Page 27 of Teach Me
He kissed the top of my head. ‘Come. Let’s talk about it.’
‘There’s nothing to talk about. You wanted an answer. Now you have it.’ I inched out of his arms and opened the door. ‘I’ll see you on New Year’s Eve.’
‘Ophelia.’ He came after me down the hallway. I increased speed, but with his long legs, he caught me before I could reach the stairwell. ‘Thank you for telling me and trusting me with your vulnerability.’ He kissed the corner of my mouth, the closest I’d come to earning that reward. ‘I’ll see you soon.’
Chapter Seven
I opted for a black mid-thigh dress and sensible heels. There was no need to tempt fate by combining high heels with this object tucked inside me. The vibrator’s small size didn’t cause any issues with sitting or walking, but Dr Braithwaite hadn’t turned it on yet, and I was grateful for that as I moved around people in the town centre.
New Year’s Eve was always busy, and when I approached the bustling town square, I realised Dr Braithwaite hadn’t specified which club he wanted me to attend. The obvious choice wasClub Trinity. It was a popular destination for students, and the queue already stretched along the front of the white-painted brick building. A few doors over wasOcean, a smaller club with all-black walls, deafening music, and no seating areas.The Yardwas behind me. It was invitation-only, so I dismissed that.
The last option wasOrchid, a shabby-looking place near the taxi rank. It was usually frequented by the troublemakers who’d been kicked out of the other clubs, so I was unlikely to run into anyone I knew. My heart raced as I walked towards it. What if the toy slid out? What if someone heard the vibrations? What if they heard me?
My concerns may have been unfounded. Music poured throughOrchid’sopen doors, a heavy bass that made me deaf to whatever the doorman said as I slipped past him. I quickly scanned the crowd for familiar faces, then headed to the bar at the back of the stuffy room.
‘Gin and tonic,’ I shouted at the barman, a guy my age with a mohawk. As I waited, my nails drummed a nervous beat on the worn woodwork, my gaze aimlessly searching for Dr Braithwaite. What if he didn’t show up? We hadn’t spoken since our last meeting. What if he had ended the experiment and hadn’t bothered to tell me? Maybe now that he knew my secret, he also thought I was inadequate. Flawed.
I knocked back half my drink when it arrived and promptly ordered another one. A man slid up next to me as I was about to pay. ‘Let me get that for you.’
‘I can pay for my own drink.’ I fished out a ten-pound note from my bra and pressed it into the barman’s hand. ‘But thank you,’ I added, not wanting to be rude.
‘Fair enough.’ The man leaned against the bar. He looked to be in his early forties, with deep blue eyes set below dark brown hair. A dimple on his left cheek revealed itself with his smile. ‘I’m Dan,’ he said, offering me his hand. ‘Are you here by yourself?’
‘No, I’m waiting—’ I squeaked when a vibration coursed through my core.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Yeah…’ The buzzing flowed back and forth between the tips of the vibrator in a constant, mind-numbing wave. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip to hold back a moan. ‘I’m fine. Just a little…’
The vibrations suddenly intensified. My hand flew out, grabbing the edge of the bar for support. Oh, God. This was a terrible idea. It was mortifying. Could this stranger hear itbuzzing? No, Dan looked more concerned than the outrage I expected.
He grabbed my elbow when I swayed. ‘Do you need to sit down?’
I tried to smile, but it came off as a grimace when the buzzing changed to a pulsation. It ignited nerves I didn’t even know I had, and pleasure I sure as hell didn’t know how to hide. ‘Oh, fuck,’ I said under my breath.
‘Can we have some water?’ Dan asked the barman.
‘What’s the matter, love?’ Mr Mohawk asked. ‘Do you need?—?’
‘I’m f… I’m fine,’ I said between gasps.
Where was Dr Braithwaite? He had to be close enough to operate the vibrator, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. When I turned to check the darker end of the room, near the DJ, the entire vibrator lit up at once, and I groaned with need.
‘Why don’t we find you a seat?’ Dan’s hand was on my hip, holding me upright. I gritted my teeth as the pulses flowed through me.
‘No, I’m…’ My breathing grew shallow and rapid. The vibrator buzzed in time with my racing heartbeat as I scanned the room again. Where was he?
‘Here. Have some water.’
I staggered back. ‘I have to go. I have to get out of here.’
Sweaty bodies knocked into me on the dance floor. A man’s alcohol-laced laughter wafted in my face. Someone swiped my hip. Everything was unstable. Unsafe. Fear rose within me as I struggled to get through the crowd.
This was a mistake.
This was a terrible mistake.
The words repeated on an endless loop in my head as I was knocked from side to side. I should never have agreed to this stupid experiment. Nothing we’d done could be used in ascientific study. It was a game – a slow seduction. Or was it something more sinister? Had my infatuation with an older man allowed him to take advantage of me?
