The Instructor Read online

  Despite nothing going on between them since that all-too-close encounter the previous week, the guys in class were beginning to see the shared looks. It was as if they could sense the chemistry. Worst of all, Faith was doing extremely well in the classroom. She was becoming a superstar as far as the theory went. She never disclosed her grades to the others, but they all seemed to know and envy sprang up within a number of the students – envy over her gaining success in the course and envy over the fact she seemed to only have eyes for Tony, despite a couple of the guys asking her out, albeit in a roundabout way.

  To make matters worse, the guy with the name that started with a K, which she later learned was Kevin had, not so discreetly, shared his observation of her getting special time with Tony with anyone who’d listen.

  Her avoidance strategy was working fine until they began to weld on the third week of classes. She had managed to set up her equipment and was currently standing in a small darkened booth waiting for Tony to come and assist her.

  She was assigned to Tony's group; she suspected it wasn't a coincidence. She looked down at the numerous rods, then at the gun they were supposed to be inserted into. She definitely needed him and not in the sense she had been needing him these past couple of weeks.

  There was a rustle behind her then he was at her side. "We ready?" he asked, giving her that infectious smile that turned her knees to jell-o and made her heart skip a beat.

  Faith looked over everything sitting on her metal desk. She nodded. "I think so."

  The booth was fairly small; with his large stature she was forced to stand just inches away from him. Despite the layers of protective clothing a shiver would run through her each time their shoulders grazed each other. She didn't think someone could look sexy with a welding helmet sitting on their head, but he pulled it off. It just made him all the more desirable.

  She chastised herself for allowing her mind to stroll down that path again.

  Tony held out his gloved hand to her.

  Faith looked down at his outstretched hands, to his amused smile, and back down to his hands again. She had no idea what he wanted.

  After a moment he laughed and said, "I'm not going to be able to show you if you refuse to pass over the gun and rods."

  Despite the darkened booth Faith was certain he'd be able to see her face grow a number of shades redder than normal. She looked down at her own hand. She had a death grip on the gun. Immediately and without a word she passed it over.

  "Now all I need is to convince you to give up some of those rods over there and we'll be set." Before she could respond he reached across her and snatched up a handful from her pile. Despite the burnt smell of the welding area she still caught a faint hint of his cologne as he reached across her. It took all her strength to restrain herself from taking the kiss she should have had a couple of weeks or so ago.

  He positioned the practice plate in front of him. Sliding a rod into the gun, with a quick twist he tightened it in. "Ready?"

  She nodded, but didn't attempt to put down her visor. He reached out and flipped it down for her. Though she could no longer see his face she knew he'd be wearing a grin as she heard his being flipped down and he began to weld.

  She watched as the sparks flew from the metal, leaving a smooth string of molten metal down the length of the steel plate. She watched closely, ignoring the reaction her body was having to his close proximity so she could learn. Once he had finished a number of strings himself he stopped and she heard him flip up his visor.

  When she hesitated, he reached out and flipped hers up for her.

  "Your turn." He passed off the gun to her and pushed the plate over a couple of inches. Tony crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the side of the booth, feet clad in work boots crossed in front of him. His eyes were glued to her, sending another wave of heat through her.

  Faith picked up a rod and inserted it into the gun as he had done previously. Reaching out she flipped down his visor, which caused a roar of laughter to erupt from him. Flipping hers down next she set to work. Or at least tried. It wasn't quite as easy as he let it appear to be.

  A series of vulgarities erupted from her as she spent the next ten minutes trying to strike an arc without the stick sticking to the plate. Each cuss word from her mouth would be followed by a hoot of laughter from him.

  "Okay. Stop!" Tony ordered, still chuckling as he removed the gun from her hand. Soon after came the sound of his visor being flipped open. He seemed to take pity on her as he pulled a stool from under the counter for her to sit down on. "Sit."

  Flipping up her own visor, she did as she was told, plunking herself down on the stool.

  Tony moved away from the wall to position himself directly behind her. He replaced the welding rod and then gave the newly loaded gun to her. Reaching around her, he covered both of her hands with his. "Let me help you. If you get it once you'll be fine."

  She turned her head to face him.

  He gave her a wink. "You can do this."

  She nodded and plunked her visor back down over her face.

  "Ready?"

  "Yup," came her reply.

  Holding his hands over hers, he guided her into striking and maintaining the proper distance for the welding arc. He continued to help her through several strings of welds, before removing his hands from hers and stepping back. She was vaguely aware of him shifting his position again to recline against the side of the booth.

  Ten minutes later she finished covering the plate with welds. Sitting back she flipped up her visor and looked at her handiwork. Tony pulled the plate over to him, picked up her chipping hammer and removed some of the slag she had missed, then examined the welds.

  He pushed the plate back to Faith. "I told you that you could do it. Good job."

  Faith couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips as she looked down at what she'd done. She nodded. "Thanks," she paused, chewing at her lower lip, "for everything."

  "It's time to clean up, but I want to see you before you leave. I'll be in my office."

  She nodded as he left.

  Turning back to her workstation her smile widened as she began to clean up.

  Ten minutes later she was done cleaning and had all her gear packed away. Locking her equipment in her locker she headed down the hall to his office, her backpack slung over one shoulder, a little curious as to why he wanted to see her.

  As she came up to his office, Adam, who sat behind her normally, came strolling out. He gave her a nod as he marched past her and down the hallway.

  Faith peeked her head in the office, to see Tony sitting back in his chair, behind his desk. He was sitting in his normal position with his fingers laced behind his head.

  Once he noticed her he sat up and motioned for her to come in. "Close the door behind you," he instructed.

  "Sure." Faith tried to sound nonchalant but the familiar, unnerving feelings began to swim in her stomach as she closed the door and took a seat across from him.

  Tony stood up and walked around his desk, perching himself on the edge, less than a foot away from her.

  "Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked, his eyebrow arched at her accusingly.

  "What? Avoiding you?" She waved a dismissing hand in the air at him, keeping her eyes lowered to the floor. Faith could feel his eyes on her – those seductive grey eyes that made her melt seemed to burn through her.

  "Funny, because I've been getting the feeling that you have been."

  Faith pulled the band from her hair, the band he had given her, so she could run a nervous hand through her long dark brown locks. She couldn't make herself meet his gaze.

  There was silence for a moment. "All right, if you haven't been avoiding me then look me in the eye and tell me so."

  With a sigh, Faith raised her eyes to meet his. The instant her eyes met his, the hunger ignited within her, worse than it had ever been before. He was so close, looking as sexy as he usually did, in his faded denim jeans and short-sleeve
d button-down shirt.

  She looked behind him. The blinds to the window were closed.

  Best sex I've ever had, Vicki's words rang loud and clear in her mind once more.

  She felt the heat building between her legs as the tension continued to build in the small eight-by-eight room.

  Taking a deep breath she pushed herself out of the chair and closed the foot of distance they had between them. She looked him in the eye, her hungry dark eyes meeting questioning grey ones.

  "I'm sorry," she replied, pausing for a half minute. "It's complicated. It's better this way."

  He nodded, his eyes narrowing. "You're scared of what the guys in the class will say."

  "Neither one of us need that complication," she defended.

  "What a bunch of eighteen-year-old kids think is the least of my worries. Let them talk. The only people they have to blame for their grades and poor work are themselves."

  He had a point.

  She looked up at him, a smile beginning to form on her lips.

  Leaning toward Faith, he reached out to her. His large hand worked its way into her hair to settle itself at the back of her neck.

  She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his touch. A soft moan escaped her lips. When she reopened her eyes she noticed the questioning look was quickly being replaced by one of a deep, feral hunger.

  Faith sighed. "I thought it was for the best if I kept my distance, for everyone involved."

  He lowered his head so his forehead was touching hers, their lips just a fraction of an inch between them. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," he whispered.

  She closed the final inches separating them. Faith was crossing the line she had drawn a while back, but couldn't fight it any longer. She didn't want to. Her lips grazed his lightly. Ever so lightly.

  Faith placed her palms on his chest, over the soft material of his shirt. The chest she'd been aching to touch, to have naked against her for over two weeks now. She explored the definition of his muscles as her hands moved over his chest and shoulders.

  He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her against him.

  Her body was humming at the feel of his hands lightly moving across her back. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled herself closer to him, her lips finding his once again. Closing her eyes she let the smell of his cologne, the touch of his firm, yet tender lips and the sensations of his hands overtake her.

  As her tongue sought his, her hands slid to his chest, desperately searching out the buttons. She slowly began to unbutton his shirt, starting at the collar.

  His lips left hers, working their way down over her jaw, to the left side of her neck.

  Faith moaned as his tongue teased the sensitive flesh just below her ear. Her hands continued to work frantically; the second and third buttons gave way. She was about to reach the fourth when a knock came at his office door.

  Chapter 3

  He groaned in resignation, looking down at her with an apologetic smile. "One moment," he called out to the person on the other side of the door.

  "Just stay put," he put a finger up to her eyes. "Give me one minute."

  With a nod and a sigh, Faith flopped herself back into her chair. Tony buttoned up his shirt as he crossed the room to open the door.

  Pulling the door open, Tony revealed Jerome standing on the other side. One of her classmates, one of whom she wasn't particularly fond, for a number of reasons. He was one of those large ego types of guys. He seemed to think he knew everything about everything. He started to walk into the office, saw Faith, then stopped in his tracks.

  "Is this a bad time? I can come back." He eyed Faith before turning back to Tony.

  Faith could feel her face flush. She turned her head, pretending to read some of the safety posters on the wall to the right of her.

  "It's fine, what do you need?" Tony asked, turning and walking back to his desk.

  "I can leave if..." Faith started to rise from the chair.

  "That's fine Faith," Jerome assured her, as he reached into his black canvas backpack and produced a paper. "I was just passing this in." He walked to Tony's desk and tossed it on top of a stack of papers.

  Tony reached across and took the paper, looked at it briefly, then slid it into a file folder to the left of him.

  Jerome gave Faith another look then directed his attention back to Tony. "See you both tomorrow. Sorry to interrupt..." He turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

  The hum of voices that could previously be heard from the hallway had dimmed to virtual nothingness. It appeared that aside from Jerome, Faith and Tony were the only ones remaining in the building, at least their section of the building anyhow.

  Tony leaned back in his chair and watched Faith. She was one of the most amazing women he had ever met. She was proving that she had drive, determination and smarts. Not to mention he had never wanted someone as badly as he wanted her. He couldn't exactly put a finger on the why of it, he just knew he had to have her.

  She had been right in her concerns. He had heard the occasional whispers of the students. A good many could see the connection that had been developing between them from day one. He also knew part of the gossip was simply because they were pissed she wasn't showing an interest in any of them.

  Most of the young men in the class had their eyes on her. He couldn't blame them, considering he also had fallen victim to her charms. She was a good-looking woman, petite with nice curves, just the type of woman who normally caught his eye. Despite the baggy t-shirt and grimy jeans she had finally broken down and begun to wear she looked good; that's what made her so damned sexy to him.

  She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "What's that smirk for?"

  Tony laughed outright at that. "Well I was just thinking that you've come a long way with your wardrobe in the past couple weeks.”

  A faint blush filled her cheeks yet again. She looked down at herself and gave him a lopsided grin. "Not much to look at currently huh?"

  "I think you are stunning either way."

  She seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if considering something. To his surprise she stood, walked over to the door and locked it. His cock sprang to life at the insinuation the small gesture implied, making him shift uncomfortably in his chair.

  Faith walked around his desk to him. His chair had no arm rests so she was able to straddle him in the chair comfortably. Just the feel of her weight on his lap made his cock scream to be freed from his restrictive jeans. He closed his eyes and moaned softly as his hands cupped her ass, pulling her tight against his groin.

  She wiggled her hips on his lap, driving him near insane with need. There seemed to be way too many articles of clothing between them for his liking. She leaned in and planted light kisses over his jaw and then captured his lips with her own.

  His tongue slid between her lips, seeking hers out. Their tongues duelled for several minutes as their hands explored each other’s bodies feverishly. Tony ended their kiss, trailing light kisses along her jaw to her neck. She moaned as her head tilted to the side, allowing him better access to her sensitive flesh.

  He stopped suddenly.

  Confused, Faith pulled back to see a wide grin on his face.

  Her look of confusion made him lose control. He laughed for a moment before pulling her tight, planting a quick kiss on her forehead.

  She cocked her head to the side, eyeing him suspiciously, waiting to be filled in on his private joke.

  "It just occurred to me that I never thought the smell of smoke and soot would turn me on so fucking much."

  A coy smile formed on her lips. "Hopefully this will only apply to me and not the guys in the class."

  His laughter filled the room for another moment. Once the laughter subsided he replied, "I'm quite sure it only applies to you."

  Sliding his hands up over her hips he reached for the bottom of her t-shirt and began to tug it up. Anticipating what he wanted she sat up on him and lif
ted her arms up, allowing him to pull the shirt up over her head. He tossed the shirt onto the desk.

  Her breasts were full, stretching against the spandex of her black satin bra, begging to be set free, her nipples taut, begging for his touch. He trailed a finger down along her collarbone, between her generous mounds to the front clasp. God, he loved the front clasps. With a tug, the clasp popped open, exposing her two tight, round rosy nipples.

  "Beautiful," he whispered as his head dipped down to take one of her hardened peaks into his mouth. His tongue circled it, while he gently sucked. His hand grasped the other, kneading it, his fingers playing with the nipple, rolling and pinching.

  Faith arched her back as she cried out in pleasure. Her hands worked at the buttons of his shirt. She was determined to have the opportunity to feel his bare, muscled chest once and for all.

  Her pussy moistened, craving attention. She could feel his cock growing harder, larger under her as her hips rocked against him. The layers of clothing between them began to feel cumbersome, restricting, as waves rippled through her, starting at the top of her head and ending with an intense pulsating between her legs.

  His mouth left her first breast and made its way to her other one, his tongue circling and teasing the hardened peak of her other breast.

  Faith ran her hands over his broad, muscular shoulders. So magnificently defined. She massaged his shoulders, working her hands down across the expanse of his chest, then to his flat abs.

  Tony lifted his head from her breast to look into her eyes once her hands reached the button on his jeans. An intense hunger burned within them as his grey eyes locked onto hers. His hands slid down to hers, stopping her from proceeding any further.