Learning Curve

by Andi Jaxon

  Smiling at the message, I don’t have time to respond, but I’m glad he reached out. Starting today's lesson, I’m feeling lighter than I have in days, hopeful for what the future will bring.

  After back-to-back classes all morning, I finally get back to my office and have an hour before office hours start. I turn on the Keurig and take a seat behind my desk, the overhead light is off to discourage people from bothering me. I’ve been a little busy in my off hours lately, a little distracted, so I’ve fallen behind.

  Grabbing a mug off the hook on the wall, I get coffee flowing when a soft knock on the door pulls my attention. I contemplate ignoring it, but whoever is on the other side opens the door. Messy black hair and obsidian eyes peek through the opening and catch me watching. Ben freezes for a second then smiles, coming inside and closing the door behind him.

  “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you this early.” Pulling him into a hug, I drop a quick kiss on his lips.

  “Thursday’s are all morning classes, except my damn Calculus class. That professor is a real ball buster.” My smile is so big it’s starting to hurt my cheeks, but my heart is so fucking happy. He’s cracking jokes, at my expense no less, and it hurts my heart in the best possible way.

  “He sounds like a real dick.”

  Ben chuckles, a smile taking over his lips and making his eyes sparkle. He shrugs a shoulder. “It’s actually a pretty nice dick.”

  I back him up to the filing cabinet, trapping him. “Mr. Wallace, are you flirting with me?”

  “I believe I am, Mr. Bennet, what are you going to do about it?” He leans forward and nips at my lips, before sealing his against mine. I love that he’s getting some confidence, my dick is happy about it as well, throbbing against the zipper of my pants. The kiss is ending when a thought occurs to me.

  “I think you’ve only used my first name once this morning.”

  A blush reddens his cheeks, and he knows I’ve caught him talking about me. “Well…”

  “Who were you talking to about me?” I can’t stop the smug satisfaction.

  “Kristen.”

  “I would love to meet her next time she’s in town.” I kiss his forehead and take a seat behind my desk, grabbing my coffee from the Keurig. “Does she visit often? Have family here?”

  “She hasn’t visited since she transferred a year ago, but she does have family here, I’m pretty sure they’re the reason she hasn’t come back though. She has a difficult relationship with her parents.” Ben drops down on the chair and relaxes. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen him this way.

  “That’s too bad. Hey, speaking of parents, I have weekly dinners with mine on Thursdays, would you like to go?”

  Just like that, he’s stiff as a board and as tense as a bowstring. “You want me to meet your parents?”

  “Yeah, I do. Maybe next week or come to Thanksgiving in a few weeks? They’ll like you, I promise.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Just think about it, okay? If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to, but I’ll be there to run interference.” He’s looking at his hands, obviously uncomfortable, and I hate that I’m the reason.

  Focusing on inputting grades, I barely see his nod as he grabs his backpack and gets to work on homework.

  “When am I ever going to need to know how to find the differential of x when the limit goes to infinity? Never!” Ben’s outburst startles me, making me jump when he slams the book closed.

  “Would you like some help?” I try to keep the smile from lifting my lips, but I fail miserably.

  “No. What I want is not to have to take this stupid class. What I want is for you to tell me I can suck your dick and you’ll pass me.” He turns to me, blazing eyes locking on my surprised ones.

  “Well, sucking my dick isn’t going to hurt your grade.” Ben stands and stalks toward me, spins my chair to face him, and drops to his knees, never diverting his eyes from mine. Ben’s hands slide up my thighs, my cock hard and aching behind the zipper. My belt, button, and zipper open easily under his nimble fingers. A groan escapes me when his hand wraps around me, pulling me free from the confines of my jeans. Sliding my ass down the seat a bit, I lean back in the chair to give him more room.

  Coughing in the hallway has us freezing, his mouth an inch from my tip. Ben shifts, so most of his body is under my desk and drops my chair to give him room before pulling the chair in. Should someone come through the door, they will be none the wiser that a fantasy is playing out in the room.

  Not being able to see him heightens the sensations, his hot breath against my skin, the squeeze of his hand while he pumps me, then the surprise of a hot wet mouth surrounding my tip. My head drops back against the chair, my hips flex, wanting farther into the paradise that is Ben’s mouth. He’s exploring my length, licking, kissing, and sucking on the hardened flesh while he gets familiar with it. Having never done this before, he’s doing a damn fine job of driving me insane.

  The office door opens with a knock, a young co-ed enters with a blush on her cheeks and a shy smile. Fuck. Movement under the desk stops, enabling me to get a deep breath. “Hello, how can I help you?” My voice squeaks and cracks like a pre-teen whose voice is just starting to change. Ben’s hand slides down my length in time with his mouth and my toes curl in my shoes.

  She gives me a strange look and cocks her head to the side. Narrowing her eyes, she takes a look around, taking notice of Ben’s stuff on the table. Gone is the blushing, shy young girl, and in her place is a calculating young woman, putting together pieces of a puzzle. “Where is he?” Her voice is strong, direct.

  Once again Ben freezes. “Wh- who?” I manage to force out.

  “Benjamin Wallace.”

  She has my attention now. I take a second to look her over, blonde hair in two braids, blue eyes, petite but curvy. Light blue jeans that look custom made for her and a slim fitting, blue Fraggle Rock t-shirt under an off-white cardigan finishes off her look. She reminds me of the girls Alex goes for. How does she know Ben and what does she want?

  Before I have a chance to ask, I’m being pushed back into the wall, and Ben’s head pops up from under the desk. Scrambling to get myself put away while he’s blocking me, it’s completely clear what was going on since my dick is still out. “Kristen!”

  Ben rushes to her and throws his arms around her in a tight hug. Once I’ve gotten myself put back together, I stand and watch the two childhood friends. He’s so relaxed with her, evident by the big smile on his face. He looks so much younger without the worry and fears weighing on him.

  “Hey.” She laughs, hugging him just as tightly. “Surprise!”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, when my best friend’s apartment floods, we get into a fight, then he stops talking to me, something has to be done.”

  A deep sigh leaves him with drooping shoulders and his head hangs low. “I’m sorry. I was an asshole. I wanted to call you, but things have been a little crazy.”

  “Yeah, I got that when I walked in and you were giving your teacher a blowie under his desk. Times sure have changed.” She laughs again, making the situation feel lighter. Stepping around Ben she holds her hand out to me to shake. “Kristen Collins, nice to meet you, Mr. Bennet.”

  “Alister, please. It’s nice to meet you too Kristen.”

  Ben looks between us, happy but hesitant at the same time. “Kris, it’s been three days. Why are you really here?”

  She shrugs one shoulder. “Finding you was the most important reason, but I was called home by my parents. My uncle died, and I have to pay my respects, though I would rather spit on his grave.” She rolls her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry for your family’s loss, Kristen,” I offer, but she brushes it away.

  “He was a terrible person, good riddance.” She wraps her arm around Ben’s waist and leans into him.

  “Ben, since you’re done with classes for the day, why don’t you guys head back to the apartment? Spend some
time together and catch up?” I want him to feel like my place is somewhere he can call home. This thing between us is moving fast, but it feels right to have him there.

  Kristen raises an eyebrow and looks up at Ben. “The apartment? Did you move in with your boyfriend and not tell me?”

  That’s the first time the term “boyfriend” has been used, and I’m not sure how Ben is going to react to it. The butterflies in my stomach and the smile on my face should tell him I like the label. Ben’s eyes widen, his cheeks flush, and he stammers, “Oh, well…um…shit.”

  “He’s staying with me for now, since his apartment is uninhabitable.”

  “Hmmm,” is Kristen’s response. “I’m hungry, get your stuff and feed me.”

  “The she-beast is hungry, that doesn’t bode well for me.” Turning to the table, he starts picking up his books and shoving them into his backpack. I join him at the chair to help and to be closer to him. “Have fun with your friend, I’ll see you later.”

  He turns to me with a smile. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” I give him a chaste kiss and whisper in his ear, “We can finish the blow job later too.”

  Ben chuckles, grabs his bag and swings it over his shoulder as he moves to the door with his best friend. “See you at home,” I call to him.

  With the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on him, he says, “See you at home.” My heart flutters at his words, contentment and happiness settling in my chest.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  BEN -

  Arm in arm with Kristen, I finally feel like my life is going right. For once. I didn’t realize just how empty my life was without her here to force me to live. I’ve been surviving for so long I don’t really know how to live, I never really did. My whole life has been just surviving the latest catastrophe, the last beating, or trying to avoid the next one.

  “Earth to Ben!” Her hand waves in my face.

  “Sorry, I got lost in my head. What were you saying?”

  “I was saying he’s good for you. You look happy.”

  My eyes roll back into my head far enough for me to see my brain. “I’ve been around him for a few days. It’s way too early for that.”

  “When someone is right, you just know. You don’t have to be around them very long.” Her voice is wistful, not something I’m used to.

  “What’s up with you?”

  “What? Everyone wants to find love.”

  I scoff at her. “What happened to ‘I don’t need a man’?” My imitation of her is so bad she laughs.

  “I don’t need a man, but I would like to fall in love. Have dick at the ready every night.” I laugh, there’s the Kris I know.

  I’m heading toward the bus stop out of habit when she pulls me toward the parking lot. “I have a car. You know my father wouldn’t let me use public transportation, even if my life depended on it.”

  We get settled in the car, the heater blasting warm air, and make our way to Alister’s apartment. The key he gave me is safely tucked inside my wallet since I no longer have a key ring. I can’t get over the fact that I’m staying here. That I’m in the early stages of a relationship with an amazing man who is so fucking sexy it should be illegal.

  “This is a nice place,” Kristen says as we enter the apartment.

  “I know. I really like it here.”

  “Look at you! All smiles. I fucking love it.”

  Shaking my head at her, I drop my backpack in the chair and head to the fridge for some water bottles. Back in the living room, I plop down on the couch next to Kris and hand her a bottle of water. Leaning back against the pillows, she looks at me with a smile that means trouble.

  “So, have you had sex with him yet?” Her eyebrows wag.

  “As a matter-of-fact, yes.”

  She jolts upright and spins around to stare at me. “Seriously? Tell me everything!”

  Her expression is priceless, shocked and excited all rolled into one. “Just this morning actually.”

  “What?” Her arms fly around, which tells me she’s really shocked. “How did you end up here anyway?”

  “His brother, Alex, saw me walking down the street with some bags and brought me here.” I don’t need to tell her I was soaking wet and in the first stage of hypothermia.

  “What are the odds? He was just driving around?”

  “He’s a police officer and was driving his route or whatever it’s called.”

  “That’s crazy. And he just brought you here? What if you and Alister were on the outs?”

  “He called Alister once I was in the car, and he told Alex to bring me here. It was kind of surreal. But since I had had a rough day, he laid down with me in his bed, and we fell asleep.” Skipping all the bad parts, and the fact I was unconscious for two days, makes my day sound pretty normal…

  “And? How did that end in sex?”

  Sarcasm drips from my words. “Well, when two grown-ups are attracted to each other, they show it in a physical manner.” Kristen grabs a pillow and throws it at me, hitting me in the chest. “We woke up with hard-ons, you know how it goes.”

  “I don’t, in fact, know what it’s like to wake up with a hard-on. I’m not sure how you missed that little fact when we had sex.” She rolls her eyes at me and crosses her arms under her chest.

  “Hey, you could have had a sex change since then. It’s not like I see you naked all the time.”

  She stands up and faces me, her hands wave in front of hips. “Do you think there is room in these jeans for a dick?”

  I make a show of looking, staring at her and contemplating. “Well, I guess if it was really small.”

  With a yell, she tackles me. Pinching and tickling me until I beg for mercy.

  “Well, what do we have here?” An amused voice has us jumping and spinning toward the entryway. “Hey Ben, your circumstances look better than the last time I saw you. You doing alright?” Alex asks, standing in the living room, in uniform. His hair is shorter than Alister’s and he doesn’t have a beard, but he’s built exactly the same. In the short sleeves of his uniform, the sleeves of tattoos on his arms are on display too.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  “Do you normally barge into your brother’s apartment when he’s not home?” Kristen asks, cocking her head.

  Alex looks her over, head to foot. Obviously appreciating the way she looks. “Well, since I have a key, yeah I do. You seem to know who I am, but who are you beautiful?”

  “Uck. My name is Kristen. Please don’t give me nicknames.”

  “Sure, blondie, whatever you say. My name is Alex, by the way.” He holds his hand out for her to shake, but Kristen just looks down her nose at it.

  She rolls her eyes, squares her shoulders, and crosses her arms under her chest again. Getting ready for a verbal sparring match I’m almost certain Alex will lose.

  “Alister’s brother is fine with me. When you start using my name, I’ll consider using yours.”

  Alex steps closer, getting into Kristen’s personal space, but she refuses to back down. “Oh, pretty young thing, I can’t wait to learn more about you. You’re a firecracker. I’d be all too happy to show around.”

  “You are so full of yourself, I don’t know how you don’t choke on it. You think because your arms are the same size as your head, women will just fall to their knees and worship you? Sorry, I’m not that kind of girl.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t catch most of that. I got distracted by the image of you choking while on your knees at my feet.” The smile that takes over his face is full of sexual promises, he’s not looking at me, but I can feel the heat from his gaze.

  “My oh my, aren’t you charming? You have a real way with words, Officer Bennet. I think my panties just disintegrated.” Her mocking tone makes me snort, miss high and mighty comes out to play every once in a while.

  Alex throw his head back and laughs, enjoying the shit out of himself. “I think I love you,” he says with a wink as he walks off down the hall.

/>   Spinning on me, Kristen is fired up. “Can you believe that guy? What an asshole!”

  “He’s like that all the time,” is the only thing I can think to say.

  The toilet flushes, followed by the sound of water running, before a door opens, and Alex’s footsteps are heard coming back toward us. “Ben, glad to see you’ve got your color back. Hope to see you at Thanksgiving dinner.” He nods to me before turning to Kristen. “Hope to see you again real soon too, sweet cheeks.” He winks again then disappears, and the front door closes.

  “I need a damn drink. What a Neanderthal.” She stomps off toward the kitchen, leaving me snickering on the couch. It’s not very often someone can get under Kristen’s skin like this. “What the hell?” she yells from the kitchen. “Ben! There is no food in here! Only things to make food!”

  Coming back to the living room, she grabs her phone and flips a few things. “I’m ordering pizza. What’s the address?”

  I rattle it off and try to think of the last time I had pizza. It was probably with her…

  “Thirty minutes until delivery, I might be able to survive that long.”

  I shake my head at her, for such a small person, she eats a ton of food. Her world revolves around eating, but it’s nice to know I won’t starve when she’s around. Small comforts.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  ALISTER -

  When I get home a few hours later, Kristen and Ben are lying out on the couch watching a movie, an empty pizza box is on the coffee table with an empty lava cake box inside of it. It looks like a college dorm room. Shoes were kicked off in front of the couch, blankets are haphazard across them, and multiple water bottles litter the floor and table.

  Smiling at the two of them, I stand and watch them for a minute. It makes me happy to see Ben doing something so typical of his age. Most of the time it’s like he doesn’t realize he’s twenty-three and should be out partying, getting drunk with friends, and falling asleep hugging a toilet.