Page 875 of One More Kiss

Max shook his head. “Thank you, Mr. Taylor, You’ve been quite busy already today.”

“Well, sir, I had trouble sleeping so I got up and decided to do some work. I have my own studies to attend to as well, so if you don’t need me for anything else, I was hoping to take the morning off.” He stood from the small wooden desk at the head of the classroom.

Max nodded, disappointed this uncomfortable chasm now existed between them. “Of course. You’ve done so much, and I would never deny you the time for your own course work. Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Thank you sir, and yes, of course. Have a good day.” Clyde pushed past Max and past the small throng of students lingering in the hall prior to class. He couldn’t leave fast enough. Max had sworn to him he would keep his secret, but Clyde obviously worried being close to Max might change his mind.

Clyde was an excellent assistant, and would make a good instructor someday. If he no longer wanted to study under Max, he would understand, but Max would labor to convince him to stay on.

Without further ado, the clock struck nine and Max hastened to close the doors to the hallway.

However, his mind wandered as he returned graded papers to his students, and discussed the upcoming reading assignment. His offer of extra credit to students who volunteered to work on the production of Much Ado About Nothing led his mind to the tall, long-legged blonde down the hall, with the crooked smile encased in full red lips. His cock tightened in response, forcing Max to sit behind his desk and lecture from there.

But he was not productive, and dismissed class early, before he himself headed out the door. There was no way he would be productive with a massive case of blue balls. He glanced at his watch. Ninety minutes until his next class.

Plenty of time to walk home, jerk off, clean up, and return.

And hopefully banish all thoughts of Lu.

His schedule did not allow for him to masturbate every time she crossed his mind.

* * *

Lu was expectingrehearsals to be uncomfortable, given the proximity to Max and his show in her classroom this morning.

She hadn’t expected the discomfort to be physical as well as emotional.

When he walked into the theater and dropped a wink in her direction, Lu resisted the urge to pound on him with her fists.

But she also wanted him to thread his fingers in her hair, pull her mouth to his, and kiss her so thoroughly she’d need to be swept up off the floor.

A heaviness settled in her belly, lower, and stayed there for the next hour.

She was half-watching, and barely listening to, her leads doing their first read through on a critical scene in the play when Max jumped up from his seat and shouted “Enough!”

Lu startled, and paid attention.

“Beatrice,” he looked to Frannie. “Your cousin has been wronged, shamed, and is ill from it.”

Frannie nodded silently.

“You, Benedick,” he pointed at Lester Collins. “This woman you love is asking you to murder your best friend for his role in this. Both of you, this requires passion, a ferocity you’ll need to dig deep to attain. Here, here, watch. Miss Danvers, will you join us on the stage, please.”

Lu stepped up to the boards and eyed Max.

“I assume, Miss Danvers, you’ve memorized the lines?”

She nodded.

“Very well.” He turned from her, shook out his arms and shoulders before turning back. When he faced her again, the heat in his eyes matched what she’d seen last night.

A shiver slid up her spine, to tingle the roots of her hair.

She sat on the stage, and took a posture of prayer.

“Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?” Max knelt beside her, touching her shoulder gingerly.

Lu flinched. “Yea, and I will weep a while longer.”

---