LOGINLips…lips that are soft and hot, but the motion is violent, like he is starving. I am starving too, I realize, and don’t even give question to the possibility of resisting. Professor Harlan turns me, shoving me against the counter.
Then, she is gone – the young woman who’d developed a violent crush on her professor a year ago. And I am back. I shove him away but keep my clutches around the collar of his dress shirt. My eyes are dark.“I’ll show you weak,” I spit, giving him another good shove so he is turned around, taking my place pinned against the counter.I grip his tie with one hand and grip his jaw with the other, nails biting into his skin. He groans slowly as I slip my tongue forcefully into his mouth. He steadies his hands on the counter, knocking over papers and supplies. I pin him in place with my hips against his, and the demand within his pants is growing evermore urgent. I don’t ignore it; in fact, I brush against it with my own hips over and over again, juLips…lips that are soft and hot, but the motion is violent, like he is starving. I am starving too, I realize, and don’t even give question to the possibility of resisting. Professor Harlan turns me, shoving me against the counter.Then, she is gone – the young woman who’d developed a violent crush on her professor a year ago. And I am back. I shove him away but keep my clutches around the collar of his dress shirt. My eyes are dark.“I’ll show you weak,” I spit, giving him another good shove so he is turned around, taking my place pinned against the counter.I grip his tie with one hand and grip his jaw with the other, nails biting into his skin. He groans slowly as I slip my tongue forcefully into his mouth. He steadies his hands on the counter, knocking over papers and supplies. I pin him in place with my hips against his, and the demand within his pants is growing evermore urgent. I don’t ignore it; in fact, I brush against it with my own hips over and over again, ju
This is slightly better. At least if I am going to talk, I am somewhat isolated now, even if the entire building is empty with the exception of me and him; sometimes it just feels better to be behind closed doors.He stands a foot in front of the door. I stand facing him as far against the other wall as I can without bumping into the copier. It only leaves a few feet in between us. His eyes are dark and narrowed. His jaw is set. Nothing about him indicates that he is nervous or emotional in any way – nothing except the way his chest seems to heave, only slightly, as he draws in breath. I stare back at him. It is silent for some time. Nothing is said, no noise made, save for the sound of my laboured, heated breathing. It is quiet on the surface, but the air is thick, riddled with everything that has been left unsaid.And it is enough to fill the entire fucking room.I lose myself then.It is as if I black out. I don’t remember lunging for him, my arm bending at the el
The next morning at the office is a rough one. The back of my head houses a dull and persistent ache, compliment of my severe lack of sleep from the night before. Every time I pass a reflective surface, I wince at the sight of the grey circles underneath my eyes. I look sunken and exhausted.And I look empty.But at least I’ve had two weeks of uneventful stagnation. Because after Grace approaches me with my new assignment, I’d give anything for some good old deep dissatisfaction instead of what I have on my plate now.“I’m really sorry,” she tells me, “but the receptionist at the Press had her baby, like, weeks early. And her replacement isn’t ready to take over yet.”“Oh,” I mutter, my brain rapidly spinning ideas that might get me out of having to go work in Professor Harlan’s office. Shouldn’t temps replacing employees on maternity leave be prepped for this kind of thing? Isn’t that sort of…the whole point? Has one person been ill-prepared for only me to pay the p
"You’ve got to be fucking kidding me."I sigh, purse my lips, and stare blankly at the living-room ceiling. Rhea has been pacing the lower level of our house for fifteen minutes, cycling through every possible version of disbelief."And you had no idea he was going to be there?" she sputters, bursting back into the room, looking at me almost accusingly.I sit upright, muscles locking. "I hope you’re not implying what I think you are, Rhea," I snap."Sorry! I just… you said it was independently owned. Doesn’t it seem a little convenient that Harlan’s press owns yours?"I lurch forward. "It was supposed to be independent!" I spit. "And this isn’t convenient, it’s my fucking nightmare! He’s everywhere!" I squeal, then flop back and bury my face in my hands.Even when Harlan was still on campus actively ruining my life, I could count on Rhea. Now I’m terrified I’m about to lose her too."I think I’m gonna take a nap and get ready for the party," I say flatly,
"Oh, absolutely fucking not," I breathe. "What was that?" Linda asks sweetly. "Noth– I... oh fuck," I whisper, my binder clattering to the floor in a heap. The breath is already kicked out of my chest. I struggle to squat, knees squeezed together because my skirt refuses to forgive me, and hastily close the splayed pages. I keep my eyes glued to the carpet, praying that when I look up two of the four people will have vanished. They haven’t. My gaze snaps to his. He’s still there. Real. Inexplicably, terrifyingly real. At least he looks as dumbfounded as I feel. Both Professor Harlan and I gawk at Linda for an explanation. The poor woman looks lost. Harlan clears his throat. "Well. I’ll take her résumé, but I don’t think it’s necessary I stay for this." Meekly, Cora speaks without meeting his eye. "Sir, your branch owns ours; we thought it would be appropriate for you to–" "I won’t be
SIX MONTHS LATER"He's out your system, it took you a whileYou got your family back and you got your smile.And you promised your sister that you'd never go back again.""Mother of God," I mutter maniacally as my fingers tear through the contents of the umpteenth box I’ve looked through. "This is it. Fucking idiot. This is how I go." I inhale on shuddering air, hands flying to my face in a wild, rabid motion. "RHEA!" I scream, flying around as best I can in my awkward, squatting position, finally giving up my search. "I CAN’T FIND MY BINDERS!""What?" she calls from downstairs.I tear out of my empty, half-unpacked room, bracing myself on the bannister at the top of the stairs. "I THOUGHT I KEPT THEM IN MY BACKPACK AND DIDN’T PACK THEM WITH THE REST OF MY SHIT, BUT I CAN’T FIND THEM ANYWHERE! I NEED THEM FOR MY MEETINGS!"A moment of silence, and then, "They’re on the dining room table!" she calls.I rip down the steps like I’m The Flash incarnate, l







