Page 39 of Spearcrest Knight

Except that today is not the day, now is not the time. This is something I’m going to have to approach carefully, tactically. Now there is a new battlefield on which to meet Sophie, I’m not going to show up unprepared.

“Looks like you’ve learned from your mistakes, then,” I say lightly, watching her. “Unlike our poor boy Hamlet.”

“You can’t learn from your mistakes when there are no consequences for them,” she retorts.

This time, the insult is even more thinly veiled. But right now I feel no anger, no resentment. I kind of enjoy this sudden act of aggression. From Sophie, it’s almost intimate. Like she’s stabbing me but has to be in my arms to do it.

“Let me make sure I write that down,” I say sweetly. “It would make a killer line for an essay. Mr Houghton would be very impressed.”

“He’d probably be even more impressed if you wrote down something he actually taught you instead.”

“I’ll pass, thanks.” I finish writing my note and look back up at her. “I’d much rather listen to you go on about Shakespeare.”

“Yes, because I’m much better than an Oxford-educated, professionally-trained teacher.”

I give her a slow smile. “Mr Houghton’s boring. You make Hamlet sexy.”

Her cheeks go slightly pink, but she still speaks in her cool, dry tone. “What could you possibly find sexy about madness and suicide?”

“I dunno, Sutton. Listening to you talking about sucking honey definitely made me a bit hard.”

Finally, the facade cracks.

Her mouth falls open. A dark, uneven flush spreads across her cheeks.

“And on that note,” she says, standing up and grabbing her coat off the stool next to hers. “Your two hours are up and I’m off.”

“So soon, Sutton?” I watch her with amusement as she wraps her scarf around her throat and buttons her coat all the way up. I glance at her clothes, letting myself imagine idly pulling them off her. “Aren’t you going to take the taxi back to school with me?”

“I’d rather walk,” she says, shouldering her backpack. “I need the fresh air.”

“So do I!” I exclaim, springing to my feet. I’m not lying, though I need fresh air for probably very different reasons to her. But now she’s going, I can’t bring myself to let her go—I wantmore. “I’ll walk with you.”

“I don’t think so.” She grabs the thickest booklet off the kitchen island and throws it over to me. “You need to finish working through this before you forget all the stuff I told you today. Don’t waste my time.”

“Fuck!” I glare at the booklet. “Can’t I do it later?”

“You know you won’t. Do it, or I won’t show up next week.”

I sigh and slump back down onto my stool. “For fuck's sake, fine! You’re worse than Mr Houghton.”

“By all means, go back to him. I won’t stop you.” She gives me a brief wave. “Don’t bother standing, I’ll see myself out.”

She strides out of the kitchen and I shout after her, “Is it my punishment for saying you made me hard?”

The only reply I get is the sound of the front door slamming shut.

I’m still horny after she’s left and have no choice but to stroke myself to the mental image of Sophie sucking honey off my cock.

13

Cursed Star

Sophie

TheSpearcrestlibraryismy favourite place on the whole campus. I love it more than the corridor of aspens and poplars leading towards the astroturf and tennis courts, more than the austerity of the study hall, more than the Victorian greenhouse on the lower school campus.

The library here has its own building, tucked away from view behind a shield of ancient oaks and tired willows. Inside, it’s all wooden panelling polished by the years, tomb-shaped windows and bronze railings. Three glass cupolas crown the ceiling, huge bronze lights hanging from their centres. Amongst the bookshelves, long desks are set with green bankers lamps.

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