Teacher

by R. L. Merrill

  “A lady-killer? Never. They might love Danny the rock star, but women don’t swoon for Danny the real guy. Never have.”

  I frowned. “Whatever! You talk about the guys lusting after me... You have to know that women pine over you.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s not real. Tell me, how many of them would still want a guy who was bitter and grouchy all the time?”

  I laughed. “Well, I guess it only matters that I want you because too bad for them, I’m the one in your bathtub.” I probably sounded more confident than I was, but tonight I felt like we could really do this. Danny loved me and that could possibly be enough for this to work, right?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Danny and I sat in the tub and talked until the water was cold and then we moved to the shower to warm up. He washed my hair, which was heavenly, and then he dried me off and took me back to his bed. We continued to talk until the light started to filter in through his window.

  “I can’t keep my eyes open anymore,” I whispered and cuddled up to Danny’s side.

  “Sleep, honey. I’ll wake you later.”

  I frowned and drowsily whispered, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

  He kissed my forehead. “Maybe. I don’t sleep much. But you rest. I’m sorry I kept you up.”

  I shook my head and snuggled closer. “I’m not.” And that was the last I remembered.

  When I woke up much later it was because I heard music. I rolled over sleepily, feeling thoroughly relaxed, liquid even, and found Danny sitting in his boxers playing guitar with his headphones on. I watched him with one eye open for a while. He was humming a tune and writing something down. His eyes closed in concentration a few times and then he would sit for a time, pulling at his lower lip. I watched as long as I could until my bladder screamed at me that enough was enough. I looked over the edge of the bed and spied Danny’s shirt from last night. I slipped it on over my head and tried to sneak into the bathroom without him seeing me get up. I failed.

  “Hey. Did I wake you?”

  I smiled at him over my shoulder. “No. Nature’s calling.” I winked and shut the door behind me, hearing him chuckle. I used the toilet and then had to peek back out into his room. With one hand over my mouth, I said, “Do you happen to have a spare toothbrush? Otherwise, I’m using yours.”

  He laughed. “Use mine, honey. What’s mine is yours.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Ok, a toothbrush is enough, thanks.”

  His comment was a little unsettling for first thing in the morning. Maybe I was overreacting, but after what he was trying to tell me last night I wasn’t going to end up there. I’d had a wonderful night with Danny and while I wanted more, moving in and playing house was a huge step, especially with someone like him. I screwed up the student-teacher relationship. I didn’t want to do the same as lovers.

  When I came back out, he put his guitar back on the stand and walked toward me. His hair had grown out some and was smushed all over his head from sleeping. He pulled me into a big hug, lifting me off the floor.

  “How do you feel this morning?” The nervous look on his face told me he was worried about more than my body.

  “I feel pretty great considering we stayed up all night! I haven’t done that since cramming for exams in college!” He laughed and sat down on the end of the bed, pulling me down onto his lap. I kissed his cheek and said softly, "I feel pretty great, Danny."

  His answering smile was one of relief. He kissed me sweetly and woke up parts of me that had still been sleepy. And then my stomach let out a huge growl.

  “Oops. I guess the beast wants more than your lovin’ for breakfast.”

  He threw his head back with a loud laugh. “I guess I can’t ignore that. C’mon. Nora made breakfast hours ago, but she put some aside for you so I wouldn’t eat it all. She, uh, she thought you might need your strength so she made a protein-heavy meal. She must have thought you really were training for the Olympics last night.”

  We walked together out of the room holding hands and I said, “Last I checked what we were up to isn’t considered a sport yet, but I’m sure you could get them to change all that.” He smacked my ass, which I’d covered with a pair of his boxers, cinched at the waist with my hair tie of course, and I jumped out of reach before he could swat me again.

  “Good morning, sugar! Did he let you get any sleep last night?”

  I looked at the clock. “No, but I guess I got plenty this morning.” It was after 11:00 and even though I’d only had about five hours of sleep, I felt great.

  “Nora I’m sorry to tell you that Danny’s bed is more comfortable than the one in your spare room so I won’t be sneaking yours out and into my car.”

  She laughed out loud and put a heaping pile of bacon and eggs and potatoes in front of me. My stomach growled even louder and she stepped back with a startled look. “I guess I’m just in time! That thing doesn’t bite does it?”

  We all laughed and they watched me as I took my first bite. I looked back and forth between them. “Avert your eyes, please.”

  Danny chuckled and kissed me on the back of the neck. He stage whispered in my ear. “I’m going to go shower... I’d invite you but one more look at all that skin and I’d be all over you. Then we’ll never leave my bedroom and we have someplace to be.” I blushed from head to toe and Nora just laughed. He kissed my cheek one more time before trotting down the hallway to his room.

  “Now that is truly the happiest I’ve ever seen that man. And you look much better than you did when you showed up here yesterday. Everything get worked out?”

  I shrugged and smiled shyly. “Well, I think we’ve determined that I’m definitely not going to be his teacher anymore. What I am going to be is mortified when I have to face my boss and tell her that her star teacher is a student molester!”

  Nora cracked up and said, “Sugar, you can’t molest the willing and if you hadn’t, he might have been brought up on teacher abuse charges. There was no way he was going to make it any longer. That boy is so in love with you!”

  I blushed even deeper and she came around and gave me a hug. “Well, I hope you meant it when you said you’d want me around more because if he gets his way I’m going to be.”

  She frowned. “And why don’t you sound more eager about that?”

  “I’m just nervous, Nora. I don’t want to screw things up and rushing into living together could seriously screw things up. I’ve never done this before. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  She patted my back and went back to washing dishes. “You two will be fine. Just keep telling him how you feel. He’s not so impulsive that he doesn’t think things through.”

  “Yeah, but what about Jane? What’s she going to say about him having a live-in girlfriend?”

  Nora rolled her eyes. “She adores you. Of course she’s going to be happy! She wants to see her daddy smile and she knows you make him smile.” I looked up at her and she shrugged. “Maybe I mentioned something to her.”

  “Nora! What did you say?”

  She laughed. “She asked me why he was smiling all the time you were around and I just told her that her daddy has been happier because of you. Just telling her the truth.”

  I groaned. “And what did she say about that?”

  “That she was glad, that he deserved to be happy. Oh, and at least you weren’t creepy or weird or psycho like some of the guys her mom's brought around. Well, she wasn’t sure about the psycho part, but I assured her you were certifiably sane. But now that I think about it, you have fallen in love with a rock star. That sanity might have just blown out the window.” She smiled knowingly at me and I dropped my head onto my arms.

  “I’m doomed, huh?” I was still sitting like that groaning when Danny came trotting back in the kitchen.

  “What’d I miss?” He looked confused when I lifted my head and Nora just kept laughing.

  “Oh, nothing. Just told her she should start questioning her sanity because she’s now joined the
funny farm of a family you’ve got.”

  He grabbed Nora and kissed her loudly on the lips. “Ain’t it great?”

  “Alright! My crazy ass is going to go take a shower now. Thanks for, uh, brunch.” She waved me off and I stopped behind Danny and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Try not to make any devious plans while I’m gone. The two of you are starting to worry me. I do have to go home at some point.”

  Danny flashed me his most innocent smile. “Of course, honey. Enjoy your shower. I left a towel out for you.”

  I swear I heard a maniacal laugh as I walked out.

  Danny’s shower was just as amazing this morning. He’d left his music on and I was dancing and singing along to Papa Roach while I did a quick shampoo and I even borrowed his razor to shave. He caught me shaving and startled me so bad I almost drew blood.

  “I’m sorry I scared you, but I’m so not sorry for this view.” I flung some shaving cream at him that he expertly ducked. He was laughing so I continued my shower. As soon as I started rinsing my hair his laughter stopped and he growled.

  “I’m only staying out here right now because I have a message to deliver. Cosmo says he’s glad you aren’t holding out anymore and he’ll see you this weekend at his show. I told him we’d be there, I hope that’s ok.”

  I stood there frowning at him and a sudden burning sensation had me squealing. “Ow! Shit! Conditioner in my eye!” I rinsed my eye under the stream and then finished quickly with the shower. Danny held out the towel for me and I took it, still frowning.

  “He must be confused. It’s only Monday.” He was going to try to use the ‘gimme’ smile on me!

  “I might have told him you were spending the week with me. He thought it sounded like a good idea.”

  I groaned. “Danny! Don’t you think you should have asked me first?”

  His face fell into a well-practiced pout. “Don’t you want to stay with me? I only just got you back, honey! It’s just ‘til Saturday. Jane comes home Sunday and I thought we could have a nice dinner with her and tell her about us.”

  My heart was pounding in my chest and I needed some air. I stepped past him out of the shower and wrapped the towel around me. I finger combed my hair in the mirror and then turned around to face him. His hands were on his hips and he looked worried.

  “I only answered your phone because I knew it was him and I didn’t want him to worry. Or call the fucking cops.” He had a half smile, but he was tugging on his lip.

  “Danny I’m not upset about you answering my phone and I appreciate it that you told Cosmo I’m ok. But I need for us to make plans together, ok? I’ll tell you right now, my biggest fear about us? Is you making decisions for me and taking over my life. You seem to think I need saving, and while I appreciate all you have done for me, really appreciate it, I’m going to freak out if I feel like I don’t have a say in my own life.”

  He nodded, but kept pulling at his lip. “What do you picture our relationship looking like, Jesse? Because maybe we just have a different version of the same picture." He was trying, God bless him.

  “I don’t know, Danny. I told you I’ve never done this before. But I’ve been on my own for a long time now. I’ve not even had a roommate since my first year of college, so living with someone is a big step for me. And I’m independent. I don’t want to be a burden on you and before you say I’m not, if I’m not paying my way I’m going to feel like I am. That’s the part that scares me the most. That's why I don’t know how I’m going to fit in your life. You’re pretty far out of my league.”

  Danny sunk down on the edge of the tub, a defeated expression on his face. “Then how can I fix this? I don’t know how to do this either. I can’t stand you being in that place. It’s not safe. I feel like I’m not taking care of you and it’s my job to take care of you! I love you! That’s what that means to me.”

  I walked over to him and stood in front of him. When he looked up at me, his deep brown eyes looked so sad. I couldn’t stand to see him like this. I smiled down at him and sat in his lap. He didn’t move to hold me, just looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. I was going to have to do some more teaching here. I put my arms around his neck.

  “We’re going to have to fix this together. First thing you can fix is your need to fix things for me. I don’t need fixing. I need your love and your patience. If you can give me those we’re going to be fine.” Hesitantly, he reached up to touch my hair. He used the edge of the towel to dry the ends for me.

  “And second thing, we don’t have to decide everything in your bathroom with me naked, wet, and wrapped in a towel. For now, can we just take things one day at a time? I wasn’t trying to say I didn’t want to stay with you this week. I just want to have a say, ok? So let’s practice. What should we plan to do today?”

  The sad look was gone and I could see the wheels turning in his head.

  “I can do one day at a time. Not that I’ve ever had to, you know, like hang out with Bill W. or anything.”

  I laughed. “No? No celebrity rehab for you?”

  He chuckled. “Nah. I drank a lot when I was younger, but when Janey was born, I quit the hard stuff. I have a beer now and then, but I hate being drunk. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. And with the exceptions of a few stupid nights before the band got together, I’ve not been a fan of drugs. So that’s not a skeleton you’ll find in my closet.”

  I leaned my head against his shoulder and that gave me an excellent launching point for trailing kisses along his collarbone, up his neck, across his jaw. He squirmed underneath me and his hands gripped my hips.

  “I thought we were making plans here, Jesse.”

  I giggled. “Of course we are! So what should we do?”

  “You don’t play fair! It’s already noon, so at some point we need to go see your boss.” I was running my hands up under his t-shirt and nibbling his earlobe now, and I could feel his body shaking. “Jesse, I’m warning you, if you want me to behave right now you’ve got to stop doing that.”

  I sat up and looked as innocent as possible. “I’m sorry. Am I making it difficult for you to concentrate, Danny?” Ok, batting my eyelashes might have taken this little game too far.

  Danny growled low in his chest and lifted me from his lap, setting me down hard on the counter. That hungry look was back on his face as he undid his buttons and pulled his fully erect cock out of his jeans. My eyes went wide as he tore the towel off me with his other hand.

  I loved how out of control he was and I wasn’t sorry at all that I’d set him off. I reached down and stroked him while he kissed my breasts roughly. He dropped to his knees and made sure I was completely ready for him, wrenching not one, but two orgasms out of me. Then he shot to his feet and pulled my hips closer to him. He paused before entering me, taking my face in his hands.

  “Is this ok? You’re not too sore? I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I reached down and tugged on him, his eyes flaring. “The only way you’ll hurt me is if you leave me like this. Now get over here and love me.”

  He loved me on the counter, on the floor, against the door and finished loving me face down on his bed. Feeling pretty wrung out I laughed, “Now we’re back to the beginning!”

  His muffled laugh against my back gave me chills. “Yeah, I think I may have soiled you a little. Let me take care of that.” He was up in a minute and back soon after with a towel which he used to clean me up.

  I rolled over and held my arms up to him. He lay down next to me and I pulled his head to my chest. “See how well we do when we work together? I bet we could face all kinds of situations together if we tried!” My cheesy teacher voice had him groaning and he rolled away from me to fasten his pants.

  “You better get dressed, Jesse or I’m really not letting you out of my bed.”

  I pushed up on my elbows. “I think we should add to our plan for the day a run by my place so I can at least grab some clean clothes. I don’t want to add to Nora’s laundry dutie
s.”

  He laughed. “Do I have to stay outside now?”

  I shook my head. “Not at all. But you’ll hate my bed so I doubt you’ll want to have any fun over there.”

  He stood up from the bed and his eyes drifted across my naked body. “Who says we need to use the bed? We were doing perfectly fine in the bathroom.”

  I threw my towel at him and stood up. I pulled on my skirt from last night and looked around.

  “Seen my bra anywhere?” He pulled it off the doorknob and we both giggled. I finished dressing and thankfully I wasn’t too wrinkled. I definitely needed to go by my place, though. My panties were MIA and there was no way I was going to see Gloria with no panties on.

  Gloria! Shit! How was I going to tell her about this little problem? I finished dressing and braided my hair. Danny handed me my purse and we climbed into the Challenger. He kept to his promise of not taking his hands off me by holding my hand in the car, the hand to the lower back while I walked up the stairs was back, and he twirled a stray lock of my hair around his finger while I tried to get my door unlocked. The stairs were remarkably clean, making me curious as to what the state of Cosmo’s apartment was. We stepped inside and I told Danny to make himself comfortable on the couch. He walked around, looking at pictures and my books smiling to himself.

  “I’m just going to grab a few things,” I said and he turned to smile at me.

  “Thank you, Jesse. I’m glad you’ll stay.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him. “Tonight. I’ll stay tonight and then tomorrow we’ll make a new plan, ok?"

  He shrugged and went back to looking around. There wasn’t much to see. He stopped in front of a frame with various pictures of my parents and I displayed. “You look a lot like your mother. Was she a dancer, too?”

  “Yes indeed. Strictly ballet, though. We had quite a fight when I told her I only wanted to do jazz and tap. I had a lot of ballet as a child, which helped, but I wanted to do something different.”