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by Ivy Smoak
"So," I said and sat down. "How long have you lived in this apartment?"
He sat down across from me. "Ever since I started working at the university."
I looked around again. "So why aren't there any decorations? There isn't a single picture anywhere."
"I wasn't sure how long I'd be staying for."
"Why?" I could tell he was starting to get uncomfortable. He shifted in his chair.
"Like I told you before, I needed a change. But I wasn't sure if the change would be permanent."
"Do you still think you'll go back to New York?" I didn't want to lose him. Whatever this was between us, I didn't want to picture it ending. We had only just started dating.
The timer on the oven went off.
"There's nothing left for me in New York." His expression grew dark. He got up and went back into the kitchen. He grabbed the casserole dish with a pair of potholders and brought it back to the table. Why did he look mad at me? He told me I could ask him a few questions. He put a scoop of the dish on my plate. It was penne noodles, chicken, and vodka sauce.
I didn't pick up my fork. "So, the move is permanent now?" I held my breath as I waited for his answer.
He gave me a smile. "I believe so."
Yes! "What made you change your mind?"
"You."
I looked down at my plate. He was probably just joking, but I felt my face blush regardless. I laughed awkwardly and took a bite of the vodka chicken. "This is delicious."
"Thank you."
I looked up and he was staring at me.
"Do you have any more questions for me, Penny?"
"Only a million more."
He laughed.
"Tell me about your family."
He finished chewing a bite of food. "Well, I have an older sister and a younger brother."
"Tell me about them."
"My sister lives in New York." Professor Hunter finished off his glass of champagne and poured himself another.
"And what does she do?"
"She's a writer."
"Has she written anything that I may have heard of?"
"Probably not."
I wasn't sure whether I should be offended or not. I decided not to dwell on it. He was probably just uncomfortable answering all these questions. "And what about your brother?"
"The last time I heard from him, he was in Costa Rica."
"Wow. What does he do there?"
"Nothing as far as I know. He's been taking time off to travel."
"Well that's fun." Professor Hunter looked so uncomfortable. He must not have been close with his brother. I decided to change the subject. "And your parents?"
"What about them?" His voice was so tense. He clearly did not want to talk about his family. But I wanted to know more.
"Well, where are they?"
"I'm not close with my parents."
"That's a shame."
He laughed. "No, it's not." He shifted in his chair. "And what about your family, Penny?"
I was about to ask why he was fighting with his parents, but he had avoided my next question with a question of his own. "I'm an only child. Growing up, I was really close with my parents. But not as much since I started college."
"And why is that?"
Now I was the one who felt uncomfortable. "I don't know. I feel like some of the best things about college are just things you don't really talk about with your parents."
"You mean like me?"
"Yeah," I laughed. "I mean, I can't exactly tell them about you. I don't even like to imagine how upset they'd be with me."
"So you're ashamed that you're fucking your Comm professor?"
It wasn't just the words that he used, but the way that he said it that made me uncomfortable. "That's not really the way that I think about it. I'm definitely not ashamed. I really like you, Professor Hunter."
His expression stayed the same. What the hell was his problem?
"If that's the way that you think of me, than I guess you've gotten all that you want from me." I felt hurt. He made me think it was more. I wished I wasn't wearing just his t-shirt. I folded my arms across my chest and looked down at the table.
"I knew I wanted you since I first ran into you in that coffee shop. But I wasn't going to pursue you because you're a student. When you showed up in my class it complicated things, though. Every time I saw you, every answer you gave for the daily assignments, and every time we spoke made it impossible for me to get you out of my head. I knew I wanted you. I thought if I let myself give into the temptation I could move on."
I felt so cheap. He just wanted me for my body. He was just like Austin. No, he was worse. I stood up. I had to get away from him. I didn't want him to see my cry.
"Penny, sit down."
I didn't move.
"Sit down, or I'll make you sit down."
I gulped. His words had such a power over me. What the hell was happening to me? I sat back down in my chair and looked at him.
"I don't understand why you're upset. We've already talked about all of this. Everything is different now. I couldn't move on. I don't want to move on. Your all that I think about." He rubbed his face in his hands. "Geez, you have this way of crawling under my skin."
"Why, because I want to know more about you? That's what people that are dating do! I don't know why you always get upset when we try to talk."
"Because I don't want you to know what kind of man I am."
"I think that you're exactly the kind of man that I want." I swallowed hard. I grabbed my glass and took another sip of champagne. "Can you please just try to answer a few more questions without exploding?"
"I'm sorry." He took a deep breath.
"Are your parents wealthy?" I didn't want to antagonize him, but I needed him to answer my questions.
He sighed. "Yes. But everything I have is because of the choices I've made. I don't want a cent from them."
I could tell he was trying hard to stay calm, but there was such anger in his voice.
"Penny, do you enjoy pushing all my buttons?"
"You're always so in control. It's a little fun to see you squirm."
He raised his left eyebrow at me.
"I just feel like you're hiding something from me. And I don't understand why. I told you that I trusted you. Don't you trust me?" My stomach churned when I said it. He shouldn't trust me. I was lying to him about my age. I was being a hypocrite.
He didn't answer right away. I could feel his eyes boring into my soul. Does he know I'm hiding something too?
"I do trust you," he finally said.
"So what happened with your parents? Why are you so mad at them?"
"It's complicated."
"Well, you're a professor. You should be good at explaining things. Make me understand."
He sighed. "My whole life they put so much pressure on me. To the point where I felt like I didn't get to make any of my own choices. It took me far too long to realize. And when I finally did, my life was no longer mine at all. I felt like I was drowning. Becoming a professor was the first thing that I decided for myself in a long time."
I could see how vulnerable he was. The strength and control he possessed were gone for a second. He looked up at me.
"So screw them," I said.
He laughed. "Penny, being here, with you...I finally feel like I can breathe again."
"I feel the same way. You make me feel alive."
"Come with me." He got up, put his hand out for me, and pulled me to my feet. I followed him to his bedroom. My heart was racing. He pulled his shirt off, then his jeans, then his boxers.
"Professor Hunter. I'm a little sore."
"Penny, you'd be surprised to find out how many times you can orgasm in a day. Your body can take it. And I want to show you that this is more than just fucking for me too. So I promise to be gentle."
More than fucking? What is he going to do to me? I really did trust him. I lifted my shirt off over my head so that I was standing naked i
n his pristine bedroom. Now I was the one feeling vulnerable.
He lifted me into his arms and placed me down on his bed. He kissed the inside of my ankle and traced kisses up the inside of my leg. I felt him lightly nip my inner thigh and then he moved to my other ankle and repeated the process. When he nipped my inner thigh this time, I groaned. My whole body tingled with desire. It didn't matter that I was sore. I wanted him. I needed him inside of me, filling me, claiming my body. I could feel that my clit was swollen when he slowly circled his tongue around it. But it didn't matter. I had never wanted him more. My hips rose to meet him.
But he quickly moved his head and kissed the palm of my left hand. He trailed kisses up my arm, slowly across my shoulder and clavicle, and then down my other arm. When his lips kissed my other palm it felt like every inch of my body was aroused. He had awoken something inside of me that I didn't even know existed. He kissed between my breasts and slowly went down my stomach. Yes. That was it.
His lips gently sucked on my clit while his hands massaged my inner thighs. When his fingers finally touched me I knew I was ready for him. But he still entered me slowly, lovingly. My heart beat quickened even more. His fingers felt so good. He leaned over top of me and kissed my forehead, my nose, and then my mouth. His fingers pressed against my walls, massaging me in the most intimate way. I could feel his erection stiffen as he kissed me deeply. When he pulled away I could see my want reflected in his own eyes. I swallowed hard. My lips parted. I was panting.
He moved one hand under my ass and lifted my hips slightly as he slowly filled me with his length.
"Oh!"
He bit his lip as he looked down at me. I liked when he was rough with me. I loved when he fucked me. And this was somehow completely different, yet the same. He pushed firmly against me, going deeper than he had ever been before. Yes! Was it possible that this was even better than fucking? I felt so connected to him. My hands explored the muscles on his back.
He kissed me as he began to thrust in and out of me. My fingertips dug into his flesh. His abs pressed against me as he went in deeper still. "You're so gorgeous," he whispered into my ear. "Every inch of you." He bit my earlobe and I felt myself clench around his hard cock.
"Yes!" I moaned. He kissed me passionately, riding out my orgasm. When my orgasm subsided, he rubbed his nose against mine. A smile curled on his lips.
"I'm not done with you yet. I'll never be done with you." His voice was doused with desire.
He rolled over and pulled me with him so that I was now on top. He grabbed my ass and guided his cock in and out of me. I could see him watching my breasts bounce with every movement. He moved his hands to my waist, slowly slid them up the sides of my torso, and grabbed my breasts in his hands. I continued to move my hips, letting him slide in and out of me, as he firmly squeezed my breasts. He rubbed my swollen nipples and then looked into my eyes as one of his hands slid down my stomach. His fingers began to massage my clit.
"Professor Hunter." I let my head drop back. I was going to come again.
His hands grabbed the sides of my face and pulled me down into him, kissing me. We rolled over again and I was pinned to the soft mattress. He thrust himself a little faster in and out of me. I wrapped my legs around the back of him and grabbed his ass. I pulled him into me. As his hot cum entered me, he closed his eyes and groaned. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. His hard cock throbbing inside of me was all I could take. My own orgasm washed over me as his heat burst through me again.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked into mine as he pulled out of me. Smolder.
Chapter 35
Monday
There was a strange pressure building inside of my chest. It felt like I was about to cry. Why was I falling apart here? I had everything I wanted in this man. But what he had just done to me. The way he had made me feel. Now everything felt more real.
I quickly sat up and pulled my legs in, hugging them close. The tightness in my chest was growing. It felt like I was drowning. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself. What is wrong with me?
Professor Hunter sat up and cupped my chin in his hand. "Penny, what's wrong?" His brow was furrowed.
"Nothing." I blinked to try and remove the tears that were trying to fall. I hugged my legs tighter.
He rubbed the side of my chin with his thumb and didn't say a word. He looked truly concerned.
"It's just. For some reason, this whole time, it's seemed like I made this all up. Like it's this fantasy and you're not real. And I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up from this amazing dream and you're going to be gone. That you're just going to disappear."
"I've told you that I'm not going anywhere. There's no reason to be upset about that. Please don't cry." He wiped away one of the tears that had fallen down my cheek.
"But what we just did. I know you said you were going to be gentle. But I expected it to be like the other times. This whole day just seemed different. More intimate. I don't know. I didn't expect to feel so...so..."
"No one's ever made love to you."
I felt embarrassed. He didn't even ask it like it was a question. He just knew. Why had I opened my mouth? "Well, I thought so. But no, not like...not like that." I was so pathetic.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He rubbed another tear off my cheek. "How many partners have you been with?"
Sexual partners? What the hell is this conversation? "One." I felt so inadequate. If I wasn't uncomfortable before, I definitely was now.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down on top of him. I expected him to say something, but he just held me against his chest. I listened to his steady heart beat.
I had a feeling that I didn't want to know the answer to my next question, but I couldn't resist asking anyway. "And how many partners have you been with?"
He sighed. "A little more than that."
"How many more?"
"Penny, I don't want to you to think poorly of me."
"More than five?"
He sighed again.
"More than ten?"
"I spent a large portion of my college years fairly drunk."
"More than fifteen?"
"We should probably stop playing this game."
"Professor Hunter, you're a slut!"
He laughed. "You seem to enjoy all my experience."
I cringed. I didn't like to picture him with other women.
"And what about your one, Penny?"
"What about him?" I didn't want to talk about Austin. Not at all, ever. But especially not here in Professor Hunter's bed. I slid off of him onto my side and rested my head in my hand.
"One is rather intimate. Is he someone I should be worried about?"
I laughed. "No."
"So you no longer speak to him?"
Did he somehow know that I had seen him this semester? "No. I doubt that I'll ever talk to him again. He's an immature asshole."
"And why is that?"
"Why do you want to know?" I didn't want to be talking about this.
"Because I don't want to make the same mistakes with you that he did."
I sighed. I wanted this conversation to be over. "There isn't much to tell. We dated last semester. He didn't speak to me all summer. He made me feel worthless."
"So you broke up with him?"
"You can't really break up with someone who you never officially went out with."
He took my hand in his. "Penny Taylor, I promise not to make you feel worthless. And I'll try not to act like an asshole." He smiled. His fingers intertwined with mine.
"I don't know, Professor Hunter. From what I've found out about you, it seems like I'm just going to end up as another notch on your bedpost."
He laughed. "That's not who I am anymore."
"I thought it was impossible for people change?"
"I came here for a change. And I think I'm better off because of it." He pulled me toward him so that my head was resting on his chest again. I let my leg cross over
him.
I felt so safe in his arms. I knew why I had gotten so upset tonight. Because I wasn't just fucking my professor. I was in deep. I loved him. I'm in love with my Comm professor. I breathed in his sweet scent. This moment could last forever and it wouldn't be long enough.
***
I reached out my hand, expecting to feel his chiseled abs, but all I felt was soft, silky sheets. I opened my eyes. The bed was empty. The sound of the shower must have woken me. I rolled over and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was 7 a.m. I needed to get back to my dorm room so I could change before my first class. I slowly slid out of bed, lifted my arms above my head, and yawned.
The shirt I had borrowed from him was nowhere in sight. I walked into his closet and turned on the light. I ran my fingers along the row of his dress shirts. If I didn't have to get to class, I'd put one of those on and tempt him to seduce me. I smiled to myself. He had made love to me last night. This was real. He wasn't going to disappear. His intoxicating smell was all around me. I pulled open the drawer that I had borrowed a shirt from last night. There were a few different colors. I grabbed a blue one off the bottom. As I pulled it over my head I heard a clink on the ground.
When I looked down I didn't see anything. I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the bureau. Something shiny glinted from the corner. I grabbed the item and pulled it out from under the dresser. It was a gold ring. It can't be. There were words inscribed along the inner band. I took a deep breath as I drew the ring closer to my face in order to read the inscription.
"James & Isabella. 4-30-13."
No. It felt like my heart stopped beating. The tears began to well in my eyes. He's married? I gulped. He's married?! I was having a hard time processing the words. How could he do this to me? I put my face in my hands and shook my head. How could he do this to her? The water turned off in the other room. Shit. I quickly wiped my eyes and got up off the floor. I had to get out of there. I threw the ring back in the drawer and ran out of Professor Hunter's bedroom.
PART 3
Chapter 36
Tuesday
I was blinded by my tears. How could I be so naive? He was the predator and I was the prey. And I had willingly fallen into his trap. His perfect physique and his suggestive words had worn down all my inhibitions. I tripped over my own feet and fell onto his kitchen floor. Every inch of me wanted to stay down. I felt so weak. The weight of what I had done was heavy on my shoulders. I was a mistress.