As everyone starts counting down, I increase the intensity of the toy once again.

“Fuck.” Her legs buckle and I embrace her, supporting her weight.

“I want you to know,” I murmur in her ear, “you've made all my past Christmases pale in comparison. You brought a glow of light into my life. Angel, you are flawless, and I consider myselfincredibly lucky to have you.” Her moans grow louder, but the surrounding countdown screams overpower the sound.

“7.”

“There's one thing you need to know, Angel O'Sullivan.” I clench my jaw as she presses herself against me. “Your moans, sweet mewls, and kisses belong to me. Your sweet tasting cunt, tears, pain and heart are all mine. If you think another man will have them, think again. Good luck if you think you will get away from me because you, Angel O’Sullivan, have always belonged to me. You just didn’t know. Mine!” I breathe out as I turn the intensity up to the highest setting.

“3…2.”

Without caring about her friends' thoughts, she turns towards me, her emerald eyes shimmering through tears.

“Come for Daddy, Angel.” Holding her by the waist, I witness her crumbling into shards. I shut off the device on my phone while she shakes against me, hiding her face in my chest. I lovingly run my fingers through her hair and lean in, kissing her. Her tears dampen my lips.

“Happy New Year, my sweet girl.”

Chapter sixteen

Angel

January

As I type on my laptop, a smile remains on my face while the words effortlessly pour out. I thought this story wouldn't happen or be good enough for the grade I needed, but ever since Christmas and New Year with Mr Hayes, I've been unable to stop writing. The short story was a minimum of 15,000 words, but I had already surpassed 28,000, and there was still so much more left to tell. I focused on editing it for the majority of last night. I think it has enough substance to become a complete novel.

And for the first time since I can remember, I love Christmas.

Or maybe I love Mr Hayes’s taste of Christmas.

It's our first day returning to college. The deadline for our story is at the end of the week, but I was so engrossed in writing last night that I couldn't bring myself to sleep until I completed it. But when I woke up this morning, I had the idea to include more. I wrote the notes in a different Word document because I couldn't add anything else to the current version due to the word count for our assignment.

While I wait for my classmates to settle after catching up with each other about what they did at Christmas, I keep my head down, hoping I don’t have to engage in conversation. Normally I would be happy too, but I need to read over my work and make my final edits.

Mr Hayes sent me a text this morning, wishing me a good first day back and teasing a surprise later. The butterflies engulfed me as soon as I read it; of course, after everything we did, my mind instantly went to his dick, but we shall see later what he meant. All I know is when he’s not around, I feel sick; like I’m anxious and something is missing, and then the minute he’s around, or on the phone with me, I feel myself again. This is a completely new feeling for me.

My desire for Mr Hayes started when I first understood the feeling of wanting someone. Feeling like this is expected, given that no one has ever come close to him. I never anticipated these emotions to intensify so rapidly.

“Class,” Mrs Finch says, walking into the classroom. “How was everyone's Christmas?” she asks cheerfully, clapping her hands and smiling at us. Mrs Finch isn’t our normal English teacher; she teaches business, but maybe she’s covering today. Everyone murmurs ‘good’ and ‘it was great’

“We have a minor adjustment this New Year. Miss Cody has been moved to another college, but we have a new teacher joining us today." I let out a sigh and slump further into my chair. Miss Cody was great, and we connected really well.

My story is a bit out there. I won’t describe in detail what Mr Hayes and I did because, well, this is toward my overall grade, and I don’t know how my teacher would have felt if I wrote her a play-by-play of what some people may think is a disturbing porno. That being said, Miss Cody would have been okay with certain portions.

I followed her advice and expressed myself, just as she told me to. Damn it, I'll have to review it again and remove more content. I don't have the energy for this today.

“Your new teacher is incredible and has experience teaching at other schools. Although this is his first college, rest assured that his teaching and ideas are flawless, and I'm confident you will all get along splendidly.” Mrs Finch is excessively excited, gushing more than necessary. Oh, but did I miss something? It’s a man. Great. I have nothing against men, but I don't think they would enjoy reading a Christmas romance.

“Let's give a warm welcome to your new teacher, Mr Hayes.” With a jolt, I turn my head towards the classroom door, and my eyes widen. Everything disappears around me except him.

There is no way; Carter Hayes is my new English teacher.

Oh fuck. Could this be the surprise he was referring to?While I'm freaking out inside, Mr Hayes enters the classroom with ease, flashing a smile that illuminates the room. As he approaches the front, his gaze doesn't meet mine, which makes me feel somewhat sad. Why am I not the first person he looks at when entering a room?

“Hi all.” He gestures with nods throughout the classroom. Despite his lack of attention towards me, I'm now undecided about whether I want him to acknowledge me. My mum always told me that my face is a window to my emotions, and right now, it's displaying a thousand different feelings. “I'm Mr Hayes, your new teacher. Trust me, I'm laid back and encourage open communication," he says, a stern look softened by a small smirk. "As long as you behave like adults, you'll be treated as such.” Mrs Finch, still grinning, stands by his side, and now I understand her excitement.

It would be wise for this woman to keep her married hands off my man.

My man,I think again. Who am I?