Intimate Equations (4 page)

“
Oh yes, here it is
: “I am enough of an
artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than
knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

“
Oh man, yeah. I love that.” Sam said under
his breath, leaning closer. Sam was bent over Jules reading behind her and the
smell of her hair, which was only inches away, caught his breath. He glanced
down again to the slender, smooth skin on her neck and his pulse skipped
forward. He fought the urge to trace the curve of his neck with his fingers but
he caught himself and adjusted his seat back again.

“Didn't he also say something to the effect that, oh
man, I wonder if I can remember it: “
It's a miracle that curiosity survives
a formal education?
Something like that.” Sam laughed wondering how Jules
would react to the quote.

Jules turned around to look at him while he spoke, her
skin felt both hot and cold as if she sensed he had been studying her profile.
She smiled in return. “Yes, I remember seeing that statement which is pretty
bang on. He was no doubt correct about some institutions he attended. I've certainly
had moments when I doubted whether or not all the effort and money was worth my
love for learning. All the financial hoops you have to jump through can rather
take the thrill out of it if you end up carrying loans to get through.”

Sam nodded that he understood what she meant but
steered the discussion back to their favorite and famous physicist.

“Einstein was a musician too; he played violin, right?”

“
Yes, he did play; do you play an
instrument, Sam?”

“
Um, yeah. I play guitar and a little piano.
I don't get a chance to play much these days because my work is so seasonal.”
Sam had a pained expression on his face.

“I have an older sister who plays piano pretty well,
and our Mom played professionally, so I suppose I inherited a love of music
from her. I'm able to play a lot more in the winter.” Sam shrugged when he said
this.

“
Quite a few scholars are fascinated with
the connection between music and the sciences. It makes total sense that you
are a musician too given your natural abilities for mathematics.” Jules said. “Music
tends to transfer channels; engages both hemispheres of the brain. There seems
to be a common thread; a link but there is so much we don't know yet.”

“
I agree. I hope they never figure it out,
you know? Art should remain a mystery; the creative link should always leave us
wondering. My mother never insisted on music lessons for my sister and I until
we came to her begging for them. She let us mess around with the instrument by
ourselves as much as possible. Ha, I suppose she wanted to... “

Sam struggled to find the right word, “...cement our
love, our passion for the instrument before we ever had any formal training. She
wanted to make sure that we'd stick with it when lessons became difficult. She
taught a lot of students so I guess she got tired of watching people lose their
motivation.”

Jules was absorbed in this bit of Sam's personal
history. She wanted to hear more though it was not her usual habit to become
familiar with students. She nodded at him and smiled: “Smart woman, your mother.”

Sam averted his eyes when she mentioned his mother. He
looked away and back to the exam on Jules' desk. Jules took the cue and changed
the subject.

“Oh, I need a whiteboard in here. I keep asking for
Maintenance to install one. I think all my requests end up in file thirteen.” She
pointed at the garbage can then rummaged around in her drawer for a second then
sifted through some papers lying to one side.

“I want to show you something but I need room to write
it out; let's run upstairs to the classroom so I can explain this to you. I
think you will find it most interesting.” She turned to stand and Sam stood
also, tilting his head to the side, questioning.
“
Do
you have a minute?” Jules stopped and faced him, inquiring, yet enthusiastic.

Sam studied her face.
She is into this.
It is amazing to see someone so passionate about what they do. She's beautiful
when she gets excited
. He noticed her face was flushed. He
fought the urge to touch her or perhaps more.

Sam replied, “Ah, yeah. I have a little while, but I
need to head back to my jobs pretty soon.”

Jules remembered her own lawn and the phone call
earlier that morning which had gone awry. She hesitated; perhaps she should ask
him now to come and take care of her yard; that would be the responsible thing
to do. This thought was momentary; it is not the appropriate time now to ask,
besides, she would give away who had made the awkward phone call earlier. She
pushed all this out of her mind for the sake of the equation she wanted to show
him.

“
Okay, we shouldn't be too long.” She paused
and looked at him with a grin. “It will only take me twenty minutes to write
out the equation, of course.”

Sam smiled back, “It took me that long just to read
through it to the end and three days to write out the solution!” They locked
eyes for a brief second, still smiling. Jules felt her pulse jump again.

She turned and headed out the door, down the hall to
the stairs. He followed behind, watching the slight curve of her, walking ahead
of him. Sam hurried his pace to catch up and they both climbed the two flights
of stairs in a flash. Sam measured his steps to match hers. They both reached
the landing together locking eyes again at the top. His gaze cut through her
like dark blades, deep and questioning. Startled, feeling her face grow warm,
Jules headed for the lecture room and pulled the door open. She headed straight
for the huge whiteboard at the front of the classroom as if trying to outrun
him.

She began to write the equation on the board with a
fury, as if to write away the physical urge that was creeping up on her like a
stealthy animal.

I can't look at him again or I might lose
it. I have to stay on task here.

Sam stood close behind her. She could hear him
breathing; she could smell him standing near and her whole back tingled with
excitement. She kept writing the familiar symbols and this helped calm her a
little.

 
I have got to focus. This is ridiculous, I don't
even know this man; he's a student for God's sake
.

She argued with herself, fighting with each character
she wrote on the board. She was alarmed that her heart now raced; picking up
beats for every second he stood there.

The equation became her refuge. She began to explain
the process as she wrote; becoming more animated with the proximity of his
body. He leaned towards her, the warmth of him seemed to reach out and surge
through her. Though he hadn't touched her she felt like hot electrodes were
attached to her temples.

Jules' intense reaction was the direct result of how
she had lived most of her life. She somehow neglected to find time for close
relationships with others in her daily existence. She had lived in drab shadows
far too long; her cloistered existence had nurtured her intellect and
maintained discipline but at the expense of her emotional well-being. Sam
excited her and he was standing close enough that she could smell the scent of
his clothes.

Jules had a flash of herself shut off in a cramped room
away from warmth, away from love. She had done this to herself. She had closed
the door to light and love and turned the key against happiness. Jules wrote
and spoke in haste, feeling his warmth in her blood; yearning to stand in the
sunlight while her hand moved in a blur on the whiteboard as she struggled to
keep up with herself.

What happened next was provocative but honest. Sam's
hand touched her shoulder and stopped the equation in mid-air. His left hand
slid to her thigh and her heart lurched. Jules dropped the pen with a start and
it clattered onto the floor reverberating much more than it should in the
large, empty classroom.

Sam turned Jules around - both of their bodies taut,
both of them holding their breaths; eyes locked together. Jules' eyes were
cemented to his face. She couldn't move; she wanted to rush into him; she
wanted to step into the sun, into the light.

What is wrong with me? How can I feel this
way when I don't even know him?

“
I know I shouldn't do this” Sam began, but
Jules' lips were already parted and Sam pulled her to him and their mouths
opened to each other. Their kisses came hard and fast. Lips and tongues moved
with desperation. The big windows at the top of the lecture hall filled the
huge space with watery sunlight.

Sam's shoe scraped on the floor as he shifted his
weight. His hand pulled her waist toward him and she could feel him rise to her
through her skirt. “Professor, I ….”

Jules clasped his beautiful, dark head between her
hands and opened herself to him; leaning into his erection with her own desire
which had erupted into lava. He pulled her waist in closer still and his breath
came in short bursts while he turned his face to kiss her neck and hair; his
legs parted, leaning over her.

“
Call me Jules.” she whispered to him
between his deliberate kisses.

“
I can't stop thinking about you, Jules. I
love to watch you when you lecture. It turns me on when you turn around to
write on the board. I love the way you move. You are so passionate and you know
so much.” Sam spoke in a low, clear tone. The large hall echoed back their
secret murmurings.

Sam groaned softly and pushed himself onto her as if he
would take her at any moment. His jeans were tight and hard against her pelvis
and the muscles in his legs were rigid. His hand moved to her chest and felt
for her left breast. She knew from his touch that her nipples had grown hard
inside her blouse. Jules knew she should stop right then and there and retreat
but she could not force herself to step away.

His palm pressed against her breast as he folded his
hand around it. Sam's forefinger brushed over and over across her nipple. Jules
turned her head and let a sigh go. She didn't mean to let that happen. All the
while his kisses felt around her earlobe and neck. Her heart slammed in her
chest as did this and his erection felt solid on her thigh. His heat burned
into her leg leaving a brand of desire.

Sam's hand sank to her waist. He lifted her skirt
searching for the waistband of her stockings, pulling them down. His fingers
sought out and found her full, velvety lips which were now very wet.

“I want you,” he whispered. “You are so lovely, Jules.
I want to know everything about you.”

His fingers twirled in and around her tight silkiness
with slow, tender touches pushing upwards and around her wet lips; all the
while taking her in with his mouth and tongue.

“You taste wonderful; like salt and honey.” Jules could
not speak and felt her knees buckle.

He caught her holding her with his left hand under her
buttocks; slowly parting her legs to touch inside her better. He inserted his
finger and she moaned, only audible to him. He smelled like the forest - a
mixture of Sweet Woodruff and oak leaves. Her desire rose along with his as he
continued to press into her leg so that she could feel his pulse throb at the
crotch. His erection had now grown achingly large and she wanted it.

Jules felt herself moving with the touch of his fingers
which were deep within her. She trembled when he touched her. His fingers, his
kisses did not feel unfamiliar to her; she felt as if she knew what he would do
next. Sam started to rub her clit with his forefinger; up and down and around
it. She bent her face into his neck and breathed in his scent. He awoke her
memories of how it felt to be touched like this – memories from years back. It
had been so long. She was hard and soft at the same time; weak and powerful
both. Jules gasped in his ear and grabbed his hair.

“We shouldn't be here. We need to leave – someone will
see us.”

And yet she didn't move a step. Instead, her hand slid
to the fly on his Levis, feeling his large cock under the tight confines of his
jeans. He let out a long, soft moan when she touched him; applying pressure to
his crotch, running her hand up and down the length of it with her palm. Jules
fumbled for the tab on the zipper. Sam reacted and stood up straight as her
fingers felt him hard through his jeans - compressed and rigid waiting for her
to free him. The look on his face was ravenous.

“Release me, please touch me.” Sam was insistent.

He glanced down at her hand, watching her undo his fly.
It had been a long time since she had been this close to a man and she wanted
the zipper to give. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel the smooth
satin of his skin on his cock. She wanted him to watch her touch him to see how
far he would go. She wanted to witness his excitement. She throbbed inside with
her own desire and drew in a sharp breath.

Outside the door a student shouted out down the hall to
someone trying to get their attention.

All at once Jules gasped, pulled away from him with a
violent pull. “We can't do this!” Jules was able to rasp out the words. Her
thoughts were smoke and she was choking on them.