I expected her to be wary, but I was almost certain that Charlotte would end up loving my methods of pleasure. There was something in her, particularly in her eyes, when I got overly alpha on her that told me she was a submissive in the bedroom.
Just before eight, I looked around one last time to make sure everything was ready to go. I poured us each a glass of wine and was just placing food on the table when I heard the key in the lock.
I met her in the hall pulling her in for a giant bear hug, sensing she needed simple comfort at the moment. “Hi, sweetheart.” I kissed her forehead, each closed eyelid, her nose, and finally a sweet meeting of our lips.
When she looked up at me, I could see her gratitude in not jumping right into things and demanding an answer. We walked side by side into the dining room and she molded into my side as we entered.
“This looks amazing, Gabe.”
I didn’t think I’d done all that much, adding candlelight and a pink rose over her plate, but I loved that it made her so happy.
“Dinner is ready,” I said, pulling her chair out for her. Once she was seated, I swept her hair to the side of her neck and kissed the sensitive flesh I’d bared. She shivered and I was suddenly more than anxious to get dinner and our discussion over with.
Over our meal, we kept the conversation light. She told me about her finals and shared a few funny student stories. I watched every bite she brought to her mouth. By the time we were done, my cock was hard and my balls were aching, practically about to come in my pants.
Unfortunately, we still had to have our discussion, so I cleared the table, using the time to talk my cock off the orgasmic ledge. Once our wine glasses were refilled, I led her over to the couch. I settled next to her, but far enough away that I could face her, and avoid torturing myself any further by being so close to her.
“So?” I asked with a raise of my brow. “How was your thinking time?”
Charlotte laughed softly and the sound soothed away some of my turbulent emotions.
“I don’t know, Gabe. I want to be with you. I’ve wanted that for so long,” she confessed. “But, I’ve wanted to go on in school, to get my doctorate since I was a kid. My parents were both teachers and I’ve always wanted to be like them. To teach at a higher level. To mold minds, and guide the people who will be the future.”
She’d given me the perfect opportunity without realizing it. I stomped down a little spark of guilt for what I was about to do, knowing it would mean giving up that dream. My hope was that it would inspire a new one.
“Sweetheart, teaching at a school isn’t the only way to accomplish your dream.” I ran a finger down the side of her face, smiling softly. “What about molding the minds of our kids? Guiding them and helping to carve out a path for their future.”
At the mention of kids, her eyes got wide. Don’t you mean at the mention of our kids? That guilty little voice pissed me off and I stomped it down again, this time grinding it with my heel.
“You’ll have an even greater influence over your own children, and an unimaginable sense of pride that you won’t get from students coming and going through your classroom.”
“I suppose that’s true,” she admitted a little begrudgingly, “but maybe I want both.” There was uncertainty lurking in her tone.
Then her eyes lit up for a second. “Why don’t we both go to California? I’m sure Berkeley would love to have you.”
I hated to dim the joy creeping onto her face. “If it were possible for me to keep you with me and give you both, I would in a heartbeat, sweetheart,” I answered. “But I have another two and a half years on my contract. Besides that, do you really want to leave your family? You’ll miss so much of Gregory’s life.” I was laying it on pretty thick, but desperate times and all that.
She sighed, “Well, what about long distance? We can do it for that long. Then your contract will be over and I can return here for the rest of my education. Maybe by then, you’ll be ready to go back to writing full time and take some time off from teaching again?” Her voice was on the verge of pleading.
This was not an option I’d even entertained, not for one second and the fact that she even suggested it had my temper coming to a boil. I started a mental tally in my head. One.
“No fucking way, Charlotte. You will be sleeping in my bed from now on. That subject is closed and not up for discussion.”
Charlotte looked taken aback for a moment. Then she jumped off the couch and stood over me, her hands on her hips, and her chest heaving with anger. Holy fuck! She looked hot as fucking hell. Focus, I needed to focus.