Head of the Class Read online

  She felt heat rise in her face as she realized the teacher had spoken to her and she hadn’t responded. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked her face hot with embarrassment. Michael’s crooked grin was almost her undoing. What the hell was a man like this doing in an elementary school?

  “I said, hello, I’m Michael Faletolu.” He extended a huge hand for a handshake. “I assume you’re Ms. McPherson, the speaker for today’s Career Day.”

  Caja cleared her throat. “Nice to meet you, Michael. Please call me Caja.”

  Michael smiled in return. “Such a pretty name. Unusual spelling though.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s Polish, and it can be a pain. My mother named me for her best friend. Everyone wants to pronounce it with a short A and a hard J. For some reason no one gets that the A is pronounced like a long I, and the J is pronounced like a Y.” Caja cut off her speech suddenly realizing that she was doing little more than babbling.

  Michael grinned at her obvious discomfiture, then turned as the volume level amongst his students rose along with their curiosity. “Class, lets show Ms. McPherson what good boys and girls we can be . Okay?” There was a murmur of assent as the children quieted down, but all twenty plus faces were turned expectantly in their direction.

  Caja forced herself to collect her thoughts, though Michael’s heightened color made her wonder about his reaction to her. A quick glance at his left hand reassured her about his marital status, and her return smile glowed incandescently.

  Michael cleared his throat, and his gaze lingered as he quite obviously assessed her face and form. The blush deepened even under his honey oak complexion as he apparently liked what he saw. Then he cleared his throat again and turned to introduce her to the class.

  The presentation went far more quickly than Caja had expected. It would’ve gone even faster, but she lost her place every time she looked up and caught that electrifying gaze staring fixedly at her mouth. The air between them practically crackled with sexual chemistry. It had never occurred to her that watching a man interact with small children would make her so damned hot. Michael made no effort to hide his interest from her, and she had little doubt he knew she was equally fascinated with him. Thank God the kids were too young to pick up on it. They did ask a few embarrassing questions, but most were deflected by their very adept teacher. She finished her presentation with a brief, but rigorous workout, an aspect of her speech that the restless children enjoyed very much. Though many of them lacked the coordination necessary to execute jumping jacks , they made up for their failing in enthusiasm.

  As she packed up her bag to leave the classroom, Michael approached her.

  He took her much smaller hand in his. “Thank you so much. The kids really enjoyed it.” He looked at her mouth again. “And so did I. I had no idea that starting a business could be so complicated.”

  “You’re welcome. It was a lot of fun.” She turned to go. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

  Michael followed her the few steps to th e door. “Caja, can I have your number? The least I can do is take you to dinner out of appreciation.”

  “That won’t be necessary...”

  “Oh yeah, I think its very necessary.” Michael raised her hand nearly to his lips, but stopped as though he’d suddenly remembered the twenty-plus pairs of fascinated eyes following their every move and smiled gently down at her instead. “Save me the trouble of getting it from Laila.”

  Caja smiled back, and reached into her bag for her card. “Okay then. Never let it be said that I put a hard-working teacher to any extra trouble.”

  Michael turned as the volume level rose once again signaling the children’s restlessness. “I’ve got to get back to them. I’ll call you.”

  Caja nodded, then turned and left the classroom.

  * * * * *

  Michael stroked Caja’s business card across his lips as his thoughts drifted into a purely carnal realm. He inhaled the light spicy scent that clung to the little cardboard rectangle. He suspected it was her natural aroma , as she didn’t strike him as a woman who could be bothered with perfume or much other artifice. Watching her enter his classroom he’d felt as though someone had suddenly set off fireworks in the room. He’d always thought such expressions were corny before, but now he knew exactly what they meant. Her golden hair had fiery touches of red and her hazel eyes that were more green than brown were arresting, but her mouth, with its much fuller upper lip made him want to groan out loud. He knew if he ever got a chance to taste that mouth the addiction would be immediate. He’d never get enough. As if the mouth wasn’t temptation enough, watching her pert bottom as she walked out of his classroom had literally left him weak at the knees.

  A chorus of “Mr. Flower” jarred him out of his reverie. He inhaled the scent one last time before he smiled and tucked the precious card into his trouser pocket. Only six hours until he could talk to her again. He could hardly wait.

  * * * * *

  Caja giggled as she studied the message Michael had left with Kit. When he said he’d call her, she hadn’t imagined he meant the same day. She regretted that she ’d been in an insanely long Chamber of Commerce meeting and missed the call. She looked down as she noted that Kit still sat at her desk looking up at her with a questioning expression .

  “Yes?” She raised her brows inquiringly.

  “The man couldn’t possibly have another speaking engagement for you. And since this is a women’s only center, he couldn’t be asking for a discount. So this must be a personal call.”

  “Geez Kit, you don’t miss a trick, do you?” Caja s aid .

  “Kinda hard to miss with Laila going on about the man in an endless loop. It doesn’t take much to connect the dots here. So tell me about it. I know he’s a hottie, you never go for anything less. But a teacher? Isn’t that a bit below your pay grade?”

  Caja’s eyes narrowed as she reflected on that morning’s encounter. “Exceptions can be made for hotness above and beyond the call of duty. Girl you have no idea how wet you can get watching a man with a passel of kids. It’s,” she made a sizzling noise, “Fiyah! I thought I’d have to jump him for sure. Fortunately, the presence of small children helped me maintain my dignity.”

  Kit frowned at her. “You’re utterly shameless, and you have no dignity.”

  Caja grinned back. “You better know it. Seriously girl, I haven’t seen anything even close to him in -- ” She broke off her comment mid-thought ,l oath to admit out loud that she’d never met a man like Michael Faletolu. She glanced down at her watch, wondering if he’d left his work number. She usually did that herself when she first met someone, it made the situation less awkward if things didn’t work out. She felt disappointed as she realized it was already well past five, so he wouldn’t still be at the school.

  “He said it was his cell,” Kit said, reading Caja’s thoughts in a way only a long-term employee who was also a friend would be able to do.

  Caja scurried into her office, unwilling to wait until she made it home to return the call. She had to repress a nervous giggle when he answered on the first ring. After they exchanged greetings, Michael got right down to the purpose of his call.

  “I don’t usually do this,” he said, “and I’ll certainly understand if you’ve made other plans, but I would really love to see you tonight.”

  Caja couldn’t contain her soft gasp of surprise. Suddenly she found herself tempted to play coy, an impulse she didn’t even want to explore. She immediately suppressed her inner nitwit, and agreed to meet Michael at Pauli’s, a restaurant they both enjoyed. Where the hell had that come from? She wondered after getting off the phone. She prided herself on her direct approach in all interactions with males. For a moment there, she’d almost slipped into coquette mode. Why on earth would she even be tempted to play hard to get? She didn’t do games, so the temptation to act that way left her puzzled. Man, somewhere along the way, her wires must have gotten crossed. No way in hell was she going to turn into a
simpering twit over a man. Even one that literally made her mouth water.

  CHAPTER

  2

  PAULI’S chef had, as usual, produced two of his most succulent meals for the couple sharing the secluded corner table, but his efforts were truly wasted. They rarely took a bite of their food, and they certainly didn’t appreciate the delicacies they were consuming.

  Caja looked up, transfixed once again by Michael’s intense gaze. She’d been obsessing about his slumberous glances all day. Now they sent heat coursing through her body, leaving her nipples almost painfully erect and an intense throbbing between her thighs. She stroked her tongue over her upper lip, surprisingly nervous, but determined to return his sultry looks with some of her own.

  “Have you always wanted to be a teacher?” she asked, the only topic that could make it through her overheated mind.

  Michael laughed. “Yeah, actually I did. I went to Auburn on a football scholarship, but I blew out my knee early on.” He shrugged. “I never wanted to play ball beyond school, anyway, so it was no big loss. I’ve always loved kids, and knew I wanted to teach and coach.” He nodded in her direction. “How about you? I know you were an elite gymnast back in the day. Then you went to Georgia. What happened to the Olympics? Were you injured too?”

  Caja hesitated, not really surprised by his question. Most people were curious about her gymnastics career. She had been quite a local celebrity, but most people didn’t know the real reason her career had ended right before the Olympics. “In a manner of speaking, I guess you could call it that. I had...” She paused again, unsure of how much she wanted to share with him, after all he was pretty much a total stranger, yet somehow she felt she’d known him for a long time. Even though she didn’t often discuss this subject, something about him made her want to tell her story. He seemed like a straight up kind of guy. The kind of man who would take a secret to the grave. Maybe some of Laila’s enraptured discourses had rubbed off on her, but she had immediately trusted him. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, looking around at the restaurant’s other patrons. The atmosphere in the restaurant was quiet and subdued with low candlelight. Most of the diners were focused on their meals or their dining companions. No one paid them the least attention. The restaurant wasn’t particularly crowded, and the seclusion of their table gave her a greater measure of security.

  “I had food issues,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s an old story. My coach told me one day I was getting a bit chunky. No big deal, I probably only needed to drop five pounds, but I was totally obsessed with making the Olympic team. It had been my goal since I was four years old. Next thing you know I was down to about seventy-five pounds. My parents pulled me out of competition and put me in a hospital so I could deal with it.” She shrugged. “After that, I thought it was too risky to go back into the elite ranks, so I accepted the scholarship to Georgia and became a Gym Dawg. Best decision I ever made. We won the national championship twice while I was there.”

  Michael gave her a wry look. “Only a total Type A personality would consider being in a Division 1 sports program as less pressure. I hung out with quite a few wrestlers, and they had to deal with making weight, too.” Caja’s eyes opened wide, and she inhaled sharply when he took her hand in his, stroking her palm with the gentlest touch she’d ever felt from a man. “And I’m sure you know about steroids...”

  “You?”

  He shook his head. “No, I never needed to, but then I’m naturally big and fast on my feet. I certainly had my share of concussions, though. Or as the rest of the world calls them; traumatic brain injury. It’s amazing how athletes are supposed to be the epitome of health, and a lot of us really screw up our bodies big time.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Caja said, searching her fevered mind for another topic of conversation. Suddenly she was struck by something he’d said earlier. “Hey.” She snatched her hand out of his grasp. “You went to Auburn!” she hissed in a tone usually reserved for rodents and other assorted vermin. “You’re my mortal enemy.”

  Michael joined her laughter. “Yeah, I thought about that when we first met, but I’m willing to overlook it if you are.”

  Caja arched a delicate brow. “Well, okay, being that you’re so fine and all. But this had better remain our secret,” she replied, only half-jokingly. Caja rarely joked about her Dawgs.

  They sparred briefly over various Tigers vs. Bulldogs games in the oldest rivalry in the South, before the conversation somehow segued into politics. It surprised Caja to discover that they shared many similar views, but she couldn’t really focus on that topic either.

  Each time she placed her hand on the table, Michael would take it in his own, gently stroking it as he talked. To Caja each touch evoked images of intense lovemaking. The sexual tension between them was such that she almost jumped out of her skin when Michael pressed his knee intimately against hers. For a moment she wondered if the searing touch had been an accident, but when she met his gaze again, she realized immediately that he’d done it deliberately. She returned the favor by leaning against him, whispering tenderly in his ear before nipping the lobe sharply then backing away. Michael reciprocated by taking the tip of her forefinger between his lips, while staring directly into her eyes. She understood the implications of his gesture and it felt as though an electrical current ran straight from that finger to her clitoris. Two can play that game buddy, Caja gloated when she heard his sudden gasp in response to the hand she stroked softly up his inseam.

  Michael abruptly moved his chair back a couple of inches. “I can’t take too much of that and remain legal. I really don’t want to get arrested tonight. What do you say I pay for this excellent meal we’re not eating and we go somewhere more private?”

  Caja agreed immediately, silently thanking her stars he’d finally asked before she made an absolute ass of herself in public. She was also grateful they’d taken separate vehicles to the restaurant. Goodness knows what might have happened in such a confined space.

  * * * * *

  As they crossed the threshold into her home, Caja wondered if she had made a mistake. She’d never let any of her dates come to her home before. It felt too much like a violation of her sanctuary. She never wanted to reach that level of intimacy. Besides, she liked to get up immediately after sex and make her escape. Obviously that wouldn’t be possible if they were in her house, but she’d just have to deal with that when it came up. They had broken all land speed records leaving the restaurant and had decided he would follow her to her place for one simple reason: It was closer. Michael lived out on County Line Road -- much too far to drive in their current fevered state. Caja was convinced she’d explode if she didn’t have this man inside her soon, and judging by the way he shivered and shuddered during their embrace, Michael felt much the same way.

  Immediately after entering the house, Michael pressed her against the closed door, lifting her diminutive figure off the floor to meet his fevered embrace. He met her open mouth with his, drawing her tongue in and sucking it as though he would never stop. His hands moved under her short skirt, and he groaned aloud as he discovered the pouting roundness of her bare bottom in its minuscule thong. He slipped it aside, sliding one, then two fingers inside her drenched pussy opening. As he finger-fucked her , he moved his lips from her mouth to her neck, alternately licking and biting the tender flesh there.

  Had he not been holding her up, Caja knew she would’ve collapsed to the floor. Michael kept his aroused cock pressed against the apex of her thighs as he continued fingering her. She ground herself against his massive erection as she clung to him with all her might.

  H is erect cock pressed against her nearly bare pussy brought her to the peak of arousal in what seemed to be record time, and she found herself hanging weakly from his shoulders as her orgasm screamed through her frantic body. This is it, she thought when she felt Michael wrap her legs around his waist. Girl, you’re about the get the fucking of your life.

  “Where’
s your bedroom,” Michael rasped, his words so guttural they were almost unrecognizable as speech.

  Caja directed him, then held on for the ride.

  MICHAEL dropped Caja down on her impossibly fluffy bed, immediately reaching under her short skirt to remove her whisper of panties. He fell to his knees beside the bed, then grasped her thighs and pulled her hips over to the edge to immediately bury his face in her succulent wetness.

  “Jesus, I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he whispered. “Why the hell did we waste so much time?”

  Had Caja been capable of coherent thought she would’ve wondered how, in the very short day they’d known one another, Michael thought it would’ve been possible for them to be in this position any sooner. At that moment, however, she lost all ability to think as he followed his words with a long lick up her drooling slit. Then stabbed delicately at her clit with his tongue. She could only gasp and close her muscular legs around his head, pulling him as close as she could as her body vibrated with exquisite pleasure. The slurping sounds he made as he sucked at her clit were almost obscene, but they only served to intensify her almost unbearable pleasure. Then he flattened his tongue, and made repeated broad licks up and down her juicy opening. With the last lick he stroked the rough surface against the underside of her clit, then took the tiny nubbin between his lips, applying delicate pressure.

  When Caja’s orgasm hit , she arched her back into an almost impossible position, forcing Michael to grasp her thighs to hold her in place. Tremors echoed from her center, as her body finally began its descent from ecstasy.