Love and History(3)

“Not me. I tracked the blog and IP address.” Nelson grinned.

“And found her online. She’s ugly? Eighty? Married? The online world is wonderful for academics and information, if you check your facts. For dating, sorry but there is no substitute for meeting someone.” Scott ignored the draw he felt to the writer. He’d been alone too long. Over spring break, he’d line up a casual encounter and clear his head. Such things never worked for long, but he didn’t need the complications of a relationship.

“I agree. We have met her. She’s not ugly or eighty.” Nelson shrugged. “She’s hot, single and here.”

“Here? She said New England in the post, but that’s rather generic.” Scott let Nelson build up to his moment. Hackers loved to show off, and while Nelson no longer used his powers for anything too illegal, he loved to brag.

“No, she works here. She’s a professor. Not bad to look at, early thirties and single.” Nelson tapped on his phone then turned it toward Scott.

A thunderbolt of arousal and shock hit him.

“You’re joking.” Nelson leaned in. It was her picture off the university website, but he’d seen Bridget Sanger plenty in real life. Tall with a curvy figure, she had plenty of men commenting on her attractiveness. Her sharp blue eyes and the long spiraling reddish curls against her pale skin were the view that made Scott stop. Her love of skirts and fuzzy cardigan sweaters made her style seem a bit old-fashioned, but this blog post put a new spin on it.

He could see her now in the lounge, pouring over a book with her wild hair falling in her face. There was always a clip attached to her sweater that she’d eventually use to pin back her hair. She looked great with her hair up or down.

“Not a joke, my friend. Traced it to her home IP. Private laptop. She’s no fool. Never does anything on the work system, or I’d know. She’s using a different email to throw people off. She reposted the blog link to the group so it would look like it came from someone else and she’s just sharing it.”

“So why are you telling me? Go get her! You can give me all the dirty details later.” Scott could imagine he was the one with the sexy sub, but Nelson had done the work.

“She’s not my type.” Nelson took back his phone. “She’s yours.”

Frowning, Scott closed his computer. “You know what my type is? We’re friends, but we’ve never played with subs or anything together.”

“Look, I didn’t peg her as a sub either, but I’ve never spent much time around her. You’ve noticed her. Right?” Nelson asked.

That damn hacker was too observant and smart. Scott was controlled and reserved, but few people would pick him out of a crowd as a sexual dominant. Nelson could see the logic in chaos and the truth behind the fronts people put up. “She’s attractive. Outgoing. That’s not exactly me.”

Nelson leaned forward. “No, but it’s what you need. A sub who turns you on and likes it private. In public, she can even you out.”

“Even me out? I’m tenured. I don’t need to suck up. The last thing I need to do is get involved with someone at work. A relationship is the last thing I want.” Scott had always been very clear on that point.

Nelson held up his hands. “I get you. You were burned badly by someone. I don’t need the details. You’d never give them anyway. She sounds like she’s had a few bad Doms herself. All I’m suggesting is maybe you two can satisfy each other’s needs. You’re not getting any younger, and casual hookups aren’t you.”

“They work,” Scott lied.

“So does porn and jerking off. That’s not enough. If she was right for me, I’d snap her up. The vibe isn’t there. If you feel it, just a tingle of wanting to see her naked and kneeling, don’t miss out.”

“And if it blows up? We both work here.” Scott folded his arms.

“She’s English Lit; you’re European History. Different departments for one thing. You can both be grownups if it ends. More importantly, there’s no rule against you two being together if it does work out, so you won’t mess up her tenure. Plus you have something in common.”

“Dom/sub, we all do.” Scott took a deep breath. The temptation grew. He admired her strong mind and behavior. She’d kept her private life far off the radar from her work. Everyone respected her. Rumor was she’d get tenure this year.

“I meant the English and European thing. Those are connected, right? Either way, as soon as I figured out who our mystery blogger was, I thought of you. Don’t let her give up. I’d hate to see her end up alone with a bunch of cats. She’s too eager and passionate about life. Bridget knows there’s a lot of good in our type of sex. Plus she’s right here…”