by Finn, Amber
The conference room started to empty, and Avery stood to wait for Blake. When he appeared, he saw her immediately. He stepped to the side where Avery was standing and let the other attendees go by.
“Avery? What are you doing here?”
Blake sounded neither angry nor happy to see Avery.
“I came to talk to you, Blake. Is there somewhere private we can go?”
“Sure, we can go to my room.”
Blake led her down the hall to the elevator and pushed the button. He turned and looked at Avery as they waited. The doors opened, and they stepped inside.
As the doors closed, Blake said to Avery, “You don’t look too good, Avery. Do you feel okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. My stomach has just been a bit upset today. Probably just nerves.”
Blake gave her a questioning look that Avery ignored as the doors opened to Blake’s floor. They walked the rest of the way in silence.
Once Blake and Avery were inside Blake’s hotel room, Blake took Avery in his arms. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Blake’s concern was enough to undo Avery’s resolve. She put her arms around him. “I am now.”
Blake cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “I’ve missed you, beautiful.”
Blake scooped Avery up in his arms and carried her to his bed. He pulled off her shirt and shorts, and he got his clothes off as quickly as he could. He joined her in the bed and caressed her body as he teased her breasts and vagina with his hands. He slowly slid her bra and thong off as Avery starting writhing in pleasure, begging for more.
Once Avery was finally naked, Blake leaned over her and started sucking on her breast as his hand wandered lower to her vagina. He inserted his finger and began stroking, slowly. And then Blake removed his finger and stopped sucking her breast. He spread her legs as he was kissing her abdomen then her inner thighs. Then his mouth was at the lip of Avery’s vagina. He kissed it gently at first, and then suddenly, his tongue plunged deep inside her pussy and teased her back and forth. Avery’s senses were assaulted like never before. There were explosions over and over in her pussy as Blake pulled his tongue in and out then around the outside of her vagina. He smiled as her sweet wetness spilled from her vagina.
“I’m begging you, Blake. You have to take me now.”
Without a word and in one swift motion, Blake inserted his penis into Avery’s wet, swollen vagina. He waited a moment, as Avery enjoyed the sensation of Blake being deep inside her. Then he looked down at Avery and plunged deeper and deeper as he rode her hard. She grabbed his hips and wrapped her legs around his butt and raised her own hips to meet him stride for stride.
“Oh, Avery,” Blake moaned, “you’re killing me.”
Now it was Avery’s turn to smile. They met each other stride for stride as they climbed to the peak of their mutual climax. Blake spilled his seed into Avery’s pussy as Avery’s orgasm exploded, sending spasms throughout her nerves.
Avery and Blake began their descent back into reality as they lay in each other’s arms. Blake stroked Avery’s hair. “I’m so glad you came here, baby. I’ve missed you so much. There’s been something I’ve wanted to tell you—needed to tell you—but haven’t had the courage.”
Avery stiffened as she listened to Blake build to what she believed to be his confession. Every nerve in her body was screaming, her muscles taut. She felt the nausea come back again and fought the urge to run to the bathroom.
Blake noticed Avery stiffen but continued on. “Avery, you are unlike any other woman I have ever met. I haven’t felt this way for anyone, and in the beginning, I’ll admit it scared me. But it doesn’t scare me anymore. Avery, I love you.”
Blake waited for her response.
Avery sat up with a look of astonishment on her face. “Is that it? You don’t have anything else to tell me?”
Blake was stunned. He had never told a woman he loved her before, and Avery just threw it back in his face, expecting more?
“What else did you expect? A marriage proposal?”
“Whaaat?” Avery shrieked. “You’ve got to be kidding?” When were you going to tell me about Leslie?”
The color drained from Blake’s face.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Avery responded.
She couldn’t keep the nausea at bay any longer and ran to the restroom. When she returned, Blake was sitting at the desk with his head in his hands. Avery sat down on the bed facing him.
“That was why you came here today, isn’t it? To confront me about Leslie, I mean. Why did you sleep with me if you knew about Leslie?”
“I don’t know. I felt powerless to fight my attraction to you, I guess,” Avery responded without emotion. They sat for several minutes in silence. Avery broke the silence. “It’s true then? You did sleep with Leslie?”
Now it was Blake’s turn to yell in disbelief.
“Whaaat? She told you that? And you believed her without asking me first? How could you? Is that why you didn’t take my calls last week? How could you believe Leslie and shut me out like that?”
Blake paced the floor, shaking his head in disbelief as Avery watched, not knowing if she should feel relieved, worried, or ashamed.
Blake turned to Avery. “No, I did not sleep with Leslie. Yes, she did come to my house—for tutoring. Yes, she did try to seduce me. Yes, I did kiss her. But I showed her the door before it could go any further. I realized I wanted only one woman in my bed because I was in love with her. I don’t sleep around when I am in a relationship, Avery—I told you that. However, committed relationships do require trust, and you obviously don’t trust me. You believed a person who was barely an acquaintance, who, by the way, was out to intentionally hurt you and me. You didn’t have faith, Avery—not in me and not in us.”
“How could I have faith, Blake, when you hadn’t said one word about your feelings towards me? At that point, our relationship was about the bedroom.”
“Really? Is that what you thought? Then we really were in two different places, Avery, because faith requires more than just words. I’ve loved you from the start.”
Avery did not know how to respond to that. She wanted desperately to believe him but doing so would require a leap of faith. Did she have that in her? Again, she felt the nausea swell inside her, and she ran to the restroom. Blake watched with concern as she came back, looking decidedly pale.
“Are you feeling okay? This is the second time you’ve dashed off to the restroom,” he said.
Avery nodded. “I’m okay. I think I’ve just caught the bug that is going around campus.”
Blake didn’t look convinced but nodded anyway. “Why don’t you lay down here and rest while I attend my next seminar? We can talk later.”
Avery shook her head. “No, Blake. I’m going home. I am not sure I can give you what you are asking for. I am not even sure what you are asking for. I just know that I want to go home and figure things out for myself while I get over this bug in my own bed.”
Blake didn’t speak as his disappointment overwhelmed him. He helped Avery gather her things and held the door for her.
She stopped at the door with tears in her eyes and said, “Good-bye, Blake,” then turned and walked to the elevator.
Blake closed the door and walked to the bed. He sat down with his head in his hands. Despite the agonized look in Avery’s eyes when she said good-bye, he could not believe the relationship was over. He would give her a few days to feel better and sort things through and then he would go to her. With that plan in place, Blake set off for his seminar, his heart heavy.
* * * *
Avery returned home, exhausted both mentally and physically. She had to stop three times during the two-hour trip to get sick. She was beginning to get concerned as this simply did not feel like the typical stomach bug she’d had in the past. She decided she would call the doctor in the morning just to be safe. In the meantime, she pulled on her favorite pajamas and made some hot tea. She crawled into bed
and put on whatever TV movie she could find to try to take her mind off of Blake. It didn’t work as she started to think about their conversation. She knew she loved him. She loved him from the very beginning of their relationship. She wished she knew that he had loved her, too. Did that make a difference? It meant he met with Leslie while he was in love with me, yes, but it also meant he sent her packing because he was in love with me The round-and-round thinking made Avery dizzy and tired, and she promptly fell asleep.
In the morning, she called her general physician and made an appointment for later that morning. She busied herself by tidying and cleaning her home. She wished she had papers to grade, but the semester had ended weeks ago. She could be putting up holiday decorations as Christmas was fast approaching, but just the thought of pulling out the boxes exhausted her. Finally, it was time to head to the doctor’s office. Apprehension started to build as her appointment time grew near. When the nurse called her name to go back, her stomach once again felt as though it would fall through the floor. Something was up, and Avery couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Avery was led to a generic exam room and asked to slip into a hospital gown. Her doctor, Dr. Jennifer McKenzie, was highly recommended by all the female professors on campus, and Avery liked her immediately at her first appointment.
“Hi, Avery, I didn’t expect to see you back too soon after your initial appointment. Is everything okay?”
“Well, I don’t know. I’ve been feeling nauseous lately, but without the other symptoms, I expected for the stomach flu. So, I thought it would be a good idea to come talk to you about it.”
“Good thinking. Any chance you could be pregnant?”
“Pregnant! Heavens, no! I am on the pill, and I take it religiously. I’ve never missed a day.”
“Well, just to be sure, let’s do a blood test. I take it you didn’t take a pregnancy test?”
“Of course not!” Avery replied indignantly.
“Okay, I’ll have the nurse come draw some blood. It’s a quick test, and we’ll have the results in a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay, sure,” Avery replied nervously.
Avery now understood the apprehension. Dr. McKenzie left as the nurse came in to draw Avery’s blood.
Avery tried to read the magazines left in the exam room as she waited for her results. It was the longest twenty minutes she had ever spent. When Dr. McKenzie returned to the exam room, Avery thought she would jump off the exam table and grab her chart from her hands to read it herself.
“So, doc,” she said, trying to sound smooth, “what’s the word?”
“Well, Avery, I’m not sure how you’ll react to this, but you are pregnant.”
Avery had never fainted before in her life, and yet, when Dr. McKenzie told her she was pregnant, Avery Jackson fainted dead away.
“Avery? Avery? Are you with us?”
Avery slowly sat back up and blinked her eyes a few times.
“How could this happen, Dr. McKenzie? I’ve been so careful!”
“Well, Avery, the odds are extremely low, but the pill is only ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent effective, depending upon which one you were taking. It has happened before, and now it has happened to you. I hate to ask you this, but do you know who the father is?”
“Yes, I do. Unfortunately, I just broke up with him.”
“Oh, dear. Any chance of a reconciliation?”
“No, I don’t think so. It will be just me and this baby.”
“Avery, are you sure you want to do that? You have no idea how hard that is. Believe me, I know. I was a single mother until I met my husband.”
“Really? I didn’t know. Well, look at you now. Besides, there are plenty of women out there doing it without help—I can, too. I am not going to get back together with the baby’s father just for his help. I am stronger than you think. I have a full-time job with a flexible schedule. I can do this. I can.”
Dr. McKenzie looked at Avery with concern. “Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?”
As Avery pulled into her driveway, she was still digesting the news. It was a complete shock, one that she was unprepared to handle at the moment but had no choice in making it a top priority. Blake would have to take a backseat while she figured out what to do about the baby. Thankfully, the house would not be a problem. She had plenty of space. Full-time teaching at a university and childcare would be an issue. This needed to be addressed. She would have to speak to Amelia. She was surprised when she got in the house to find a message waiting for her from Amelia already. She couldn’t know about the baby. What could this be about?
* * * *
Avery arrived on campus mid-afternoon. Dr. McKenzie suggested carrying small snacks with her to keep food in her stomach at all times. If she didn’t let her stomach get empty, the nausea would stay away. So far, for the first three hours, it had worked. She went straight to Amelia’s office and knocked on her door. Amelia opened the door within seconds of Avery’s knocking. Amelia did not greet Avery in her usual manner. As Avery walked in, she noticed Dr. Kenneth Scofield, the Assistant Chair of the English Department, sitting on the couch and not looking too happy. Avery felt the apprehension from this morning return and had a feeling this meeting would not end well.
“Sit down, Avery.” Amelia beckoned to the empty chair in front of her desk. Amelia sat behind her desk and pulled out a folder. “Avery, I’ve asked you here because Ken has brought to my attention some accusations about you and Blake Emory. Someone left these photos in his mailbox.”
Amelia opened the folder on her desk and showed Avery photos of her and Blake at her house on her back patio in a passionate embrace. When Avery looked up at Amelia with tears in her eyes, Amelia said, “I’m sorry, Avery.”
Ken stood up. “You’re sorry? This is reprehensible, Dr. Jackson. We have rules against this sort of thing for a reason.”
Avery blanched at his reference to their relationship as “this sort of thing”—especially knowing that she was carrying Blake’s baby. Thinking of the baby reminded Avery that she was now responsible for another being. She was not about to let Ken Scofield scold her about a loving relationship because of rules that were the result of someone else’s relationship that got out of control.
Avery stood as well. “Dr. Scofield, this relationship was between two consenting adults who were not only above the age of twenty-one but were also both college graduates. The intent of this policy was to prevent inappropriate relationships between faculty and undergraduates, yet for some reason, it was written to include the graduate students as well. It was an overreaction on the university’s part.” Avery paused and took a deep breath as she looked between Amelia and Ken. “Nevertheless, we knew the policy and broke it. I will go clear out my office now. Thank you for the opportunity. I am sorry this didn’t work out.”
Without another word, Avery turned and walked out.
Chapter Six
Avery stood in the middle of her office after going to the local office store for boxes. She was determined to keep moving. If she stopped, she was afraid the reality of the situation would hit her and she would end up in a ball on the floor crying uncontrollably. She tried to convince herself it was the hormones, but she knew it was because she was scared to death about the prospect of having lost her job and finding out she was pregnant within twenty-four hours of each other. While she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, do anything about the pregnancy, she could do something about her recent unemployment. After packing up her office, Avery decided she would contact the department chair at Weston University, where she received her doctorate. Weston had been good to graduates in the past, and Avery was a star student.
With a plan in place, Avery packed swiftly and efficiently. She hoped to get out of the department without seeing anyone. It was to her advantage that summer break had begun, and most of the faculty had already left for their holiday vacations. Avery got the boxes to her car and came back to the office to do one last sweep before leaving h
er keys on the department secretary’s desk. She was on her way out when Amelia came knocking at her door.
“Oh, good! I’m so glad I caught you before you left. I am so sorry things had to end this way, Avery. I had no idea Ken had those pictures. I never would have pushed you to get back together with Blake if I had known, honest. Did you tell him what happened? He must have been furious!”
Avery interrupted Amelia, “Amelia, stop. He doesn’t know what happened because I haven’t talked to him since I’ve returned home. We are not back together. It isn’t going to work—the two of us, that is.”
“But why? What happened? He’s crazy about you. I don’t understand.”
“Well, apparently he wasn’t crazy enough about me to say no to…” Avery paused. As much as she disliked the fact that Blake let Leslie come to his home and attempt to seduce him, she felt that should remain between the two of them. While Amelia was Blake’s aunt and Avery’s friend, she was also the department chair and would not take kindly to learning that Blake had even just a close encounter with an undergraduate. Avery continued, “…to that ‘other woman.’ She did try to seduce him but only got as far as kissing him before he asked her to leave.”
“Well, that is disappointing,” Amelia conceded, “however, how many men his age do you know would have shown a woman to the door after she had offered herself?”
Amelia stood and hugged Avery.
“Where will you go?”
Avery always considered herself an honest person, but she knew if she told Amelia her plan, Amelia would tell Blake. “I thought I would go to the MLA this year and put my name out there. Will you give me a reference if I get any bites?”
Amelia nodded sadly. “The best. I’m going to miss you, dear.”
She turned and left Avery’s office, leaving her standing by herself in the empty room. Avery never felt so alone in her whole life.
