Words of Lust (23 page)

She pulled off of him and looked up. “Do you like it when I lick your balls? Are they sensitive?”

“God, yes.”

She didn’t waste another minute but suckled his balls, one and then the other, her tongue reaching out to tickle behind them, and his knees nearly gave out. After a while she returned to his cock. He began to get closer and grabbed her hair. He didn’t fuck her face the way he had the first time, but helped her take him deeper with gentle thrusts as she relaxed her throat around him.

When he couldn’t hold back any longer, when he started thrusting harder into her mouth, she moaned and the vibration sent him over the top. He shot into her mouth for an endless minute and watched as she worked hard to swallow his salty stream. Seeing her throat working, watching her eagerness as she sucked him dry, he almost couldn’t stop. She was breathless when he finally pulled out of her hot mouth and pulled her to her feet. Her eyes were glazed over and for a minute he was worried it had been too much for her, but then she smiled.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to want to do that a lot.”

“God knows you were fantastic. A lot of girls don’t like giving head.”

“I can’t imagine why. I felt so powerful—that I could do that to you just with my mouth.” She licked her lips and studied him with a siren’s gaze. “You taste so earthy. Just the way I imagined. Sexy and primal.”

“I would never have thought brainy talk could turn me on, but damn, you make me hot.” He sighed and held her in his arms and adjusted the spray to sluice over them. Her thick black hair trailed all the way down her back, tendrils curling around her hips and framing her gorgeous round ass. He loved her ass. He could spend hours worshipping those incredible, soft, sweet cheeks of hers. Torturing himself, he reached down to cup the soft globes and squeezed until she moaned and her eyes glittered. He chuckled. Now she’d be spending the day in the same state he was.

“We’re going to be really late if we don’t lay off the sex stuff and make like worker bees, Professor.” He laid a hearty smack on one butt cheek and she jumped. Her smile and the heat in her eyes would give him something to daydream about until he could get his hands on her again.

Breakfast was a quick espresso and a bagel with cream cheese for both of them. She made a face every time she sipped the strong brew and he rolled his eyes as she continued to add more sugar and more milk.

“How about a little coffee with your milk and sugar?”

She stuck out her tongue at his teasing.

“Don’t wave that thing around unless you want me to put it to good use.”

“Aren’t we late?” She skirted his hands and giggled. Grabbing her bag, she led the way to the door, but he pulled it out of her hands and slung it over his shoulder. She started to object, and he raised a finger.

“Just think of me as your personal pack mule. How’s your shoulder feeling, by the way? I should have asked before I tied you up. Did that bother it? The bruises on your face are almost gone.”

“I may be mesmerized by your sexual prowess, but I’m not so far gone I wouldn’t tell you if it did. No. It hurts mostly when I’m carrying something or with repetitive stuff. Especially with all the typing I’ve been doing and grading my students’ papers. But it’s all right.” Beneath her good humor and the glow of lots of sex, she still looked weary and he spoke bluntly.

“You have me now. Tonight we’ll have a hot bath and I’ll put some of my grandmother’s liniment on you. She’s got a treatment in a jar for everything that ails you. You don’t have to do everything yourself. I know you aren’t used to it, but practice. You are flying solo no more,
capisce
Professor?” He lightened the criticism by raising one eyebrow and giving her a mock glare.

“I do like that. It feels...good. I feel safer.” She slid her hand into his and he gave it a squeeze. “Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary. I take care of what’s mine.”

“Am I yours?”

“Damn straight, Professor.”

“I guess as a liberated woman of the twenty-first century I should feel subjugated. But I don’t.” She squeezed his hand back and he loved the warmth of the gesture. “I feel special.”

“Good to know. Now fasten your seat belt.”

She couldn’t stop smiling. Even the fictional misery of torture and death in Siberia couldn’t dampen her good humor. She felt as though the weight of the world was off her shoulders, and the worry over Boxer had paled in the face of Nick’s strength. It was a lovely experience to have someone care about her after being alone for so long. She had been a damned fool to fight sharing her life and accepting someone else’s love. Now looking back at their days together, she could see all the little things he had done for her that had pleased her, made her feel good. And he was right. She’d done the same for him but hadn’t seen the value in it. Now she recognized the truth of give and take. It wasn’t just the amazing sex, but the tenderness he showed her, the way he watched out for her simply because it was who he was. And the more she thought about their talk, the more she realized he took care of everyone. He worried about his sisters and his family, not just her. It had been silly to think he felt sorry for her, or thought she couldn’t take care of herself. It was just the way the man was made. His love was there in every touch. He loved her. She was happy. Beyond happy. Ecstatic.

The eight-thirty class ended with glum faces when she announced their grades, which had been fairly lackluster. They apparently hadn’t gotten the word on the student grapevine that she was tough as nails when it came to grading, and hadn’t strained themselves in pursuit of excellence. They certainly knew better now, and she grinned as the disgruntled students filed out, muttering.

“Who knew she was going to be such a tough bitch? Man, you can’t get anything past her.”

Upon returning to the English department offices, she regaled Alice with the comment.

“I could have told them that. All of them whine after you give back grades.”

“Too bad.”

“I don’t even understand. I wish I could take more courses than I do, and I work hard in every one. I love writing papers. What’s the point of spending the time and money if you aren’t interested in doing the work? Seriously, go to bartending school or take up stripping.”

She admired Alice for both her humor as well as her dedication, noting that while they were the same age, they’d had very different experiences. Alice was a divorced single mother of a mentally challenged toddler. She worked incredibly hard to provide for him while working toward her degree.

She stopped to snatch her mail out of her cubby, then headed for her office but before she turned the corner, Alice called out to her.

“Wait up, Serafina. I haven’t received your RSVP for the dean’s end-of-semester wine and cheese party. He’s asked me for the final list and you know how he gets if you don’t RSVP.”

“In a timely manner,” she intoned even as she laughed. “Sorry, with everything that’s been going on I completely forgot. Of course I’m attending. I’d be petrified not to.” It was very risky to stand up Dean Hodges at one of his bashes, and those poor professors who tried it ended up with subtle but excruciating punishments, like extra sections of freshman comp.

“Understandable that watered-down drinks and soggy canapés slipped your mind, what with your accident, and extra classes. Oh, and your hunky new boyfriend.”

“What? How did you, how does anyone know?”

“Shame on you, forgetting how fast the drums of academia relay juicy gossip like this.” She ticked off the details on her fingers. “First, several students spotted you in your class when he made an appearance and reported there was a kiss. Second, Gia Stellato confirmed to one and all that he is her brother and you are an item, and third, Professor Parker was overheard complaining about him, which is a sure sign that he’s both hot and wouldn’t take her crap. And speaking of Parker...” She lowered her voice, though the offices were empty. “Susan from Drama overheard the dean complaining to her boss that he wasn’t going to stand for any more of Parker’s ‘instigating nonsense.’ Quote, end quote.”

She didn’t wish trouble on Elizabeth Parker, but the woman really was her own worst enemy. Besides being an atrocious teacher, she was rude and vicious. Whatever difficulties she got herself into were on her own head.

“So, I guess you’ll be bringing Lord Byron to the cocktail party?” Alice fluttered her lashes.

“Lord Byron?”

“That’s what we jealous female underlings have dubbed him. Tall, dark, handsome, and eyewitness accounts confirm he has that dangerous-to-know look down.

The description fit him perfectly. “Funny, that. I’ve always adored Byron.” With a wink she left the secretary grinning like a fool and no doubt warming up her tom tom to pass on the confirmation that Serafina and Nick were indeed an item.

She arrived at her own tiny office, which, like most other academics’ offices, was cramped and cluttered. Books, reference materials, personal items and the accoutrements of her specialty filled the room. Her first editions of classic erotica rested in a place of honor on her desk, as did her replica statue depicting the rape of Leda by Zeus. Rendering the actual impalement of the Grecian beauty on Zeus’ oversized, turgid member, it never failed to get a shocked blush out of students the first time they laid eyes on the piece of naughty artwork.

Depositing the materials from the Russian Lit class on one chair, leaving them at hand for the session the next day, she sat down at her desk and pulled out her mail. She hated to let the administrative stuff pile up, so she tried to handle it as soon as she got it. That was why it was so unusual that she’d forgotten the cocktail party invitation. There were a variety of generic Wharton notices and departmental missives, an invitation to another event, her book group’s Lit Chicks Spring Into Summer Soiree, which she stuck in her bag. Their end-of-year celebration took place just after graduation and would guarantee a wild evening of revelry. She was looking forward to it much more so than poor Ralph’s staid department party.

Her cell buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket. A new text from Nick had arrived and a delicious zing coursed through her.

“How daring are you? My bucket list has a new addition—fucking in the fresh air. Think about it and wonder where we’ll be when I bend you over and pull down your panties. HM TOC. Page 6.”

She reached over and grabbed her dog eared copy of
Tropic of Cancer
, its pages jammed with notes, and flipped to page six, and her body clenched. How debauched! How delicious. Before the episode at dinner in the quiet restaurant the night before, she would never have entertained the thought of an exhibitionistic interlude but the idea made her wet. Where would he want to expose her? The thought of being witnessed, perhaps through a window, or from a passing car, as he sank his cock deep into her and ordered her to take it hard, made her ravenous. As he made her come, screaming, where might the echoes settle? On the ears of someone dining at an outdoor café? Walking in the park? Or watching them, touching their own private parts in mutual excitement?

Smiling to herself she decided turnabout was fair play and pulled out her copy of
Little Birds
. Flipping again through the well-worn volume she found the excerpt she was looking for and composed a text back to Nick.

“This young woman wishes to express her thanks for kind Sir’s innumerable lessons in lusty pastimes. She hopes to receive high marks from her Master. AN LB pages 140 and 141.” She could see the wicked smile on his face as he read of the debauched sexual initiation of young Jeanette.

With a deep sigh she fought the sense of arousal and dragged her focus back to the work at hand. Nick was so adept at distraction. But then, she was oh so willing to be distracted by him.

The last piece of mail was a large manila envelope with her name and the school address sloppily written on the outside, with no return address. It had had been postmarked within the city, so it clearly was not college business. Slicing open the flap she pulled out the contents and upon seeing it, gasped. A picture, obviously torn from a nasty porn magazine, showed a woman bound, blindfolded, held on her knees by one man, while another forced himself down her throat. The inherent brutality in the image was disturbing enough, but something revolting, something dried and filmy, was smeared on the photo. She dropped it immediately. There was no doubt this was Boxer’s sick work. And it didn’t take a high IQ to recognize it as a threat. Shivering, she almost threw it in the trash, until she remembered Nick’s words—that eventually Boxer would do something that did break the law, and get himself caught. If police actually could get DNA the way they depicted on televised police dramas, then Boxer had played right into their hands by providing a nice sample of his own. So with a grimace of distaste she returned the photo to the envelope and hurried down the hall to the faculty bathroom, where she scrubbed her hands three times.

Taking a moment to try to calm herself, she debated calling Nick. If she did, he’d leave work and come dashing to her side and she didn’t want that. She had to be strong enough to handle this without running to him for help. He’d be angry, but she would gratefully accept his protection later. Now, she had to be able to stand on her own two feet. Cowering behind him would mean Boxer was winning. She decided to be extra cautious going from class to class, and wait until he came to pick her up to tell him about Boxer’s sickening threat. His protective, powerful presence would have quelled the anxiety bubbling up, but for the rest of the afternoon she forced herself to be stoic.

The only opportunity for distraction from the photo came, ironically enough, from Gia, who wasn’t in the classroom when she arrived. She might have planned to skip the class altogether, but just as the bell rang, slid into the back and took a seat, slouching low and obviously hoping to avoid detection. She deduced Gia didn’t want to speak to her, but at the end of class Serafina made her way to the back of the room and blocked her escape. She was Gia’s professor, so the girl couldn’t exactly hide forever.