Physical Education (13 page)

He pulled her back to the seat, and reached over to grab the remote and turn off the jets. She looked up at him with sleepy eyes, and he knew that it was time to get her back to the dorms and let her rest. He lifted her out of the water, and her arms automatically went up to wrap around his neck, her head tucked into his chest. He laid her down on one of the lounge chairs and used one of the plush lavender towels to dry off her body. As he reached the tender spots between her legs, after-currents of pleasure flowed through her body.

“No more,” she said, curling up on her side beneath the oversized towel.

Taking in her delicate beauty, Reed wished once again that he could have convinced her to go somewhere else besides back to school. It’s true that she had been rescued. He didn’t know, though, if she was truly safe.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lucy had seen enough in her life, and as headmistress at San Francisco Sex University, she considered herself a good judge of character. She knew when a person truly feared something, and when they’d rather relish giving up control and diving into the phobia. Sometimes “fear” was merely another word for “fantasy.” What a person was really afraid of was their personal reaction to the situation, and simply the unknown.

When she and the university took on a student, they did all the necessary vetting: Was the person applying for personal reasons, or did they have some ulterior motive? Anyone with a hidden dark intent quickly received a rejection notice. Ms. Lucy rarely took chances on someone who she thought wouldn’t “make it.” So it was with particular sadness that she saw what had happened to Clarissa Marciano, or Claire, as most others at the school knew her. Clarissa had come to the school at the urging of her fiancé, and she entered the S&M sequence. A soft-spoken young woman from a privileged Italian family, Clarissa had spent most of her life isolated and protected. Her first sexual experience had been with an older woman, one who took her same-sex virginity, and then discarded her sleeping on sheets spotted with the blood of her hymen. The situation might be all too familiar with heterosexual first-time sexual encounters, but the callousness of the woman left Clarissa even more devastated. So much, in fact, that she questioned her own sexuality, and her next partner, Mario, ended up being a dominant male, one her family approved of. Now, Clarissa was going to marry him.

Pacing the marble hallway in her personal quarters, Lucy ignored the sharp clips of her heels on the tiles as she contemplated the choices that lay before her. Red curls streaming about her face, if anyone had seen her, they would be taken aback by the lack of control in her eyes. She looked like a woman on a mission, a woman possessed.

The story touched Ms. Lucy in a way that she hadn’t encountered in a long time. Her own upbringing was very similar to that of Clarissa. When she left New York for California, she’d never looked back at her choices, or her past.

During her stay at SFSU, Ms. Lucy hoped that Claire would come into her own and find her true path. Instead, she’d been beaten down by the very system that was supposed to rebuild her. Many students initially “failed” the S&M sequence. Few passed through completely unscathed. That step was part of the process. Those who faltered and went into another program were never meant to be there. Others got upset, but then that emotion turned to anger. Before Claire had been able to prove herself to others, and more importantly, herself, she’d been ripped from the school and held against her will. Claire certainly wasn’t a failure, she just hadn’t been given the chance to succeed. Now, before she could get there, she wanted to flee back home.

Only one student had willingly decided to stay on at the university, and that was the promising Amanda. If Amanda stayed on track, Lucy predicted a bright and pleasure-filled future for her. The others who had decided to return home seemed like they would do well. With the strength of her brother Reed, the wispy Willow would heal from the experience, and most likely come out stronger. Out of all of them, she most worried about Clarissa.

Ms. Lucy hoped to fix what was broken in Claire and hopefully stop that wedding from happening. Otherwise, she thought Clarissa would never be happy.

As she reached the end of her hallway, Lucy hesitated outside a closed door. Hand raised to knock, she instead used it to push back her errant curls, and turned around to make another lap. At 41 years old, and headmistress at one of the most esteemed sex schools in the nation, let alone the world, she willed herself to get back in control of her emotions and face the decisions that lay beyond that door. She took a deep breath and headed back, not pausing to knock, but to open it and step inside.

Cowering in the corner of the red velvet couch, clad in a gray sweatshirt and baggy black sweatpants, Claire looked up. Tears streaked down her face. At the sight of Ms. Lucy, her eyes widened.

“Is it time for me to go home yet?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

Ms. Lucy wondered what had happened to the budding self-confidence she had seen developing in the beaten young woman in front of her. In order to get her back on track, she’d have to be firm. Claire may not have a choice in her immediate future, but Ms. Lucy wasn’t going to allow her to see that.

“I don’t think so,” Ms. Lucy replied. “You signed a contract to finish out the program here, and I’d very much like you to consider staying.”

She wouldn’t think it possible, but Claire’s face crumpled further, and she pulled her knees tight against her chest. Her pale bare toes stuck out from the dark sweatpants, and Claire unconsciously pulled the extra long material over her feet in comfort.

“But I said I wanted to go home. You said I could go home,” she whined.

Lucy’s heart went out to the girl, and she moved to sit next to her on the sofa. Ms. Lucy wrapped her arms around Claire’s slight form, tucking Claire’s head beneath her chin and against her chest. Claire’s body shivered in her embrace. She smelled clean and fresh, like a spring meadow full of just-blooming wild flowers.

“I know what I said, but I think it would be better for you if you stayed on,” Lucy explained.

“I don’t think I could face them again, the other students. They know what happened to me, and I’m such a failure. I just need to go home, and Mario and my family will take care of me.”

“You’re no such thing, and you have to stop thinking like that about yourself. You don’t want to go home like this. What would your family say? What would Mario say?”

Ms. Lucy hated putting the situation to Claire like that, but, really, what choice did she have? She wouldn’t do what the others had done and keep her there against her will. Claire had to make the choice.

“And you don’t need to go back to the dorms,” Lucy said, coming up with the idea on the spot. “Instead you can stay here with me, in my private quarters, and I’ll help tutor you.”

“Really?” Claire asked, a bit of surprise in her voice. “You would do that?”

“Of course I would do that. You’re a bright, gorgeous woman, now we just have to make you see that.”

Momentarily, Ms. Lucy wondered what she was doing. It had been a long time since she had let anyone stay at her home, and it was even longer since she’d let someone into her heart. In such a short amount of time, somehow Clarissa had done both.

“Now, let me show you the guest room, and I’ll see if I have anything less unsightly to wear,” she said. “You know I abhor gray and sweats.”

With the lightest of laughs, Claire agreed and let herself be helped up. As Ms. Lucy took the woman’s hand in hers, she felt a tingle of energy pass between them. Claire tightened her grip more and met her gaze straight on. Ms. Lucy had a feeling that it wouldn’t take long for Claire to find the strength she possessed.

* * * *

The room Ms. Lucy took her to outdid any dream room she could imagine. Plush white carpeting cushioned her feet as she took a step inside. The walls were painted a rich crème color on top, with a striped cornflower blue and crème wallpaper below, beneath a blue border circling the room. A huge bay window with pillowed seating looked out upon the expanse of SFSU. With all that, Clarissa’s eyes kept going back to the centerpiece of the room: a canopy bed with a billowing off-white valiance and a brilliant blue satin bedspread. Lush pillows created an inviting oasis that she longed to dive into.

Claire looked back at Ms. Lucy. In her stark black bustier and leather miniskirt, Ms. Lucy looked the exact opposite of the ultra-feminine décor of the room. Perhaps there was more to Ms. Lucy than she let people see. And then she wondered: if this was the guest room, what did Ms. Lucy’s personal bedroom look like?

“Go on in,” Ms. Lucy shooed her forward with a sweep of her hands. “Hopefully, you’ll feel comfortable here.”

“It’s beautiful, and the colors are so soothing,” she said.

As if pleased with Clarissa’s response, Ms. Lucy strode forward to the dresser. “Now, let’s see, I keep a variety of sizes in here just in case I have unprepared guests,” she said, sliding open the top drawer.

Forced to describe her usual style, Clarissa would say, “whatever works.” She rarely bought designer brands and more often went for comfort. While at the school, she’d been experimenting with the clothes that she had been supplied with. Looking at the dress that Ms. Lucy was holding out, though, she’d seriously started to question whoever did the shopping for the guest quarters.

First of all, it was tiny. Sure, it was probably made of stretchy material, but how tight was it going to be? Then there was the deep violet color. Definitely attention-grabbing. Maybe too much for her. She preferred to blend in with the scenery, not stand in contrast with it.

“Where’s the rest of it?” she asked.

And what’s with the plunging neckline? Clarissa took a look at her own flat chest and wondered how she was going to fill it out.

Ms. Lucy laughed, and Clarissa realized how much she liked that sound. Now that she was thinking about it, she hadn’t ever heard the headmistress laugh.

“Come on, it’s just us here tonight,” Ms. Lucy soothed. “Try it on.”

She tossed the dress, if one could really call the scrap of material that, to her. Clarissa held it up against her body, with the V neck in front, pulling the sleek material over her bulky sweats.

“That’s the back,” Ms. Lucy explained. “Here, let me help you.”

As Ms. Lucy drew closer, Clarissa’s mind raced. The entire time she’d been at the school, she’d only thought of Ms. Lucy as an instructor. Sure, she was attractive and possessed a commanding presence, but something about the way the headmistress was looking at her reminded Clarissa that Ms. Lucy was a woman, a sexy one.

She flashed upon her first love and heartbreak, Muriel. Since that night, she had appreciated the sight of a beautiful woman, but she’d shied away from getting involved with someone else. She’d known Mario since they were kids, and their parents always joked that they would be together and get married. Being with Mario was easy, and she tended to like things simple.

“Lift your arms,” Ms. Lucy commanded.

As if by themselves, Clarissa felt her arms lift above her head. Ms. Lucy grabbed the bottom of her sweatshirt and lifted it up and over her head. Underneath, she wasn’t wearing a bra. From more excitement than chilliness, her pale pink nipples hardened into small pebbles.

Ms. Lucy, who stood a good six inches taller than her, looked down at her chest, mesmerized by her nudity. Clarissa held her breath, waiting to see Ms. Lucy’s response. As the instructor’s eyes met her own, Clarissa felt something electric shift in the air, and Ms. Lucy licked her full lips.

* * * *

For some reason, seeing Clarissa’s slender nude form shocked Lucy. She wasn’t expecting bare skin beneath the sweats. Over the years, Lucy had schooled some coeds between the sheets, and others had been forced to pleasure her. She’d never classify any of them as “lovers,” more like bed-partners.

The underlying strength beneath Claire’s external fragile character intrigued Lucy. Even if the girl often lacked self-confidence, Lucy knew she had much more potential. She pulled the slinky dress over Claire’s head and admired the way the material sheathed her slender body. Though tempted to remove the item and take in Clarissa’s nude body again, Lucy pushed those thoughts away.

“It’s getting late,” she said instead. “Let’s have a quick bite to eat, and then you better get some rest.”

* * * *

Clarissa woke up in a darkened room. Heart pounding, fear coursed through her body. She knew instantly that she was no longer there, locked in that room, but she still couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of dread that she felt. She turned on the room’s light and tried taking a deep breath in order to calm herself down. There was only one thing that she desired: Not to be alone, and she knew that wish could quickly be solved.

As she pushed off the covers, she looked down at the sheer blue teddy she’d chosen to sleep in – a perfect match to the room – and thought briefly about changing into something else. Somewhere, elsewhere in the house, a noise creaked, and that settled it: Straight to Ms. Lucy’s room.

Fortunately, the path from her room to Ms. Lucy’s chambers was short. Ms. Lucy slept with her door partly open, and Clarissa slipped in without making any noise. In the shadows of the room, she could make out Ms. Lucy’s sleeping form on the opposite side of the bed.

“Whatever you need,” Ms. Lucy had told her before heading to bed, “I’m here for you.”

As she gently pulled back the covers and crawled into the headmistress’ bed, she certainly hoped that she had meant those words. Right now, what she needed most of all was the comfort of another’s body.

* * * *

Coming to a light wakefulness, Lucy first became aware of the warmth of a body next to hers, and then she felt the soft skin against her back. One leg tucked ever-so-suggestively between hers.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” a whisper danced in her ear, sending shivers of pleasure down her neck.

She’d just been dreaming of the Italian nymph, and here she was, cuddled in her bed. Was she still dreaming?

“Claire? Is that you?”

“Were you expecting another woman to climb into bed with you?” Claire teased.

“What are you doing here?” Lucy asked. She certainly didn’t mind the awakening that she felt flowing through her body.

“Bad dreams. I needed someone. I needed to forget. And, I needed you.”

A delicate hand slipped over her side and tucked under her full breasts as Clarissa snuggled closer under the blankets. “Do you mind?” she asked.