Educated

by Gray Gardner

  “Yes,” he said in a forced firm voice as he poured a cup of coffee and eyed her warily. He should have guessed she would see right through his I thought you could use some company ploy.

  “Dr. Frasier,” she gritted through her teeth, taking the time to carefully place the strips of bacon on a plate. “You’re making it sound like you’re leaving me with a babysitter this weekend.”

  She was so calm it really unnerved him. He watched as she punched the microwave buttons and even stepped back as she marched over and reached around him for the coffee cups.

  “Nicole just wants to get to know you better…”

  “You just want to make sure I don’t defy you and walk alone in the dark to the bar and get into a fight and get arrested!” she snapped, sipping her coffee and looking up at him with angry bright eyes.

  He set his steaming mug down and crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Sometimes you make bad choices and behave—”

  “Oh shut up!” she shouted, holding out her arms as her face flushed. “You’re acting like I’m your daughter! I’m not a kid; I haven’t been a kid for ten years! I’ve lived on my own for a long time, long before I met you, so you can’t just expect to come in and… and make all of these restrictions! It’s suffocating and I feel like you’re just using it as a tool to get me to push you away or something!”

  He suddenly grabbed her up under her arms and lifted her onto the counter, quickly running his hands down her sides and grabbing her thighs. He yanked them open, his lips turning up into a small grin as he realized she wasn’t wearing any underwear under his white tee shirt. Stepping forward, he pressed his flat stomach and the low sitting waistband of his boxers against her. He could still look down at her from this vantage point, which he liked because there was little else he enjoyed more than her big blue eyes peering up at him.

  “First of all, I’m not trying to get either of us to push the other away. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. We’re like magnets, constantly drawn to one another. And make no mistake, Mary Madeline,” he said in a calm, low voice. “I give you rules and restrictions because you like them. You crave them.”

  “What?” she snapped. That was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard. There was no one on the planet who was more independent than she was. Her attention suddenly shifted back to him as he squeezed her pale thighs and leaned forward so his lips touched her ear.

  “You like it when I tell you what to do. Your body loves it. When I threaten you. When I bend you over and your sweet little ass is laid bare to me, waiting, begging for me to spank it again, and again, and again, until it’s pink and you’re about to explode with pleasure…”

  “No!” she huffed, trying to pull back. “You’re wrong, damn it! I don’t like it and it hurts!”

  “Only for a few seconds,” he grinned, getting hard just thinking about it. Her cheeks flushed as she looked anywhere but at him, trapped on the countertop in his embrace. He wrapped an arm around her back and drew his thumb up between her legs, groaning in satisfaction as he found her wet and waiting. He slowly circled her clit and pushed a finger inside her as he continued. “It’s not about hurting you. You can see how strong I am. It’s about controlling you. When I tell you what you have to do and when I spank you for disobeying me it’s all about control. And you love it when I’m in control.”

  Biting her lip and trying her hardest to object, she simply could not find the strength when he was playing with her like that. Her stomach muscles tightened as she let her head fall back and her eyes close.

  “Yes,” he whispered, kissing his way around her neck. “There’s nothing wrong with handing power over to me. I would never take advantage of that trust. It’s all for you. I want to make you scream with pleasure. I like you walking around wet with the thought of what I’m going to do when I catch you being naughty. And believe me, Mary Madeline, you are the naughtiest little girl I’ve ever met.”

  Chapter 15

  Mary’s body began to tremble, much to her dismay, of course, and before she knew it she was clawing at his muscular back as he stroked her to another orgasm. Damn him!

  Mait chuckled softly as she leaned her head against his shoulder, breathing heavily. He rubbed her back gently and held the back of her head, waiting patiently for her to come back down. Yeah, he was definitely way too into her if he kept insisting on making her come without seeking any relief for himself. And he absolutely loved it.

  “I’m still pissed at you for thinking I need a babysitter,” she whispered, wiping her strawberry blonde strands out of her eyes. She cleared her throat to try and get a firmer voice. God, there was no way he was right about that stupid control thing! Her body was totally betraying her! “Besides, in two days you’ll probably find an ass load of things to get mad at me about. You don’t need a spy to stay here with me to achieve that.”

  “Nicole is responsible and will keep you out of trouble,” he frowned, brushing her hair behind her ear. Something that resembled fear crossed his face momentarily. “There are so many things that could happen to you…”

  “Jesus, if you’re worried about me just say so. Like a normal human,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. God, he really was brand new at this relationship thing. “Trust goes both ways, you know. You ask me to trust you, well… trust me. Tell me what you’d like to happen while you’re out of town. I’ll tell you what I want, and then we’ll meet in the middle.”

  Mait smirked down at her. “I want your pretty little head to stay in this house until I get back.”

  “That’s absurd and you know it!” she huffed, shoving one of his shoulders. “I will stay in the house after dark, okay? I know it worries you when I’m out at night. But I’m not spider-holing it during the day. Now, that’s a good compromise—”

  “Here’s my compromise,” he interrupted, placing a hand on the counter top next to each thigh. “Nicole is coming over after work today. She’s either going to tell Liam or me about everything you do. If you leave this house, then, when I get home Sunday, you’re going to be walking around the rest of your spring break with a very red, very sore little ass. Now, that’s a compromise.”

  “That is not a compromise!” she quickly spat out, shoving him backwards, jumping down and opening the microwave. Nibbling on a piece of bacon with her back turned, she glanced over her shoulder and found him smirking at her. Ugh! He was enjoying this way too much. “You’re just being mean now!”

  He leaned forward in all of his shirtless glory and snagged a piece of bacon. “Mean would be if I spanked you right now to enforce the rules I want you to follow while I’m gone,” he replied, not taking his eyes off of her.

  He looked awfully amused, but she didn’t want to push him. Looking down at her coffee cup she quietly took a sip.

  “Hey, I’m not going to, though,” he tenderly said, not liking when she retreated from him. He was walking such a fine line but he wanted her to know he was entirely serious about Nicole staying over the weekend. She so easily got into trouble… all of the time. If he couldn’t be there to help her, he’d never forgive himself. Nicole, and by association Liam, would have to do. If she continued to fight him, though, he knew he’d be forced to take even more drastic measures. He was really hoping to avoid that, though. It was a card he didn’t want to play yet.

  “You know what Crazy Town? Fine! Fine, Nicole can come and stay and we’ll have girl talk and naked pillow fights, okay? But this was my decision. I’m not doing it because you command it!” she said, looking up at him with her hands on her hips.

  “All right, kitten,” he sighed, smiling down at her and feeling relief and disappointment all at once. He really wasn’t looking forward to being away from her for so long. He wasn’t kidding about the magnet thing. “Going to miss me?”

  “Like a dog misses fleas,” she grumbled, still not happy about their arrangement but even less thrilled that she actually felt sad that he was going out of town for two days. She really was going to miss him.


  Mary checked her email and chatted with her friends. She worked on her Italian Fascism paper. She did about 100 push-ups and 500 sit-ups. Finally, when five o’clock rolled around and she poured herself a glass of white wine, she knew why she was so antsy. She hated being so far away from Mait.

  The sound of her doorbell brought her back to her present problem and she slowly shuffled to her front door in her black yoga pants and pink tank top.

  “Trust me, I don’t like this any more than you do,” Nicole said by way of greeting. She pushed past Mary into the foyer and dropped her Louis Vuitton bag by the bottom of the stairs. Hands on her hips, she threw her head back and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, I get it,” Mary agreed, walking into the kitchen and reappearing with a glass of wine that Nicole appreciatively took. “He has a way of always getting what he wants.”

  “Liam does, too,” Nicole sneered, throwing her head back and gulping the wine. “I was ordered by both men to come here straight from the office.”

  Mary shrugged an apology and exhaled as she looked around. “Well, they can force us to stay here but they can’t force us to stay sober.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Nicole huffed in gratitude, following the little strawberry blonde into the kitchen.

  They polished off the first bottle and opened another, fixing a plate of cheese and bread with some grapes they scoured for in Mary’s fridge. All in all, it wasn’t a painful experience.

  “And, this is my friend Cassie’s baby,” Nicole pointed, holding up the iPad so Mary could see the Facebook page.

  Mary gave her a sympathetic grin. She could sense the twinge of longing in her voice. “My friends are all getting married and having babies, too,” she said, opening her last bottle of chardonnay.

  Nicole nodded and ate a grape, leaning back on the large couch in the dimly lit room. “So… Mait’s pretty serious about you.”

  Mary coughed as she tried to sip her wine, then set the glass down and nervously wiped the edges of her mouth. Nicole laughed. “Don’t worry, no one’s going to tell on you. My family really likes you. But you’re hardly the first teacher-student relationship in history. Is that? I mean, it must be kind of exciting meeting in secret—”

  “That’s not it,” Mary quickly interrupted, frowning. “In fact, I’ve been thinking maybe I’m just some silly girl in his class who has a crush and it’s just exciting for him.”

  “Ha!” Nicole blurted, leaning forward and grabbing Mary’s wrist, looking her in the eye. “Don’t make that mistake, Mary Madeline. I’ve known him my whole life. I know him better than anyone. He doesn’t date, he just screws around, and when someone becomes an inconvenience or a liability, well… he ends things. He’s never brought a girl home, I’ve never seen him look at our mother that coldly, and really… the way he looks at you…”

  Mary felt her cheeks grow warm as she stared into the deep recesses of her wine glass. He’d assured her of the same things, so why couldn’t she trust him? Why did it feel so temporary?

  She showed Nicole to one of the sparsely decorated guest rooms upstairs, then collapsed in her own bed. It had been possibly the most interesting month of her life, but her brain hurt.

  Her phone chimed as she lay in the dark in her bed. A text from the master and commander himself.

  Have you been a good little kitten?

  Suck it, Frasier. Ask your spies.

  I already have.

  So you already know. Anything else?

  Yes. I miss you.

  That’s all? No marching orders for tomorrow?

  No, but when I get home on Sunday you’d better not be wearing any underwear.

  Don’t be weird.

  Don’t test me.

  Fine.

  Good girl.

  Ugh, she hated and loved that their text exchange had turned her on. She rolled over and tried to sleep, feeling alone in her big bed.

  Saturday was terribly boring. The sun was out, mocking them as the rays splayed through the windows onto the hardwood floor. Mary clicked on another movie on the flat panel television mounted above her fireplace, cursing Mait and the weather because all she really wanted to do was go on a long jog around the campus.

  “Forget it,” Nicole lazily said, though she had on tight black exercise leggings and a Nike tank top like she’d contemplated it, too. “If we leave this house I will never hear the end of it.”

  “I know,” Mary sighed, not wanting to get her new friend into trouble. Letting her head fall back onto the couch, she clicked the remote and tried to settle into Donnie Darko. She was wearing jeans and a purple knit shirt with black ballet flats. No sense in tempting herself. Her iPad chimed on the coffee table next to her foot.

  An iMessage.

  Hey, Mary. It’s Roberta Greer.

  Mary swiped her finger across the screen and typed on the keypad, one eye on the TV.

  Hey Roberta. What’s up?

  Well, I’m so sorry to bother you during the break. I was looking over our assignment that’s due in two weeks and was wondering what you were researching. I’m sure you and Will paired up for the project but since there is an odd number in the class I volunteered to work alone. Since I don’t have a springboard to bounce ideas off of I was hoping you could tell me if I’m moving in the right direction or if I’m way off.

  Frowning, Mary wondered about this project. Oh, yes, she’d been absent the week before spring break. And she’d been totally preoccupied with one Dr. Maitland Frasier. She’d have to check her syllabus and talk to Will about this project.

  Sorry, just a little out of it today. Why don’t you come over and we’ll talk about it.

  Sure, when are you free?

  Just stuck at home today. Come over anytime.

  I didn’t know you were in town. Can I come now?

  Yeah.

  “Hey, I’ve got a friend coming over in a second,” Mary said, stretching and running her fingers through her hair.

  “Swell,” Nicole replied, dozing on the other end of the couch. “Do I have to move?”

  “No,” she giggled. “We’ll work in the dining room.”

  Roberta was all smiles at the door, even bringing an offering of pizza from the food truck that roamed near the campus.

  “Why is this pizza so fucking good?” Mary moaned, closing her eyes as she chewed at her shiny dining room table surrounded by six antique-looking wooden chairs.

  Roberta smiled shyly and shrugged. “Maybe they make it with crack.”

  Mary laughed at her joke and noticed that the other girl looked happy but a little uncomfortable.

  “I’m surprised you’re in town,” Roberta finally said, after chewing thoughtfully. “All of your friends were going to Cape Cod.”

  Mary snorted and rolled her eyes. “I don’t really have any friends here.”

  Roberta blushed as she looked into her lap. “Me either.”

  Oh. Mary swallowed and felt for the girl. She was timid but a know-it-all, prim and proper, stiff even, and on the Honor Council. Those qualities didn’t really scream befriend me on a college campus.

  “Well, who’s your friend staying with you?” she inquired, looking across the foyer into the living room.

  “That’s Nicole, um…” Oh God, should she lie? Should she come clean? She looked at Roberta’s innocent face. “F-Frasier. Dr. Frasier’s sister.”

  Astonishment crossed Roberta’s face… and lingered. “You… you hang out with Dr. Frasier’s sister?” she hissed in a loud whisper, wide eyed.

  “We have a lot in common,” Mary lied, then added for good measure. “I don’t think Dr. Frasier really knows… or cares.”

  Roberta nodded, still looking incredulous. Clearing her throat and giving her head a shake, she tried to discuss the project with Mary. They talked for a while and Mary was actually surprised when she discovered that the room was growing dark and the sun was setting.

  “Did you drive here, Roberta?” Please say yes.

  “Nah,”
Roberta replied, putting her iPad into her purse. “It’s nice outside. And… please, my friends call me Bunny.”

  Mary nodded at the endearment, then glanced nervously at Nicole snoozing on the couch. How could she break this to her? They certainly couldn’t let her walk home at night alone.

  “Would you… we could call this Chinese place I know and order dinner,” Bunny offered, rubbing her neck.

  “Yes!” Mary replied a little too enthusiastically. Anything to avoid the inevitable. Bunny spoke into her phone in what Mary could only guess was perfect Chinese, then she made introductions when Nicole roused and asked what was for dinner.

  They ate, laughed, and drank the only remaining bottle of wine left in the house, which wasn’t much split three ways.

  “Let’s go to la bodega and get another,” Bunny offered, throwing her thumb over her shoulder. She spoke four languages almost fluently so when she was drinking, she slipped in and out of her two favorites, Spanish and French.

  Mary and Nicole threw each other a knowing look. No leaving the house.

  “My treat,” Bunny smiled. Jesus, it was hard to resist her innocent face. Mary didn’t want to hurt her feelings… and she really wanted more wine. “S’il vous plaît?”

  “I really want more wine,” Nicole leaned down and whispered somewhere above Mary’s head.

  “Maybe we could take my car.” There and back in less than five minutes.

  “No, you’ve had a glass and a half of wine and even though that’s not a lot, you’re kind of little,” Nicole, the attorney, scolded.