Absolute Beginners (Absolute #1) (5 page)

“I like you too,” she said, giving me a wink.

“Oh, I…err…”

…usually think you’re annoying, but really want you to continue what you’re doing?

“Relax, Stephen. I’m only teasing you. Do you like it?”

“The teasing?”

She laughed and shook her head, glancing down to where she was still holding me in her hand.

“Oh.” My cheeks grew warm. “Yes, very much.”

“Mmm, good,” she said, lowering herself to continue her marvelous exploration.

After mere seconds, I seemed to lose all my inhibitions. My previously motionless hands tangled in her hair as she moved up and down, giving me the most pleasurable experience of my life. She did things with her tongue that made my eyes cross and my toes curl.

“Julia,” I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut and searching for a distraction. I was in danger of finishing much too soon, and I didn’t want that to happen. I knew from my masturbatory experiences that I needed a lot more recovery time now than when I’d been in my teens and early twenties. I didn’t want to disappoint her with my performance and knew I had to slow down, although I really didn’t want to.

“Wait,” I moaned, reaching my hand down to her cheek.

She released me and gave me a curious look.

“I don’t want to finish like that,” I said quietly.

“Why not?”

“There isn’t much in it for you, if…if that happens,” I said, hoping that she would understand.

“Are you in a hurry to leave?” she asked. She didn’t seem upset, merely curious.

“No. No, I guess not,” I said.

I didn’t have anything waiting for me at home apart from my books and TV, none of which were at all appealing compared to being naked with a pretty girl.

“Great, because I plan on taking my time with you,” she said, taking me back into her mouth.

What is she expecting from me? I have no idea what I’m doing
.

Soon, I was panting and moaning like I never had before. Her mouth felt incredible and I couldn’t believe that I’d been deprived of this my entire life.

“Julia, I’m, oh, I’m going to…” I tried to warn her.

I thought that she would pull away but it only seemed to make her more eager as she worked me fervently, moaning around my length.

“Jul—” I moaned loudly, before my eyes rolled back in my head and I lost the ability to form words.

The feeling hit me like an anvil and there was no turning back from it. The warmth, the wetness, and the suction increased the intensity of my orgasm up to the point where I thought I might black out. My body felt boneless, and I had never experienced such a feeling of relaxation as the one that followed when she slowly released me. I could barely lift my head to look at her when she curled up next to me. Her warm naked body felt wonderful against mine and I managed to turn my head in her direction before my vision became fuzzy around the edges. Not meaning to, but unable to stop myself, I drifted off to the touch of her hand caressing my chest and the smell of her hair.

* * *

I woke up feeling confused and disoriented. I had no idea how long I had slept or even where I was for a second. It all came rushing back to me, and I sat up slowly when I realized I was alone in the bed.

The room was warm and still glowing from all the candles. Ms. Wilde was sitting in front of her laptop, typing away, wearing headphones. Her back was turned toward me and I frowned when I saw that she had put her hair back up and was now wearing a robe. I looked at my watch and saw that it was midnight. I had slept for a few hours. I was embarrassed that I had passed out on her like that. The men she usually brought home with her most likely didn’t do that. What a disappointment I must have been.

I got out of the bed slowly and put on my boxers, not certain what to do next. I needed the bathroom and should probably alert her to the fact that I was awake. Clearing my throat didn’t get her attention so I gathered up the courage to approach her and put my hand on her shoulder. She jumped when I touched her and she took off her headphones. I could hear music coming from them but couldn’t decipher what it was.

She turned in her chair and smiled up at me. “I’m sorry if I woke you up. Sometimes I sing along without realizing it.”

“No, you didn’t. Can I, uh, can I use your bathroom?” I asked, feeling very awkward and exposed in front of her.

“Sure,” she said simply and I hurried away.

After using the facilities, I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to make myself calm down. I had no idea what she expected of me now. We hadn’t slept together but we had engaged in sexual activity.

The most gratifying sexual activity of my life
.

Would it be considered rude if I left now? She hadn’t gotten anything out of it, but I knew I couldn’t return the favor in any satisfactory way since oral sex was completely unchartered territory for me. I had never even had a one-night stand before. My few short-term relationships had all ended after the first awkward attempt at sex, and I had never been asked to stay over afterward. Being in a woman’s apartment after sexual intimacy was an entirely new experience for me, and I had no idea how to proceed. After a few moments of blind panic, I took a deep breath and exited the bathroom.

“Would you like some tea?” she asked from the kitchen.

“Sure,” I said, although I wasn’t sure about anything at this point.

“Honey?”

She’s calling me “honey”? Is she under the impression that we’re in a relationship now?

“Stephen, do you want honey in your tea?”

Oh. I’m an idiot
.

“Yes, please,” I answered, trying to figure out where I should sit—the bed, her office chair at the desk, or the beat-up armchair. I chose the last, sitting down and trying to get comfortable in this strange place. Looking around the room, I noticed that there were a lot of pictures and paintings on the walls. They were all different sizes, colors, and styles but that didn’t surprise me. The entire apartment was an interior decorator’s worst nightmare. Ms. Wilde came out of the kitchen and handed me a mug. I looked at it and saw that it said “The London Dungeon” in bright red letters.

“What does this mean?” I asked.

“It’s a historical walk-through of London’s past. You get to experience the plague, the Great Fire of 1666, and Jack the Ripper. You know, stuff like that. It’s scary as hell, but so much fun.”

“Oh, OK,” I said.

Pandemics and serial killers. What’s fun about that?

I took a careful sip. It didn’t taste like the tea I was used to. The mug was black so I couldn’t see the color of the liquid in it.

“What is this?” I asked, tasting it again.

“It’s green tea with jasmine and honey. Do you like it?”

I nodded. I hadn’t tried any of the new teas that had flooded the market in the past few years. I stuck to the same brand that I’d always bought, but I had to admit that this was very tasty and much less bitter than what I had at home.

Her phone vibrated on the desk and she walked over to pick it up.

It’s past midnight and people are calling her?

“Sophia,” she greeted. “What’s up? No, I can’t come out and play.” There was a pause. “Because I’ve got company,” she said. “No, it’s no one you know. I’m not telling, you nosy cow.” She laughed. “Good-bye!” Another pause, and I watched as she grinned. “Yes, you go have great sex too. I’ll see you tomorrow. OK, say hi to Megan. Yeah, ’bye.”

I stared at her and tried to make sense of the conversation I’d just heard.

“Have great sex, too”? Do they really talk to each other like that? And what did she mean, “too”? Does she still want to have sex with me, even though I fell asleep? I find that hard to believe
.

“Sorry about that,” she said, putting down the phone. “Apparently my friends went to another bar after we split up and they want me to come join them.”

“That’s OK,” I said quickly, rising to my feet. “You can go and I’ll head home.”

I put my mug on the desk and looked around for my clothes.

“Stephen, don’t be silly,” she said, walking over to me. “I invited you up here because I want to spend the night with you.”

“But your friends—” I started.

“—are probably hooking up as we speak. Why would I go all the way downtown when I’ve already got a good-looking, half-naked man in my bedroom?” she asked, glancing up at me.

How do you answer a question like that?

“I don’t know.”

She stood up on her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Pick me up,” she said with a smile. “You’re almost too tall to reach.”

“Oh, OK. Sorry,” I said like the bumbling idiot I had turned into. I reached down and lifted her gently so that she could wrap her legs around my waist. I was surprised she was so light.

“How much do you weigh?” I blurted out. I realized my faux pas and my face grew hot from sheer mortification.

She threw her head back with peals of laughter. “Oh, Stephen,” she chuckled. “Don’t you know
anything
about women?”

“No,” I admitted, because I really didn’t. I started to put her down, figuring that I had spoiled the mood with my asinine question.

She tightened her hold on me. “I’m not going to kick you out because you asked me how much I weigh,” she said.

“Oh, that’s good, I guess.”

She leaned in and pressed her lips against mine softly. First she kissed my bottom lip, then the top, and then licked them, which made me open my mouth to her. I felt less apprehensive this time and kissed her back tentatively when our tongues met.

“Mmm, that’s nice,” she hummed against my lips. “You do know
some
things about women.”

“Not many,” I said quietly, not wanting her to get her expectations up.

“Carry me to the bed,” she whispered, kissing me lightly.

My heart pounded in my chest. She wanted to sleep with me, and I still had no idea how to proceed with this confident and experienced woman. But I also had the very distinct feeling that Ms. Wi—
Julia
—was about to educate me in the matter.

I stumbled over to her monstrosity of a bed and lowered her onto it. She stretched herself out and gave me an expectant look. I stood there contemplating my next move, my mind running in two completely different directions. The logical, levelheaded part of me knew that I should put my clothes on, leave immediately, and hope that she would never mention this ever again. The other part of me—the part that I hardly ever listened to—remembered that I was a man with physical needs who’d been deprived of female company for years, and was now screaming at me to jump on top of her and finish what we’d started before I fell asleep.

My brother’s words came back to me:
You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t love to fuck the hell out of that naughty student of yours and show her who’s boss!

Well, that certainly wouldn’t happen. I had a feeling that Ms. Wilde was the boss here and no amount of…me doing
that
would change that fact. Besides, I wouldn’t even know how to effectively perform such a task. I found myself wishing that I had more experience so that I really
could
show her that I was, if not exactly the boss of her, at least her equal.

I looked at her, lying there waiting for me, her pretty hair fanned out over the tacky purple bedspread. Her red lips had felt so good on my body. Would the rest of her feel even better? As much as I disliked her behavior in my classroom and her usual attire, I knew I wanted to be inside her more than anything. Could it be possible that she wanted me just as badly? After all, she had been drinking earlier, and although she seemed very experienced, I didn’t want to take advantage of her inebriated state.

“Are you drunk?” I blurted out.

“No.” She grinned. “Why?”

“I wouldn’t want to exploit you.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Stephen, but I’m a big girl and I know what I’m doing,” she replied, sitting up on her elbows.

“What
are
you doing?” I asked, before I could stop myself.

“Well, by the looks of it, I would say that I’m about to get fucked by my hot professor,” she said, smiling mischievously. “What are
you
doing?” she added, raising an eyebrow.

I have no clue. I should leave and yet I can’t move my feet toward the door
.

“I don’t know,” I told her, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You want to sleep with me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“And I want to sleep with you,” she said. “What’s there to think about?”

Oh, I don’t know—my career as an educator, your reputation, the fact that you will be in my class again on Friday annoying the hell out of me…

“Look, Stephen, I can tell that you’re nervous,” she said, and sat back up on the bed. “But you really shouldn’t overthink this. It’s just sex. It’s supposed to be fun, remember?”

Sex had never exactly been fun for me. It was supposed to be the most natural thing in the world, but I had never found that to be the case. I had no physical issues and everything worked as it should, but I was never able to figure it out beyond the sheer mechanics of the act. The few women I had dated in the past had never been satisfied by me. Ever. This girl was clearly used to enjoying herself sexually, and that only made me more apprehensive. What if she laughed at me when she discovered that I didn’t know how to touch her? All my academic knowledge and achievements wouldn’t matter at all in her bedroom, where I was a novice. She was looking up at me, obviously waiting for me to do something. She held up her hand in invitation and gave me a smile.

Stay or go? Stay or go?

I wanted this. I
needed
this. Feeling resolved, I took her hand. She moved backward until she was situated in the middle of the bed and then pulled me down on top of her, wrapping her legs around me. I wasn’t going anywhere, apparently. She felt so good underneath me. My gaze darted between her eyes and her lips.

“You can kiss me, you know,” she said. “I want you to.”

Swallowing my nerves, I sought her lips with mine, kissing her gently. After a few tries, I grew bolder and deepened the kiss, and she responded eagerly. She tasted sweet, like honey from the tea, and I felt myself become even more aroused when she moaned. I pulled back and looked her.