Page 55 of Apparently, I’m A B!tch

His breath was heavy as he slid his fingers across me, whispering, “Oh fuck, I want you so bad Nikki. I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

I moaned as he swirled his touch across my clit, around and around, deepening the pressure with each movement. “Will you take me home–” another moan escaped my lips. “Please?”

“How could I say no when you ask like that?” he teased, his lips now brushing my earlobe. “You’re going to be a good girl and take my cock, aren’t you? I’m going to make you come all night.”

“Oh, fuck yes,” I breathed, gripping him harder as his fingers dipped inside me, moaning as he swirled his thumb against my clit. I was so turned on. The pressure of his fingers as they moved in and out of me was incredible. I could feel myself straining for more, and I writhed against his touch. It was so good. He was so good. I was almost there.

Then it hit me like a wave. Ripple after ripple of sensation ran through me, pleasure beating through every nerve until my back arched and I shuddered against him, pulsating against his fingers.

He made a noise of satisfaction as I gripped his shirt tight. “Did you come for me already? You’re so tight and wet, Nikki. I think you can take more.”

He bent to kiss me, his fingers still sliding in and out as I rode the last of the aftershocks, persuading my lax tongue to move with his, and I whimpered, my mind completely numb in this sex-hazed stupor.

“Tristan, please, wait. I need a minute,” I begged, and he understood what I meant, stepping back and taking his touch from me.

I breathed hard, and put my hand to my chest. Under my palm, the beat thundered. I wasn’t a virgin. I’d had sex before. But the quick two-minute disappointments during my brief study breaks never compared to this. To what Tristan did to me. What was I missing out on all these years? Shutting my thighs, I slid off his desk on shaky legs. Tristan and I couldn’t take our eyes from each other.

“I can’t,” he started, his voice strained, fighting for control. “I can’t think straight around you anymore. Nikki, I don’t know if–”

A knock on the door cut him off. We both stiffened, and my stomach dropped. A few minutes earlier and we would’ve been caught. After Lilly walked in on us only two days ago, I should’ve known letting him touch me in his classroom was too much of a risk. Tristan wasn’t the only one who’d lost control.

My breath was still hard and fast, heart thrumming, hands trembling, as I registered two men I didn’t recognize in the doorway.

One of them was smiling. “Is this her, T? Man, she’s pretty.” The taller of the two with the Latin-American accent stepped forward, his hand outstretched. He had kind brown eyes and a cleanly-structured beard. His dark hair was styled with a fade and he bounced as he walked, giving him a younger feel.

Tristan held out his hand and let out an exasperated laugh. “Carlos, man, what are you doing here?”

Carlos. Tristan told me so many stories about Carlos that I felt I knew him. But it was bizarre seeing him for the first time minutes after I had an earth-shattering orgasm at Tristan’s hands. A large part of me couldn’t believe this was happening. It was like a blurry-wet-dream turned into a naked-in-public nightmare.

He stopped in his tracks, his smile waning as the man behind him cleared his throat.

“Oh, Mister Kashif, do you think this could possibly be a good idea? To date a student while also dating Rochelle Wiener?”

My body went rigid. I looked up to see Tristan shaking his head.

“Kenny… uh, Mister Mcloughlin. I’m sorry, I don’t usually do… We’re dating, not Rochelle and I.” He stepped aside and gestured to me. “This is Nikki. I’m with her, not Rochelle.”

I was suspended… the haywire lust and need that drove me earlier was pushed to the side by a wariness that forced me to stand on wobbly four-inch sandals and watch. He said we were dating, not him and Rochelle.

After Lilly walked in on Tristan and I last Friday, thinking to check on my ‘burnt’ chest, she told me he ended things with the curator. I wanted to apologize for what she’d seen, but, instead, she pulled me to the side to reassure me. She said he told her everything that same morning, and canceled whatever arrangement Rochelle was hoping for.

I’d taken her at her word, sure that it was the truth after the promise Tristan gave me. But maybe I should’ve waited to hear it from him first. That would’ve been the smart thing to do. But when had I ever been smart when it came to Tristan?

The shorter bald man named Kenny had his face screwed up as though he just ate something sour. He shook his head.

“That was not the impression you’ve given Rochelle, Mister Kashif. And after the way things ended with her marriage, I’m afraid doing something like this–” He gestured to me “–wouldn’t be clever.”

Tristan stepped forward, his body covering mine as if this could come down to blows. “Mister Mcloughlin, please–”

“Kenny.” He stepped further into the room.

“Kenny. Please try and understand, I–”

“No, Mister Kashif. Tristan. I’m afraid I need you to understand. The Wieners know people. Rochelle knows people. And if she finds you cheating on her with this lovely woman, I’m afraid she won’t hesitate to blacklist you from all showings. Given her fragile… state after the divorce, I’m afraid she’s… well, I’m afraid she’s become quite unreasonable.”

Carlos shrugged and pursed his lips. “I tried to tell you, T. Kenny saw you looking pretty cozy at that event with Rochelle last night, but then you told me about Nikki, and–” He shrugged. “This isn’t smart, man. If Rochelle finds out, she could ruin you.”

The room around me grew fuzzy. I went numb.

He was with Rochelle last night. Only last night. That was the thing he had to do, the reason he couldn’t be with me. It was because he had a date with Rochelle, and they were cozy. I didn’t need a law degree to recognize the guilt etched along Tristan’s face.

Tristan hung his head and ran a hand through his hair. I stepped around his desk, and he looked up at me with panic. “Nikki, wait. Please.”

I quickened my pace, walking past Carlos and Kenny, toward the door. The numb was spreading, until it wasn’t a numbness anymore and was something else. Something heavy and painful that pulled and tore at my chest. But I held it together, until I made it to the door and Uncle Henry’s shuffling gait came into my sight. Then my lip trembled, and an angry sob burst through me as I threw my arms around him.

“Agapi mou, what happened?” he asked, his voice a soft comfort.

I couldn’t say anything through the sharp strain lodged in my throat, but I could hear Tristan’s pleading. “Nikki, I swear, this isn’t what it sounds like. I just need a minute to talk to you.”

I shook my head against Uncle Henry’s shoulder, and he nodded against my hair. “Okay… is not right time for talk.”

Uncle Henry turned and shifted me so he was gripping my arm as we left. Tristan’s hand on his shoulder stopped us. “Please, Amo, we need a minute. Just one.”

I didn’t look at him. I didn’t want to let him see me like this.

Uncle Henry looked into my face, nodded, and moved Tristan’s hand from his shoulder.