Game On: If I wasn't her student, it would be game on.

by Daiko, SC

  After warming up with lighter weights, I progress to pressing two hundred and twenty-five pounds for a hard set of five reps. Sweat pours off my face, and I grunt like a bear, but the exercise takes my mind of things and relieves the tension in my body.

  I do thirty sit-ups to cool down, then sprawl on the floor, sucking a bottle of protein shake into my mouth and down my throat.

  Glancing upwards, I catch sight of Josh approaching.

  “Hola, douche,” he smiles. “What’s up?”

  “Just getting in some training.”

  He lowers himself to the floor. “Something was going down in Spanish yesterday,” he says. “I could have set fire to my books with the sparks flying off you and Miss Matthews.”

  “It’s all good,” I say, reaching into my bag for a towel.

  “You gotta chill or you’ll risk someone noticing. Stop obsessing over her.”

  “You’re right,” I say to stop any further discussion. “I need to do that.”

  “Finally, you’re seeing sense,” he grins, and gives me a high-five. “You should come to the Sixth Form Dance after the mocks. It’ll be a blast.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I say. But I won’t. I don’t have much in common with my classmates, apart from Josh. And I don’t wanna hurt him by having to fend off Catrin. I’ve told her I’m not interested, loads of times, but she’s still crushing on me.

  Josh leans back on his forearms and stretches out his legs. “How are you getting on with uni applications? Have you decided where you wanna go yet?”

  “It’s a toss-up between Southampton and Sheffield.”

  He widens his eyes. “What? You gonna leave Wales?”

  I’m just going through the motions, but I don’t say that to Josh. There’s no way I can go away to university. No way I can leave Mam and Sara unprotected. No way I can leave Beth. I’m well and truly fucked.

  “Yeah,” I give a false smile. “Time to broaden my horizons. Just need to write my personal statement. Have you done yours yet?”

  “Did it weeks ago, added all that Duke of Edinburgh crap. Just hope I achieve the damn award now,” he laughs. “Oh, and pass my A-Levels.”

  “I’ll have a better idea of my predicted grades once I’ve done those fucking mock exams,” I say, pushing myself to my feet. “My form tutor has set me up to help at the local youth club once a week to cover the volunteering aspect. My sister goes to that club, so I don’t mind too much. The expedition, hiking in the mountains, sounds like it should be epic, though.”

  “We went up Pen y Fan, the highest peak, last year,” Josh says, heading for the bench press.

  “The mountains in Ibiza are only half the size.” I rub the sweat from my arms and put my towel back in my bag. I’ll shower when I get home. “Well, I’ll be off then. I’m working tonight.” And seeing Beth. My cock twitches.

  “See ya tomorrow,” he grunts, pressing his first weight.

  I walk briskly down the road towards Grandad’s. There’s a sudden prickle between my shoulders blades.

  Is someone following?

  I spin around.

  No one there.

  Just my imagination. I’m becoming paranoid.

  I shift my backpack and stick my hands deep in my pockets.

  Another prickle between my shoulder blades, and I swivel my body.

  Nothing.

  The road behind is totally clear.

  I shrug and, without a backwards glance, set off for home.

  17

  With jittery fingers, I buzz Ryan up to my flat. Crazy, crazy, crazy… that’s what I am. When I got home from school earlier, I didn’t take a nap, didn’t eat, didn’t even get through half the marking I’d planned due to so many butterflies cartwheeling in my tummy.

  I open the door and he holds up a plastic container. “I brought you some pea and ham soup. You need sustenance, princesa. You’ve lost weight.”

  And my heart melts, literally melts for this boy-man who’s turned my life upside down. “Let’s go through to the kitchen and heat it up,” I smile.

  I put the container into the microwave, then rest my hands on the kitchen counter. He comes up behind me, and every nerve in my body trembles. Suddenly his body is flush against mine, hot and powerful. He lifts my hair from the nape of my neck and brushes his lips to my sensitive spot, sending a quiver right through me. “Tell me to stop and I will, Beth.”

  How can I tell him to stop? I can only release a wanton moan.

  He snakes his hands around to cup my swollen breasts, kneading, teasing my puckered nipples through my cami, his breath rasping.

  “Mmm, that’s nice,” I breathe.

  He pulls me into him, and his thick hardness presses into my ass. I want him; I want to devour this illicit fruit, even if it turns out to be poisoned. He makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt in my life.

  He spins me around and his mouth captures mine, licking all remnant of doubt from me as his greedy tongue parts my lips. I want to become a part of him, fuse my essence with Ryan’s, and never ever leave. Oh, God.

  His kiss deepens, turns hungry and rough, as if he’s marking me as his. And I am his, God help me. He sucks on my tongue, hard, and squeezes my ass with one hand while touching his fingers softly to my throat.

  “Oh, Ryan,” I groan into his mouth, “I’ve missed this so much.”

  “Me too,” he groans back. “I’ve been wanting to hold you against me like this,” he grinds his iron-hard erection into my tummy, “and to cup your beautiful tits,” he moves his hands to squeeze my tingling breasts, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  He bends and lowers his lips, pushing up my cami with grasping fingers and sucking on my distended nipples through my bra. I feel his long, thick cock throbbing against the softness of my inner thigh as his tongue travels south, and I want him inside me, every inch of him bruising my cervix and making me shriek his name.

  All of a sudden, the damn microwave pings, and we spring back.

  Oops!

  A manic giggle fizzes up from my throat.

  He stares at me briefly, eyes sparkling before he releases a full-bass laugh that vibrates against my bones. And then we’re both laughing and gasping and clutching at our sides as we give in to the insanity of our situation.

  “I wish I hadn’t brought you that fucking soup,” Ryan says, wiggling his brows.

  And I laugh again, holding onto him as if my life depended on it.

  Beth grabs a bottle of red from her wine-rack while I pour the soup into two bowls. We sit opposite each other at her kitchen table, and I watch her dip her spoon, fill it with peas, ham and broth, and lift it to her mouth. She closes her chocolate-brown eyes, and sighs. “This is the hungriest I’ve been in days.”

  I don’t tell her I’m hungry too, hungry for her pussy; I don’t wanna come across as crass. But I can’t wait to claim what’s mine; I feel like a fucking lion sizing up its prey.

  “Mmm, this is delicious,” she licks her lips, “thanks.”

  “I remembered it’s your favourite from when you ordered it in the pub,” I smile, dropping my gaze to her sexy mouth, the mouth I can’t wait to feel around my cock.

  She puts her spoon down, and says out of nowhere, “Are you all set for the mocks next week?”

  “Yeah,” I groan, the thought of exams deflating my dick. “Mam and Grandad insisted I stay off work for the duration, so I won’t be able to visit you here until the Christmas holidays.”

  “Your studies come first, Ryan,” she says quietly.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, princesa,” I smirk. “You and my family come first. Closely followed by rugby.”

  She blushes, and I wanna tell her how much I love her. But I won’t. Not yet. She needs more time, needs to be sure she can trust me.

  “Even so,” she says, behaving like a dog with a bone, “I’d like you to do well. You’re on course for an A* in Spanish.”

  “I won’t be getting such high grades in my
other subjects.” I pause and sip my wine. “But I’ll do my best.”

  “That’s all anyone can ask,” she says, and her smile warms my heart.

  We finish the soup in companionable silence. “Ready for dessert?” I grin wolfishly.

  She catches her lip with her teeth. “Let’s cuddle on the sofa and talk for a bit. We don’t need to rush.”

  My dick doesn’t agree, but Beth is worth any amount of ‘cuddling and talking’.

  We sit, and I put my arm around her as she snuggles into my chest. I breathe in her sweet floral perfume, and kiss her silky dark-brown hair. “What did you wanna talk about?”

  “Let’s start with our families, shall we?”

  “Sounds like a plan. You go first.”

  She tells me about how distanced she feels from her parents, how they favour her sister, and how little she sees of them. I grit my teeth. I so wanna absorb her into my life, introduce her to Mam and Grandad, have Sara get to know her as a friend not a teacher. And I will, one day. My family will become her family.

  “What’s your mother like?” she asks. “I’ll meet her at the parents’ consultation evening after the holidays, but we’re only supposed to spend five minutes with each person.”

  “Mam is the bravest person I know. She’s incredibly strong. And she loved my father so fucking much.”

  “Tell me about him.”

  “He was the coolest guy ever. An incredible artist.” I keep my voice even, but my eyes sting. “People would come from all over the world to be inked by him.”

  She runs her hands up my chest under my t-shirt. “Did you get on with him? I mean, were you close?”

  “I miss him every fucking minute of every fucking day. We were like brothers, not father and son. We used to go fishing for sea bream when he had a day off. Ibiza is not just clubs and pubs, you know.”

  “I do know. The port is amazeballs.”

  “A UNESCO world heritage site,” I say with pride.

  She strokes the scorpion tat on my hand. “I meant to ask you about the night we met. Did you do that often?”

  “You mean fuck women in dark alleyways?” I breathe in and out slowly. “I took what was on offer, princesa. What hot-blooded guy wouldn’t?”

  Her body stiffens. “It was a first for me. I’d drunk too much, and there was something about you…”

  I hold her close. “You found me fucking irresistible? I’m glad of that.”

  She strokes my hand again. “That phone call… trouble at home, you said. I hope it wasn’t serious.”

  “It was Mam. She’d had an email from that fucking stalker, and she was scared. It takes a lot to scare my mother, but that creep made her life a living hell.”

  “Such a shame you had to give up your lives on that beautiful island and come to wet and windy Wales.”

  “It has its advantages,” I smirk, “I wouldn’t have met you again if we hadn’t left Ibiza.”

  “True,” she sighs, snuggling back into my chest. I rub her shoulders, and her breathing slows, her body relaxing, melding to mine. Suddenly, without another word, my beautiful Beth starts snoring softly.

  Joder, she’s fallen asleep.

  Gently, I extricate myself from her hold and lie her on her side. She’s out for the count. Her thick dark eyelashes fan the tops of her cheeks and her lovely lips are curved in a half-smile. She looks so at peace I don’t wanna disturb her. I go to her bedroom, gather up the duvet from her bed, and return to the living room to tuck it around her. Then I let myself out of her flat and make my way home.

  Wind whips the trees lining the road that leads to Grandad’s. I keep my head down, and roll up the collar of my coat. Soon, I’m turning the key in the front door and stepping into the hallway. There’s a sound coming from the front room. Someone must have left the TV on… I’d better shut it down.

  “Is that you, Ryan?” Mam calls out. “The hell have you been? You finished work hours ago.”

  Holy shit!

  18

  “I’ve been with a girl,” I say to Mam, keeping my eyes down. My throat has gone dry, and I feel the nerves tick in my jaw.

  Mam pushes her auburn hair back from her face, and pulls me briskly into the kitchen. “I’d appreciate you telling me if you’re going to be home so late,” she says in a clipped tone. “Who’s this girl you’ve been with?”

  I’ve never lied to Mam in my life; I’m not gonna lie to her now. “You’d better take a seat,” I groan.

  She pulls out chairs from under the table and we sit. Her mouth flaps open and closed and then open again as I tell her what’s been going down between Beth and me.

  “For God’s sake, son. Are you living in cloud-cuckoo-land?” Mam lets out a brittle laugh. “This is some kind of fantasy, surely?”

  I grip her shoulders. “I love Beth. It’s real. And I need you to be on my side, on our side. Can you do that for me? For us?”

  “Oh, Ryan,” she says in a trembling voice. “Have you thought of what it could do to this poor woman’s career if anyone found out?”

  I roll my eyes. “No one’s gonna find out. We’re careful. I only see her after work. It’s difficult, but not impossible. I’ve only got a few more months in school and then we’ll be able to come out about it.” I shake my head. “And she’s not a ‘poor woman’. She’s Beth and you’re gonna love her.”

  Silence.

  Deep, brooding silence.

  “You remind me of myself at your age,” Mam says, her breath hitching. “Your father was ten years older than me, but I fell for him hook, line and sinker. Never would I have imagined in a million Sundays that you’d fall for an older woman. Maybe I should have realised? You’ve never had a girlfriend your own age.”

  I chuckle at that. “Did you think I was gay?”

  “The thought did occur to me, not that I’m judgemental, but you never seemed to have a boyfriend either,” she gives a helpless shrug, “I just want you to be happy, my love.”

  I manage a smile. “Beth makes me happy.”

  Mam smiles back, but her expression is filled with uncertainty. “Do you make her happy?”

  “I think so. We’ve just got back together after she broke things off.” I shove a hand through my tousled hair. “It was when I went apeshit with that Year 9 wanker, the one who got me suspended from school.”

  “I did wonder why you overreacted like that,” Mam says, unblinking. “I know you, son, and I should have realized something was simmering beneath the surface.”

  “It won’t happen again,” I promise, “I nearly lost her by being so stupid. I’m in this for the long-haul.”

  Mam folds her arms across her chest, and her sigh wrenches my gut. “She’s your teacher. In a position of responsibility. She should never have let it happen.”

  “Please don’t blame Beth. It was me who came on to her.” My voice sounds fucking desperate. “She means everything to me. I don’t wanna give her up.”

  “No. I can see that. But, at the same time, I have a bad feeling about this.” Mam furrows her brows. “Have you thought about what the consequences could be?”

  “We’re careful. We never do anything in school.” I shoot her a direct look. “It’s only three nights a week when I go to her flat.”

  “Not next week, you won’t.” Mam’s voice is stern. “You’ve got exams, don’t forget.”

  “I know.” I fight another eye-roll. “Beth and I have already discussed it. We’re not stupid.”

  “Hmm. And what about when you go off to university? What’s going to happen then?”

  “I won’t go far from here,” I lie. “Probably Bristol.”

  I’m not going anywhere.

  “I tell you what,” Mam says, pushing herself to her feet. “I’d like to meet Beth and talk to her. You owe that to me as your mother.”

  My heart sinks. What if she puts Beth off? Nah, Beth loves me, I know she does. I gotta have faith in her. Shame we didn’t get around to talking things through before she fell
asleep earlier.

  “Let’s get to bed, Mam. I’m pooped,” I yawn. “I’ve got a rugby game tomorrow and I’m helping at the Youth Club in the evening. There’s time enough for you to talk to Beth. We’re not gonna see each other until after the exams.”

  I wake to bright sunshine slanting through the windows of my living area, warm and rested under my duvet. What the hell am I doing on the sofa? The last thing I remember was chatting with Ryan about Ibiza. I’d been working myself up to having a serious talk with him about ‘us’. Except, I must have felt so relaxed in his arms that I’d let myself fall into the deepest sleep I’ve had in days.

  I pull back the duvet and go to the kitchen to switch on my coffeemaker, and then head for the bathroom. I get undressed and stand under the shower, letting the jets of hot water wash over me. I trail my hand between my legs and touch myself. My fingers slip between my pussy lips and circle my clit, pressing, teasing. I think about Ryan, think about the last time he fucked me. Last night, I wanted him so badly I almost melted into a puddle on the floor. I close my eyes and my breath stutters as my movements speed up, my pussy fluttering and clenching around my fingers. I push them into me. In and out. Faster and faster. Oh, yes, that feels nice. I crest with a gasp, my pussy sucking and throbbing and pulsing around my hand. Ah…

  I towel myself dry and throw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. My hair is damp, so I pull it back in a ponytail before heading to the kitchen for coffee and toast. Hunger scratches in my belly and I welcome the feeling, pleased to have my appetite back again.

  I’m about to wash up my plate and cup when the phone rings.

  Megan.

  “Hiya, bestie,” she says in her lilting voice. “You know I told you about Harry and I helping out at the local youth club?”

  “Yep.” Where’s this leading? She’d mentioned it a while ago. Said there was a group of teachers who lived locally and didn’t mind giving up their time every now and then. I think she was angling for me to volunteer, but I’d held back. It’s all I can do to keep up with my workload and cope with the tiredness caused by the job… not to mention Ryan.