Authors: Theresa Troutman
The professor entered the room. He looked ancient with his short, white hair and slightly bent posture. He wore a tweed jacket and eyeglasses with think black frames that slid down his nose. He reminded Tess of Doctor Magnus Pike from the Thomas Dolby video for
She Blinded Me With Science.
The professor cleared his throat to get the students’ attention.
Just then, a late arrival burst through the door. “So nice of you to join us Mr.…?”
“Miller,” the young man replied.
“Do have a seat Mr. Miller, quickly. And see that you aren’t late for my class again.”
The young man quickly scanned the room with a grimace, not happy to sit in the front row. He walked over to Tess and sat next to her. The professor began to scribble on the blackboard while Tess turned to observe Mr. Miller.
The first thing Tess noticed was how good-looking he was: strong features, a dimpled chin, brown eyes, and light brown hair. He was wearing khakis and a pale blue polo shirt.
“Man, my brother was right when he warned me about that old coot,” he whispered to Tess.
“You were late for class,” she reminded him.
“No, I was exactly on time,” he countered.
Tess grinned as she shook her head, amused at this guy’s carefree attitude. He reminded her of Sebastian, only with an American accent and a smaller budget for his wardrobe.
“I’m Dan, by the way,” he introduced, reaching out his hand to shake hers.
“Tess Hamilton,” she whispered, hoping the professor wouldn’t scold her too.
The professor turned around to lecture the class. Tess dutifully took out her tablet and began to take notes.
Ninety minutes later, Tess packed up her books to go to her next class. “So where are you off to next?” Dan asked, standing from his seat.
“English with Professor Sutton.”
“Me, too. We have a half an hour. Want to get some coffee?”
“I don’t drink coffee,” she said as they walked out of the lecture hall.
“Tea, soda, milk?” he pressed.
“You don’t give up, do you?” Tess marveled.
“Nope. Come on, what’s the harm?”
“Okay. I could go for a Diet Coke.”
“Thank God,” Dan sighed with relief. “I need to surround myself with as many smart people as possible.”
“What makes you think I’m smart?”
“The smart ones always sit in front, eager to observe and learn,” Dan explained.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Oh, not at all. It was a compliment, not an insult.”
“Why do you need me? You did get into NYU, after all. They’re very selective of who they pick.”
Dan laughed. He had the most wonderful laugh. His eyes seemed to twinkle, and laugh lines appeared in the corner of his eyes.
“Please let me in on the joke.”
“They’re not picky when your mother is one of the esteemed professors and your brother is getting a Master’s.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, and that leaves me. ‘Not the sharpest tool in the shed,’ my father would say.” Dan held open the door to the cafeteria so Tess could enter first. He poured himself a cup of coffee while Tess grabbed a can of Diet Coke from the cooler. They walked to the cashier and Dan paid for them both before Tess could reach for her wallet.
“Let me pay you,” Tess said as they walked to the nearest empty table.
“No need, you can pay next time.”
“Thanks.” She sat down at the table. “Do you live on campus?”
“No, I commute from Brooklyn. What about you?”
“I commute from New Jersey.”
“You’re not a native Jersey girl.”
“No, I was raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. My boyfriend has a condo in New Jersey.”
“Boyfriend?”
Tess smiled. “Yes, his name is Sebastian.”
“That’s definitely not a Jersey name for a guy.”
“He’s English.”
“Aw, that explains it. I don’t know any Americans named Sebastian.”
Tess looked at her wristwatch. “We only have ten minutes until our next class starts. We should get going so you can actually be early.”
“What’s the fun in that?” he smirked.
Tess stood up from the table. “Suit yourself. I’ll save a seat for you in the front row.”
Sebastian spotted Tess as she walked through the cafeteria doors at lunchtime. He walked over to her and greeted her with a kiss. They picked up some sandwiches and sat down to eat.
“How has your day been so far?” Sebastian asked as he unwrapped his turkey sandwich.
“Good. I met a guy named Dan Miller. He was late for his first class and had to sit next to me in the front row.”
“Really?” Sebastian said with a hint of suspicion.
“You have nothing to be jealous about. I told him I have a boyfriend.”
“Oh, that will stop him from putting the moves on you,” he said sarcastically.
“Just like you did when we met?”
“I didn’t try to pick you up when we first met.”
“No, you offered to have sex with me on the library table,” Tess reminded.
“I wasn’t serious about that. I was simply trying to see if I could rattle you, but you were no-nonsense Hamilton. By the way, that incident happened the second time we met.”
“Dan’s a nice guy. He’s not trying to get me into bed.”
“We’re on a first name basis, are we?” Sebastian asked with a raised eyebrow.
Tess tried not to laugh, so she covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry, he doesn’t have a title like you, Lord Sebastian.”
“I’m not a Lord,” he pouted. “That’s my brother’s title. I’m the honourable Sebastian Andrew Irons, if you must call me by my title.”
Tess could no longer hold back and burst into laughter. “That sounds like you should be a judge.”
Sebastian shook his head. He was not amused. “English peerage is difficult enough to understand let alone trying to explain it to an American.”
Tess reached over and took his hand. “I love you. I don’t care what your title is. Now tell me about your day.”
“The Language class was a breeze, since I already speak Italian. The Philosophy class was interesting.”
“You don’t sound very excited,” Tess mused.
“Maybe I just need you by my side to stay focused.”
“We have a class together this afternoon. I’d be happy to play the part of no-nonsense Hamilton for you.”
Sebastian leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You know it turns me on when you act superior and businesslike.”
“Maybe later,” she replied with a coy wink.
* * *
It had been a good first day at NYU, but Sebastian was happy to be home. The elevator door closed and Sebastian pushed the button to take them to the fourth floor. Sebastian backed Tess into the corner of the elevator and gave her a devilish grin. “I think I’d like to make love to you right here in this lift.”
“You’d better hurry up than. We’re only going up four floors,” she teased.
“I could always push the emergency stop button.”
The elevator dinged as they reached their destination. “Too late,” she whispered backing out of the lift, motioning him to follow her with a crook of her finger.
Sebastian hurried after Tess. When he caught up, he pushed her up against their front door and claimed her mouth with his. Sebastian fumbled with the key and somehow managed to unlock the front door while his tongue laved the delicate spot on her neck.
They stumbled into the apartment, taking off each other’s clothes. They were down to their underwear when Sebastian lifted Tess onto the breakfast bar, spread her legs, and stood between them. “What’s gotten into you?” she asked as Sebastian kissed the swell of her breast.
“I’ve wanted to do this to you all day,” he confessed as he worked open the clasp to her white lacy bra. Sebastian slipped it off her shoulders and threw it across the room. He teased her nipple by blowing cool air on it and then he nipped it with his teeth.
Tess sucked in a breath as a spark of excitement shot to her groin. She slipped her hand inside Sebastian’s boxers and took hold of his erection. He braced his hands on the counter to stop his knees from giving out. Her touch affected him profoundly. “Lean back,” Sebastian ordered.
She did as requested. Sebastian pulled her panties down and touched her, felt she was wet and ready to take his cock. His lips curved up into a smile. “I think you want this as much as I do,” he murmured, slipping a finger inside her.
“I want it more,” she gasped. “I need to feel you inside me, Sebastian.”
Sebastian slipped out of his boxers, kicking them to the floor. He partially slid inside her, pulled out, and on the next thrust buried himself deep inside Tess. “You feel so amazing,” he said, closing his eyes and concentrating on the heady sensation.
Tess sat up straight in an effort to get even closer to Sebastian, curling her legs around his waist. They moved in unison, each thrust pushing them closer to the edge. “Just like that,” Tess murmured between shallow breaths. And then they reached their climax, clutching onto one another for dear life.
“Oh my God, that was incredible,” Sebastian said, kissing her gently on the shoulder.
“We’ve never had an orgasm at the same time before. How are we supposed to top that?”
“I have no idea,” Sebastian chuckled. “Lots of practice, I reckon.”
Tess hopped down from the counter and walked over to the kitchen sink. Underneath, she grabbed the Windex and a paper towel. She started cleaning the surface of the counter.
“What are you doing?”
“We just had sex where we eat our breakfast. I have to clean this up.”
“Later,” Sebastian said, picking her up in his arms and carrying her off to the bedroom.
They lay in bed, Tess in Sebastian’s arms, the events of their kitchen encounter playing over in his mind. Talking about this Dan Miller person at lunch had made Sebastian jealous. He didn’t know why. He knew Tess loved him, but her reaction to Dan released something primal inside Sebastian. He felt the urge to remind her that he was an amazing lover. He felt the need to brand her as his. Something had shifted and their lovemaking was different. Sebastian wondered if Tess was feeling the same sense of possession he was or had she spent their encounter thinking about Dan Miller.
A week after the semester started, Tess and Sebastian were sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch.
“Tomorrow’s Friday night, why don’t we have dinner and see a show after class?”
“I would love it, but can we afford it?” Tess worried.
“I sold a painting at the gallery this week. My commission will pay for a night on the town,” Sebastian explained.
Tess smiled. “I do love going to the theatre with you, and it’s been a while since we had a real date night. Let’s do it,” she agreed.
Sebastian leaned in and kissed her. A shadow fell over them as they realized someone was standing next to their table and they looked up in unison.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Dan said, holding his lunch tray.
“Hi,” Tess greeted. “Sebastian, this is my classmate, Dan Miller. Dan, this is my boyfriend, Sebastian Irons.”
“Fiancé,” Sebastian corrected as he shook Dan’s hand.
“I didn’t know. I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome to join us,” Tess added.
“I can’t. I’m meeting some friends for lunch. Thank you for the offer. I just wanted to stop by and say hi.”
“Nice to meet you, Dan,” Sebastian coolly greeted. “Maybe you can join us some other time.”
“Sure.” Dan turned to Tess. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.” Tess watched as Dan walked across the room and sat down at a table with two male friends. She turned back to Sebastian. “Did you have to be like that?”
“Like what?”
“So smug.”
“You didn’t tell him we were engaged. I was simply setting the record straight,” Sebastian informed her.
“It seemed more like you were marking your territory to me,” Tess frowned.
“We are committed to each other. I see no harm in announcing it to your friends.” Sebastian was careful how he used his words; he didn’t want Tess on his bad side. But damn it, he did feel threatened by Dan Miller, for some reason.
“He could be your friend, too, if you give him a chance. You know, he reminds me a lot of you.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “I highly doubt that.”
“He’s charming and just needs someone to believe in his abilities.”
“Ability to do what exactly?” He took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten. If Sebastian continued to challenge her, he would likely push her right into Dan Miller’s arms. “You’re right, Tess. I promise I’ll behave better next time.”
“Thank you,” she said, squeezing his hand.
* * *
Dan Miller squeezed into the lecture hall with a minute to spare. He quickly took a seat next to Tess, and grinned while he opened his text book. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
“Ready for the exam?” he asked in a low voice, leaning into Tess. “Umm, you smell good,” he said, closing his eyes and inhaling her perfume.
“It’s Yves Saint Laurent, Opium. Sebastian bought it for me,” she replied, heat rising in her cheeks.
“Your boyfriend has good taste.”
“Yes, he does.”
“Class, you’ll have sixty minutes to complete the exam. Mr. Miller, put your textbook away, please.” The professor passed out the exam papers.
“Busted,” Tess teased as she grabbed a sharp number two pencil from her bag.
Forty-five minutes later, Tess finished her exam first. She placed her pencil down on the desktop and snuck a peek at Dan. He was writing away feverishly, his head bent in concentration. She could see that he was almost finished his exam. Their study group must have paid off. Tess felt a sense of accomplishment for being able to help Dan. It was really no different from being a tutor back in high school.
“Pencils down,” the professor announced. “Bring your papers to me as you leave.”
“Whew, just finished in time,” Dan muttered, standing up from the desk. He stretched his arms over his head and Tess caught a glimpse of his taut abs. She quickly turned away to avoid embarrassment.
“How do you think you did on the exam?” Tess asked, refocusing on the business at hand.