Office Hours

by Katrina Jackson

  “What are you up to right now?” he asked.

  Once again, the world on his end of the line sounded big and noisy and lively, but she’d learned to tune it out and ignore the small frisson of jealousy that it sparked so she could just focus on him. “Just working on my syllabi,” she said.

  “Working, working, always working,” he teased. “Did you rest at all?”

  “Not much,” she admitted, scooting back onto her bed and lying on her back. “But I did let a boy convince me to have Skype sex a few times.”

  She could just imagine the blush spreading across his cheeks. “Not nearly enough times,” he mumbled, and Deja giggled. “Hey, are you busy tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Define busy. I mean, these syllabi won’t format themselves.”

  “I mean,” he said, dragging that word out, “do you have any free time tomorrow to pick me up from the airport?”

  Deja’s sat up straight and her mouth fell open in a gasp. “Wait. What? You’re not coming back until Sunday.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to come back until Sunday, but I’ve been looking at the forecast, and I’m worried that I’m going to get stuck in Chicago. Again.”

  Deja nodded absently. “So, you changed your ticket? That must have been expensive.”

  “Not really, one of my sisters-in-law is a travel agent. She found me a ticket, but I need someone to pick me up from the airport. Normally, Mike and I drive back together in his car, but he’s not changing his ticket.” Alejandro chuckled, “I’m pretty certain that he’s trying to get stuck somewhere so he can miss the first day of classes.

  Deja licked her lips, too shocked to laugh. “I... Yeah, I can pick you up.”

  “You sure?” Alejandro asked, his voice brightening. “I can fill up your tank, or—”

  “No, that’s okay. Not necessary at all. I’m happy to.” Her face warmed. Was she putting it on too thick? She thought she might have been, but she’d missed him all break and was finding it hard to contain her excitement at getting to see him earlier than she’d planned and that he’d called her for a ride.

  “Okay.” She could hear the smile in Alejandro’s voice. “Um, I’ll send you my itinerary as soon as we get off the phone. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m excited to see you.”

  His sigh was so soft that she almost thought she’d hallucinated, but she hadn’t. She knew that she hadn’t because when he spoke, his voice was just as soft. “I’m really excited to see you, too.”

  ***

  Alejandro believed in protecting the sanctity of winter break.

  He loved being home with his family home, running the same streets where he’d played as a kid and seeing all his friends from school and getting a break from the responsibilities of his job. He always made sure to put his Out of Office message on his email before he left town, it was as much a part of his packing rituals as remembering his travel pillow. He still checked his inbox while he was away, but he was the kind of academic who didn’t feel the need to respond to anything less than an urgent message between semesters.

  He learned early that the university made everything seem urgent, even when it wasn’t, and students notoriously thought their grade complaints were more important than their quiz grades and attendance records throughout the semester, but he didn’t have to agree. Even if he needed to change a grade or submit a report to the college, he told everyone that he would be happy to do so once the semester started and he was back on contract. He knew people hated his firm no, but he stood by it each time because sometimes his boundaries were all he had. As soon as the semester started, he made sure to juggle printing off his syllabi and class rosters and beginning to learn his new students’ names with handling any old business form the previous semester. If that meant he was on campus for ten hours a day during the first week of the semester, it was worth it if he got to enjoy his time away.

  And he did.

  Alejandro usually had a long list of people to see while he was home. His family alone could take up his entire vacation if he let it, but his three brothers ate up most of his time and, as usual, kept him up the night before he flew back to Centreville. By the time they headed off to bed or back to their own homes, Alejandro’s dad was already puttering around in the kitchen, playing with the new coffee machine they’d gotten them for Christmas. Alejandro had just enough time to shower and change before it was time to go. He carried his bags downstairs, and Angel lugged them into their dad’s truck. His mom tried not to cry and shoved a warm foil package into his hands, which he knew would be filled with a couple of small tortillas full of egg and beans. His dad listened to traffic news on the way airport and Alejandro ate his breakfast, the comfortable silence and strong, hug at the passenger drop-off a final goodbye to home.

  He was exhausted by the time he made it onto the plane. As he waited for takeoff, he looked at the to-do list on his phone, a list of things he needed to accomplish before the semester started, so he could hit the ground running as soon as he landed, but exhaustion hit him, and he was fast asleep before they were even at cruising altitude. When he woke up to change planes in Chicago, he wasted nearly his entire layover staring between the schedule of departing flights and the dark gray sky outside, terrified that his flight would be delayed or worse. Relief washed over him as he boarded the plane for the last short flight of the trip, but as soon as he was buckled into his seat, excitement coursed through him knowing that when he landed, Deja would be waiting for him.

  ***

  Alejandro stuffed his arms into his coat before he de-planed. The local airport was so small that he could practically see the parking lot as soon as he walked into the terminal. He didn’t want to seem too eager rushing toward baggage claim, especially because he knew the ground crew was notoriously slow, so he took a detour to the bathroom. He dug the small bag of toiletries out of his carry-on bag and tried to make himself look presentable. He washed his hands, brushed his teeth, washed his face, put more deodorant under his arms, and then used the small rollerball of cologne on his wrists and neck. He never put in any effort when he met up with Mike, but Mike’s laughter didn’t make his balls ache, so the extra step was worth it as far as he was concerned.

  By the time he made it to baggage claim, his suitcase was on the conveyor belt, and he jogged forward to grab it. He pulled the long handle up and wheeled it forward, only to stop. Deja was standing just a few feet away, smiling shyly at him. He didn’t realize just how much he’d seen her until this moment.

  His gaze moved up and down her body. She was wearing a thick sweater dress under her winter coat and tall boots. Technically, her knees were the only parts of her legs exposed, but it was more than enough to make his muscles tense with desire. Her knees! He couldn’t believe how thirsty he was. When his eyes moved back to her face, she bit down on her bottom lip. He kept his eyes on her face as he walked toward her.

  “I parked in the garage,” she said when he was close enough that she didn’t have to yell. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to meet on the curb, or…” Her voice trailed off, and she looked even more nervous than before. “I texted you,” she whispered.

  Alejandro’s steps faltered, and he dug into his pants pocket. He’d forgotten that he’d turned his phone off before his first flight took off. “Shit, sorry. I forgot to turn it on.”

  “No, it’s okay,” she said, shaking her head quickly and smiling at him in relief.

  It couldn’t have been more than thirty degrees outside but having Deja smile at him like that made his body hot. In his dreams — because he’d absolutely dreamt about seeing Deja again for the first time more than once while he’d been away — he’d imagined that she would rush into his arms, or he’d sweep her up and kiss the fuck out of her. Instead, they stood awkwardly in front of one another, neither of them certain what to do next.

  Finally, though, Deja looked up at him through her eyelashes with a small smile on her face. “I really want to kiss you,” she whispered.r />
  That was all the invitation Alejandro needed.

  He dropped his carry-on onto the ground — a vague prayer sounding in his brain that he didn’t hear anything smash — and then reached for her. He held her face in his hands and pressed her against the fake column behind her. He stopped when their mouths were just barely touching, enjoying just breathing the same air as her.

  “You smell like toothpaste,” she said, her breath tickling his mustache.

  “I wanted to smell good for you,” he freely admitted.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and ground her hips against his, and they both moaned. “Fuck, that’s sexy.”

  He pressed his hips forward, wanting her to feel what she was already doing to him. “This dress is sexy,” he whispered back.

  “Yeah?” She lifted onto her toes and breathed the question against his lips and then licked along the curve of his lower lip.

  And that was all the restraint Alejandro had. He pulled her face to his and captured her tongue between his lips. Deja moaned into the cavern of his mouth and he felt that noise in his scalp. This was maybe the best kiss of his life. Was that too soon to say, he wondered? No, it wasn’t, he decided immediately. He was thirty-six. He’d kissed a lot of women. He’d even kissed a couple of women at airport arrivals after months apart, but none of those kisses had ever taken him over like this. Every press and retreat of their lips seemed to make his blood rush faster in his veins. It had only been six weeks, but Alejandro felt as if he was pouring years of yearning into kissing Deja, and on some level, he was.

  Before this moment, he used to try not to think about her during winter, spring, and summer breaks. When school was out, he didn’t have a reason to run into her, and because he went home regularly, it wasn’t like he saw her around town. For over a year, seeing Deja had been like a perk of his job, but he’d always wanted more, and now, he had just that.

  He had her body trapped against his and her tongue in his mouth and classes didn’t start for three more days. Time with Deja that had nothing to do with work was the best thing he’d never let himself hope for and now that he had it, he felt greedy for more.

  “Deja,” he moaned against her lips, another firm press of his hips into hers.

  “Garage,” she said, licking his mouth and grinding against him.

  Alejandro groaned. Someone was absolutely going to call security on them.

  “Let’s go to the garage,” Deja whispered.

  It took him a few seconds — and her hands slipping under his sweater to dig into his back — for him to understand what she was saying.

  “Fuck,” he breathed.

  “Yeah, that’s the gist,” she giggled at him.

  ***

  Even when she was younger, car sex hadn’t ever been Deja’s thing. She didn’t only like sex in a bed, but she did usually prefer to have sex in places where people could see without the need for tint or steam, but as soon as Alejandro had kissed her like a starving man eating his first meal in months, she reconsidered her stance. Besides, she knew she wouldn’t make it the hour-long drive home, now that she’d felt his skin under her fingertips. Thankfully, Alejandro was on the same page.

  They rushed out of the airport terminal to the short-term parking garage.

  Alejandro dropped his bags into her trunk, but then his face fell. “Shit,” he hissed.

  “What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

  “No,” he mumbled. “I don’t have condoms.”

  Deja hadn’t been planning for car sex, of course, but she had stopped by the pharmacy on the way to the airport to get some essentials; cough drops, a few boxes of tissue and hand sanitizer for her office, and condoms, not for her office.

  She smiled awkwardly at him. “I have some.”

  His eyebrows lifted, and he smiled at her. “You do?”

  “Women should be prepared.”

  “I absolutely agree,” he laughed, pushing her gently against her car. He gripped her hips, bunching her dress in his fists. “So, you came here prepared to fuck me?”

  Every time Alejandro touched her, her body felt as if it was on the verge of overheating, and it was wonderful. He made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t in so long. The six weeks apart had been more difficult than she felt comfortable admitting to anyone, even herself, because they’d just barely begun to date before he left, but now that he was back and touching her, she felt a physical urge to make up for all their time apart. Her heart was racing, her pussy was clenching and damp, and her nipples were tightening just because she was close to him.

  Had she come here prepared to fuck him in her car?

  “Yes,” she breathed. “I guess I did.”

  He brushed his lips against hers. “Good,” he whispered and then kissed her slow and deep.

  God, she’d missed him.

  They scrambled into the backseat of her small SUV. It was a tight fit for Alejandro’s long legs, but they made it work. He sat in the middle seat as she tore the box of condoms open. He laughed at her eagerness even as he started palming his dick through his pants, revealing just how excited he was as well.

  She pulled a foil packet from the box just as Alejandro pulled her onto his lap. She put her hands on his shoulders. She’d missed the feel of him, solid and strong underneath her, above her, inside her. Even though they were both clearly desperate to be together, as soon as they came face to face again, they stopped and stared.

  “Hi,” he whispered.

  Her entire body flushed. “Hi.”

  He placed his palms on her thighs, edging the hem of her dress up her legs and then he slipped his hands underneath, ghosting up her thighs. She circled her hips as one of his hands moved to grip her ass and the other pushed between her legs.

  “How long have you been wet?” he whispered to her.

  “It’s an hour’s drive up here.”

  He laughed and pushed his hand into her underwear.

  Deja groaned and shivered at how perfect his touch was after so long without it.

  He petted her wet lips, stroking into the folds and circling her clit. “Don’t move your hands,” he directed.

  She nodded and he pushed a finger inside of her. “Fuck,” she breathed, and that one word was like a release all on its own. Her head fell back, and she sighed up at the roof of her car.

  “I wish we had time for me to get you off like this,” he said. “I love the way your pussy feels around my fingers.” He pushed another finger inside of her to prove his point.

  She moaned and circled her hips, her pussy clenching around his digits, begging him to move them inside of her faster. “What’s the rush?” she breathed.

  His laughter was a husky burr that made the hair on her arms stand up. “Nothing but my own lust. I don’t want to wait any longer to get my dick inside you,” he admitted.

  Deja found it endearing.

  “Get me ready,” he groaned to her, pumping his fingers inside her even as he squeezed her ass and encouraged her to settle her clit over the heel of his hand.

  She whimpered, so caught up in the feel of him that it took a few seconds — and deep strokes of his fingers — for her to register his words. She looked down at him with bunched eyebrows and panting breaths.

  He didn’t rush her realization of the condom clutched in her grip, but he did reward when she finally caught on by pushing one more finger inside her.

  “Oh god,” she groaned, her fingers already fumbling with the button of his jeans.

  He was already semi-hard, but he could get harder. God, could he get harder and thicker and longer and then he could hit all her favorite spots. He was already hard enough to slip the condom on, but she couldn’t resist touching him, just like he couldn’t resist her.

  Deja set the foil packet aside and then gripped his dick with both hands. Alejandro groaned and pushed his hips up into her hold. Deja’s back bowed with a shiver. She started pumping her hands up and down his shaft, stroking him slowly, running her th
umb through his wet slit for a bit of lubrication and because his body shuddered each time she did that.

  His fingers were still fucking her, and she was dripping into his palm, and now, she understood what he meant.

  As much as she wanted them to get each other off with their hands, her pussy was as desperate for him as his dick was for her. Reluctantly, she released him, and his head fell back in a soft sigh. His fingers never stopped moving as she ripped open the condom and rolled it down his shaft.

  “Ready?” she moaned, lifting onto her knees and then ducking as the top of her bun brushed the roof.

  “For weeks,” he said, pulling his hand from between her legs.

  Now both hands were squeezing her ass, the wet grip of the new hold somehow turned Deja on even more. He used his hands to help her position herself over his dick. She rubbed the head of his cock against her clit and then up and down her slit and they both moaned.

  They made eye contact again when the fat head of his dick began to stretch her opening. Alejandro watched her with a heated stare and parted lips as she sank down onto him slow enough to tease them both. They reveled at how amazing it felt to be back together, savoring this moment. Deja swore she could feel every veiny ridge of Alejandro’s dick as he entered her and she settled back into his lap.

  “Hi,” he breathed again.

  Deja laughed as she bent down to kiss him. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, sliding along his. Her right hand moved from his shoulder to his beard. She enjoyed the soft downy feel of his facial hair. She decided that she had to feel it on her pussy before he shaved it. Had. To.

  But that would be for later. Right now, he squeezed her ass, and she began to ride him.

  She started off slow, controlled circles of her hips, but that didn’t last long. She was too hungry and he felt the same. He squeezed her ass harder and scraped his teeth over her tongue. She shifted her legs to bring her knees up and Alejandro moved along with her, resting his thighs under her ass and the backs of his hands against his jeans as he helped her to bounce up and down on top of him.

  They were not subtle, and they did not care.