The Professor Next Door (Cider Bar Sisters Book 3) Read online

  He stayed motionless. “You feel incredible. I won’t last long.”

  He fucked her with slow, deep strokes as he pressed kisses up and down her neck, her cheek, her shoulders. She felt him in every cell in her body.

  With one particularly deep stroke, she was almost there. Then he touched her sensitized clit, and she was gone, and he was gone, too.

  Lucky thirteen.

  * * *

  “Hey,” David murmured. “I think you fell asleep for a few minutes.”

  “Mmmm.”

  He was sitting beside her on the bed, fully dressed. Nicole hadn’t gotten to see him at all. That was supremely unfair.

  “I ran you a bath,” he said.

  “Are you going to join me?”

  “No, I’ll wash your toys.”

  She made a sound of protest, but that was nice of him.

  He led her to the bathroom and helped her into the tub. It was full of bubbles, and they amused her more than they should.

  “I think you need to wear your glasses to clean,” she mumbled.

  “I don’t have them with me.” He quirked his lips, then rolled up his sleeves and started washing.

  It felt like a very domestic scene. They were in the washroom together, but not because they were having sex in the shower, which was the only thing she ever did in the washroom with a man.

  He set her handblown glass dildo on a towel.

  Yes, very domestic.

  She giggled.

  He raised his eyebrows, but she said nothing, and he didn’t insist on an explanation.

  Nicole reclined in the tub with her eyes closed. Though she felt a bit dopey, at the same time, she was overly aware of the warm water on her skin, the mild scent of the bath foam, the quiet sounds of David washing her toys.

  He helped her out of the bathtub and dried her off—nobody had dried her off in a long time. He wrapped the towel around her and led her to the kitchen, where he poured her a glass of water.

  “I’m going to leave now,” he said. “Make sure you lock the door, okay?”

  “I know how to lock a door.” She stuck out her bottom lip.

  “When you’re in post-orgasmic bliss?”

  “I haven’t had an orgasm in half an hour. You sure have a high opinion of the orgasms you give.”

  He leaned in to kiss her forehead.

  There was something about the kiss that pierced the “post-orgasmic bliss” she was feeling, just a little.

  He was gentle. Taking care of her after it was over.

  She still felt rather boneless, but not quite like before.

  “I’ll see you Friday?” she said.

  He hesitated. “Friday.”

  And then he was gone and she couldn’t help giggling again before collapsing in bed.

  Chapter 12

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Sleepily, Nicole reached out and hit the snooze button on her alarm.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Why was it still going off? Had she missed the button in her groggy state?

  She pushed it again, and the noise mercifully stopped.

  She sighed and stretched to one side then the other, pointing her toes. Now that her annoyance with her blasted alarm clock was fading, she felt...good.

  Yesterday, she’d had sex with two men, and her body was a little sore but sated. It had been a fun day.

  What was David doing on the other side of the wall? Was he awake yet? Making coffee? Picking out a professorly sweater for the day?

  The fact that he could be in his bedroom, so close to her...

  Nicole suddenly sat up. What if he slept nude? What if he’d just come out of the shower? What had his walls seen that she hadn’t?

  Last night had been different from what she’d anticipated. She’d expected to enjoy sex with David—she wouldn’t have slept with him otherwise—but she hadn’t expected him to make her practically drunk with orgasms. She hadn’t expected their playful banter. The way he’d fucked her with so many different toys...

  She needed something inside her again.

  She jerked open her night table drawer, but a couple of her dildos were missing.

  Right. She remembered now.

  Nicole padded to the bathroom and returned to bed with all her clean toys. She put most of them away but kept out a vibrator and the candy cane dildo, which she slowly slid inside her.

  Yes.

  She’d gotten off many times only eight hours ago, but Nicole had always had a high sex drive, and the idea that David could be stroking himself, just on the other side of this wall—well, that made her squirm.

  It wasn’t long before she was shuddering and moaning into her pillow. She couldn’t afford a long masturbation session when she had to go to work.

  But she did knock on the wall, just in case David was there.

  Then she regretted it. What if he was still asleep? She wanted him to get his beauty rest.

  And next time, she was determined to actually see him—all of him. Maybe tonight...

  Except she’d told him that she’d see him on Friday, and it was probably for the best. She didn’t want to get in the habit of seeing him every day.

  This was an excellent development, though.

  A sex partner next door was just what she needed.

  * * *

  “I want to try an experiment.” Murray leaned against David’s desk.

  David tried not to groan. He had an inbox full of emails—why were there so many emails?—and a grant application to submit, and he hadn’t been able to think clearly all morning because apparently he’d lost his brain in Nicole’s bedroom.

  “An experiment?” he asked.

  “Where’s your phone?”

  David took out his phone.

  “Okay,” Murray said. “Now send me a text message.”

  “What should it say?”

  “Anything,” Murray said impatiently. “The details aren’t important.”

  David sent a single-word text: Hello.

  Murray pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. “I got your message. It’s very boring, though.”

  “You told me the details weren’t important.”

  “Experiment complete.”

  “What was the experiment?”

  “To see if I’d still receive a text message that had been sent when my phone was off.”

  David frowned. “Of course you would. But you don’t keep your phone turned on?”

  “Why would I?”

  Although Murray was a scientist who’d been using email for decades and was quite good with certain aspects of technology, things like smartphones and social media were foreign to him. In fact, David was surprised his colleague even had a smartphone.

  “You Millennials.” Murray shook his head. “There was some other reason I came here...ah, yes! To remind you of the alumni dinner this Friday.”

  When Murray left to go to his lecture, David banged his head against his desk.

  He was supposed to see Nicole on Friday. He’d been researching which dessert to get her, and possibly also fantasizing about what they’d do together in bed.

  And he couldn’t help wondering what she wanted.

  His impression was that Nicole had a variety of bedmates. Did she ever have relationships with them? Or did she avoid relationships, for one reason or another?

  It was rare for David to have sex outside of a relationship; in fact, it didn’t usually interest him. But he desperately wanted to be in Nicole’s bed.

  And to be there more than once.

  That, perhaps, was part of the reason he’d acted the way he had yesterday. He hadn’t taken off his clothes or let her ride him—he suspected Nicole enjoyed being on top—because he’d wanted there to be new things for them to do together, hoping that would make her desire another night with him.

  From the way she’d said, “I’ll see you Friday?” it sounded like she was thinking of being in bed together, too, but she hadn’t mentioned seeing him befo
re that, to his disappointment.

  Now Friday wouldn’t happen because of the alumni dinner. When would he see her next?

  He briefly wondered if he should have asked to stay the night, but he’d had a few reasons for not asking. For starters, he’d worried that she’d regret it. Not the sex itself, but maybe she would have regretted letting him stay overnight when it was so easy for him to return home.

  David cursed the alumni dinner—although he usually didn’t mind it—and sent Nicole a text, letting her know that he wouldn’t be able to see her this Friday.

  * * *

  “And if you are losing an argument,” Po Po said on screen, “create a, how do you say it? Diversion. Pretend you see snake or cockroach! Trust me, most people will freak out because they are weaklings. Or pretend to faint. Like this.” She executed her fake faint. “This works better if you are old. Then everyone will be so thankful you are alive, and they will forget you are losing argument. Good trick.”

  When the video ended, Nicole put down her phone and looked at her sibling.

  “Uh, Cam,” Nicole said. “Remember Christmas, the year Kelsey was applying to universities, and Po Po didn’t like her choices and—”

  “She fainted,” Cam said, using air quotes. “Do you think—”

  “Yeah, I most definitely think.”

  They burst into laughter right as the waiter arrived with their moussaka. The two of them were having Saturday lunch at a Greek restaurant that Nicole had never been to before, but she’d eaten the food when David had gotten it for takeout.

  She felt slightly disappointed that she hadn’t seen him yesterday. At least, she told herself it was no more than slight disappointment.

  “Did you see the one about online shopping?” Cam asked.

  Nicole shook her head, then located the video.

  On screen, Po Po was sitting in front of the computer. “Wah, why would I do online shopping? You cannot argue about the price! This is a terrible idea.”

  Nicole chuckled as she tucked her phone into her purse and dug into her moussaka.

  It was just as good as she remembered.

  “So,” Cam said, “any big plans for tonight?”

  “My friends and I are going to the lounge at L.”

  “The place that’s so fancy its name is a single letter?”

  “Exactly.”

  “It sounds...how do I say this? Pretty fucking pretentious. Not your choice, was it?”

  “No, one of my friends is dating...” Nicole paused. “I’m not sure I should say. Oh, whatever. Just don’t tell anyone. One of my friends is dating Colton Sanders.”

  Cam’s eyebrows shot up. “The Colton Sanders?”

  “That was my reaction.”

  “Must be Sierra. Charlotte has a boyfriend, and I don’t see Rose dating someone like that.”

  “You’re correct.”

  Cam made a face. “I bet he’s a pompous ass who’s used to having everything handed to him on a silver platter. Not that you should tell him that, but...”

  “I’ll reserve judgement. For now.”

  “So that’s why you’re so happy today?” Cam asked. “Because you’re looking forward to going to this lounge?”

  “No! I mean...” The truth was, Nicole had made plans to see David tomorrow evening. That was what she was looking forward to more than anything.

  She didn’t usually lie to her sibling, and Cam—unlike Mom and Po Po—didn’t give Nicole a hard time over things. But Cam was newly in a relationship and would probably read something romantic into Nicole fucking her neighbor, even though there was nothing romantic about it.

  “Just glad to see you, and I’m excited to hang out with my friends,” Nicole said. “And to do something different.”

  Cam raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

  “Seriously,” Nicole said, then wondered if her insistence was suspicious.

  Maybe it was, but whatever.

  It was only natural to look forward to good sex, wasn’t it?

  Chapter 13

  Nicole swayed her hips as she walked from the subway to L.

  She was feeling pretty damn sexy tonight.

  After lunch with Cam, the two of them had gone on an unplanned shopping trip. Cam had gotten a vest, a tie, and a pair of earrings; Nicole had bought a red dress, which she was wearing now. She was also wearing the shoes with an ankle strap that she’d bought on her shopping trip with Charlotte.

  The nice thing about L was that it was closer to home than Ossington Cider Bar—only a single subway line, followed by a short walk. Still, Nicole was late. She was supposed to be there half an hour ago, but she’d spent quite a bit of time primping. She felt like she ought to look particularly good tonight since she was going to a fancy place and meeting new people, plus she just enjoyed looking hot.

  To her distress, she kept wondering what David would think of this outfit, kept imagining him slowly unzipping the side of the dress... He was on her mind a little more than she’d like.

  Her libido had been in overdrive all week, and maybe tonight she’d meet some rich dude in a suit with a penthouse nearby—she wasn’t sure she wanted to wait for tomorrow.

  An East Asian man with long hair, tied back in a ponytail, held open the door to L for her. She tilted her head and gave him a seductive smile, and she knew she already had him eating out of her hand.

  Oh, yes, she was in good form.

  “I’m meeting Colton Sanders’s party,” she told the hostess.

  “Right this way,” the hostess said, leading Nicole toward the back of the dimly-lit lounge.

  Sierra, Rose, Amy, and Charlotte were seated on a cluster of chairs that looked very cool and dreadfully uncomfortable. There was a long table with drinks and food.

  “Nicole!” Rose bounced up and threw her arms around Nicole.

  Nicole hadn’t been prepared for the ambush and nearly fell backward on her new heels.

  She met Sierra’s eyes. “What’s she been drinking?”

  Rose didn’t usually greet people with such an enthusiastic hug...unless she was drunk.

  “I don’t even know what it is!” Rose dragged Nicole toward a chair. “But it’s soooo good.”

  “I’m drinking a dark chocolate espresso and orange martini.” Charlotte lifted her glass. She was wearing jeans and a blazer, but everyone else was wearing a dress.

  The waiter came around, and Nicole asked for a martini like Charlotte’s.

  “Ooh, let me explain all the food to you,” Rose said.

  “Yes!” Amy said. “Colton got us this very fancy charcuterie board.”

  “Where’s Colton?” Nicole asked Sierra.

  “Oh, he’s around,” Sierra said. “He saw someone he wanted to talk to, but he’ll be back.”

  “This,” Rose pointed out a cheese, “is made with actual gold leaf. And this prosciutto is the best I’ve ever tasted. I nearly orgasmed when I had it.” She covered her mouth. “Shit, did I say that out loud?”

  “Okay, that’s it,” Charlotte said. “You’re cut off.”

  “But I can still eat the cheese pooped by monkeys, right?” Rose asked.

  “No, that’s not the cheese you like. It’s the sheep’s cheese.”

  “Ooh, right! I love sheep! So fluffy and cuddly. I got a sheep plushie, did I tell you?”

  “Wait a second.” Nicole reached for some prosciutto, a little afraid of the cheese situation. “One of the cheeses was pooped by monkeys?”

  “No, Rose is confused,” Charlotte said. “But they have civet coffee—you know what that is? It’s really expensive. Coffee cherries are eaten by civets, not monkeys, then the partially digested coffee beans are collected from their poop. Everyone wanted me to order it.”

  “Hey, don’t blame this on me! I said no such thing.” Sierra crossed her arms. “There are concerns about how the civets are treated.”

  Nicole had tried many weird things. Bird’s nest soup, for example, was made of hardened bird saliva. But s
he’d pass on civet coffee.

  “This cheese,” Amy said, pointing to another one, “is made from the milk of some special type of llama.”

  “You guys are so drunk,” Charlotte muttered. “It’s from a special kind of donkey.”

  “Same thing!” Rose giggled.

  “No, a llama and a donkey are not the same animal. Do you need to go back to kindergarten?”

  Nicole felt like she should have gotten here earlier.

  She helped herself to a piece of bread that was no doubt very posh and expensive, along with some of the sheep’s cheese—she’d always loved sheep’s cheese.

  She groaned as she chewed. God, this was the best sheep’s cheese she’d ever had. The bread was also very good, but not worth the extortionate price that was likely charged for it.

  “Isn’t it amazing?” Rose asked.

  Nicole was about to answer when the server returned and handed her a martini. He also set down a selection of ramekins with what looked like chocolate mousse and crème brûlée. Colton had yet to make an appearance, but apparently he’d ordered these for them.

  The chocolate mousse was incredibly decadent and not overly sweet, with a bite of raspberry curd in the middle. Nicole could eat this forever.

  She felt a moment of guilt for eating all these expensive foods and drinks that she wasn’t paying for, but then she reminded herself that Colton was a billionaire, and fuck it, he could afford to spend money on his girlfriend’s friends.

  Though where on earth was he?

  “Is that a new dress?” Amy asked Nicole. “I love it.”

  “Thank you. Yours is beautiful, too.”

  Amy’s dress was also red, but rather than a skirt that hugged her thighs, it was flouncy and ended just below her knees.

  Rose nudged Nicole. “That guy is looking at you.” She pointed to the right, not at all subtly.

  Nicole looked up, locking eyes with a man who had an uncanny resemblance to Jason Momoa.

  Her first thought was, Wow, Po Po would be impressed.

  In fact, Po Po would probably find this whole place a hoot.

  A laugh escaped Nicole’s lips, and then she wondered what the hell was wrong with her. Normally, if a guy like that was undressing her with his eyes, she’d be strutting over to him, but for some reason, she didn’t feel like it.