I'd lost count of how many drinks we'd had by the time we got up to leave. Jade wobbled and quickly grabbed hold of my arm to keep herself upright as we exited the bar. Her touch stirred something inside me. I pushed it down immediately.
"How high are those heels, anyway?" I asked, whistling as I looked down at her feet. "I see how they could double as a weapon."
She laughed.
"So, where to, Jade?" I asked once we were outside, taking in the streetlights and passing cars, and breathing in the night air.
"She should come round ours," Magda said, struggling in her own heels. I never understood why women tortured themselves in those things when they could easily choose safer options.
"You mean ours," I responded, gesturing to the rest of the group. "I think I should get Jade home. It's a school night after all." Jade looked offended by my statement.
"That's okay, I'd love to see where you live," she responded. I wasn't sure whether that was a good idea. While there were only four years between us, there were still rules set in place for teacher/student relationships.
"Come on, Weston. She's with all of us, anyway. You won't lose your job for inviting a student back to your shared flat," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. She seemed to have somewhat sobered up.
I thought about it for a second while the rest of the crew stared at me. I didn't want to be the party pooper, and I could tell Jade wasn't ready to go home just yet. I looked down at my watch. It was still half an hour until midnight.
"Fine, but I can't let you stay past midnight." I gave Jade a stern look.
"That's okay." She shrugged. "Midnight is usually when my parents lock the doors, anyway."
"They lock the doors?" I asked for clarification.
"Yeah. If I'm not home by twelve, I spend time at a friend's house."
"Wow, okay. I guess we'd better get moving then."
"Chop, chop," Magda said, clapping her hands together enthusiastically.
The moment I unlocked the front door to the flat, we were hit by a draft.
"I'll go put the kettle on," Lucy said, hurrying past me.
"And I'll get the beers," Joe chirped, following behind her.
"No more alcohol," Lucy called over her shoulder.
"Okay, I'll just get the … um, mugs ready," he corrected.
"No offence, but I wasn't expecting a shared flat to look this tidy," Jade said, removing her shoes and placing them neatly by the front door.
I laughed. "I'm absolutely offended. Are you implying that people who live together can't be tidy? Or maybe you're implying that men can't be tidy."
"The latter." We both laughed.
"Well, if I'm honest, Lucy gets credit for that."
I watched Jade slide into a pair of fluffy, pink indoor shoes as though she already knew her way around the flat, amusement painting my features.
"It's okay for me to wear these, right?"
"Yes, no, sure. Mi casa es su casa."
Her mouth formed a smile. "Thanks," she said, following me into the kitchen.
"Here you go," Lucy said, sliding two mugs with hot chocolate down the kitchen island toward us.
"Thanks, Lucy." I grabbed a mug and passed the other to Jade.
I watched her blow into the steaming mug, drawing my attention to her luscious, red lips. In that moment, I imagined her lips somewhere else. I mentally kicked myself, reminding myself of the repercussions I'd face by taking things further with a student. If I hadn't been her English Lit teacher, and I'd met her at the bar, I probably would have pulled her. No, I most definitely would have pulled her. But I wasn't willing to risk it all because she made me feel things I hadn't felt in a long time. Not since Bianca. I assured myself it would go away if I ignored it. But that wasn't the case. Every brush of Jade's thigh against mine sent me reeling, and I felt she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
She looked up from her cup to find me staring at her. Normally, I wouldn't feel shame, but I quickly looked away.
"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" she asked, thankfully, bringing the awkward moment to an end.
"Of course. It's up the stairs and straight down the hallway."
When Jade hadn't turned back up after about fifteen minutes, Lucy said, "You might want to go check on her. Make sure she hasn't got lost or anything." I agreed.
At the top of the stairs, Jade stood by my bedroom, studying the photos on my door.
"Sorry," she said, "I got carried away looking at this awesome collage. Did you put it together?"
"Actually, my sister did," I responded, coming to stand next to her.
"She's pretty good."
"Yeah, I'd imagine a professional photographer slash photo editor would have some good photo editing skills." My lips turned up at the corners. She smiled back. "Your hot chocolate is turning cold," I whispered.
"I already finished it before coming up here," she whispered back, inching closer.
Without her heels on, I towered several inches above her. My eyes were drawn to her red lips again. I couldn't help it. They were mesmerising.
"Why don't you show me what's behind this door?" she suggested.
I felt my blood racing somewhere it shouldn't, as I imagined myself with her, doing unimaginable things to her. I scratched the back of my head.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Jade." My voice cracked at the end of my sentence, and I hoped she hadn't picked up on it.
"Why not?" she asked, moving closer. I took a few steps back to create some distance between us and to free my thought process from the ungodly places it was going.
"Because you're my student and I just started teaching at Grimwald High. I wouldn't want anything jeopardising that."
She laughed. A laugh that shifted my defences. "I just want a room tour. To see what our Lit teacher's world looks like beyond the smart uniform." A wink.
I told myself it would be a quick tour, and I would send her on her way.
"Wow, I'm impressed," Jade exclaimed as soon as I opened the door to my bedroom. I enjoyed seeing her face light up with glee as she examined the figurines on top of my bookshelf and the books in them.
"It all makes sense now," she said, turning around to lock eyes with me.
"What?"
"Why you teach English Lit. It all makes sense." She gestured toward my large book collection, and I grinned.
"Yeah. I don't know, reading connects you to the world without the effort of moving. I don't know if that makes sense."
She stared wistfully at a few of the books in front of her, running her fingers alongside their spines. "No, it makes perfect sense."
Turning around to face me again, she said, "I read a lot myself, and sometimes I prefer books over people. It's not as stressful."
I nodded.
"This must have cost a fortune," she said, walking toward the oak desk by my bed. She sat down in my computer chair and swivelled around and grazed her fingers against the glossy wood.
"Not really, but I like quality things, so it cost me a bit."
"What's the name of it?"
"Pardon?"
"Tell me the name of your desk, so I can determine for myself whether you're lying or not."
"Patrick Oak."
She brought out her phone, tapping vehemently on the screen and gasping at what I assumed was the search result.
"I live a pretty comfortable life, but I would never spend this much on a desk." She showed me the numbers on her phone, and I cackled.
"I guess we're different."
Her next stop was my bed. I had made it before leaving, thank goodness. Without warning, she jumped on top of it.
"I guess this is where the magic happens." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
"If by magic you mean sleeping and dreaming, then yes. There's a lot of sleeping and dreaming that happens here." We both laughed.
She closed her eyes and sighed. "Your bed is so comfortable. Let me guess." She sat up, supporting her weight on her elbows. "Your mattress costs even more than your desk."
I pressed my index finger to my lips. A glance at my watch let me know her curfew had passed.
"Shit, it's passed twelve. Let me call you a cab."
"Ops," she responded, climbing out of bed.
I gave her a blank stare.
"Guess that means I'll have to stay here." A devilish grin spread across her face.
"You distracted me on purpose, didn't you?"
"Maybe." She crawled out of my bed and walked toward me with the slow movements of a lioness closing in on its prey. I regarded her, realising only when she stood inches away from me that I was fucked.
Her lips lightly brushed my skin as she whispered, "I'm not going to lie, Mr Weston. I think it's hot when you act clueless." I didn't respond, but I didn't move either.
In hindsight, I should have moved or said something, but a situation like this was like getting stuck in quicksand. There was no way out.
It all happened so fast. The transition from the floor to the bed. I gripped her hands as they found my belt buckle, locking them in place.
Sensing my hesitation, she whispered, "This is 100% consensual." In the next moment, she straddled me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. We shared a long, intense stare before our lips collided. I removed her top, my hands eagerly searching for the clasps on her bra. A moan escaped her lips as I unclasped it.
It was hard to tell whether I was just reeling from the night, but kissing Jade was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. It was a mix between the feeling one got when they were high as a kite and falling through the air after leaping from a plane.
I knew I should stop, but I couldn't. Her hands searched the hem of my shirt with the same kind of enthusiasm I had removed her bra with, pulling it over my head. We continued kissing with an increased level of intensity.
She reached into my boxers and pulled out my already rock-hard cock. I bit back a groan as she eased herself onto it, never taking her eyes off me.
She reached her climax before I did, and watching her writhe in pure ecstasy beneath me drove me over the edge, toward my own release. Regret began to set in as I slowly came back down from my high.