Stalked For Love

by Royale, KC

“Professor, we hardly know each other,” I panicked.

  “I think we do know each other, but we can take our time and get to know each other better,” he grinned and shrugged, looking so intensely at me, while awaiting my response. I didn’t think I even qualified for his future, but he’s telling me that I did and it was freaking me out. He wanted more. If I was honest with myself, I wanted more too, but at a much slower pace.

  “Um, can we talk about this another time? I…ugh, I need to meet Sherry,” I muttered. I peeked up at him and he looked very upset.

  “Okay fine, let’s go,” he snapped, and gently pulled me towards his truck. As we headed towards my house it dawned on me that I never told him where I lived. But now we were right outside my new building without me telling him a thing. I hopped out and went inside, leaving him in the truck to get himself together. I wasn’t sure I wanted him in my house now, especially after what just happened. I needed to process things and fast.

  It took me all of twenty minutes to freshen up once inside my house. I hurried and changed into a dress and some flats, put on some fresh underwear and a little makeup, and headed back outside.

  I pulled opened his passenger door and he just looked over at me. I was hoping that he wasn’t still upset with me, and his smile told me that he wasn’t. The man couldn’t even stay mad at me, he didn’t allow his anger to consume him at all. Oh no, this was bad. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Jessica,” he growled, sending a shiver down my spine.

  “Thank you,” I replied and climbed into his truck. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

  “You were only gone for twenty minutes, that was great timing,” he smiled and I smiled back. We sat in silence for most of the ride back to the Marriott, and it was deafening. I just didn’t know what to say to him, and I still didn’t know if I wanted things to progress with us in the way he wanted. I was still getting over the fact that I’d slept with my professor, and it didn’t make matters any easier knowing that it was the best sex of my life.

  I knew underneath it all, that he was still upset. Which told me so much more that I even knew, about the way he feels about me. This whole time I always thought he wasn’t interested me, but I was wrong. He must have been fighting his attraction to me, just like I was to him. Oh God, and now I just slept with him. I needed to seriously digest all this, and I needed to get away from him to do that. I knew now that his feelings must run really deep, if he was already proposing a life with me. A life any woman would want with a man like him, but he was thinking too far ahead, way too far ahead.

  Chapter 14

  “You did WHAT??” Sherry screeched at me, making heads turn towards us in the hoagie shop, as my cheeks flamed in utter embarrassment. I anxiously glanced around and then lowered my head, as she continued her rant.

  “Hold on. Wait a damned minute, Jessica.” She spat my name out, as if it were a poisonous weapon.

  “Sherry, please—”

  “I’ve been waiting for almost four years, four years, for you to live a little, and fuck some random guy. Now, when my flight leaves in,” she looked at her watch, then back up at me, “Three hours and seventeen minutes...You’re telling me you’ve not only been fucking some guy all night, but it just so happens to be the man that ninety percent of the population in this area wants?” She growled at me. Omg!

  “Yes, and please calm down. Just hearing you say all that makes me feel sick,” I muttered. She fell silent and just glared at me, as if she couldn’t find the words to speak in that moment.

  All she did was pick up the other half of her chicken and cheese sub and take a big bite, while shaking her head at me and giggling. “Sher, I didn’t mean for it happen, it just kind of did. I guess I was at the right place at the right time, and a little tipsy,” I explained.

  “There is no such thing, Jess. Your timing was perfect, because it was supposed to be perfect. Tell me; how did you snag this man, Jess. I have to know?” She asked incredulously, while she chewed her food gazing at me.

  “I don’t even know the answer to that myself, Sherry, I swear. I could barely talk around him, because I was so nervous. The things he would say to me, had my mind constantly spinning and I couldn’t think straight,” I admitted, to not only her, but to myself as well. How is it that, Thomas, makes me nervous and scatters my brain, but not Professor Brennan?

  “What was he saying to you?” She inquired, with an arched brow.

  “He was pleasant, attentive, and very interested in spending time with me. Which is normal when getting to know someone better, right?” She nodded.

  “Riiiiight, and…” she sung.

  “But then he would say something so out of the blue, and it would startle me completely.”

  “Like what, Jess? I’m drooling here, so spill?” She urged, eyes widening.

  “I won’t go into too much detail, but he definitely wants more of this thing with me and him. He also asked me if I would want to have his baby. Not now of course, but maybe later on.”

  “What the fuck!” She screeched, causing heads to turn into our direction again as I flushed. In that instance, I just wanted to crawl under the table and put up a tent and roast marshmallows while singing old songs by The Monkeys. Due to my overly expressive best friend.

  Sherry was always one to love a good story. She didn’t like spreading gossip, but she loved to listen to others talk. She was almost like a spy. Whoever had the juice…she would always be at the right place and time to hear them talk about it. She had shared some stories with me most nights, while we lived at the house, and they were always good. Whether it was about someone’s sporadic hookup, breakup or about one of our roommate’s crazy dating lives.

  There seemed to always be someone who did something totally stupid. Things like cheating, or even as reckless as having unprotected sex, which sometimes led to an infection, or possible pregnancy that someone tried their best to hide. They weren’t good at keeping things from Sherry, she always found out and delivered the goods.

  She was so good, that she even had Intel on Professor Brennan’s fan club. But not today. Today I was the one with the story, and she couldn’t contain her excitement not one bit. Her best friend, known as the wallflower of the house, finally had something to share with her. Even though it was embarrassing, it was also exciting. “Jessica, he more than likes you. He wants to marry you,” she grinned. What? The? Hell??

  “Oh please, don’t be ridiculous, Sherry. We don’t even know each other well enough, to even go there,” I scoffed.

  “So, you’re telling me that you don’t want more of what he has to offer?” She asked, knowing the answer already. But I had to be strong now and not show weakness, even if he came in a delectable package that I wanted all to myself, one day.

  Truth was; I wasn’t some young naïve girl desperate to be in league with her professor, he has a fan club for that kind of thing. I was just a college graduate, who was still finding her way. I had to be careful not to become too distracted with anyone, or anything. “Jess, answer the question.”

  “Okay, don’t get me wrong, Sher. I would love all he has to offer, on a nightly basis,” I smirked, and she instantly raised her hand in the air for a “high five” as she screeched. I smacked her hand and giggled at my crazy friend. Who is going to get us kicked out of the hoagie shop if she doesn’t calm the hell down.

  “That’s my girl,” she boasted.

  “But, I don’t know if it would work? You know…the ex-teacher, ex-student thing kind of bothers me,” I admitted.

  “Well, all that doesn’t matter now. You both are consenting adults and free to do as you please,” she stated proudly.

  “Yeah, that’s what he said,” I sighed.

  “Wait a minute... wait a damn minute. He actually said that to you?” I looked at her to see her griping the edges of the table tightly as she pierced me with her stare. She looked at me almost as if she saw President Obama standing behind me. She was in shock, while frantically waiting for me for to r
espond.

  “Yes, he really did say that to me.”

  “Oh my,” she uttered and sat back in her chair, suddenly deep in thought.

  “Sher, why are you so—”

  “That means he wanted you when you were his student, Jess. He actually wanted you for all those years, and the fucker actually waited for you. Ohmygod, this is just too much for me to handle, I may have a meltdown. Fuck, you are one lucky bitch,” she spat and exhaled.

  “Why am I deemed lucky just because he wants me? He’s a man who likes a woman, what’s so grand about that?” I mocked.

  “I’ll tell you what’s so grand about it best-friend. It’s because you are that woman, and he is that man. If he waited for you… than this thing between the two of you, is much more than just some random fling to him. Please Jess, for love of God, start reading in between the lines. I know you don’t have much experience with men, but trust me when I tell you. This man really likes you, and I think you should see where it leads,” she stated, proudly.

  “He says he doesn’t date much at all and that he doesn’t take what’s offered to him from his fan club. He says that he has to want it too… and what he wants is me,” she blinked a few times at me, as I quickly took a bite of my steak and cheese sub.

  “Jessica, Jessica, Jessica. You have to listen to me babe, this is a good thing happening for you. You are both grownups and what really matters is that there was no ill-will done, while you were his student. Was there?” I shook my head, and took a sip of my ginger ale.

  “None whatsoever,” I said.

  “Good, and you can say that with pride and in truth. You have got to give him a chance to know you, and be with you.”

  “I really hadn’t plan on dating anyone, not for a while at least.”

  “Plans can change,” she winked.

  “The man scrambles my brain completely, with his presence, his touch and his words. So I need to keep my distance from him for now, until I figure out what it is I want, or don’t want for that matter.”

  “Why? No, you don’t need any more time to do that. He may move, or disappear, or meet someone else, and then what?”

  “I need to focus on getting my life and career started, Sher. This thing between us, I mean, where could it go?” I still had my doubts about him and us, but I couldn’t deny the curiosity that consumed my mind as we talked.

  “News flash girl. Your life has already started, and I would trade places with you in a second,” she stated, and snapped her finger with a sharp snap. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at her.

  “My best friend is crazy.”

  “Certified!” She boasted and I laughed again. “So, don’t hold out on me...how was the sex?” She leaned in to hear the juice, as I took a deep breath.

  “So good that I plead the fifth, sixth, seventh and eight…” I smirked, and she nodded.

  “I’m not surprised, I always knew he would be an amazing fuck. My God, Jess, this is the best juice I’ve had in my entire college career,” she sighed, and I shook my head at her. “It’s such a shame it had to happen when I’m leaving, but I will be needing weekly updates,” she scowled at me.

  “I’m sure you will. You’re the only person I can talk to about this, and now you’re leaving me.” I pursed my lips at her.

  “I’ll be in Jersey, but I will come back in a few months to see you. Until then, we have the phone and text messages,” she reminded me.

  “Yes we do.”

  “We’ll have a girl’s weekend when I come back in a few months, and if I can swing it earlier than that, I will,” she smiled. Sherry had to go take care of her mother, who had grown ill over the last few weeks. She had wanted to give herself some time to look for a good job here, but now that her mother was ill, she was going back home to live and care for her.

  “I’m going to miss you so much, but you won’t be too far. I can always catch a bus or drive up,” I smiled.

  “You sure can, that would be great and you can bring the professor with you,” she smirked. “Look, if things don’t work out with him, then it doesn’t. But promise me that you’ll give yourself the chance to see if it could? Jess, there is nothing like being wanted by someone who is willing to put his desires aside for the benefit of your future,” she stated.

  “His future would have been at stake too, but yes, he did a good job of taming his feelings for me while we were in that situation. I really didn’t have a clue that he even, liked me.”

  “This is just so amazing and I am happy for you, Jess. So what’s next for you after you leave me?” She asked, as I swallowed hard.

  “Well, I need to head to the pharmacy and pick up the morning after pill, before I wind up carrying his child a month from now,” I explained, and watched as the color drained from Sherry’s face. She was in no way prepared to hear that, and a part of me instantly regretted telling her how irresponsible we’d been last night. But I had to send her off with something that would not only occupy some of her flight, but the entire flight back home.

  After we hugged and kissed, she’d left still in a state of shock, and I left the hoagie shop and headed towards my apartment. I didn’t want to get the pill in this area, so my plan was to wait until I got near my house, to pick it up. The entire way I was deep in thought, as I tried to digest all that had happened recently, in my ordinarily boring life.

  Chapter 15

  When he climbed into his bed that night, he couldn’t believe his eyes. There she was, Jessica Moore, in his bed sound asleep. He felt as if his life had become surreal as he gazed at her beautiful skin and parted lips, wondering if she was dreaming about him. Once he pulled her body close to his, and she snuggled closer to him of her own accord, he was in pure bliss.

  To be able to touch her so intimately, made him feel as if he was the luckiest man in the world. As they slept, he kept his arm locked around her and his nose buried in her hair. He was in heaven. He hadn’t slept so deeply in years, and he knew it was because she was right where he wanted her to be. In his arms.

  After the first kiss, the first touch and the first taste of her, he couldn’t control his urge to devour her repeatedly. But he knew he had too, because this all was new for her and he had to remember that. He didn’t want to come on too strong or take any chances of ruining his new relationship with her.

  Whether she knew it or not, this was not some casual fling to him. This was more. This was definite… Jessica Moore was his future. With their relationship finally taking a new turn, this had made him delirious happy. Being around her always made him happy, but now he could touch her, feel her and see her in ways he never could before. Which excited him to no end, but it was her response to him that excited him most. She wanted him… and he knew it.

  No matter how hard she tries to fight it, he won’t let her give up on them, especially when they’d just made it out of uncharted territory. It was the morning after and in his eyes, things were going as great as could be expected, between them. Until he scared her with talk of the future, a little too soon.

  As they headed back into town, they rode in silence the entire way, and he didn’t like it. He knew he needed to stay calm, regardless of her deafening silence. So in the hopes of not arguing with her, he’d kept quiet, while his own thoughts consumed him. He just didn’t understand what he did wrong. Why wasn’t she excited to hear the things he was proposing to her?

  He knew that if he had asked anyone else to have his child and be with him in every way, they would jump at the chance. But the one he actually wanted that with, just looked back at him in disgust, and that was a hard pill for him to take.

  ***

  Professor Brennan found himself still in deep thought, as he sipped more wine while staring at the photo framed on his desk. It was a photo of Jessica he’d managed to get from a group photo taken of his class, where he’d cropped her out and framed the photo, which lived on his desk in his home office.

  He was alone in his house, and he felt his mind spin
ning with unanswered questions. He just didn’t understand what he did wrong? Women normally ate out of the palm of his hand, without him even trying. He kept wondering why Jessica wouldn’t allow herself to need him, when she was all alone in a new town?

  If it were anyone else, he would have turned the other way by now, but it wasn’t anyone else. It was her. He knew he didn’t want anyone else, even before they slept together last night. But since he’s had a taste of her, he knew that there was no going back, not now or ever.

  He wanted her, and the idea of her not wanting him made him depressed, and the thought of another man having her made him sick. After another hour of mental deliberations, he stood and downed the rest of her favorite wine, before he headed up the stairs to the second floor of his home.

  He went inside one of his guest-rooms and headed into the closet, and pulled out a black duffle bag. Before heading into his master bedroom, with that same bag. Once inside his bedroom, he’d set the bag down near the edge of his bed, and just looked at the side of the bed where she’d slept only a few hours ago. He reached for her pillow and clutched it close to him, with both hands.

  Before he buried his nose in it, desperately needing to smell her intoxicating scent. He hadn’t had unprotected sex since he was a teenager, and to have that experience again, with Jessica, just furthered his infatuation with her. As his eyes closed, he thought back to the way she screamed his name, as her plush walls milked him repeatedly. How she dug her nails into his back and shoulders, sending pain coursing throughout his body, igniting him to pound into her even harder… and she fucking loved it.

  It was the best sex of his life, and he had no doubt that he would do anything to have her be with him, no matter what that entailed. His mind was made up and he began to strip off his clothes from earlier. He quickly showered and brushed his teeth, to devoid himself of any scents or cologne that she would now recognize.

  Then he unzipped the black duffle bag. He removed a pair of black jeans, a black hoodie, and a grey t-shirt and quickly dressed. Then he grabbed his phone and pressed a few buttons rather quickly, before tossing it on the bed. Then he dug back inside the duffle bag and pulled out a dark blue cap, with NY threaded in white letters. He placed the cap onto his head as his phone began chirping repeatedly.