“Oh fuck! B.B.! You’re going to make me come!”
“Don’t hold back, baby. Come for me.” I stroked her clit hard as she pressed down into me with all her might. Her pussy gripped and released me spasmodically as I felt the heat of her juices drench me. I thrust up hard as she trembled in my arms. I was not far behind her. With a final thrust upwards, I bit my lips as my cock twitched and throbbed deep inside her. We took deep, calming breaths. Her head came to rest on my shoulder as she relaxed. Her even breathing soon told me that she had drifted back off to sleep. I held her tightly. It was still dark outside, but I knew I should leave soon to avoid detection. My eyes felt heavy. Maybe, I thought, I could shut them for a minute or two before slipping away. I stroked her back gently as my breathing grew even and I joined her in slumber.
I couldn’t tell what waked me the second time. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. There was a faint tinge in the sky that heralded the dawn. Now I knew I had to get out. Ari was still fast asleep in my arms with her legs sprawled across mine. Slowly and carefully I disentangled my legs from hers and gently moved her head to the side. I held my breath as she stirred. As she settled back, I continued my escape. I was on the verge of slipping out of bed when she stirred and yawned.
“B.B.?”
“Shh. Shh. Go back to sleep. It’s almost morning. I’ve got to get out of here before your roommate wakes up.”
Instantly she was awake.
“What time is it?” She reached for her phone. Her eyes popped open. “Shit!” She leaped out of bed and grabbed a nightshirt from the armchair. “Carey will soon be up. We’ve got to get you out before she comes out. She’s an early riser.”
I hastily pulled on my boxers, pants, and shirt. I wadded my socks into a ball and stuffed them into my shoes. We quickly buttoned my shirt. Then she opened the bedroom door. She peeped out, then beckoned me to come. We stepped into the common area quietly. I smelled freshly made pancakes and my stomach rumbled. I would have to get something to eat before I got home, that was for sure. But food was not the first priority.
Ari opened the front door slowly, and I stepped up behind her, taking a deep breath as I placed a foot over the threshold.
“Well, good morning!”
My heart dropped to the soles of my feet and my hands immediately became clammy as I heard the cheerful greeting. Ari and I looked at each other. Slowly we turned to face a grinning Carey. She was leaning over the kitchen island with a spatula in her hand. Her eyebrows rose and her grin grew wider as she looked at Ari’s tousled hair. She chuckled as she looked at me standing barefooted in the doorway in my rumpled clothing. I took a deep breath.
“Good morning. I was just leaving.” I turned to make my now public escape complete.
“Breakfast is ready. Pull up a chair, you two.” She turned to the cupboard, took out three plates and put them on the island, one on her side and the other two opposite.
Ari and I looked at each other. Her face was as red as a tomato. I shrugged and tossed my head in the direction of Carey. Ari rolled her eyes and shrugged back.
“Come on, you two. It’s getting cold. Come. Sit.” Carey placed utensils beside the plates.
I swallowed hard. Ari took my shoes and placed them by the door as she closed it. Gently she took my hand and led me to the island. We took our seats just as Carey took a pan of scrambled eggs from the oven. The stack of pancakes looked like a small mountain. It seemed there was just enough of everything to feed three people. I felt my ears grow beet red and I snuck a glance at Ari. Her eyes were focused on her plate, which Carey had filled up.
“One spoon or two? There’s more than enough.” Carey smiled sweetly and winked at me.
“Two, please,” I mumbled.
Carey hummed softly as she finished serving me, then dished out a plate of her own. I slid my foot over to Ari and rubbed my toe along her instep, trying to offer some comfort. I saw her shoulders relax slightly.
“So, did you two sleep well?” Carey asked.
I choked on the bite I had just taken. Carey quickly got a bottle of water. She screwed off the top and handed it to me. I sipped it slowly to clear the obstruction.
“Sorry! I shouldn’t have asked when you had your mouth full. I just wondered, with all the ruckus you were raising, if you had gotten any sleep at all.” She grinned as she spooned some egg into her mouth and followed it with a bite of pancake. She swallowed and continued, “I guess, even if you didn’t, it’s the weekend, so there’s ample opportunity to catch up on lost sleep. And I guess if the reason for the lack of sleep is worth it…” She trailed off and giggled at what was left hanging.
I looked at Ari. Her head had not come up from her plate since she had taken her seat. She ate slowly and methodically, chewing and swallowing like a robot. I knew she was just as embarrassed as I was at being found out. But there was nothing we could do about it just then. What made me feel even worse was that it was another student who had found us out. There was no telling what could happen to Ari and me if word got out that we had slept together.
I nudged Ari with my foot, and she looked over at me. I gave her a tiny smile and then continued to eat. Despite the issues we were bound to face, I found that I regretted nothing. I did not regret meeting her back in August, making out with her, finding out that she was my student, making out with her again in my office, and ultimately making love with her. I regretted nothing. Whatever consequences might follow would have to be dealt with as they came up. If Carey hadn’t been sitting across from us grinning like a Cheshire cat, I would have pulled Ari into my arms, kissed her senseless, swept her up into my arms, taken her back to bed, stripped us both, and made sweet love to her over and over again.
I decided right there that I was going to take the plunge and blaspheme the code of conduct. I wanted to be with Ari. It was not our fault that we happened to be in two groups that ought not to have more than a professional interaction with each other. I wanted Ari, and I was going to be with her, no matter what.
Carey chattered on about random topics while Ari and I ate in silence. It was with a sense of relief that I swallowed my last morsel.
“Seconds?”
I shook my head rapidly. “No thanks. It was good, but I’ve got to be going now before it gets any later. I’ll see you both in class on Tuesday.”
“Relax. We’re the only ones from BCAS living in this building.”
I shrugged. “But still…”
“OK, OK. You’ve got to go. Ari, I’ll take care of the dishes while you walk your ‘guest’ out.” With a clatter, Carey cleared the island and Ari and I slipped off the stools. I retrieved my shoes and slipped them on, stuffing my socks into my pocket, I fished out my cell phone and handed it to Ari as she stood by the door waiting. She quickly punched in her number. I looked at Carey, who stood at the sink with her back to us. I dipped my head and kissed Ari quickly before ducking out.
I took the stairs to the parking garage, thankful that the building was still relatively quiet. In no time I was in my car heading out. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, glad to be away from the awkwardness upstairs. I waited until I was on the freeway before I called Ari. She picked up on the first ring.
“Hi. It’s me.”
“Hold on.”
I heard a door close. Then she came back to the phone.
“I’m so sorry, B.B. I promise Carey won’t say a word, though. She’s been my best friend since kindergarten, and, though she can be a bit of a gossip at times, this is one thing I know she’ll keep quiet about.”
“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. Relax. There are as many implications for you as there are for me. We’re both in this together. Relax. We’ll roll with the punches if and when they come, okay?”
I heard her take a deep breath. “I should have let you leave when I woke you up. But you were just there, and I just wanted you so badly.”
“And I wanted you just as badly. And I could have left right afterward, but I wanted to stay
with you, Ari.” I sighed. “Please don’t stress over this, okay? As I said, we’ll deal with the consequences should it become necessary.” I paused. “I wish I could have given you a proper goodbye kiss. Maybe next time?”
I laughed as she giggled. “Next time? You like to live on the edge don’t you, B.B.”
“In for a penny, in for a pound. It’s better to take a plunge than to wonder what would have happened. Some chances are worth taking. And believe me, Ari, I regret nothing about last night. Nothing at all.”
“Neither did I.”
There was silence on the line for a moment or two. I was nearing home. I cleared my throat. “I’m going to let you get along now, baby. I know you need to finish studying for the killer mid-semester you have coming up on Tuesday morning. That professor is one tough nut to crack. But you might have an advantage since he’s just leaving your bed but wishes with all his heart that he could turn this car around and come right back into your bed and make love to you all weekend long.” I heard her gasp softly, and I breathed deeply. I pressed the gate opener on the dashboard, watched the gate roll up, drove straight into the garage, put the car in “park,” and ran my fingers through my hair as I listened to her breathe.
“Ari, are you there?”
“Yes, B.B.”
“Okay. I’m home now.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to go now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and study. And one last thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t go back to Wayling’s and pick up any more random guys.”
She laughed. “Well, I can’t help it! The poor saps are always a bit scruffy-looking and in need of some TLC.”
I threw my head back and laughed at that. She joined me. At last, we both regained our composure. “I’m parked up in the garage. I’m going to head upstairs now. I’ll see you in class on Tuesday.”
“Ok. Tuesday. Bye.”
With a click she disconnected the call.
I sat looking at the phone in my hand. I took a deep breath. I was not one to do things by halves. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Chapter 9
Ariana
The call ended and I wandered back to the kitchen, bracing myself for the interrogation. I was not disappointed.
“So, someone had a busy night. And poor Carey would have been out of the loop if she hadn’t gotten up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and heard some very telling sounds coming from her roommate’s room. ‘Oh fuck! B.B.! You’re going to make me come!’ And, ‘Don’t hold back, baby. Come for me.’” Carey rolled her eyes back in her head as her body gyrated and jerked as if in the throes of ecstasy.
“You heard that?” I sank into the couch and covered my face with my hands. “I’m so embarrassed! I thought we were being quiet.”
Carey rolled her eyes and flipped her wrist. “Oh, please! I heard you the minute you got in. I did not know you had company until that little snippet I overheard.” She joined me on the couch and propped her face on her palm.
“Soooooo…”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Soooooo…”
“What was it like with him? Was he good?”
“You heard me last night. What do you think?”
“Was it everything you thought it was going to be?”
“Was it ever! And more. He’s just so perfect in every way. He’s a great lover and an awesome professor.”
“You forgot to add filthy rich.”
I narrowed my eyes at Carey. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, Ari. Look at the way he dresses and what he drives. You think he could afford that on a professor’s salary? That’s all high-end stuff. I did a quick snoop while you were on your little call just now. It’s amazing what can turn up on the Internet.” She pulled out her phone triumphantly. “Benjamin Buckley, age twenty-nine, a computer tech genius, the brain behind B-Squared.”
My eyes popped open. “B-Squared? As in the B-Squared? Social media platform B-Squared?”
She nodded. “The same. His net worth as of the last fiscal year was fifty-four billion.”
My mouth fell open. She slapped her thigh and laughed. “You should see your face right now! Yes, you heard me right. Billion. That’s with nine zeroes.”
“But – but – but what is he doing here, in our little college, teaching instead of – well, billionairing?”
She shrugged. “Beats me. But, for what it’s worth, he’s got his sights set on you, and he was in your bed last night. It’s a good thing you’re not the gold-digging nor the blackmailing type. But that seemed to be the least of his worries last night.”
I was still in shock. “I just can’t believe he is who you say he is.”
“Well, if you check the company website, you’ll see the logo that’s on your hoodie and some of his other clothes. It’s legit.”
I gave myself a mental shake and took a deep breath. I was speechless. The stakes had just gotten higher. I wandered to my room, closed the door, threw myself across the bed, and buried my face in the sheets, which still held his scent. My mind was a tumult as one thought after another tumbled through. Had our wild night happened? What on earth had even possessed me to go to Wayling’s at that time of night? Had I been subconsciously hoping to run into him? And when I had, why had I gotten into the car, given what had happened the first time? Then, to make matters worse I had been the one to invite him up. And he was not just my professor but some mega-billionaire computer genius? I had indeed put my foot in it.
I rolled around in the bed until I found a comfortable spot. Then I picked up my phone from the nightstand and went online. I typed his name in. Carey had not been lying. I clicked link after link. The picture and story were the same. I threw the phone down and lay looking up at the ceiling. I took a deep breath.
I didn’t care who he was, what he had, or what he did for a living. All I cared about was the fact that he was a great guy and I liked him – a lot. The only question was whether this great guy liked me back. The most devastating thing would be for the night to have been nothing more than a roll in the hay. Despite what he had said on the phone earlier, I waited for Tuesday with bated breath.
The mid-semester test lasted for just an hour. After we handed our papers in, we went straight into a lecture. As I walked up to the front to hand in my paper, I looked B.B. straight in the eyes. There was neither warmth nor familiarity in his gaze. My heart sank. I looked at him, willing him to even give a small smile. Nothing. I felt as if I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me as I trudged back to my seat. I slumped into my chair, fighting back the tears. I sensed Carey looking at me and quickly excused myself. I spent a few minutes in the ladies’ room composing myself.
Another classmate was there. She took one look at my teary eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Ari. You can always make it up in the finals.”
I gave her a watery smile and nodded. I splashed some cold water on my face and calmed down. If he was going to pretend that Friday never happened, then so would I.
I re-entered the lecture hall. The remaining time seemed to fly by, and before I knew it my bag was packed. As I stood and slung it over my shoulder, I heard my name spoken harshly over the speaker.
“Hartley. See me in my office at four.”
Students around me said “oooohhhh.” Everyone knew that nothing good came of being summoned to a professor’s office, especially in the tone B.B. had used. I spun around to look at him, but he was already halfway through the door.
I could barely concentrate in my next class as I thought about the impending doom I would face in a few hours. I kept watching the clock, and at five minutes to four I slipped out. With each step I took along the corridor my heart seemed to beat faster and pound louder. When I finally got to his office, I was a bundle of nerves. I prepared myself for the inevitable speech explaining that he had slept on it, he realized that what we had done was wrong, it was just a lapse in judgment, and it could never happen again. Sinc
e he was super rich, he might complete the humiliation by offering me hush money. I stilled myself to maintain my composure. I could always fall apart when I got home. And it would be only five weeks to the end of the semester. Surely I could get through that.
I raised my hand and knocked softly. There was no answer. I raised my hand to knock again but found the door pulled open. A hand reached out and pulled me in. The door was slammed shut and the next thing I knew my backpack had hit the ground and I was pressed up against the door. B.B.’s lips devoured mine as my hands twined around his neck. All my worry and trepidation melted under the heat of his kisses.
When at last he raised his head, our breathing was ragged. He rained tiny kisses all over my face. I laughed and cried at the same time. He nuzzled my nose with his.
“I’m sorry I had to be so cold with you in class. I couldn’t trust myself to even smile at you, baby. I’m sure everyone would have been able to tell. I can’t stop thinking about you. And it’s not just since Friday. Friday was just a manifestation of everything I’ve been feeling for you since that bubble tea spilled on you and I got to be your knight in a hoodie. I don’t care that you’re a student and I’m your professor. I want to be with you, Ari.”
“I want to be with you, too, B.B. But the risks are too great.”
“We could work something out. We’re two intelligent adults. We should be able to figure something out.” He pressed his body into mine and I felt the hard length of his arousal press into my belly. I sighed.
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