Release (27 page)

She sighed, and
went with honesty.  “He…was polite.”

He looked at
her.  “What else?”

She
sighed.  “Just ask what you want to ask.”

“Did he come
onto you?”

“Yes,” she
said.  And waited.

He tossed the
towel to the hamper, and turned back to her with an angry but controlled look
on his face.  He stood there dressed in his jeans and boots, and there she
was sprawled naked on the bed.  She was beginning to feel extremely
exposed.

His eyes were
nearly black, and the intensity of his stare was making her nervous. 
“This wasn’t something you could’ve told me last night?  How did you
respond?” his voice sounding dangerous.

She looked him
defiantly in the eyes.  “First of all, why are you angry with me?  I
can’t help it if a guy flirts with me.  And secondly, I didn’t think it
was necessary to tell you last night.  Jennifer introduced us, he told me
he was interested, and I told him I
wasn’t
interested, because I had a
special friend who I spent time with.”

He raised an
eyebrow, looking even more unhappy.  “A special
friend
?”

“Well, it’s not
like we discussed what this was between us, or anything.  It’s why I asked
you last night,” she huffed.

He climbed next
to her on the bed, then leaned himself over her.  The back of his hand
stroked from her belly button up to between her breasts, then back down
again.  “You should’ve told me about him.”

“Should I expect
you to tell me every time a girl hits on
you
?” she countered.

“Listen, I know
Armand.”  He clenched his jaw.  “He loves women.  He’ll want
you, and see you as a challenge now that you’ve told him you’re not
interested.  He’ll have a difficult time backing down,” he muttered, his
teeth clenched.  “But I can help him with that,” he said looking away.

“Well, hello pot
calling the kettle black.  You were the same way with me, so stop this
right now, Jeremy.  You’re not going to say anything to him.  Don’t
be ridiculous.”

His jaw
tightened more.  “What did he say when you told him you had a special
friend?”

Without thinking
of her wording, she stammered, “He basically implied that when I wanted to be
more than a…fuck buddy, he would be happily waiting in the wings.”  Then
she looked away, realizing what she’d said.

“
Fuck.
 
Look at me.”  He waited until she did.

She was nervous,
because she had never seen him look so mad.  He was breathing heavily, and
looked like he wanted to hit something.

“Is that what
you think you are to me?  A fuck buddy?”

She blinked, and
tried to get a thought together in her mind.  “Jeremy, please stop
worrying about this.  I just told you I’m not interested in Armand, and I
told him so.”  She put her hand on his face to calm him.

He looked away
as if deep in thought, then he turned back to her.  “Does Jennifer play
into this?  She introduced you.  You said last night you weren’t sure
if you could talk to me about stuff at the Institute because of my position,
and now it’s all clicking into place.  Has she said more things to you?”

Ugh.  “I
told you, Jeremy.  I can handle Jennifer.  Please.  You’re
worrying about something that doesn’t deserve your energy.”

“Tell me if
she’s done something, Ryann,” he growled.

“I’m not going
to tell you if or what she’s said or done, Jeremy.  You’re the VC at the
Institute.  This is petty, stupid stuff that you don’t need to spend your
time thinking about.”

“I’m not talking
to you as the VC at the moment, but I swear to God, I’ll
act
as the VC,
if I find out she’s hurting you in any way.”

He was making
her melt again, and she smiled up at him tenderly, stroking his cheek. 
“Shh,” she put her finger over his lips.  “You need to trust me that I can
handle her, ok?  And I can handle Armand, too.”

“The next time
he comes sniffing around you, you make sure that he knows that you are
completely
unavailable.  Do you understand?”

She smiled, and
nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I’m not playing
around, Ryann.”

“I know you’re
not.”  She leaned up and kissed him, cupping his face between her
hands.  He kissed her back, and dropped his forehead to hers letting out a
deep sigh. 

“I’m not sharing
you.” He looked away, appearing a little lost.  Then, “Come on,” he
muttered.  “Let’s get some clothes on you, and make some dinner.”

Jeremy was quiet during dinner.  He turned on
music and poured some wine, while they both made salmon, rice and salad. 
But he wasn’t his normal chatty self.  The conversation about Armand kept
playing in her head.

He didn’t deny
that she was his fuck buddy, and didn’t offer another label to replace the
‘special friend’ one, but she got the impression he wasn’t happy with either of
them.  She was apparently going to have to be happy with the
‘unavailable/off the market’ label for now.

After they
cleaned up dinner, they snuggled on the sofa to watch a movie, but by the time
the closing credits were rolling, she couldn’t keep her eyes open.  It had
been a long weekend physically and emotionally.  Jeremy took one look at
her, turned off all the lights and locked up, then swept her into his arms.

“I can walk, you
know.”

“Shh,” he said.

When he reached
the bedroom, he put her down next to the bed, and began stripping her of her
clothes.

“I can undress
myself, too,” she muttered.

He glared at
her, but continued removing her clothes.  “Do you need to use the
bathroom?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead. 
I’ll go after you.”

She did,
brushing her teeth, and using the toilet.  Just as she walked out, he
walked in, the bed already turned down, and ready for them.  She crawled
into the bed, and laid her head on the pillow.  He came out moments later,
turned off the light, and crawled in next to her.

He draped her
over him, and kissed her head.

She could feel
his erection next to her stomach, and wondered why he didn’t make a move to
have sex.  It wasn’t like him.

“Jeremy?” she
whispered.

She could hear
him swallow.  “Yeah?”

“Do you want
to…?”

“No, baby. 
Just go to sleep, ok?”

She tried not to
feel rejected, but she couldn’t help it.  Was he tiring of her
already?  It was obvious he was aroused.   Why didn’t he want to
have sex with her?  Did he think
she
didn’t want to have sex? 
These types of questions were just another example of why she hadn’t been
looking forward to dating again.  She was constantly analyzing
everything.  It was exhausting.

She
sighed.  “Are you sure?  Because…”

“I’m sure,
baby.  Have a good sleep, ok?”

She tried to
blink back the tears.  It was like the night before all over again. 
It felt like they were fighting or something, and she felt it in the pit of her
stomach.  It wasn’t like they hadn’t had sex that day in the woodshop, but
she had become accustomed to his insatiable appetite.  When he didn’t want
it, she got worried.  Especially, when he was so obviously aroused.

Knowing she
wasn’t going to see him all week made her all the more worried, and she was
overcome with a desire that blindsided her.

She reached down
and fisted him.

He grabbed her
hand, and hissed.  “Ryann
...
”

“I don’t want to
go to sleep.”  She was angry.  Why didn’t he
want
her?

She leaned down,
and licked the head of his cock.

“God. 
Ryann,
stop
.”

“No.”  At
this point, she was desperate.  She put him in her mouth, and sucked.

He gripped her
hair in his hand, and tried to dislodge her.

She made a noise
in the back of her throat, while he tried to pull her away from him, and hung
onto him with her mouth.

“Ryann!”  

She released
him, and yelled, “Why don’t you want me?!  What’s going on, Jeremy?”

“What’s going
on?  I’ll tell you what’s going on!  I’m trying not to come at you
like an animal every time my dick gets hard for you, that’s what’s going
on!  Is that what you want me to do?  Because if that’s the case, I’m
happy to keep it inside you the entire time we’re in private.  Would that
make you feel better?!”

“Yes!” She
yelled in frustration, and anger.

He grabbed at
her waist, and threw her back down, landing between her legs and pinning her
arms above her head.   Before she knew it, he was already sliding
into her.

“Is this what
you want, Ryann?  A nice hard fuck?”  His voice was low and sultry.

“Yes...” she
moaned.  Finally!

“This is what
you want?”  He slid back in until she could feel his balls slap against
her.  She whimpered.

She wished he
didn’t feel so good.  She felt his own anger and frustration vibrate off
of him.  Why was he angry with her?

“Jeremy,” she
breathed with uncertainty.

He stilled, and
his hands gentled on her restrained wrists.  He looked at her, and his face
looked as if he was torn up inside.

“God,
baby.”  He looked at her with such tenderness.  Then he began to
slide out of her, as if he was leaving her.  But she grabbed at his hands.

“No. 
Please, Jeremy…. Please.”

He let go of her
wrists, and cupped her face looking her in the eyes, then slowly pushed his way
back in.  His eyes closed briefly, and he had a look of ecstasy on his
face.

“Ryann,” he
breathed.  “Tell me...tell me you want me...
me
.”

“I do,
Jeremy.  Only you.  I need this.  Please don’t stop...”

She moved with
him, as he kissed her face, and massaged her scalp, while he slowly slid in and
out.

Her breathing
hitched, as she felt the familiar building of sensation inside her.  She
wrapped her arms around his neck, and nuzzled her lips there.  “Don’t
stop, Jeremy.  Please…” she whispered.

He reached down
to grab her ass, and tilted her hips, so that every time he slid into her, he
would grind her clit.  He was being so gentle, and a lump began forming in
her throat.  She felt so sad, and she didn’t know why.

“Let go,
baby…that’s it,” he whispered.  “I’m going to miss you.  Come for me
now, so I can remember what you look like.”

She felt like he
was saying goodbye.  She sobbed out his name, and he increased his tempo,
his hips moving faster, but still controlled.  He was holding back, and
she didn’t want him to.

“Faster,
Jeremy.”

“No,
Ryann.  Just like this.  Come for me, just like this.”

He gently
encouraged her, and she circled her hips so her clit would hit his pelvic
bone.  She felt the pulse of the first ripple of orgasm hit her, and began
coming.  It was slow and intense in its power, and she cried out,
clutching her arms around him, gasping into his neck.

“Ahh…
Ryann.
” 
He held her face and rested his lips on her neck while he spilled his seed
inside her.

…..

They both lay
there quietly.  He was still inside her, and his neck was wet from the
tear that escaped her eye. 
Shit, don’t cry, Ryann!
she screamed to
herself.

He stroked her
hair.  “Shh, baby.  It’s ok,” he murmured.

“What’s
happening, Jeremy?  Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at
you at all, baby.”  He swallowed.  “I’m sorry about before.  I
just don’t want you to think that I expect you to have sex with me every second
of the day.”

“But I
like
having sex with you every second of the day.”  She knew she was pouting,
but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

He
chuckled.  “You
do
, don’t you.”

“Yes, I
do.”  Pause.  “You make me feel things I’ve never felt before.” 

She mentally
smacked herself in the head.  Nice going, Ryann.  That comment won’t
scare him off at
all
.

Before he could
respond, she joked, “Like turning me into a sex addict.”  She cringed
internally, thinking it sounded like she only wanted
him
for sex. 
What she felt for him was so much more than that...and it had only been a week
or so.  She couldn’t possibly tell him her real feelings yet.  It was
all happening so fast.

He paused, then
sighed.  “Well, I’m happy to help in that regard any time.”

But apparently
he wasn’t.  Didn’t the last few minutes of her throwing herself at him
prove that?

He pulled out of
her, and spooned her from behind.

He whispered in
her ear, “You’ve gotten what you wanted from me, sex kitten.  Now, it’s
time to go to sleep.”

She snuggled
into him, but felt strangely deflated.  She was going to miss him terribly
the next week.  She felt like he was slipping away, and she couldn’t
figure out why.

The next morning, she awoke to an empty bed.  She
could hear the shower running in the bathroom, and wondered what he would do if
she joined him.  Just as she was getting out of bed, the shower turned
off.

She
sighed.  Hadn’t he promised her shower sex at some point?  Her shower
was way too small, so it would have to be here.  Well, now he was leaving,
and she’d have to wait five more days to see if he would fulfill his promise.

And what about
the other present he said he had for her the other night?  When was he
going to give it to her?

He stepped out
of the bathroom, naked as the day he was born, rubbing a towel in his hair.

He looked up at
her sitting in the bed, his eyes skating down to her breasts.

“Good morning,”
he said with a sexy tilt to his lips.   

“Hey, you.”

“How did you
sleep?”

“Great.” 
Even though she hadn’t.  “You?”

“Same.”

Well, at least
she now knew she wasn’t the only one worrying about this thing between them.

“The bathroom’s
all yours.”  He walked over, and kissed her softly on the lips. 
Having not brushed her teeth yet, she kept her mouth closed.  He smiled,
and leaned back.  “I’ll be coming in with you this morning.  I need
to talk to the Dean about some things.”  He cupped her face.  “I need
to see my mom tonight before heading to the airport, so unfortunately we’ll
have to say goodbye this morning.”   He paused.  “I wish I
didn’t have to go away right now.”

“I wish you
didn’t have to either.”

He took a
cleansing breath then looked her in the eye.  “When I get back,” he
paused.  “I want us to talk about some things, ok?  After the gala?”

A feeling of
dread came over her.  “Ok,” she whispered.  “I’m going to jump in the
shower.”

She got up and
went into the bathroom and closed the door.  The lingering steam was still
clinging to the air, and the oppressive nature of it clouded around her,
enclosing her into a cocoon of despair.

What had
Jennifer said?  She’d given him two weeks?  Was he going to end
it?  He was going to say they were moving too fast.  Even though 99%
of the time his words made her feel like the only woman in the world, he was
more distant this weekend.  There were times that his words and actions
contradicted themselves.  She blinked back the tears.  Don’t you dare
cry, Ryann.  He didn’t want some clingy female crying all over him. 
She needed to be prepared and strong for whatever he was going to say.

She got in the
shower and steeled herself for the coming week.

…..

Manny dropped
them off at the Institute at 7:30, and as they entered the lobby, she saw
Armand coming out of one of the Admin offices with coffee.  Jeremy had his
hand at the small of her back, but she slowed her steps, not wanting Jeremy to
see him.

“Why don’t you
head into your meeting, and I’ll go up to Paul’s office.  Can you text me
when you’re done, so we can say goodbye?”

He smiled at
her.  “You bet.”

Just then,
Armand came into her peripheral vision, and she heard him clear his
throat.  She tensed.

“Jeremy. 
How are you?”

Jeremy clenched
his jaw, then turned to look at Armand.  “Hello, Armand.”

“Good morning,
Ryann.  It’s wonderful to see you again.  How was your
weekend?” 

She croaked out
a “Fine.”

He turned to
Jeremy.  “You’re here for the security meeting, I assume.”

Jeremy nodded,
but shifted closer to Ryann. 

Armand looked at
the two of them, and his eyes took on a knowing look.  “My apologies if I
interrupted something.”  He didn’t look too sorry.  Not only had he
made no movement to leave, he was smiling down at Ryann appreciatively.

“You did,
actually,” Jeremy said, his hand running up and down her back.

Ryann muttered a
‘good grief’ under her breath, then turned to Jeremy.  “I’ll talk to you
soon, ok?”

He reached his
hand up and settled it at the nape of her neck, then pulled her close. 
“I’ll text you in a bit,” then he leaned down and kissed her on the lips,
branding her.

She blushed to
the roots of her hair.  Although it made her giddy that he kissed her, it
also made her extremely uncomfortable when he was affectionate at the
Institute.  She kept thinking everyone was looking at her like she was a
floozy, or something.

She backed away
clearing her throat, then walked past Armand to the elevator, but not before
she saw his smirk.

…..

She arrived to
Paul’s office, and tried to concentrate on preparing for the day, but found she
was unable to do so.  She needed to get it together.  This internship
was extremely important to her, and she was going to have to work extra hard at
it, so people like Jennifer didn’t screw it up.

The knowledge of
her relationship with Jeremy wouldn’t bode well with others either.  No
one had made any comments to her except for Jennifer, but she had to wonder how
many others were thinking it.

Shit.  This
is why she’d hesitated so much when he was pursuing her.  This whole thing
had been a bad idea from the beginning.  A wave of sadness washed over
her.  God, how was it possible that she’d fallen for him so quickly?

He said he
wanted to talk to her when he got back.  She would have a few things to
say to him too.  She needed to think this week, and if necessary, she
would end it with him.  That way, she would beat him to it, and save face,
and maybe a little of her heart in the process.

She wasn’t sure
how she was going to make it through the day, let alone the week, without
him.  If he had wanted her addicted, he had reached his goal.

…..

Her first class
was at 8:30.  It was now 8:25, and students were walking into the
studio.  Jeremy hadn’t finished his meeting yet, and there was no way she
was going to ask Paul to cover for her while she went down to say goodbye to
Jeremy when he texted.

She had to fight
down the bubble of panic and depression that tried to consume her.  She
was trying to come to grips with the fact that she wouldn’t be able to say
goodbye to him before he left.  She looked at the clock one last time.

8:28.

She turned off
her phone, and walked into the studio to meet her students.

…..

An hour and a
half later, her students were filing out of the studio.  The student who
had flirted with her the week before lingered behind.  His name was
Enrique, but everyone called him Rick.  He was a handsome Latino man in
his late 20’s, and very much an artsy type, with long hair, and a messy flair
to his style.

He walked over
with a smile.  “Class was great today.”

She smiled
back.  “I’m glad you thought so.”

“I was wondering
if you had some time later to get some lunch.  I wanted to talk to you
about my project that needs to be ready for the showing at the end of the
summer.”

Knowing she
needed to make herself available to her students, she immediately said, “Of
course.”  But right after that she clarified.  “I have to work on
some stuff at lunch, but why don’t we meet down in the parlor later?  My
last class is over at 4pm.  Is that too late?”

“Nope, that
works.  Well… good then.  I’ll see you down there at four,” he winked
and left.

She
sighed.  She needed to watch that one.  He was charming and cute…and
a student.  If he put the moves on her again, she would have to put a stop
to it fast.

Her next class
wasn’t for a half hour, and her stomach began to hurt as she made her way into
the office to check her phone.  Paul was still finishing up his class, so
she had a few moments alone.

She turned the
sound back on on her phone, and saw two text messages and one voicemail. 
She checked the text messages first.

JM: 
Hey. 
The meeting ran long.  Any chance ur not in class yet?

Then,

JM: 
Check
ur voicemail, baby.
   

She took a deep
breath, and listened.

“Hi,
baby.  I’m so sorry I missed you.  The meeting went long, and when I
got out, you were already in the middle of your class.” 
He paused.
 
“I didn’t think you’d want me to say goodbye to you in front of your
students.” 
Pause.
  “I miss you already, baby.  I’ll be
free around four today if you can talk.  I’ll just be packing, and then
will be with my mom before I head to the airport.  No matter what, let’s
try to talk today, ok?”
 Pause.
  “Ok….gotta go.”
 Pause.
“Bye, Ry.”

She swallowed
down the emotion that swelled up.  Even though she knew it wouldn’t have
looked good if he had come up to her class to say goodbye, she couldn’t help
but wish that he had.

There was no
playfulness to his message.  No sexual innuendo.  He just
sounded…resigned…sad.  The fact that she wouldn’t be able to talk to him
until much later made her more depressed.  She had her meeting with Rick
after her class was over at four, so she probably wouldn’t talk to him until he
was already at the airport.

She thought for
a moment, then began texting him.

RT:
 Listened
to msg.   I’m sorry I missed u, too.  I won’t be able to call u
until much later, I have mtng at 4.  What time does ur flight leave?
 

She put the
phone down, and got ready for her next class.

…..

By four, Ryann
was exhausted, and on edge.  In between classes, she and Paul talked about
her progress, and discussed things that needed to get done during the week.

He noticed she
had seemed out of sorts, and asked if everything was ok.

She mentally
kicked herself.  The last thing she wanted was her relationship with
Jeremy to interfere with her work.  She smiled and turned up the charm.

“Everything’s
fine.  Have I been doing ok, do you think?”

“Puhleeze,
sweetheart.  You’re doin’ great!  I can’t wait until the end of the
summer when I can give my recommendations to the board.  You’re gonna be
an awesome permanent addition to the team here.”

She blushed at
his compliment.  “Why, thank you, sir.  That’s good to hear.”

“Ya sure
everything’s ok?”

“Yup.  All
is good.”

“If ya say so,”
although as he looked at her, he didn’t look convinced.

For the rest of
the day, she had made it through classes, and had finally gotten a text back
from Jeremy.  They were going to talk to each other at nine, when he was
at the airport.  His flight was to leave at 10, getting him in to Chicago
around midnight EST.  He had meetings scheduled all the next day starting
early.

After her last
class, she had finally made her way to the parlor for her meeting with Rick,
and made herself a cup of coffee when she got there.  She saw him sitting
off in the corner, and headed his way.

He looked up and
smiled.  “Hey.”  He stood up and pulled out her chair.

She blushed, but
smiled back, “Thanks.”

“Thanks for
meeting with me.  I’ve been wanting to flesh out my ideas ever since the
assignment was given.”

“No problem,”
she smiled again.

“How’s your day
been?”

“Good,
thanks.  How about you?”

“Great. 
Any time I get to see you twice in one day makes it great,” he said winking.

She took a deep
breath, and said, “Let’s talk about your project ideas.”

They spent the
next half hour or so talking, and toward the end of the conversation, he looked
her in the eye and said, “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.  As
long as you know I may not answer it,” she said giving him a pointed look.

“Fair enough,”
he chuckled.  “This is probably a really inappropriate question given our
roles, but I was wondering if you were seeing anyone.”

She just
couldn’t seem to get away from this question, could she?  Her relationship
with Jeremy had taken a tenuous turn since their ‘off the market’ conversation,
but regardless, she didn’t want to, nor would she ever, date a student.

She figured it
was easier to just cut to the chase.

“Yes, Rick, I
am.  But even if I wasn’t, I think it’s important for you to you know that
I would never date one of my students.”

He nodded. 
“Ok.”  Pause.  “Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said with
a charming smile.

She chuckled,
“No, I guess you can’t.”

“Thanks again,
for meeting with me.  Talking through my ideas has helped a lot.”

“Any time,” she
smiled.

They both got
up, and threw away their trash.

“I’ll see you
tomorrow, Ryann…Have a good night,” he smiled with regret.

“You, too,” she
smiled, then grabbed her bag, and turned toward the exit, only to find MG
sitting by the door.

Shit.  Her
emotions were close to the surface as it was, without having to deal with
Jennifer’s bitchy attitude. 

Just walk
right by her, no matter what she says.  Just keep on walking, Ry.

Ryann made her
way to the door, completely ignoring Jennifer.  Just as she walked past
her, MG murmured, “Lining up the next one for when Jeremy dumps you?”

Ryann kept
walking, but MG wasn’t finished.  She tsked, “So many options…Armand,
Enrique…” she said a little louder.

Ryann didn’t
look back, she just kept going until she got to the elevator, then collapsed
against the wall when the doors closed.  She rushed out when she reached
her floor, and walked into Paul’s office, letting her anger take flight, and
feeling tears prick at her eyes.  She wished crying wasn’t her emotion of
choice.  The tears came whether she was happy, sad, pissed…whenever an
extreme emotion hit her, the tears followed closely behind.

“Fucking
bitch
….unprofessional…”
she whispered furiously under her breath, trying to gain control of herself,
but needing to blow off steam.