Page 110 of Their Naughty Student (Office Intrigue Duet 6)
Today the run had helped, but not nearly as much as I’d hoped.
However, the call from Tiffany inviting me for coffee had given me something to look forward to.
When I stepped into Starbucks, my gaze swung around the room, landing on my friend sitting at a two-seater at the front.
“Caramel macchiato, upside down with an extra shot,” she said, nodding toward the cup waiting for me.
I smiled. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“Not lately.” She sipped from her cup. “But you can make up for it by telling me what’s going on.”
I frowned, not sure I was on the same page. “What do you mean?”
“I was high the other night, or I would’ve given you the third degree,” she said simply. “What’s going on with you and these two men?”
I watched my friend, trying to determine if she was genuinely frustrated or merely trying to get me to spill my guts. I couldn’t read her, which said a lot about my state of mind.
I sighed, savoring the first sip of sweet foam and caramel. “It’s complicated.”
“I’d say,” she huffed, leaning in. “Two men?”
Unable to look her in the eye, I focused on my cup, picking at the paper ring around it. “Do you think it’s possible to love two people at the same time?”
Her hand stilled mine. “You’re in love?”
I immediately shook my head. “No.” I giggled. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. Hypothetically.”
“Right.” Tiffany did not sound convinced. “Well…” She appeared to consider it. “Sure. It’s possible.”
My eyes shot to hers. “Really?”
“Yeah, why couldn’t you be? I mean, the heart’s as much a decision-maker as the brain, right?”
“Definitely.” I felt the tug of a smile. “And it’s not the smartest, at that.”
“So, this is serious?”
Although I was confused about damn near everything that had transpired over the last few weeks, I had no doubts about that. “It’s serious. On my part, at least.”
“How do they feel about you?”
A one-shoulder shrug was all I could offer.
“Have you slept with them?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. But I want to.”
“What’s holding you back?”
I stared at my best friend for a second before I decided to go all in. There was no one in the world I trusted more than Tiffany. Well, besides my brother, but I couldn’t very well have this conversation with him.
“Nothing’s holding me back,” I admitted. “It’s them. Well, Edge more specifically. I think he likes me, or he wants to, but he won’t completely let himself.”
“How so?”
I settled in for the long haul, explaining what had happened at the training class. The way Edge had given me away, the argument we’d had about it, how he had claimed me as theirs in front of everyone last night.
“Wow.” Tiffany’s eyes were wide. “That’s intense. So, he’s claimed you as his submissive. Where’s the problem in that?”
I gave a furtive glance around, ensured no one was listening to us. “I’m not a submissive.”
“No?” Tiffany leaned back, assessed me. “I’d have to disagree there.”
“I mean, yeah, I enjoy it. Something inside me melts when they go all Dom on me. But it’s hard to get completely into it when Edge is holding back.”
“But Cav’s not?”
Remembering the way he’d made me come with his fingers last night, I shook my head, felt my face flush. “No. Not the way Edge is. I feel closer to him. He opens up more, I guess you could say. Edge…” I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “He’s hesitant with me. Like he doesn’t want to break me.”
“Maybe he’s worried he will.”
It was possible, I figured. “There’re no guarantees in life,” I conceded. “But I’m not expecting any, either. I’ve been as straightforward with him as I can. Still, it’s like there’s this… I don’t know. It’s like there’s a wall between us and just when I think I’m about to scale it, I feel the ground once again.”
“Good analogy,” Tiffany said with a grin.
“Thanks.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Well, Dr. Lortimer,” I teased, “I think he’s worried I can’t fulfill his needs.”
“What needs would those be?”
“Submission.”
Tiffany’s face blanked and I could tell she was pondering this information. I waited her out, curious as to what her advice would be.
“What should I do, Doctor?” I finally asked.
“Good question. So, what? Is there a certification needed to be a submissive?”
I giggled. “No.”
“Does Edge know this?”
That was a better question, in my opinion. “I think he’s spent so much time training submissives, he’s not seeing the natural progression. He expects something, but I don’t know what. Every time we’ve been together, I’ve submitted to him. Not necessarily in the physical, drop-to-my-knees-and-bow-my-head way.”
“Emotionally,” Tiffany concluded.
“Yes. Exactly. And I won’t deny, I enjoy the BDSM aspect. But…”
“But what?”
I sighed, decided to lay it all on the line. “I’m tired of being a student,” I admitted. “Tired of having information drilled into me. I’ve already got that full time. I don’t need more. Yet Edge doesn’t seem to understand that I can absorb this knowledge without being in a classroom.”
