Page 39 of The Teacher and the Virgin

He laughed harder and I flipped him off as I stood and walked out of his office. “But she will.”

I got the hell out of there, completely uninterested in being around if Emma wasn’t. I’d already cleared my schedule with Tori yesterday after I’d heard Emma’s plans to get laid.Myplan had been to take her home, seduce her and convince her to stay. She wasn’t supposed to run scared at the crack of dawn. No. She was supposed to be in my bed all damn day where I could tell her I wanted her, forever, pamper her with kisses, and fill her with my cock.

* * *

Emma

As soon as I walked through the door, I kicked off my heels, stripped out of my navy suit and swapped it for a pair of yoga pants and a faded university t-shirt. Using a washcloth, I wiped away my makeup, wiped away the long day. I'd done it. It was official. I was a Junior Finance Assessor.

I'd looked forward to the day I'd start myrealjob for months, the job that was the first rung on the corporate ladder. A job as a financial investigator. I wanted to find discrepancies and solve them. I liked numbers and figuring out problems and the job they offered me was just what I'd hoped for. And more. I could pay off my loans while doing exactly what made me happy. Landing the role at the prestigious Miller and Walsh only made the excitement that much better.

As I rinsed the cloth and laid it over the edge of the sink, my mind veered away from my new job to Carter. The night we shared. The aching between my thighs. I'd barely been able to shift in my chair at the orientation without being reminded of what we'd done. I may have walked out of his house, but he'd been with me all day.

I'd gotten exactly what I'd wanted. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I wondered if anyone could tell I was no longer a virgin. Pulling my hair back, I tied it up into a sloppy ponytail. I didn'tlookdifferent. I definitely felt different. My pussy was sore, deep inside, but I didn't mind. If that was all I could take with me of Carter, then it was worth it. The ache in my body would fade. But the one in my heart wouldn't. Not for a good long while. It was good timing then, that we wouldn't be in the same building any longer. Seeing him every day, seeing him with other women, would slowly kill me.

So I put on my big girl panties and accepted last night for what it was. A one-night-stand. I now knew what it was like to be fucked. Considering stories I’d listened to my girlfriends tell, I was lucky in that Carter had been good. Not just good, he'd been incredible. But he'd also been sweet about it. There were so many things I loved about Carter, especially being held in his arms all night. I'd liked that… a lot.

That was why my heart hurt… a lot. For me, one night wasn't enough. I was the kind of girl who wanted more. The house, the kids, the dog, the minivan even. I wanted it all with Carter, but I was kidding myself. I rolled my eyes at myself in the mirror.

Carter Buchanan in a minivan tossing Cheerios to a cranky two-year-old? As if.

Switching off the light, I walked down the hall to open a bottle of wine. I deserved a glass… or a bottle. The doorbell had me veering to the front door. I peeked through the peephole and I swore my heart stopped beating.

“I know you're there, Emma,” he said through the door.

Why was he here? One-night-stands didn't just show up on your doorstep. That would defeat the purpose of the name.

Taking a deep breath, I flipped the deadbolt and opened the door.

God, he looked good. Today he wore a bespoke black suit with a crisp white shirt, pale blue tie. His outfit cost more than my run-down car. His gaze raked over me from my hot pink toenails on up.

“I like this look,” he commented.

Oh shit. Yoga pants, old t-shirt, no makeup, sloppy hair. It was the least romantic look on the planet. Instead of groaning, I said, “What are you doing here?”

“Taking you to dinner. Hopefully.”

“Dinner?”

“You finished your degree and got a new job. It's definitely worth celebrating.”

“Carter, I'm not dressed to go out.”

He stepped closer and I backed up, then realized I'd never invited him in.

When he stepped inside, he looked around. “Nice place. Suits you.”

I'd kept the walls white, but added bright spots of color with throw pillows and posters. There was only so much you could do to a rental, but now with my new job, I could start saving for an apartment of my own.

“Thanks. Carter, I—”

My words cut off when his dark eyes met mine. There was more in those dark eyes than a graduation dinner.

“Go to dinner with me. Not because of your job, but because you want to.” When I just stared at him, my mouth open, he continued. “I want you to.”

The way he said it had my resolve slipping.

“I'm not dressed for dinner.” I pointed at his suit.

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