Chapter 19 #2
He grabs my hips firmly and pulls me closer. His lips softly brush over my pussy, and I feel a spark shoot through me. I spread my legs wider and carefully rest one foot on his shoulder.
Gabriel slowly licks my clit with his warm and wet tongue. I grip the statue behind me, feeling my body tense with pleasure. He’s so good at this, and I love it. He sucks my clit lightly, and I can feel myself get wetter.
I push my hips forward, and rub my pussy lips against his mouth. I want more. Gabriel grabs my ass and holds me steady. And then, just like that, he makes my request come true.
He slides his tongue inside me, all the way to the base. I can feel it moving inside me, fucking me slowly. The tip of it brushes against my sensitive spot inside, and I jerk a little.
“There. Yes. Please… God, right there!”
He plunges his tongue even deeper and licks at my sensitive spot.
I feel like I’m flying, like the world is spinning.
The heat inside me is building fast, and I know I’m close.
His tongue flicks over my pussy, and then dives inside me again, tasting every drop of me.
I tilt my head back and press against the statue harder, feeling like I’m his completely.
“Do you know how beautiful you taste in the winter air?”
I can’t answer. I’m too far gone. Every stroke of his tongue is focused and merciless. He brings me to the edge and holds me there.
“I could keep you like this all night,” he says. “With your legs spread, shivering, and dripping for me.”
“Gabriel, please…”
“Would you like me to do that? Would you like me to eat your pussy all night long, right here in the snow?”
“I want you to fuck me!” I burst out, surprising myself. I’ve never used this kind of language.
“Say it again.”
“I want you to… fuck me… Hard. Right here. I’m begging you, Professor.”
In one swift motion, he gets up, holds me firmly, and thrusts in.
My cry echoes off the stone. The blindfold makes it sharper, and I can feel everything. His hard cock fills me in one long, slow push. He buries himself deep inside me, like he never wants to leave.
“Let me give you all the pleasure you deserve, Rose.”
Each thrust of his cock drives me higher. My body trembles from more than just the cold now.
“You feel so fucking good like this,” he groans. “With your pussy wrapped around my cock. Mmm… Yes… Keep squeezing. Beg for my cum with your pussy…”
“God… It’s just so… Oh…” is all I manage to say.
“Cum for me, Rose. I want to see you squirting. Right now!
I break apart around him. The orgasm rolls through me like fire under snow. And I do squirt, gushing and warm, splashing all over the snow.
He follows a second later and spills inside me. The warmth of his cum spreads through me while the cold closes in everywhere else.
Slowly, he removes the blindfold with one hand and holds me there for a few seconds. I try to blink and open my eyes, but the pleasure is still too much to take. He is still hard inside me. And my pussy is still contracting, even after the orgasm, trying to take more of him in.
Then he slowly pulls out, and the world returns in color and light. He leans in and kisses me once, then helps me put my dress and my coat back on. He brushes snow from my coat, then wraps his scarf around my neck.
"Rose," he says. "About Christmas…"
"It's fine," I say quickly. "Don’t worry about it. My assignments are important."
"That's not what I meant. You don't have to spend it alone. And neither do I."
Chapter 20 Gabriel
The Tiffany representative closes the jewelry box with a soft click and then hands it to me.
"These are rare Tahitian pearls, Professor Thorn. Each one perfectly matched and strung on platinum wire."
"They're beautiful," I say. Each pearl has a lustrous, perfect surface that shines elegantly.
"Museum quality, as you requested." He adjusts his tie, clearly pleased with the commission he’s going to get from this. "Whoever gets to wear them will be very fortunate indeed."
"Thank you for the personal delivery. I know it's Christmas Eve. This mustn’t have been easy for you."
"For a client of your standing, Professor, it's our pleasure." He shakes my hand firmly. "Happy holidays."
As his car disappears down the drive, I step toward the faculty residence hall entrance.
Christmas Eve at Wolfswood feels different with most of the students gone.
The campus is quiet and almost peaceful.
Everything has been decorated with wreaths and garlands that make the ancient stone buildings look less imposing.
I head toward the faculty residence hall.
In my head, I’m already planning how I'll surprise Rose with dinner and her gift.
"Professor Thorn."
I turn to find Cassandra Vale standing by the entrance. She’s smiling, but her smile doesn't reach her eyes.
"Miss Vale. I thought you'd gone home for the holidays."
"I had some unfinished business to attend to." She pulls out her phone with deliberate slowness. "I think you'll find this interesting."
She hands me her phone, which is already playing something.
It’s a video, grainy and shot from a distance, but clear enough.
My blood turns to ice as I recognize my car parked behind the museum.
The footage shows two figures inside, unmistakably intimate.
Even through the blurry quality, there's no question that it’s us, and we’ve been watched.
Someone filmed me and Rose having sex in my car after the museum visit. And, even worse, Cassandra has the video.
"Where did you get this?"
"Liam took it. Poor thing has been nursing quite the obsession with your little protégé." Cassandra's voice remains conversational, as if we're discussing the weather. "He followed you both that day. He was already suspecting something."
“What do you mean, Cassandra?”
“Well, since he’s been so into Rose, he’s noticed things about her that other people didn’t notice. And her behaviour around you. And then… There was that lesson a few days ago.”
“What lesson?”
“The lesson during which you shamed Liam in front of the entire classroom for touching Rose. Yeah… he didn’t like that. He already had the video, of course. But the way you behaved made him send it to me. So, here I am…”
My hand tightens around the phone, but she pulls it back before I can delete the video.
"You can delete it if you want, but I have copies, of course. Several, actually."
"What do you want, Cassandra?"
"I think you know exactly what I want, Gabriel."
The way she says my name makes my skin crawl. "If this is about grades or recommendations for your future…"
"You, Gabriel. I've always wanted you."
I've suspected as much. The way she manages to appear wherever I am on campus, and the fact that she tried to hit on me several times, but I said “no.” But hearing her say it so plainly is somehow worse than the video itself.
"That will never happen, Cassandra."
"You really don't have a choice. All I have to do is send one message to the headmistress.
Then another one to the school board. And perhaps a third one to that political reporter who's been covering your Senate campaign so favorably.
How long do you think it would take for this to destroy everything you've worked for? "
I feel the blood drain from my face as I look at her, speechless.
"And Rose,” she continues, “Would be expelled immediately. Lose her place here, her access to the Devereaux fortune. Honestly, it’s what she deserves. I always said she didn’t belong here, with us.”
The implications crash over me like a wave. My career, my political future, Rose's entire life, all depend on the whims of this vindictive girl.
“Cassandra, you do realize how insane this is, right? What exactly is the plan here? You want me to break up with Rose and what… be with you instead? But you know perfectly well I don’t want you.”
“You will. Men always fall in love with me sooner or later. And yes, I want you. In fact, my family wants you. I told you before, Gabriel, we would be the perfect match. We come from old, rich families. And we should be together.”
“Cassandra, you know I will say ‘no.’ How can you be so naive?”
“Think about it this way… Professor. If you do it, you save Rose. Not just yourself. So, if you’re not willing to do it for anything else, then do it for Rose.”
"I need time to think."
"Of course you do." She slips the phone back into her purse. "But don't take too long. I'm not known for my patience."
***
Hours later, I'm still shaking as I type a message to Rose.
Something's come up, Rose. I apologize, but I need to cancel dinner tonight. I feel like we might have taken this too far. I need to reconsider our entire relationship. I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you.
I stare at the words on my screen, and I know how much they will hurt her. I know she will read between the lines and assume the worst. But I can't tell her about the video. Not yet.
I don’t want her to panic and do something stupid, like leave Wolfswood.
I send her the message and immediately turn off my phone.
But what do I do now? How do I get out of this? Should I really leave Rose? I can’t do that… It would break both of us.
Upset and dejected, I head toward the old chapel.
It’s the only place on campus that feels separate from everything else.
I need some time on my own to process all this.
Inside, someone has decorated it with simple white flowers and candles.
Unknowingly, they've created an atmosphere of peace I desperately need.
I slide into a pew near the back. The wood is cold beneath me, and the silence is profound. It's broken only by the occasional settling of old stones. I try to process it all, but I can’t yet. Instead, I'm left with questions that have no good answers.
How do I protect Rose without losing her? How do I salvage my career without sacrificing her future? How do I live with myself if I give in to Cassandra's demands?
The chapel door opens with a soft creak. I turn, and I expect to see a maintenance worker or perhaps another faculty member. Instead, Rose appears in the doorway.
"The doorman told me you were here,” she explains.
"Rose, you got my message."
"I did. I don't understand, Gabriel. Yesterday we were so close, so in tune with each other. We even admitted that we have feelings for one another. What happened?"
"Yesterday was a mistake."
The words come out harsher than I intended. She flinches as if I've struck her.
"What happened? What changed?"
I can't look at her. If I do, I'll tell her everything about the video, about Cassandra's threats, and about the impossible choice I'm facing.
And if I tell her, then she might try to leave Wolfswood to fix this. Or worse, give up her inheritance. No, I have to solve this myself.
"This isn't right, Rose. It never was."
"That's not true."
"I'm your professor. You're my student. The power dynamic alone is enough to put an end to this."
"Stop. Gabriel, don't hide behind academic ethics. Not after everything we've shared and everything we’ve… done."
She's right, and we both know it. What exists between us transcends the classroom. It transcends the roles we're supposed to play.
"There are things you don't understand, Rose. A lot of complications that we should have considered from the beginning."
"Then explain them to me!"
I finally turn to look at her. She looks like she’s about to cry. But there's determination in her expression that reminds me why I fell for her in the first place.
Before I can answer, she reaches for my hand. Her fingers are cold from the winter air, but they warm against my palm.
"Gabriel, whatever this is about, we can face it together."
The kindness in her voice nearly breaks me. She has no idea what we're up against. She does not know how ruthless people like Cassandra can be. And she still believes in fairness, in justice, and in the idea that love can conquer obstacles.
"You don't know what you're saying, Rose."
"I know that I love you."
The words hit me like a physical blow. She's never said it before. But she has confessed it now, in this sacred place. While I'm contemplating ways to push her away. It's almost unbearable.
"Rose, please…"
"I love you," she repeats, and she's stronger this time. "Not the professor, not the politician, not the Thorn legacy. I love the man who shows me things I never knew before. Who listens to my dreams and makes me feel like I'm worth something beyond my last name."
I close my eyes, and I try to hold onto my resolve. But when I open them and see her face, I'm lost.
"I love you, too," I whisper.
The admission breaks something inside me. She moves closer, and I can't resist pulling her into my arms. She fits against me perfectly. Her head is tucked beneath my chin, and her body is warm, solid, and real.
“I… got you a gift for Christmas,” I tell her, and pull out the box from Tiffany’s.
She opens it and touches the pearls gently.
“Thank you so much, Gabriel… They’re so beautiful. Will you put them on me?”
“Of course.”
I clasp the pearl necklace around her neck and kiss her.
“Just like I imagined you…”
We sit like that in the candlelit chapel, and we hold each other while Christmas carols play softly from hidden speakers. I couldn't find peace in prayer, but I found it in her embrace.
"We'll figure this out," she murmurs against my chest.
"I hope so."
But even as I hold her, even as I let myself believe for a moment that love might be enough, I know the truth. Cassandra's video is a sword hanging over our heads.
And eventually, it will fall.