by Remi Grey
“Neil.”
“Yeah?”
I turned to Oliver, who was trying to introduce me to one of his master's students. I tried to shake the image of Leyla out of my head and focused on greeting the young man. Even as he went on about his thesis that I wanted so bad to delve into, I could only think about her. My eyes shifted up as she traveled along the floor, making small talk with the other professors and students.
“And it also brings in the German studies that we discussed in class and offers a different perspective on the idea of how the interaction works.” I nodded my head. I had no idea what he had just said. All I knew was that Leyla was coming right at me.
“Professors.” A woman standing before Leyla approached the group and smiled at us. She held out her hand to Oliver.
“Casey,” he said. “One of my favorite students.”
She laughed. “The favorite.” She held her hand out to Anna and then me. I looked past her to see Leyla following the same path and moving on to me. She held out her hand, letting her eyes hover mine while a slight smile played on her lips.
"Leyla Morris, nice to meet you, Professor," she said.
I took her hand and shook it. The feeling of our palms connecting felt like a whisper of what we wanted to be. The fact that only she and I knew the secret that lay between us was both exciting and nerve-wrecking. Especially considering Quinn, my boss and the chair of the department, was chatting with a few students and professors nearby.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said. I finished off the rest of the champagne that was in the glass when she and her friend decided to join the group. I stopped a server and grabbed another glass from the plate as Casey began to speak.
Chapter 7
Leyla
“Professor Neil Jamison," Casey began. I didn't expect her to dive right in, but that was just like Casey. "I feel like I've never gotten the chance to really speak with you. I spent most of my time bouncing between Professor Walker and Glascoe as a senior, and I've read great things about you."
Professor Glascoe snorted. "We were just talking about that." He turned to Professor Walker, raising an eyebrow. Neil laughed nervously and took a sip of his champagne, which reminded me of my own.
I let the sweet drink slip down my tongue while I kept my eyes on Neil. I didn’t know why I agreed to come to the gala if I would be this close to him, but not be really able to talk to him. Or touch him…
He raised his eyes to me, sending a wave of chills down my body. I was so used to being the one in control--used to being the one to make him feel nervous, but for the first time, I felt like he was challenging me and winning.
I cleared my throat. “You did research,” I began getting the attention of the crowd. “About how our response to love--emotionally, mentally, and physically--is innate and has been seen in various species even when it comes to being afraid.” I thought about the first time in his office when he turned me away. As excited as I was to try something different, it was clear he was still afraid. Something shifted in his eyes as though he could tell what I was thinking while the other professors looked on curious. “You said that sometimes different can be just as dangerous to them as a predator. You said that sometimes they get nervous. Their heart rate speeds up. They find themselves drawn to each other. And yet, they never reproduce.” I found myself in a position of power, watching him squirm while I spoke. He knew exactly what I was talking about. “Isn’t that something? Even though you could argue that these animals have feelings for each other, they fight something natural because of fear.”
“That is the premise of my research,” he confessed in a low voice. He took a sip of his drink and shifted a little. As much as I was getting to him, I could feel the heat starting to rise in my body. He was just so close…
"Fantastic research at that," Professor Walker added. "I'm sure once it's concluded, Princeton and Harvard will be proud to call you their own." She turned to Professor Glascoe and smirked, exchanging a story that only they knew.
Neil didn’t mind them, instead keeping his eyes focused on mine. A poem played between us. I want you, I need you, I love you. I love you, I need you, I want you. Now.
"I would never want to be like that," I concluded, referring back to his research while watching him fight the urge to give in to all the thoughts he was actively suppressing. "You know? It just doesn't seem right for anyone to hold themselves back from something that could be really good for them."
He threw back another glass of his champagne, his eyes intensifying over mine. The light reflecting from behind them made them seem like they were on fire. “I’ve got to use the ladies’ room.” I excused myself, throwing one last glance at Neil before sauntering away with a smile on my lips.
Chapter 8
Neil
The champagne wasn't helping at all. It was actually making things worse. I could only think about what it'd be like for that dress to slip a little lower. If it sank down to her ankles, revealing everything I wanted so badly to touch and kiss.
“I’ve got to use the ladies’ room.”
She walked past me, the vanilla hit me like a wave and drowning me.
“Neil.”
Anna was trying to get my attention, but it was futile. I muttered an excuse then moved away from the group, following the train from the dress, as I pushed attendees out of my way. Leyla was slipping toward a dimly lit hallway outside of the venue. The noise from the event became a distant hum as I grabbed her arm.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I questioned her before glancing over my shoulder to the dozens of staff gathered just a few feet away.
Her eyes widened as though she had no idea what I was talking about. With my hand on her lower back, I led her further down the hallway, pulling open a door and moving inside of it along with her. The tight space, a storage room with chairs stacked along the wall and boxes on the other side, was just enough to pace in front of her with frustration building in me with every second.
"You're not even a Psych major. How many times are we going to do this, Leyla?" I scorned. Despite the mounting volume of my voice, she remained calm, effectively angering me even more. "How many times am I going to tell you that we can't be together no matter what you do or say…" She looked up at me innocently. Fuck, she looked so beautiful. Trying to get the words to mean something to me was becoming harder and harder. My mind traveled below my waist, where I felt my desires personifying before me.
I opened my mouth to say something but realized I didn't have it in me to castigate her any further. With my hand slamming on the wall behind her for balance, I took the other to pull her into me, kissing her long and hard. Her lips were like the air that I was missing. For weeks, it felt like I had been drowning, and now that I was finally getting the chance to touch her, I couldn't help but go crazy.
"You can't just tease me for weeks and expect me not to do anything about it," I said, taking her leg and raising it up to my waist. She let out a breath, apparently more riled up than threatened. "This is what you wanted, right?" I shoved my tongue down her mouth, embracing her passionately while I let my hand travel up her dress. When I found the zipper, I let it fall effortlessly and watched as it brought the dress down with it.
I moved to the crevice on her neck. Her smell made my eyes roll back, revving me up as I sucked on it. She was the sweetest thing, and I was just a kid in a candy shop. I let my tongue trace a path down her collarbone where it stopped on her chest. Here, I took my time as I pulled her breast out and sucked on it like a lollipop after my tongue found its place around her nipple. I looked up at her as I made my way down her body, leaving kisses below her chest, on her navel, and her inner thighs.
I tugged on the sides of her panties, unwrapping my long-awaited gift, and watched them drop to the ground. I kissed the sides of her thighs, thanking her for the meal I was about to devour before moving my tongue inside of her. Her hands found their way to my shoulders for support. I could feel her quivering
as my tongue circled around her clit.
The waterfalls began to pour, moving me to lick up every last bit of her. She moaned softly, which motivated me to go even harder. I flicked my tongue into her and felt as she dripped all into my mouth.
I rose and found her lips again. As we kissed, I could feel the heat rising from within me again. Her hands moved up my chest and pulled off my jacket while I kicked her dress off to the side. She began unbuttoning my shirt as we embraced each other harder. My breathing came out in uneven huffs as I begged for more of her.
“You did this, Leyla,” I whispered into her ear as I unclasped her bra and threw it across the room. “You knew exactly what would happen if you came here.” I took both of my hands under her thighs and raised her above my waist, kissing her against the wall.
“And if I did?” she asked when there was a second for her to pull away. “If I knew that you’d give in finally. Then what?”
I leaned into her for another kiss but paused a few inches before her lips. “Then you deserve what you’re about to get.” I unbuttoned my pants and let it fall to my feet. The excitement flashed in her eyes just before I pulled out my dick and slid into her slowly.
She was quiet for the first time, not trying to challenge me--not trying to draw a reaction out of me. She let out a quivering breath. Just like I thought, not so bold now. As she held my gaze, she tried her best to hold on to my neck for support.
I gripped her thighs and pushed into her, letting the feeling of euphoria overwhelm me. The fact that I was in her right now was surreal enough. I just wanted to enjoy every moment of it. “Neil," she sighed as I began to put in the strokes. The faster I went, the more it felt like she was bouncing on me. "Neil,” she moaned again. Her hands moved from my neck to my back.
She let her fingers drag on my skin. The gentle pulse from the pain paired with how deep I was in her propelled me forward as I went faster. It also helped to look at her. Seeing her precious face moaning my name, the tears trailing her rouge cheeks the deeper I went in, motivated me.
I could feel her cum as it traveled down her thighs and onto me. Her legs shuddered around my waist, and as I slowed to a stop, I watched as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. I held her close as we both finished before letting her down slowly.
I rested my hand on her cheek and kissed her, missing her taste already. When I pulled away, she smiled. “What?” I said.
“Nothing.”
I raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t push for an answer. Suddenly, the door pulled open, letting a bright light spill in. I dropped down to the ground for my pants while Leyla grabbed her dress, placing it over her as a shield. “Neil! What the hell is going on here?”
Chapter 9
Leyla
My face was turning beet red. I could feel the heat in it and was certain of it. How else was I supposed to react when Professor Anna Walker was standing in the doorway of the storage closet? “Did you find her?” another voice said. Casey. The professor pushed the door closed and glanced behind her briefly before turning to the both of us.
“You have a lot of explaining to do, Neil,” she said to him just before shutting the door and enclosing us again. “No, let me check with the receptionist. Maybe she saw her leave,” she informed her from behind the closed door.
Neil and I dressed in silence.
“I’m so sorry,” I pleaded.
“No, it’s alright.”
I slid on my panties and pushed up my bra. “I don’t want to put your job in jeopardy, Neil.”
“Don’t worry about that.” He was already almost dressed.
I sighed and slid on my dress. When I realized that the zipper was too far down for me to get myself, I asked for his help. “Could you…?”
He nodded, prompting me to turn around.
Everywhere he touched sent a chill down my spine. The distance that had formed between us made what he had just done feel like a dream. “There you go,” he said, pulling away.
“Neil," I started as I turned to face him. I bit my tongue, not knowing what to say or how to say it. One thing I knew was certain: I loved every moment being with him, and I couldn't just go back to being a student and him the professor. A solemn thought plagued my mind. What if he couldn’t be a professor anymore.
“I should go,” he said. He turned away before I could say anything, leaving me alone in the room.
***
"I'm sorry," Casey cried out from the passenger's seat of the car as I drove. "I don't know how I could be so dumb. I just didn't think too much of it when both of you had left. And the champagne was hitting, so it was all a blur." She continued ranting. "The last thing I would've thought was that you guys were fucking in the closet!"
I took a turn onto another street and sighed at the thought of Neil. Was he mad at me? Had I ruined things by moving too fast with him?
“Forgive me, Ley. I’m so sorry,” she begged.
“You’re good, Casey.”
“Professor Walker didn’t walk in before you guys could finish. Right? Because then I’m really, really sorry.”
“Oh, we finished.” The thought brought butterflies to the pit of my stomach. I could still feel where he had touched. I could still taste him.
"How was it?" she said, sitting up excitedly. "Oh my gosh," she squealed. "Holy shit! You really fucked, Professor Jamison?" It was like the facts still hadn't settled in yet. "He's like freaking John Stamos. George Clooney." She paused, thinking of another name she could throw out, but when she failed, she exclaimed, "Bitch, did you fuck Uncle Jesse?"
I rolled my eyes playfully at her. "We...made love," I corrected her for the hell of it. "Who am I kidding? We fucked, and it was amazing." I beamed. "I just worry now."
“About?”
“About his job! About his career.”
"You're not some little girl, though. What's it to them?"
“No matter my age, I’m still a student. I don’t want him to lose anything because of me.”
This thought replayed in my head while I settled into bed later that night. With Casey snoring in the other room, I was free to think.
I could only think of him.
Hey, I typed on my laptop.
This was stupid, I thought as I stared at the email. Sure, I had the number Neil had left on his syllabus, but that was just an office number, and for some reason tonight, I wanted to write. I erased what I had.
Neil,
This is Leyla. How is it we don’t have each other’s numbers considering…
I froze. I didn't know when he'd see the email. If it was tonight, then I was afraid to remind him just in case something terrible came of Professor Walker discovering us tonight. I erased the last word.
How is it we don’t have each other’s numbers? I want to apologize a thousand times over, but I know you'll just tell me that it's okay even when I know it's not. You can lie to protect me there, but please don't lie to me when I ask if you regret what happened tonight. Do you? I feel like I wanted this for a really long time, and we barely got a moment to just be. You know? I don't regret it. I do wish that we hadn't chosen that hotel closet aha, but my car just seemed way too uncomfortable.
I laughed to myself. He’d probably find it corny.
Please, call me. I’d rather talk to you in person. Good night.
-Leyla
I left my phone number underneath then shut my laptop.
Chapter 10
Neil
“She isn’t just my student,” I began. I was sitting on a bench outside of the hotel with Anna seated next to me. I didn’t feel like I owed her an explanation, but it seemed if I came clean to her, she would spare going to Quinn about it. "She's...Leyla Morris." I shrugged, feeling a smile pulling at my lips. "She's persistent. She’s smart. She’s beautiful…” I shot a glance at her to see a blank expression. “She’s Leyla. And maybe you think I’m foolish for falling for her and even more foolish to have gotten caught at the alumni dinner.” I realized how craz
y it all sounded now.
“But I tried. I mean, I tried for weeks to go against everything I felt. My plan was never to fall for any student. It was to teach psychology. That's it." I shook my head, thinking about it. "But, I didn't know Leyla then." I smiled when she popped into my mind. "I didn't mean to fall in love with her." Anna shifted beside me. "If that means that you'll have to report this, then I guess I'll have to come to terms with that." I turned to look at her.
She hesitated for a beat as though just realizing her power over the situation then spoke up. "Neil, being with a student is incredibly frowned upon," she began. I nodded, anxious for what was to come. "It's so frowned upon, it's essentially prohibited. However--and it hurts me to say this--I trust you." My eyes widened. "I trust that your judgment is right when it comes to this. And I trust that you'll make the right decision going forward."
