by Sarah Stein
Once the waitress took our orders and refilled the wineglasses, Tobias cleared his throat once again and said, “I’m not entirely sure what Elodie said about me, and quite honestly, I don’t want to know the precise wording. The only thing I want to hear at this point is your viewpoint. What’s on your mind?”
Sophie took a second, sipped on her wine, and then responded, “I don’t want to believe Elodie, but I have been burned before by an ex. It sucks, and the one thing, other than protecting yourself from the reoccurrence, is making sure others don’t get scorned by the same guy. That’s what Elodie did. She wanted to protect me from something that could happen because it happened to her. I understand Elodie’s reasoning. I shouldn’t want you, but I can’t ignore my feelings. They are what’s driving me toward you. The connection you mentioned before, that’s strong, and I want to explore it even if it means I’d get burned in the process.”
Tobias tried to interrupt, but I didn’t give him a chance because I needed to get this off my chest. As much as I wanted him, I needed him to know where I stood before we could go any further. My heart was off-limits for now, but we could explore and learn. If I ended up falling in love, well then, that’s hard to stop.
“I won’t say that I’m yours and will fall in love like some smitten woman, but I’m looking to explore the connection if you are. There’s one thing I’m requesting; total honesty, even if it means breaking things off. I refuse to be in the backseat of this ride,” I said, bluntly staring into his eyes.
A sparkle could be seen in the depths of his iris as he spoke, “I’m on board with testing the waters. Since we’re going for all honesty, I’d like to say a few words.”
Tobias kept his hand over mine, but this time started a continual rubbing from the wrist to the tip of my forefinger. The chills from the slight touch alone made me satisfied with the decision I’d made. I wouldn’t forget Elodie’s warning, I would do my best to guard my heart. I could be a mature woman and take what I wanted from Tobias. The chemistry between us was unreal and unique, one I’d never had the pleasure to feel before, and I wanted to find out how deep it went.
I shivered as soon as he spoke; the mixture of his soft touch and baritone froze me to the spot. Already I wanted to feel those hands and mouth in other places. In due time.
“I won’t agree with what Elodie spoke about me. As I mentioned, I’m not interested in her words. I’m more interested in yours. I will, however, say I did cheat and cause the breakup of our marriage. Was I sorry? Of course, but the damage had been done. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I could not turn back time, nor could I change Elodie’s viewpoint of me after the incident. Even after I tried numerous times to talk to her and possibly work things out, she’d already made up her mind. Our relationship was unrepairable,” Tobias revealed, licked his lips, and then continued, “I agree transparency in a relationship is important. I’m more than on board with seeing where this chemistry between us will lead.”
It was done. Tobias agreed to my terms, not that there was much to the terms, but still, he was okay with being honest. The minute he broke the honest card, he was back out on the street, and I would cut all ties with him even if it meant giving up my dream job.
“That’s settled then,” I said, turning my hand around and cupping his. It looked like we were holding hands across the table. I let go the second I saw the waitress coming our way with food. I was starved and couldn’t wait to dig in.
Throughout the dinner, we stole glances at one another while stuffing food in our mouths. At one point, I’d asked to taste the steak Tobias ordered, he slowly fed me the food. It was erotic and made me want to see what else he would do once we were behind closed doors. Even knowing some of his past, I still wanted his hands on me. I wasn’t sure what type of person that made me. I enjoyed his company and was attracted to the man, so I didn’t let more thoughts of what he’d done nag my conscience.
Finishing our meal, I dabbed the napkin across my lips and then said, “The night is young. Would you like to go somewhere, possibly dancing?”
Tobias grinned and said, “If we’re being honest, here. I’d like to do some things to you that don’t require sweating on the dancefloor with strangers. As much as some people like that kind of stuff. I’m not one to share the woman I’m with.”
I matched his grin in return, and said, “Good. Let’s pay and get out of here.”
When I went to pull bills out for the food, Tobias halted my movements and said, “This one’s on me.”
“But I don’t want anyone to have to pay for me,” I responded.
Tobias nodded and then winked, and for some reason that one movement caused my cheeks to heat up. Damn him.
“I understand, but I was the one who asked you out, and so it’s my responsibility to pay for my date. Now, if you were the one to ask me out, then I might’ve let you pay. For now, please give me the honor of paying,” Tobias begged.
I could tell by his carefully worded statement he knew I liked to be independent, make my own decisions and pay my own way. I couldn’t allow his cute begging to go unnoticed, and so I said, “Sure. Next time, it’s on me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Tobias
Score. It felt good to get my way, and even better to see those rosy cheeks again. My heart swelled the moment I witnessed the blushing, and the need to have Sophie under me intensified. All throughout dinner, I watched every subtle move, paid close attention to her wording, and tried my best to keep skin to skin. It was like a magnetic force, and I didn’t want to break the pull.
She spoke about her life while we ate, and I learned she loved music as much, if not more, than I loved art. We were both passionate about creativity, and it made me want her more so than before. Sophie was brilliant-minded and very independent by the way she took care of herself for years. I also learned she experienced bad relationships, too. It broke my heart to hear how some of those men treated her. It was even worse because I was that same guy and treated Elodie just as bad.
I couldn’t change Sophie’s past, but I could damn well work hard to create a better future for her. The feeling that overcame me could be closely described as being high as a kite when Sophie had given me the time of day. I would not make her regret the decision to give me a chance.
The check was paid quickly, but not fast enough because every time Sophie glanced at me, I melted into the deep blue abyss. I wanted my hands back on her, to feel the soft skin between my fingers and the chemistry warming my insides. Unfortunately, we needed our hands to eat, so I itched to put them back where they belonged; on Sophie.
“You ready to leave?” I asked, already getting up from my seat.
Sophie nodded and took the outstretched hand I’d extended her way. It wasn’t that I thought she couldn’t get up by herself; it was needing to feel the silkiness of her body. My cock twitched as I caught a waft of her sweet perfume. I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly trying to get a grip, but the act worsened my state as I caught more of her smell. We needed to be alone, away from prying eyes so I could have Sophie all to myself.
The tingles started from the tips of my fingers and traveled throughout my body. I was close to full mass, and if I weren’t careful, I’d have to rearrange myself before walking out. How could someone affect me the way this gorgeous woman has?
I ushered Sophie so fast out of the building I’d practically dragged her on the way outside. The second we made it to my car, I turned her around to face me, ran my hand through her hair, gripped her scalp with my palm and then slammed my lips on top hers. Her perfume’s sweet scent engulfed me, and I couldn’t seem to get enough of her mouth. Our tongues clashed, and her moans filled the air around me. By God, this woman’s going to kill me. She fought for dominance over the kiss, and I let her win because, at this moment, I had her pliant and ready. I could’ve easily slid my pants down a fraction, lifted her dress and took her against my car in the parking lot.
I lost
myself in the moment until Sophie pulled me above water, “We have to stop, or we’ll end up regretting it once the cops arrest us for public indecency.”
I reared back, trembling from the sheer intensity of the make-out session and chuckled, “I doubt I’ll regret being arrested for thrusting into you. If anyone has a problem, they shouldn’t be watching. You are right, though. We can take this somewhere more private.”
Sophie righted herself and touched her lips gently as I opened the passenger door for her. While walking to my side of the vehicle, I grinned at witnessing the wide-eyed look on her face. I knew I wasn’t crazy and we both felt the effects of the attraction. I shocked her as much as she shocked me, and I was more than okay with that.
We buckled up, and no sooner than I started the vehicle we arrived at her place. I could’ve brought her to mine but didn’t want to put her in a predicament where she’d have to ask me to bring her home in the morning. Here’s to hoping she’d ask me to stay. I mean, we hit it off well, and our bodies were craving each other, but she still had the chance to say no.
I put the vehicle in park, got out and walked to her side and opened the door. She shimmied out the seat and stood in front of me. It was awkward for point five seconds until she took the initiative and made the first move. The chemistry was just as strong as in the parking lot of the restaurant. I walked her backward to get to her door but didn’t have the key to open it. Breaths heaving, she quickly opened the door, and we were at it again. Hands flung all over the place, mine gripping her thighs and lifting her up as she wrapped her legs around my waist.
Sophie’s dress rode up high, and I could feel lacy panties at the tip of my fingers. I wanted to rip them off, removing any material that dared stand in the way of my member. Her low mewls echoed in the house as I grunted, “Where’s the bedroom?”
She didn’t stop licking and biting my neck as she pointed to the far right of the hallway. There was no stopping the moment as I carried Sophie into the room she indicated was hers and gently placed her on the bed. We were greedy, ripping clothes off one another. As much as I wanted to slow the moment I’d been waiting for, I couldn’t. Sophie held me captive, stuck in a euphoria that could only be diminished after our bodies connected.
There was no time for foreplay. By the swipe of my index finger, I knew how ready Sophie was, and it took everything in me not to be too rough. I lined my cock with her vagina and slammed home, finding the time to open my eyes and see the look of awe on her face. Her legs were still wrapped around mine as I continued standing up on the side of her bed and gripped her ankles with my hands. A second later, I pulled out and thrust back inside, causing her eyes to roll back and a grunt to escape her lips.
The twisted look on her face tugged at my heart, and with the next thrust, I knew I was a total goner.
Chapter Sixteen
Sophie
We spent the weekend wrapped up in each other’s arms. Tobias was the sweetest person when it came to many things. For instance, he had me pick out a movie while he ordered pizza. He didn’t care which movie, and so to play with him, I picked Dirty Dancing. No guy cared for the gushy movie, but it seemed Tobias didn’t mind. He had other things planned anyway, like taking over my body as the movie played in the background.
The whole thing was like a dream vacation, one I didn’t want to end. But, lo and behold, we had lives to live, and that included work. When Sunday night rolled around, I dreaded Tobias leaving my place, but I needed to get a little shut-eye and prepare for work Monday morning. I didn’t want him to leave but he had to. We weren’t at the stage where he could sleep over every single night. Not yet, at least.
“I’m missing you, already,” Tobias said as he tugged on my hand and maneuvered my body into his.
The past few days had been a breath of fresh air. We craved one another in ways I’d never craved anyone else. It was gloriously terrifying. It didn’t scare me away, but it made me nervous to know I could feel so much for one person. All the while, I forced Tobias’s history to the back of my mind. This was a clean slate, and I believed he wouldn’t hurt me as he hurt others.
I leaned in, inhaled his masculine scent, and said, “Me too. But we can get together after work tomorrow. I need to focus on what needs to be done for class. Dinner tomorrow night?”
“You know it,” Tobias said and bent his head to take my lips.
His scent enveloped me as his tongue snaked into my mouth. I tasted him in so many ways but still couldn’t get enough of his kisses. If he didn’t leave now, I’d end up getting him to stay and saying to fuck with work. This was my dream job, and I needed to be on par for the day, so I pulled away, gave Tobias another tight hug, and watched him leave my home.
Once Tobias left, I moved around the place, cleaned up our mess from the weekend, and performed my nightly routine. Close to nine, I tucked myself into bed. For a few minutes, I thought about how amazing the weekend had been and how light-hearted I felt from the prospect of starting something new with Tobias. Above all else, he was terrific, and I looked forward to what the future held.
Night merged into day as quickly as I shut my eyes and became dead to the world. When I opened them, I felt light, lighter than I’d felt in a long time. I had no worries, only excitement for the upcoming week. Not only do I get to start work at my dream job, but I also get to see Tobias. I know I’d seen him only a few hours ago, but I was excited to be near him again. To me, it wasn’t soon enough.
I took care to dress properly, sophisticated with a slight sexy look so I could catch Tobias’s attention. My maroon blouse opened just enough for a tease, yet not too much because of the students I would teach. I didn’t want it to look terrible and skanky. I finished the look with a pair of light denim tight skinny jeans and silver laced flats. After touching up my makeup, I was ready to go.
In no time, I’d made it to work with ten minutes to spare. From the doorway of the building to my classroom, I hadn’t caught sight of Tobias. When I peeked into his room, I hadn’t seen him there but did see a few students milling about. I wanted to surprise him around lunchtime since he thought we wouldn’t see one another until dinner. I forgot we’d get the same lunch when I offered dinner - Silly me. Taking my thoughts off of Tobias and focusing on the room at hand, I became even more excited as the first student entered the room.
Hours later and lunchtime was in full swing. I’d listened to the same music over and over and figured out what level of voice my students had; soprano, alto, bass. It was a very interesting first day, but fun as well. As soon as everyone left my room, I dashed into the hallway and made my way to Tobias’s room. He wouldn’t even expect my entrance, and I couldn’t wait to surprise him.
When I entered his room, I’d stopped dead in my tracks for a second, and then fled right out the way I’d come. There wasn’t a person in sight, thankfully. Had someone been around, Tobias would surely lose his job. It’s bad enough he’d lost me forever. That simple thought shredded my heart to pieces. Wet globs blurred my vision as I fought against the image I’d witnessed.
How much of a fool was I? I ignored Elodie’s warnings and believed Tobias. Why did it hurt so bad when I’d only known him for a small fraction? Was this love or infatuation? My chest ached so much I wanted to rip the beating heart out and get rid of it. It was already stomped on by Tobias. He’d reeled me in and hooked me, and I was blind-sighted by the charismatic version of him - Stupid me.
The worse part was not being able to leave the school. I had to go on and teach the class while disconnecting myself to the scene I’d witnessed; a girl bent over Tobias. Not just any girl, one who clearly looked like a student. The bastard couldn’t even wait until he was off the clock before cheating on me. I wanted to go home. I wanted to lick my wounds and mend threads of my broken heart. I wanted to forget all about the day I’d met Tobias. I clutched my chest again, hoping the pain would soon subside.
Chapter Seventeen
Tobias
“It’s not what it looks like,” I bellowed into the now empty hallway.
There wasn’t another soul in sight, which was a good thing for me. The last time someone walked in on me, it was a shitshow. I’d lost my relationship. This time was different. The girl literally bent down to get her books that had fallen to the floor.
The typical me would have taken advantage of the situation. I’d have had the girl bent over my desk as I plunged myself into her body, but that wasn’t me anymore. I wanted one person, and that person didn’t return the want right now.
I know how bad it must’ve looked to Sophie. How from the doorway’s angle, I was being sucked off by a student, but it absolutely was not the case? If I could say the girl didn’t want me well, that would’ve been a lie. For the past week that she’d been in my class, there had been hints, but that wasn’t me. I wasn’t one to fall for it anymore. I wanted Sophie, not some random person, especially one of my students. Been there and done that. I was past this shit.
Turning back into my classroom, I said, “You need to go.”
“But I needed to talk to you,” the girl responded, “besides, I doubt anyone will come back in the room now.”
The hint was there, but I wasn’t having it. I wanted the girl gone. Looking at her short, straight blonde hair and bright, chocolate eyes, I said on a deadpan voice, “Leave.”
We locked eyes for a moment, but then her brown ones down cast as I watched her shoulders slump in defeat. She gave up, and I let out a pending breath when she gripped tightly onto her shoulder bag and exited the classroom.