were just letting her live her own life while they did the same. He had no idea what that was like.

  “I didn’t mean it like that…”

  “Why? You’re absolutely right,” she said, still looking at the passing buildings in the darkness. She tried concentrating on the contrasting architecture rather than her family or home. He, of course, tried to pry again.

  “What do you mean?” he quietly asked, hoping she’d turn and look at him.

  “I don’t want to get into it right now,” she quickly replied, a harsh tone to her voice as her eyes remained fixed on the window. That was something neither of them wanted to get into. Not that her parents were that bad, or anything. She just didn’t want the conversation to turn towards the subject of his parents. She’d had her fill of them.

  Heaving a sigh and wishing they could go back to that squash court, he mumbled something about needing to open more than one bottle of wine that evening.

  “Better make it three,” she muttered, turning her eyes to him.

  Seeing the hint of a smile in her eyes, he broke a grin and visibly relaxed. He hadn’t lost her yet. “Let’s keep it at two with an option of a third bottle if things turn south,” he smirked, turning into his parking garage. “I want us to make it through a few crucial talking points tonight.”

  “I guess I can live with that,” she agreed, liking the fact that the man could actually compromise. Her stomach turned at the fact that they had to have a talk. She knew it had to happen if they were going to happen, but deep down she kind of guessed things wouldn’t ever progress. He was her professor; there were rules.

  Chapter 13

  “What are you thinking about?” Mait asked, holding Mary’s hand as they walked through the garage and into the elevator. Her fingers were tiny and cold, but she squeezed back.

  His hand engulfed hers, surprising her at first, then turning her attention to its size. She blushed as she realized why it hurt so much when he spanked her. She ducked her head down as they exited onto the 12th floor.

  He could practically read her thoughts off of her face. She was appraising the size of his hand. Grinning as her cheeks colored, he moved his hand to her shoulder as he unlocked his front door and pushed her gently inside. “If you think my hands are big you should see my mother’s.”

  Mary frowned as she looked up at him. What? Was he saying that his mom spanked him? The thought of him as a little boy misbehaving made her kind of hot. Yet another way this man was an actual human.

  “What?” he asked, leading her into the kitchen and seating her on a leather barstool at the island counter. He grabbed a bottle of white from his wine fridge and began uncorking it. Her cheeks flushed again as she shook her head and shrugged like she wasn’t thinking about what kind of child he was. “Nicole was the good one.”

  “I just,” she swallowed, wondering why the room felt so warm. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that your scary mom handled the discipline in your house.”

  He sighed as he poured the wine into his crystal goblets. “She certainly has unambiguous ideas on behavior. Who handled it in your house?”

  Mary’s mind immediately drifted to her sisters. “Both, I guess.”

  “You guess?” he asked, sipping his wine and urging her to do the same.

  She took a sip and licked her lips, causing the semi-erection he seemed to always have in her presence to start growing. He almost missed what she said next.

  “Well, before I met you I’d never been in trouble a day in my life.”

  He coughed as the wine that caught in his throat burned his nostrils and esophagus, struggling against gravity. What in the hell was she saying? “You mean, your teachers never scolded you?”

  “My teachers, my parents… I was just kind of… there. I wasn’t a saint but I never got punished. Everyone was too focused on my sisters. You’re the first person who’s ever… chastised me,” she softly said, trying to finish the wine in her glass so she wouldn’t have to look over and see his face.

  “But,” he began, setting his glass down a little harder than intended. That couldn’t be right. “But you’re from Texas.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” she shot back, glaring over at him as he leaned against the island counter. “Oh, wait, since I’m from Texas and we’re so backwards I couldn’t have possibly escaped things like… the things you’ve done to me.”

  While it was enticingly cute that she couldn’t even say the word spanking, he was incredulous at the idea that he, a well-groomed east coast socialite, had been spanked more times than he could count both at home and at school, and she, a true southern belle, had never even had so much as detention.

  “I don’t mean anything by it,” he finally shrugged, smiling at her furrowed brow and refilling her glass. “Again, I just find it interesting that every time I’m
with you I always get a surprise. That’s really rare for me and I love it.”

  He loved that no one had touched that hot little ass but him. He loved that she wasn’t slutty like the girls he normally pursued, never knowing how many guys had been where he was about to go. He loved

  “Professor,” she loudly said, raising a brow. She’d had to say his name twice. “You’re looking at me weird. I’m going to need more wine if you’re going to get weird.”

  Smart, sweet, shy, and funny. He’d have to be a total moron to not try and lock her down. And he wasn’t a moron. He had his fucking doctorate. Jesus Christ, why was she sucking on her finger like that?

  She swiped at a spilled droplet of wine and tasted it on her finger as she frowned over at him. Okay, he was getting weird. Would he do that all night? Would he get weird in… the bedroom? Oh God, they were probably going to have sex. The sweet, slow kind. Oh God, she was in her workout clothes! She hadn’t even showered! It was different at the club in an exercise setting. Sex at his home wouldn’t be a quick bang.

  “I should probably go home,” she quickly said, practically falling out of the dark brown leather barstool and smoothing out her tennis skirt. Shit, it was so short he’d probably had a sweet-ass view all night. Why was she suddenly freaking out about everything?

  The color drained out of his face as he felt her slipping out of his fingers. Why would she want to leave? Was he being too domineering? He hadn’t meant to fight with her earlier. They’d had mind blowing sex at his, well, their private club. And he couldn’t steer his eyes away from that sweet-ass in her cute little ruffledpink skirt thing. He wondered if she had one in every color

  “So… bye,” she huffed, a little disappointed that he wasn’t falling at her feet, begging her to stay. They’d already had earth-shattering sex in a squash ball court. And they’d fought over her disobedience. Maybe he’d grown tired of her. Love ‘em and leave ‘em. She made it one step away from the kitchen island before he yelled at her and grabbed her arm.