by Ivy Smoak
"He didn't stay because of me. We only met at the beginning of this semester. I think he just needed a change from New York."
"Yeah, me too. But Costa Rica wasn't it for me either. I'm thinking a college town is right where I belong." He gave me his dazzling smile. "So, what kind of weird stuff is James into?"
"What?"
"You know. Give me something good so I can make fun of him when he gets out of the shower."
"He's not into anything weird." He just likes being in control and spanking me when I've done something bad. I bit my lip.
"You're totally lying. Come on, tell me. This is going to be hilarious."
I heard the shower turn off. "There isn't anything weird."
"Please, Penny. All we ever do is mess with each other. It's going to be funny, I promise."
I wanted to bond with him. "I don't know. Sometimes he spanks me."
A smile spread across Rob's face. "So that's what you're into? I'll spank you right now if you want."
I folded my arms across my chest. "You're kind of ridiculous."
"Thanks. You're kind of sexy. Nah, that's a lie. You're super sexy."
James walked into the room and looked down at the clothes on the ground. "Oops," he said and wrapped his arms around me.
I looked up at him and laughed. It almost seemed like he remembered that our clothes were all over the room. Had he made me give Rob the tour on purpose? I didn't understand sibling pranks at all. James smelled so good.
"Your girlfriend and I had lots of fun while you were in the shower," Rob said.
"What was so much fun?" James said.
"Well, let's see. All sorts of stuff. I think we really hit it off. Especially after I gave her a proper spanking. Oh, and here's your girlfriend's bra back." Rob pulled my bra out from behind the bar and tossed it at James.
Oh God.
James lowered his eyebrows. "I guess you decided to keep being inappropriate?"
"Absolutely. Besides, if I recall correctly, you've stolen a few girlfriends from me."
"That was a long time ago. And you weren't in love with them."
"Love? Really?" asked Rob. "I just assumed it was about the great sex. I thought that was all you really cared about?"
James' body seemed to stiffen slightly. "That was also a long time ago."
"So Penny's bad in bed? I find that very hard to believe."
James laughed. "No. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the reason I fell in love with her."
"James." I lightly pushed on his chest. This conversation was so awkward. They were talking about me like I wasn't there.
"What, it's true." He put his lips to my ears. "You're also amazing on the pool table."
I could feel my face turning red again. "You guys are super immature."
"Said the hot 20 year old." Rob put down his empty beer bottle. "Okay, come on, James. I need to get laid before I steal your girlfriend."
"I'd really rather stay in."
"You're my wingman."
"You two should go. You'll have fun." I smiled up at James.
"Yeah, I don't know." He looked down at me. I knew he was concerned about me. Professor McCarty hitting on me. Me snapping at the reporters. It hadn't exactly been a good day.
"Really. Just don't be super sleazy like your brother."
"Hey! I'm not sleazy. Horny, yes. Sleazy, no. I'll take care of your boyfriend. I won't let him do anything stupid."
"See. You're in good hands." Kind of. I wasn't sure how much I trusted the hands of James' sleazy, horny younger brother. But James needed to blow off some steam. And if there was anything I was sure of, it was that Rob was fun.
"If you're sure you're okay."
"I'm fine. You got me that huge T.V. I think I'll be plenty entertained."
"Awesome. Let's go," Rob said and walked past us.
As soon as Rob was out of the room, James leaned down and kissed me. "I want to stay with you."
"Yeah, me too. But I think maybe a night out with Rob will be good for you."
"I'm sorry that he's so...well, inappropriate."
"I think he's great. I mean, yes, super inappropriate. But I think he's just trying to be funny. I hope. I don't know, I like him. He's nice."
"Nice isn't exactly the word I'd use for him."
I shrugged. "So you're all about sex, huh?"
He ran his hand through his hair. "No. I mean, I told you about my past."
"Does Rob know about everything? He won't let you go...overboard?"
"Yeah, he knows."
"So you're in good hands."
"I guess." James smiled down at me. "If he's ever bothering you, just let me know. He's all talk. He's harmless."
"He's fine. I'm getting used to taking care of myself."
James frowned.
"I just mean I'm getting thicker skin. I didn't mean because you aren't taking care of me."
"Okay." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Tomorrow I'd like to go shopping for some stuff that will make our apartment more comfortable. Whatever you want. I want you to feel at home here."
"That sounds perfect."
He leaned down and kissed me again. "Try not to fight with the press while I'm gone."
"I'll be on my best behavior."
"Me too. Text me if you need anything." He kissed me once more and pulled away from me.
"I will." I picked up my pants off the floor and folded them.
He smiled at me on his way out the door. I heard him and Rob laughing and then it was completely quiet. I wondered if they always acted that way with each other's girlfriends. I had expected James to get super angry with Rob. But he had just thought it was funny. It was so nice seeing him laugh. I grabbed the rest of our folded clothes and walked down the hallway.
After putting our clothes in the hamper, I went back out into the living room and sat down on the couch. James had finished mounting the T.V. on the wall. I turned it on and picked up one of the many remotes. It took me awhile to figure out how to use it, but I eventually got Shark Tank on. I loved watching Kevin O'Leary make fun of everyone. This was probably my top choice for a Friday night. Although I'd prefer to be snuggled up with James while I watched it. His apartment seemed eerily quiet despite the T.V. being on. I turned up the volume. I had never been alone here before. Maybe after we picked out a few things together I'd be more comfortable.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out. James had sent me a picture of him and Rob sitting at a bar. Rob was giving me the middle finger. Or maybe he was giving it to James. I laughed. It was the only picture I had of James. I touched the screen. He was so handsome. He'd probably have to beat off all the drunk girls at the bar with a stick. Hopefully Rob would just give the middle finger to everyone that came up to them.
I had an unread message from Tyler. I opened it up and smiled. "I hope your day was okay. I was thinking about you. Did you meet Eli?"
"Yes, Eli saved me from having to stand in the corner of the lecture hall. Thanks for telling him to save me a seat."
I was surprised to see my phone buzz right away. I guess since we were just friends now, there was no protocol about waiting a certain amount of time to text back.
"I'm glad I could help. What are you and Professor Hunter up to tonight?"
"He's out with his brother who's visiting from out of town. I'm watching Shark Tank."
"I'm watching too. I'm waiting for Kevin to start talking about his wine club."
"I know! I love when he does that." I glanced back up at the T.V. It was such good quality that I could almost see each of Kevin's pores. Little T.V.'s had their advantages.
"It's definitely the best part of the show. I'm DVRing it. I can pause it if you want to come over."
"That's very tempting. But I've had a pretty crappy day. I think I just want to stay in. Thanks, though." I could just imagine how James would react if he came back and I was gone.
"What happened?"
I looked up at the
T.V. Maybe another perspective would be good. Tyler's first reaction probably wouldn't be to punch Professor McCarty in the face. But I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to think about how I felt frozen. His hand lingered on my ass for close to a minute before I got the courage to slap him. Just thinking about it made me feel sick to my stomach. "I'm just not sure I can do this anymore. I think maybe I should try to change schools. All of this just seems too hard."
My phone started ringing. I guessed that wasn't a sufficient answer. "Hi, Tyler," I said, putting my phone to my ear.
"Penny, really, what happened?"
"It's nothing." I could hear my voice catch in my throat.
Tyler was silent.
"It was really stupid. I don't even know why I'm upset about it. My intro to marketing professor made a pass at me. He wanted to work out an arrangement for extra credit or something. I don't know. Like I said, it was dumb." I felt so weak. I wanted be able to believe that it wasn't a big deal. But it was. I wished James would come home.
"Penny, that's not..." he sighed into the phone. "You should be upset. Shouldn't you tell the dean about this?" Tyler had said I should tell the dean about Professor Hunter. But this was different. He wasn't saying it out of spite this time.
"He said he'd say I came onto him if I tried to tell the dean about it. I got two strikes for what happened with James. I'll be expelled if I do anything else wrong." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I felt so stupid.
"Have you told James?"
"Yeah. He said he thought he could fix it. But I don't know if I even want him to try. Today was harder than I thought it would be. Everyone's so mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you. And I'm sure everyone who wasn't doing well in James' classes love you."
I laughed. "Yeah, Eli seemed happy about it."
"See."
I sighed and leaned my head against the back of the couch. "I just don't want to be here anymore."
Tyler was silent for a few seconds. "Where would you go?"
"I don't know. I think James wants to go back to New York. Maybe I can try to enroll in NYCU or something in the spring. I want to finish school. I just don't know if I can here."
"That would be kind of awesome if you went to New York. If I get that job I'm not going to know anyone when I move there after graduation."
"Yeah, it would be nice." I thought back on my pro con list I had made between James and Tyler. One of Tyler's cons had been that I didn't know where he'd end up after graduation. It was weird that we might end up in the same place after all. "Ah, Kevin's talking about his wine club!"
"Yes!"
We were both silent as we watched Kevin O'Leary go off on a weird rant about the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.
"I'm pretty sure those people aren't going to get a deal now," I said.
"No way. So what's Professor Hunter's brother like?"
"Like the complete opposite of James. He's not reserved at all. He says the most inappropriate stuff. But he's really funny. It was nice having him here tonight. He kind of made me forget about everything going on. I think he makes James really happy."
"Well that's good. Professor Hunter always seemed very tightly wound in class."
"Yeah. So are you excited for the formal tomorrow? Are you still going with Natalie?"
"Mhm. It should be fun." He didn't sound convincing at all.
"Melissa is really excited about it."
"Isn't Melissa always really excited about everything?"
I laughed. "Fair enough." The show had just ended. I had been right, the couple hadn't gotten a deal. "I think I might head to bed early."
"Okay. I need to get back to going through possible interview questions anyway. I was just taking a break to watch Shark Tank."
"I never thought you'd be one to stay in on a Friday night studying and watching T.V."
"I really want this job."
"Well, you should be super prepared. I really hope you get it."
"Thanks, Penny. Text me if you want to toilet paper your pervy intro to marketing professor's house or something."
I laughed. "That's actually a really good idea. I'll think about it."
"Night, Penny."
"Night, Tyler." I hung up the phone and looked back up at the T.V. I wasn't sure if I'd actually be able to fall asleep. I flipped through the channels. There were tons of scary movies on because it was getting so close to Halloween. After several minutes of searching, I turned the T.V. off. I just wanted today to be over. And I missed James. It had only been a few hours since he had left. I wanted him to have a good time tonight. He needed this.
I wasn't sure when I had become a needy girlfriend. Maybe I always had been. We fought a lot. He had been right when he said I took up a lot of his time. No wonder he didn't have any hobbies. He had said that Rob wasn't independent. I wanted to be independent. I wanted to be able to take care of myself.
I climbed into Professor Hunter's bed. Our bed. I loved that the sheets smelled like him. I couldn't seem to help it. I wanted to be with him all the time. Especially right now. When I closed my eyes I kept picturing myself behind Professor McCarty's desk. Maybe I should toilet paper his house. Eventually I drifted off into a fitful sleep.
***
I sat up with a start. Something had awakened me. I reached my hand out, but James still wasn't in bed. It felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. I heard the noise again. Laughter. It was just James and Rob laughing. I looked at the alarm clock. It was almost 2 a.m. I sighed and laid back down. I yawned and closed my eyes. Scary movies always freaked me out, even though I had just seen clips as I was channel surfing.
The bedroom door squeaked open. I rolled over and looked at James as he walked into the room. I could just make out him taking off his shirt from the little bit of moonlight shining through the curtains into the bedroom. He stumbled to the side slightly and started laughing again. "Shit," he mumbled as he almost fell over. He tossed his shirt into the middle of the floor.
"Are you okay?" I climbed out of bed. I could smell the alcohol on him.
"Hey, baby." His voice was deep and soothing. His smile was electric. I don't think I had ever seen him like this before. He was drunk. He was really, really drunk.
"Do you want some help?" I didn't want him to fall over and hurt himself.
"God you're beautiful." He put his hand on the side of my face. "I missed you tonight."
"I missed you."
"You're really, really beautiful, Penny."
I smiled at him. "You've already said that." He was cute when he was drunk.
He laughed and then looked past me at the bed. "Oh, shit, did I wake you up? I thought I was being really quiet."
I laughed as I unhinged his belt for him and pulled it out of his belt loops. "You weren't being quiet at all. I heard you guys laughing. You scared me. I thought someone had broken in or something."
He started to laugh again. "No. No, no, it's just me. It's just me, baby." He was looking at me in that hungry way. "I'm glad you're awake, though."
I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans for him. "You're drunk. You should probably get some sleep."
"I don't want to sleep. I missed you. I want you. I've been waiting to have you all day." He ran his hand through his hair.
How was he so sexy when he was drunk? No one was sexy when they were drunk. I pressed my thighs together. "It's the middle of the night."
"You told my brother that I like to spank you. But you didn't tell him how much you like it. How wet you get just thinking about it. You like getting punished. And if I recall, you were very, very bad today."
And just like that, I was awake, wanting him, needing him. I was just wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of underwear. I pulled off the t-shirt. Without a word, I turned around and placed my hands on the mattress, arching my back.
His hands were on me in less than a second, pushing my underwear down my thighs. He spanked me hard.
Fuck. He was ri
ght. He was always right. I love this.
"That was for going to your dorm room instead of coming to me when you were upset."
He spanked me even harder. "And for talking to the reporters."
I wanted him so badly.
He spanked me again. "And for flirting with Rob."
"I wasn't flirting with Rob."
He spanked me again. "And for talking back." His fingers slipped between my thighs, pressing against me.
I moaned.
"You're so wet. I think you like this even more than I do. And trust me, I'm enjoying myself." He leaned forward slightly, pressing his erection against my ass.
I moved my legs even farther apart, waiting for him to enter me. I needed him. "Professor Hunter, please."
"Fuck, I love when you call me that." He spanked me even harder than before. "And that was for rejecting my proposal."
"I do want to marry you." Had I hurt his feelings by saying no? "Ask me again right now. I'll say yes. A thousand times yes."
I thought he was going to spank me again. Instead, he rubbed his hand gently across my sore ass cheek. "This is mine." His gentle touch made me shiver.
"Of course."
"You said no to me." His hand was still cupping my ass. "I don't like when you say no to me." He grabbed my hips and thrust himself deep inside of me.
Yes!
He groaned and dug his fingers into my hips. "I really don't like when you say no to me," he said again.
"I'm sorry."
He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, making me arch my back even more. "God, you're so beautiful."
I laughed. "You're so drunk."
"Fuck, that feels good."
"What?"
"When you laugh." He reached around my waist and tickled my stomach.
I started laughing again. "James, stop. I can't breathe!"
He groaned softly and pulled out of me. "I think I just found my new favorite punishment."
"No, please don't tickle me." I laughed and climbed onto the bed.
His eyes were so playful. He climbed onto the bed after me. "I never realized how ticklish you were."
I squealed and tried to move away from his hands. But he easily grabbed my ankle, holding me down as he climbed on top of me. He grabbed my hands and held them above my head.