The Lessons (20 page)

“Valiant effort, Reese, but it seems you’re all talk when it comes to your appetite.”

“Hey, I had like, six slices. You didn’t tell me you’d ordered an extra-large. I feel like I represented pretty well.”

My cell phone started buzzing.

Natalie

“Can you hang on one moment? I have to take this.” Ryan excused himself, and he went into the other room, closing the door behind him. Naturally, I sprung up from the bed and practically galloped to the door, pressing my ear against it.

He was speaking low, really low, and I could barely make out anything he was saying. I peered through the crack between the two doors, catching a glimpse of him passing back and forth, pacing. Then I heard, very distinctly, the word “Tomorrow,” and the sound of his hands on the door handles.

I immediately flew into the only position I could.

The doors opened.

“Oh, hello.” Ryan smiled, taking in the view.

“Oh, hey,” I said, bringing my head up and pulling my legs back together. “Sorry, just stretching. Didn’t want to be sore tomorrow.” Right, Reese, pretend that naked stretching was the most normal thing in the world.

Ryan seemed amused. “I see. Good idea. We did get a good workout.” He sat back on the bed and watched me as I climbed up and under the sheets.

His face looked a little less carefree than it had a few minutes ago. “Everything okay?” I asked.

“What? Yeah,” he scooted over and stretched his arm out behind me so that I was, effectively, in his nook.
Oh hell, why not
, I thought to myself and leaned over, nuzzling in the space, going full nook. He didn’t pull back.

“So, do you date much?” Ryan asked.

Cue the slow-motion camera.
Do I date much?!
My heart flew at the question while my mind tried to decode the inflection in his tone. Was he asking because he was interested? No, of course not. So why
was
he asking? My mind flashed back to our conversation before pizza. Was it because I’d asked him the same thing?

“Uh, no. Almost never. I mean, that’s why I’m here, right. Why?”

“People can date and not have sex, Natalie.”

“Oh, thanks doc, didn’t realize.”

“Not a doctor,” he retorted before continuing, “so, it’s not that you object to dating.”

“Me? No. I mean, I want to date. I need to date.”

That made him chuckle. “What do you mean, you need to date?”

I was feeling so close with him at that moment that I briefly consider telling him my plan, before realizing almost immediately that it might raise red flags around our work together. So I went with a modified version.

“You generally have to date before you get married,” I continued. “I mean, in America.”

“I suppose that’s the general sequence of events.”

“And—don’t judge me— but I want it all. I want a family, with a dog, and kids, and a little house,” I paused, “I know it sounds dumb.”

He took half a beat to respond. “It doesn’t sound dumb at all. It’s only natural if you grew up without those things.”

“Yeah,” I said, half-wishing I could see his face, but the reality was I was enjoying laying with him too much to risk moving.

“Still…” he trailed off.

“What? What is it?”

“Nothing, just still surprised you haven’t dated much, I guess. That’s all.”

That’s all? We’re nooking, and you’re telling me you’re surprised I don’t date much?
This whole mixed signals thing was going to be the end of me. I knew it.

“Well, I guess we should call it a night,” he said, sitting up and pulling his arm back and once again confirming the method of my demise.

“Yeah, I guess so.” My body screamed at me as it detached from Ryan’s warmth, as if I’d fatally betrayed it.

“It’s late. Can I give you a lift?”

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

Ryan

I nodded to Priya as I made my way to Lisa’s office. It was customary to have a face-to-face check in at this stage of treatment. Email was great initially, but after several sessions, in-person conversation became a necessity.

“Ryan,” she said, putting down her pen. “Have a seat. Thanks again for coming in, I know it’s a busy time of year for you.” She turned toward me and crossed her legs. “So, how is everything? How’s school? How’s Ains?”

I crossed my arms. “She’s fine. Aren’t we here to talk about Natalie?” I was being curt, but I had a thesis to finish this week, and spending all that time with Natalie, well, I had some catch-up to do.

Lisa pressed her lips together and began to leaf through a file. “Yes, I suppose we can get right to it. How are things going with her? You had an appointment with her yesterday, correct? You were very vague last night on the phone.”

I crossed my arms and looked down at the floor. “Sorry. I couldn’t talk.”

“Couldn’t talk? What, hot date?” As she joked I saw something cross her mind, and I immediately knew she suspected something. We’d known each other for too long. She knew my tics, and I knew hers. She narrowed her eyes at me and lowered her voice. “It was eight o’clock at night, Ryan.”

I kept my arms crossed and tried to wipe my face of emotion. Of course, that had the opposite effect of what I wanted.

Her face morphed to something wicked. “Were you
with
her?” she asked, incredulously.

I still didn’t say anything. I wasn’t going to let her have this on me.

“Okay, wait, hang on. First you ask me to transfer her, and then you’re hanging out with her at eight o’clock at night?” I saw her piece together the puzzle in her mind. “What is… Wait…don’t tell me you’ve fucking fallen for her, Ryan.” She snorted.

I said nothing. She fell silent for a full minute, but I could see the wheels at work, turning inside her head.

“Wow. Just wow.” She sat back in her desk chair and placed one finger on her lip. “Don’t tell me the Ice King has been melted by one of his
clients
.”

I shook my head. “Don’t fucking call me that, Lis.”

“Why not? It’s so fitting.”

Lisa thought that just because I shut her out years ago, I wasn’t capable of carrying on a relationship. Okay, maybe I wasn’t at that time. But also, her and I— we just didn’t have anything that made for a lasting relationship. However, I had let her think what she wanted, that I was emotionally shallow, because her dad had a hand in my schooling. “Just because you and I—” I shook my head, deciding against going over
that
again. “Look. Nothing is happening.”

“Bullshit.”

“Honest.”

“So, you wouldn’t mind ending it with her?”

I paused. End it? Like, not see her again?
Hell no.
I was planning on dragging out these lessons as long as I could. Or at least until I could figure out a way to transition our,
whatever we were doing
, to something in the real world.

“That wouldn’t be fair to the client, Lisa, and you know that.”

“You said you’d achieved penetration,” Lisa countered.

“Right, but you more than anyone know how much more there is to intimacy than just sex.” I sat back, trying to seem nonchalant. “She’s still extremely tentative, hesitant. There are a lot of issues there that we need to work through.”

Lisa eyed me, analyzing my little speech in her mind. “Okay, you know what? I don’t believe you for a minute. But in the interest of professionalism, I’ll let
whatever is going on there
slide.
If
you help me with something.”

I gritted my teeth. “There is nothing
going on there,
Dr. Lerner, so why should I help you?”

“I don’t know about that,
Mr. Andrews
. If I remember correctly, you are due to graduate in a few weeks. You wouldn’t want
the dean
to find out about this, after all your years of hard work, correct?”

I sighed. Well, she was using her one gun. The one singular reason I’d stay in this room and tolerate this nonsense. “What the fuck do you want, Lisa?”

“I’m pregnant,” she said, patting her belly.

I squinted at her stomach. If she was pregnant, she wasn’t very far along. “And this affects me how, exactly? Hate to break it to you Lis, but I’m a sex therapist— I know how the birds and the bees work. Besides, it’s been almost eight years, so if you are thinking about...”

“Yeah, thanks. I almost forgot,” she said, her sarcasm obvious. I frowned. “No, I mean, I think I can ignore this little transgression of yours, if you are able to help me with something…”

I looked at her. She looked very respectable and professional, sitting there in her navy trousers with her hair up in a bun. So why did I have the distinct feeling I was about to make a deal with the devil?

“Why would I help you with anything? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Yet.” She raised one eyebrow at me. “You haven’t done anything wrong, yet. Ry, a few weeks ago you came to me, asking for Natalie to be transferred, and now well… let’s just say I could understand why you’d want to keep this off my dad’s radar. Besides, I just need a little favor. Tiny, really.”

I sighed. This was one of the reasons we had broken up so quickly years ago. The second things would go wrong, she’d wave the threat of her dad— my department chair— over my head. “What, Lisa.”

“Well, Mr. Baby Daddy is getting divorced, but knowing he cheated on his wife could tilt the settlement in her favor.”

“I don’t understand,” I started.

“I need you to be my cover,” she said, very matter-of-factly.

It took a minute for the request to sink in, but when it did, I drew back. “You want me to pretend to be
the father of your child?
” I wasn’t just incredulous, I was disgusted. “No. Absolutely not.”

She leaned forward and moved her hands back and forth in the air. “Not forever. Just until Mrs. Baby Daddy is convinced you knocked me up. Then we can ‘break up’ and you’d be free to go.”

“I’m busy, Lisa. I graduate in a month. Why can’t we just ‘break up’
right now
?”

“The wife is already suspicious of me. We know each other. So like I said, I need a cover.”

I glanced down at Lisa’s stomach. “For good reason, it seems.”

“Those in glass houses, Mr. Therapist-who-has-a-crush-on-his-client,” she sang.

I didn’t know what to do. She had me by the balls on this one. If she even whispered this to the department chair, I’d be pulled in for investigation, and my graduation would be put on hold. With Brad leaving and me not working, we’d lose the house, and I wouldn’t be able to support Ainsley anymore. Not to mention possibly throwing away the last eight years of work.

“What’s involved?” I sighed.

“It’s easy, really. Painless. Come with me on a few double dates. Make her believe we’re together. A week, two maybe. Then we can ‘break up’.”

“And that’s it?”

“Yep.”

I sat there, pondering the option.

“So if you even—”

“Fine.”

She looked surprised. “Fine… meaning, fine you’ll do it?”

I clenched my jaw. “Yes.”

Ryan

Lisa wasted absolutely no time parading me around. First it was a couple’s dinner downtown, and then that weekend it was brunch and a matinee. At least during the matinee I didn’t have to look at her or talk to her. The rest of the time was torture. I felt genuinely bad for Mrs. Baby Daddy; she just sat there as her husband went on and on about what was going on in their life. The worst was when he started talking about a trip they were planning to Hawaii that December. I mean, how could he do that, fully knowing he wasn’t planning on having her in the picture?

The whole thing made me sick.

And I consoled myself by thinking about Natalie. Her white cotton sundress, her ability to curse like a sailor, and her sweet, perfect pussy.

What? I’m a guy. Deal with it.

Thinking about the next time I’d see her was the only way I made it through those dates.

Natalie

I collapsed into the mattress, my bones pure jelly after orgasm number three. Ryan had dubbed this my ‘review’ session, and I was, as usual, determined to be an excellent student. “Okay, that one is definitely my favorite.”

Ryan smiled at me. “You said that after the last one.”

“Right, but this time I mean it.” I flopped over onto my stomach and rested my head on his chest. “Which one is your favorite?”

“My favorite?” he asked as he stroked my hair.

“Yeah, I mean, you’re the sex-pert. Which position is your favorite?”

He laughed. It was really nice to see him relaxed. “I guess whichever helps the client the most. Whichever helps them get what they need.”

I looked up at him and rolled my eyes. Any lingering guilt I’d been feeling about lying to Ryan about my, uh, motivations, had been swiftly eradicated by the mind-numbing properties of his cock, and here he was, taking it back to the clinical again. “Oh, come on Miss America, don’t give me the canned answer. I’m serious, which one do you like the most, I mean as a
man
.”

He exhaled. “I guess it depends.”

“On what?”

“My mood, the time of day, how I’m feeling about my body.”

I rolled my eyes again and sat up. “How you’re feeling about your body? Seriously?”

“What?”

I flicked his chest with my fingers. “Don’t even try to tell me you don’t realize how…” I trailed off.

“What?” He asked, trying to beat back a grin.

“How… how good… this all is,” I made a circular motion over his body with both my hands as my words failed me.

He laughed again. “I’m glad you approve.”

Ryan

God, I loved being with her. I’d done this work for so long, I think I almost had forgotten that sex could be fun. But Natalie was laughter and light— and it was impossible to not enjoy myself when I was around her. I rolled over and spooned her as we relaxed in silence. I seriously could have stayed in that position for a week, but after a few minutes, I could sense her tensing.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I guess… um, I was just wondering—can I ask you something? And you have to promise to be honest, okay?”

I turned her around to face me and raised my hand like I was in court. “Always, babe.”

“Right, I mean, cool…” she trailed off. “I guess I was wondering, would you mind if I tried giving you a blowjob?”

What happened next was that my mind
literally
separated from my body. I know this because it re-entered the conversation a few moments later, with Natalie retracting her statement.

“I mean, we don’t have to, I understand if you think we should focus on me, but I just was thinking it would be good for me to know how, I mean I totally get it if you aren’t comfortable, just forget I ask—”

I put my fingers up to her lips and nodded. “Natalie. Yes.”

Her eyes lit up as if she was a five year old, and I’d just told her unicorns were real. “Are you serious? I mean, thanks, I mean, that’s great. I didn’t want to pester you but—”

She glanced down at my crotch and her breath caught. Despite our marathon fuckfest, I was as stiff as a broom handle. Can you blame me? This gorgeous girl just said she was
hoping maybe she could give me a BJ
. What man wouldn’t get a boner from that?

“Let’s do it.”

“Serious? Now?” Call me crazy, but she suddenly looked scared.

“I’m game if you are,” I offered, not wanting to press her too hard. She swallowed and as I got up, she followed. As we stood next to the bed, I pulled her chin up to me. “But are you sure you want to?”

She paused for a second. “Yes,” she stated definitively, nodding for emphasis.

“Do you, I mean, do you want any tips?” I asked. To be honest, coaching on oral sex wasn’t my forte. Most of what I do is straight up intercourse. Not that I was opposed to the idea, however. As one might say, I was
up
for the challenge.

“No,” she whispered. “I mean, maybe. I read some stuff online, but if you could tell me how I’m doing…” she trailed off.

I chuckled as I kissed her on the forehead. “Sounds good. Now, on your knees, woman.”

She shot me a look.

“I’m kidding. Just trying to keep things light. Sorry, I’ll limit the guy talk.”

She bit her lip and shook her head. “No… I, I think I like it.” She looked at the ground as she started to blush.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning. “Well then, like I said,
knees
, sweetheart.”

She sank down and I leaned back and closed my eyes as she grabbed my cock. She was slow at first, tentative as her delicate hands gripped the shaft, massaging the drops of pre-cum over the tip with her thumb.

“Good babe, now lick the head,” I urged her gently.

I felt gentle flicks of her tongue and I had to look down at her. She caught me staring and shot me a demure smile.

“Is this alright? Too hard or too soft?”

“It’s perfect, sweetheart. Go ahead, take the head with your mouth.”

She nodded and opened her mouth, and before I knew it, her pink lips were wrapped around my cock, and she was swirling her tongue around the head.

Ohhhh fuck.

“That’s… that’s good,” I tried to direct, but I was already lost.

She murmured something and slowly pumped my shaft while she continued to suck. She wet her hand with saliva and moved it down my shaft to the root as she pushed my dick further into her throat, deftly avoiding her teeth.

I grabbed her head with both hands. I didn’t want to force my cock too far into her before she was ready, I mean, Christ, this was her first time giving head, so I angled her face up at me again. God damn, there was just something about seeing my cock in her perfect fucking little mouth—

My thighs started to clench as she continued to pump me. The little sounds that came gurgling up from the back of her throat, oh Christ. I tried to slow myself down, but she didn’t give up, and I could feel I was getting close.

“I’m getting close— you don’t have to swallow I can pull out,” I warned.

Thankfully, she ignored me and instead moved her hand so that her finger pressed up against the smooth area behind my balls. That was it. My orgasm exploded everywhere, right into her mouth. And she took it! A shocked look took over her face as I came into her mouth, but she kept her eyes locked with mine and gulped and swallowed until I calmed.

I sat back on the bed, spent. “Fuck…are you sure you’ve never done that before? How’d you know to—”

“I’ve been doing some reading,” She offered a small smile as she wiped her mouth of an errant drop of cum.

“Probably not at the library, I assume?”

She smirked. “No, on the Internet,
grandpa
. So it was okay?”

I laid back and rubbed my face. “Uh, yeah, it was great. Very nice. Well done.”

Oh fuck, I was in trouble.

“Natalie… Natalie, it’s time to get up.”

She reluctantly opened one eye, “What time is it?”

“It’s late.”

“Just lemme sleep here,” she said, nuzzling into the nook created by my arm.

“Natalie,” I shook her shoulder gently. “Natalie.”

I tried again. It was no use, she was out cold. I glanced at the clock. Eleven fifteen. It looked like we were spending the night at the office.

~

At one point in the night, I got up to use the bathroom. When I came back to bed, Natalie was stretched out on her stomach, with just a sheet covering her creamy ass. I sat on the edge of the bed for a long while, taking advantage of the dim moonlight that was filtering in through the crack in the bedroom door. She really was so breathtaking.

I’d had good looking clients before, but Natalie, well she was something else. Perfect and  beautiful, inside and out.

Years ago, when Lisa first suggested the surrogacy job, I’d thought she was crazy. I mean, we’d had a quick breakup because I was too “closed off” emotionally; I couldn’t see why she’d want that for her clients. As it turns out, however, emotional vapidity was an ideal quality in a surrogate. No messy feelings to get in the way of the patient-client relationship. So, I signed up, and it’d been working pretty well.

Until now.

~

“Natalie, time to wake up.” My cell phone alarm was going off, alerting me that it was seven o’clock. As much as I wanted to continue spooning her, it was time for both of us to get up. Natalie smiled with her eyes closed as she pulled into me. I tried again. “Natalie, don’t you have to get to work?”

Her eyes shot open. “Shit, what time is it?”

“Seven.”

“Shit! I’ve got to get ready! I’m going to be late.”

“Sorry, I think we both fell asleep last night,” I lied. I wasn’t sorry at all. Waking up next to Natalie was perfection, pure and simple. “I can give you a lift to work, if you want.”

“That’d be great. Just let me jump in the shower,” she jumped out of bed, taking the sheet with her as she ran to the bathroom.

I got up, threw on my boxers, and shot to my office to make us some coffee, trying to calm my morning erection.