by Logan Chance
I’m well past the point of no return with Marley. The fear of losing my job isn’t even a factor in my mind. The thought she could get into trouble, however, is. I need to walk away from her. But, can I? When I left her, Anna Tompkins called to reschedule her research for another time. Her cancellation suited me fine, because although I agreed to her request, spending hours helping her locate what she needed is the last thing I wanted to be doing.
When I get home, my phone rings and it’s my sister, Katy. I’m sure she’s calling to yell about the way I spoke to my father yesterday.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Hey, I’m not saying anything. I’m just calling…” she hesitates before continuing, “because I know it’s getting close.”
My couch swallows me whole as I listen to her. She continues on, like a broken record playing the same tune as my parent’s words.
“Yeah,” is my only response.
“Have you been sleeping?” she asks.
“Yeah, a little.”
“Don’t lie to your little sister.” She knows me too well. Truth is, I haven’t been able to sleep in a long time. But, I tell everyone what I think they want to hear.
“I’ve been sleeping better. I’ve met someone.” I shake my head, wondering if I should have opened my mouth about Marley. Saying it out loud makes it real.
“Go on.” Her voice is lighter, happier as I contemplate on how much to tell her.
I tell her how Marley makes me feel better when I’m near her. How my mind unravels around her. How I can’t stop staring at her. I don’t clue her in on Marley being my student or that I keep running away from her. I’m tired of running.
“Houston, I want you to be careful. It sounds like you’re using this girl as a crutch for denying everything else.”
I sit up straighter. “Katy, what do you want from me?”
“For my big brother to be himself again,” she whispers into the phone.
“I don’t know who that man is anymore.” That man is long gone. I cut the conversation short, pretending to need to take another call.
The four walls of my apartment close in on me. I need a walk, fresh air.
It’s a chilly day in the city. The wind whips through the streets, the sun hiding behind the tall buildings, and I step off the curb to head in the direction of nowhere. The streets are alive with people and traffic, horns blaring occasionally in frustration. The noise of the city temporarily drowns out my thoughts. It’s not long before Marley infiltrates them again. My fingers can still feel her gripping them when she came. What I wouldn’t give to bury myself in her pussy. She’s so fucking cute with her wide-eyed wonder when she looks at me. I hate to admit it, but I smile a little thinking of her. Good thing no one is around to see it.
And then my blood boils. What the fuck?
My steps come to a halt when I glance in the window of the Tasty Bean Coffee Shop.
Marley and some asshole sit at a corner table. They laugh, sitting close. Who in the hell is he? He leans in, putting his arm around her small shoulders, and she lets him. How could she allow me to touch her and then be out with this jerk off?
For the first time, possessiveness grips me. Does she date? I’ve never seen her with a guy before, and I don’t fucking like seeing it now. He needs to get his hands off her. I should confront her. Confront this stranger. The stranger who now has his arm wrapped around her. But what right do I have?
She appears happy. Her long, dark hair dashing around her face as he leans in to tell her a joke or something.
I fist my hands at my sides, wanting nothing more than to go grab her and take her back to my place. Show her no man will satisfy her like I can. An older woman pushes past me as she tries to enter the coffee shop, and I don’t move. I can’t. My feet are cemented to the sidewalk watching them.
“Excuse me, sir,” she says.
Finally, I step free of the door. Like rigor mortis setting in, every muscle in my body stiffens as I try to walk inside.
No, my obsession with her needs to end. The fact I even touched her today needs to be a onetime ordeal.
No big deal. So, what? I fooled around with a student. It won’t happen again.
He hugs her again, and I decide it’s time to leave.
Tomorrow I’ll make sure I never touch her again. I’ll protect myself.
Chapter 11
Marley
Daydream-noun-a series of pleasant thoughts that distracts one’s attention from the present.
Seeing Erik was exactly what I needed to regroup. I miss my family more than I realized. It was good to laugh and forget all the turmoil for a while. But, I can’t think about any of that. I have exams to prepare for, material to learn, and a professor to stop fantasizing about.
Well, let’s not get crazy. He’s one man I can’t seem to forget.
The next morning, I arrive to class a few minutes early, because I want to talk to him privately. The look of regret on his face bothered me all night. I want him to know if he’s feeling guilty about me being his student, or feeling he’s taking advantage of me, he shouldn’t. I’m fully aware of the consequences of my actions.
“Good morning,” I say, approaching his desk. He looks extra handsome today with his blue button down shirt clinging to his muscles and his grayish-blue tie.
“If you say so,” he says, sharply. I stop in front of his desk. “Miss Murphy, this isn’t elementary school. Go find a seat,” he barks.
Ok. His attitude gives me doubts about whether I should bother trying to talk to him, but, I’m slightly used to his mood swings. “Well, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday.”
“What about it?” He shuffles some papers and then focuses his deep eyes on me.
“What happened at the laundromat,” I say in a hushed tone. Even though the classroom is empty, I still worry about someone coming in and overhearing.
“And?” His expression is so impassive, I wonder if all those muscles he’s constantly teaching us about have suddenly disappeared from his face.
“Well,” I start, then hesitate. Then I continue, “you and me.” This is so awkward.
“You and me? What would you like me to say?” He raises his brows, and I remain silent. “Whatever little image of happily ever after you’ve envisioned in your head is not part of my plans.”
And there you have it, folks, the brush off of brush offs. He repeats for me to find my seat, and this time I do, because somewhere in this traitorous body is pride. Embarrassment is front and center, most of all. But, anger is a strong contender to knock them both out of the top spot.
Chatter fills the air as students file in, and I shake my head in disbelief at his dismissive behavior as I climb the stairs to my seat. His eyes clock me as he speaks to the class. Two can play his game. I decide to give him a little show of what we did yesterday. A show of what he just dismissed. When he glances up at me, I slowly spread my legs beneath the desktop giving him an open view of my red panties. His words falter just a bit before he resumes the lesson, eyes pinned on me. Chewing on the tip of my pen, I trail my fingers up my thigh, not breaking from his stare, then snap my legs together. He turns away abruptly with his back to the class. “Use the last fifteen minutes to study,” he barks out, stalking over to his desk.
Study? Yeah, right. As if I could focus on anything. I stare at the text, and my mind wanders…and wanders.
Class ends and I gather my things and head for the exit.
“Miss Murphy.”
Stepping out of the jostle of students leaving, I glance over my shoulder at Houston. Making my way over to his desk, I brace myself for the inevitable. He watches me, not speaking. My heartbeat hammers as his stare burns through me. When the only space between us is his desk, I blurt out, “What Professor Dale? I have another class.”
By this point, the room is empty and he rolls his chair back, stretching his legs. “That’s one hell of an attitude you have,” he says, his chest rising and falling rapi
dly.
“Attitude? What you think you’re the only one who can be commanding, and I’ll bend to your will?” I ask, my confidence coming to surface.
“Oh, you think I’m commanding?” He leans back further in his chair, and I decide I’ve had enough.
“Sit up straight, Professor. I’m in charge now.” I grab the pointer off his dry-erase board and pull it open, snapping it down on the desk with a loud whack.
He grins and complies. “Sorry.”
“That’s what I thought. Now, what is your problem with me today? Why are you being so cold?” I stalk toward him, circling his chair with the pointer resting on my shoulder. “Stand up, and bend over the desk.”
“What?” he scoffs.
“You’ll listen to me and do as I say,” I whisper near his ear, right before I slap the pointer down on the desk for a second time.
He surprises me by slowly standing. He doesn’t bend over, so I slap the pointer along his ass. He growls, loud. I rake the pointer down his chest. My other hand grabs his tie, fisting it in my tiny hand, and I yank him closer. “You going to be a good boy for me?” I ask him.
He swallows hard, and I lick the tip of his nose. “Yeah, I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”
“Very good.” I can’t believe how turned on I’m getting.
Releasing him, I climb the desk, crawling along the top on my hands and knees. Houston breathes deep as I glance over my shoulder at him. “You like spanking me, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” he breathes.
“Do it. Do it hard.” I stick my ass in the air, my short skirt riding up my skin, baring my cheeks for him. “Do it.”
“Miss Murphy, did you have a question?” Houston stands at the front of the class, his arms folded across his chest. His dark eyes stare at me. Along with everyone else in the room.
“What? No,” I mutter, my cheeks blushing.
“Stop daydreaming, Miss Murphy.”
What? It takes me a moment to register where I am. My thoughts of spanking him with his pointer fade.
“You’re supposed to be using this time to study. Not daydream,” he barks out.
I stiffen in my chair. Did I moan out loud?
“Yeah, she’s daydreaming about me,” a red-haired guy a few seats over says. He laughs with his friends for a moment, and Houston’s anger multiplies.
“I have no doubt you would like that.” His eyes glance at the guy, then back at me. “Marley, whoever you’re daydreaming about, you need to stop right now. Are you going to daydream when you’re operating on a patient?”
“No,” I deny.
He really does need that pointer across his ass. If I could give him the finger, I would. Since I’m not quite that brave, reaching down, I grab my bag, put away my things, and walk out.
Chapter 12
Houston
March 20th
A hard Monday.
Some days get harder than the last. I don’t know if I can keep doing this. The anger inside is too much to bear.
After my long day at NYU, I head to the sanctuary of my home. I need to brood in silence and take out my frustrations over a bottle of Jack.
As soon as I walk inside, I grab a highball from the counter and watch as the two ice cubes clank against the glass. The amber liquid runs over, and, for a moment, I get lost in the tranquility of the motion.
This day was not how I envisioned. Marley infuriated me. Her daydreaming, probably about the asshole she was with yesterday, upset me.
Fuck. Pouring another glass of Jack Daniels, I fall onto the couch with a loud thump, the liquor sloshing on me. Shit. I need to get my act together. Fooling around with a student was never on the agenda. But neither was what led me to this situation. And for some fucked up reason, she tampers it down.
After a few shots of Jack, I pace my apartment, fueling my anger. Who does Marley think she is? It’s her fault. She tempted me with her sexy body, and I was helpless to control myself. My anger gets the best of me as I fist both hands along my sides. I won’t let her get away with the spell she’s trying to cast on me.
Somehow, in my drunken stupor, I make it to her apartment building and pound against her door until she opens it.
“Houston? I…uh,” she says, her hair mussed from sleep.
I smash my lips to hers to shut her up. She’s not allowed to talk until I’m good and ready to listen to what she has to say. And right now, I need silence.
I move her into the living room with our lips still connected. She tastes sweet. My hands move through her silky hair as her fingers dig into my back. I want her to dig deeper, cut me open and let all the ghosts bleed out.
Her eyes are wild with desire when I break the kiss to tell her, “Don’t ever tease me during class again, got it?”
“Don’t ever treat me like a second-class hooker, and I won’t,” she bites back, sharp and ferocious.
By the looks of it, her heart beats just as fast as mine.
“What do you want from me, Marley?”
“Nothing. I don’t know. I don’t like the way you treated me today. You treated me like a …,” she trails off.
“Slut?” I finish for her.
“Yeah.”
No longer drunk from the liquor, but intoxicated by her raw beauty, I stalk closer, pulling her chin closer to my mouth.
“You’re nobody’s slut but mine.”
Her eyes widen at my words, and her tight-lipped expression fills with fury. She wiggles free from my hold.
“You’re drunk.”
“No,” I retort.
“I can taste the liquor on your tongue.” She steps back two paces, and I follow her. Stealthy and determined.
“So. Who was that man you were with?” I’m angry at what she may say and I wrap my fingers around her tiny neck.
“What?” She tries to wiggle free, but my grip tightens.
“The man at the Tasty Bean?” Answer me.
She stares right through me. “That was my brother, Erik.”
Relief floods me and I draw closer, releasing my grip. “Do I frighten you?”
“Right now, a little.” She crosses her arms over her chest and the action causes her shirt to bunch around her breasts and showcase her cleavage.
“Good, Marley. Be very afraid.”
A spark ignites in her eyes. “And what are you going to do?” she challenges.
“Test me and find out,” I demand. All the emotions that have been bottled up for so long claw beneath my skin, trying to tear themselves free.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say it almost sounds like you want me to.”
“I do.” I want her to run. To fight me. Claw me. Mark me. Make me hurt more than I already do. Give me a new pain, so I know I’m alive. “Help me, Marley.”
Her eyes flit over my face and then something flickers in her eyes, recognition of what I need from her right now, and she gives it to me, willingly. “You sure?”
“Yes,” I say.
She licks her lips, determination flaring in her eyes. She thinks she can fix me. She can’t. A few seconds’ pass before she gives a little nod and then says, “Fuck you.”
In a flash, she runs from me. Good girl. My blood heats. Even half drunk, I’m faster. She lets out a squeal, elbowing me, when I grab her around the waist and haul her over my shoulder. The harsh slap of my hand on her ass causes her to claw at my back. She’s perfect at this.
Carrying her to the bedroom, I toss her onto the bed. Our panting fills the quiet room. There is no fear in her eyes, only lust. Lust that matches my own. Her pink pajama pants are removed in a quick pull.
“Yes,” she screams when my hungry mouth connects with her panty-covered pussy. The damp material moves along my lips, the lace tickling my chin as I push my face further into her, my fingers clenching her thighs.
Her hands fly into my hair and she tugs, hard. Hard enough to sting, and it feels so fucking good. That’s what I need.
“Give me your hate, Marley,�
� I growl against her pussy. “Show me how much you hate me.” She can’t hate me more than I already do.
Sitting up, I trail my fingers along the contours of her thighs and when I reach the black lace of her panties, I yank them down her smooth legs. Her body arches beneath me as she closes her legs together.
“Don’t hide from me.”
“You want more?” she whispers, her pants making the sound of her question so fucking sexy.
“Give it to me,” I answer. “Resist me.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Her small foot connects with my chest, sending me back. She scrambles, but I’m still faster. Grabbing her ankle, I pull her back and spread her legs.
“Open for me.”
“Fuck, this is so hot,” she says.
Her pussy glistens with her arousal. She’s a perfect student for this fucked up lesson in what I need from her right now. She reaches out to stroke my cock, and my head falls back as I let out a groan.
She knows just how to drive me insane. Push me to the edge, and then pull me back from the fall. Removing her hand, I seek the refuge only she can offer me. A moment of reprieve where I don’t need to think about the hell my life has been. The only thing that matters right now is making her come all over my tongue.
Sliding down between her legs, I bite the inside of her thigh and then lap at her wetness as she cries out for more. My tongue dips inside her, and I fucking love the way she throws her legs over my shoulders, grinding her cunt against my face as my hands reach under to cup her ass.
“Oh fuck, Houston don’t stop,” she wails. And, I don’t plan on it. Circling her clit with my tongue, I draw a finger through her pussy, then slip it inside her, making her squirm even faster.
Her fingernails deepen in my scalp as her body loses control, and the taste of her orgasm coats my tongue. As soon as her body calms, I rise.
My cock is in my hands within a second, pumping roughly as she watches.
“You make me so fucking hard, Marley,” I groan as her eyes watch my hand squeezing my dick.
