"Oh thank God, you're still here."

I'm startled away from my computer screen, to see a frazzled man standing in the doorway. Inconspicuously, I glance at the time in the corner of my monitor - 7:35 p.m. He's late, but really only by 20 minutes. It really isn't that big of a deal, but at least he is apologetic.

I rose from desk and headed toward him, extending a hand in acknowledgment. "Not a problem, Mr. Chasez. I'm just pleased that we finally have a chance to meet."

"Likewise, Ms. Harris. I wanted to stop by and introduce myself sooner, but things have been so crazy..." He scratched the back of his head nervously and looked to the floor.

"Hey, no big deal. I'm just glad you made it tonight." I ushered him to the seat across from my desk and took my place on the other side. I couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable he looks, and he must have noticed me giving him a questioning look.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just nervous right now. This is my first parent-teacher conference."

I tried to give him my warmest smile to calm his nerves. "Well you have nothing to worry about, Mr. Chasez. Noah is a dream to have in class."

"Josh, please, Mr. Chasez freaks me out," He said with a soft chuckle.

"Well then in all fairness, please call me Christine. I'd let the first graders call me that if the school board wouldn't fire me."

"So Noah, he's doing well?"

"He's a great boy, Josh. Such a bright kid! I thought what we could do is just go through his report card and then talk about any other concerns at the end." Shit. I shouldn't have said concerns. He looked at me like a deer in headlights. Maybe if I just change the subject he won't have time to question.

"So we start the day with math, and I'm constantly amazed at how quickly he is picking it all up. We just finished a unit on counting - you know, counting by five, counting by ten...some of the kids were really struggling and Noah raises his hand all excitedly and yells, "Ms. Harris, I got it! I can even count by threes! And he starts rattling off 3, 6, 9, 12 - he's really understanding sequences. And his knowledge of his flash cards? That boy is like a human calculator. He's easily my best math student."

I could see him trying to fight the corners of his mouth to stay put, but he lost it and broke into a beaming smile. It was contagious, and soon I was beaming with him.

"You should really be proud."

"I am. I've been working with him a lot actually. He helps me with my work."

"And that is?"

"I'm an architect and I've been working on a lot of plans lately. He likes to watch me draw and build my models. We talk about math a lot. Next time you see him, ask him how many degrees are in a circle."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'll do that. I'm sure he hasn't the faintest idea of what that means though."

"Oh, he doesn't. But show him a circle and he'll rattle off 360, and show him a square and he'll tell you the corner is 90 degrees," He pauses and looks down at the floor. "It sounds silly I know, but that's the stuff he wants me to tell him about while he's watching me work."

"Well he'll be light years ahead of everyone else once he hits geometry."

"So what else comes easily to him?" Like most parents, Josh was eager to hear about his son's successes. We talked about how easily Noah has picked up the social studies lessons, and how eager he is to learn about the planets in the upcoming science chapter. And I couldn't ignore his affinity for art. I've never seen a little boy so dedicated to his art projects. He won't stop until every last detail is perfect - even if we are just gluing paper.

"He sounds like he is doing really well then," Josh stated, but it came out more like a question.

"He is such a smart boy," I began, trying to tread lightly. "But there is one area where he needs to improve, and I'd like to work with you to best help him." He looked at me uneasily, almost like I've offended him.

"Noah struggles a bit with his reading. The rest of his language skills are great - he speaks using proper grammar, he's doing a great job picking up the writing exercises we've been doing. But he doesn't seem to be at the same level as the other kids when it comes to reading. And I don't think it's anything we need to be worried about, just something we need to work on," I said as gently as possible.

I saw his face tense up, and he suddenly looked furious. I'm not quite sure why he's so angry, he shouldn't be angry at Noah. Regardless, I continued.

"He seems to understand the phonics, I know he does. But when he starts reading aloud he gets really nervous and freezes up. And once he makes a mistake, he gets really frustrated with himself and makes more mistakes. He's too much of a perfectionist." I tried to smile to ease the tension, but the attempt failed. His anger quickly turned to sadness and squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. Oh my God, did I just make a parent cry? That's a new one.

He took a deep breath before opening his eyes. He managed to hold back the tears, but I can see the layer of wetness covering his soulful blue eyes. "She never read to him," he murmured. "How can I help him?" His voice came out a whisper.

"I think at this point you just need to read with him. Read to him, and this might sound silly, but ask him to read you a bedtime story each night. Just be really encouraging and help him when he asks for it. But don't rush to tell him the words when he doesn't get them right away. Just be patient with him."

He looked at me, almost shyly, and I felt a blush creep over my normally pale cheeks. "I can do that."

"Also, do you think you could arrange for Noah to be picked up about thirty minutes late twice a week? I'd be more than happy to stay after and go over some reading exercises with him. I think he would really benefit from the one-on-one time."

"I'd have to talk to his babysitter, but I don't think that would be a problem."

"Perfect. How about Mondays and Wednesdays?"

"I can arrange that. Thank you. For taking the extra time with him, I mean. "

"Of course! I would do anything for my students!" Like staying 30 minutes late is such a chore. "Well that's all I have for you, Josh. Are there any questions that you have for me?"

He hesitated, and finally took a deep breath before speaking. "Does he have any friends? Does he seem well-adjusted? I worry about him."

I began to speak, but caught myself and took a minute to formulate a proper response.

"Noah is a very special boy. He's a sensitive soul. A few weeks ago he came back early from recess and saw me crying at my desk. He walked up to me and put his little hand on my knee and said ‘I'm not sure what's wrong Ms. Harris, but don't be sad.' It made me cry even harder."

"I remember that day," Josh interrupted. "He told me your cat died. We prayed for you at bedtime."

My eyes are wide as I glared at him in surprise. "You did?" I felt myself flushing.

"He prays for you every night. He's always talking about Ms. Harris. But that night he said he was praying for you extra hard, and asked God to take care of your kitty in heaven."

I was about to cry all over again. I needed to get this back on track.

"Noah is kind of shy, and I've noticed him retreating from the other students more the past few months." He muttered a soft ‘shit' and I knew he saw the question in my eyes.

"We've been through a lot of changes in the past three months. The short version is that his mom left...dropped him off at my house in D.C one day and drove away. I moved to Boston so I didn't have to take him out of school and away from his friends, but he's never lived with me before - in all honesty, he doesn't know me that well - and he misses his mom."

Wow. I wasn't expecting that. I mean, I'd noticed a change in Noah's demeanor over the past few months, but never thought something that awful was the reason. Josh looked away from me and I heard a slight sniffle. I wasn't quite sure what to do. I noticed a slight shake of his shoulders and I knew that I'm going to cross every kind of line there is, but I reached my hand across my desk and rested it atop his. He turned back to me and gave me a very slight smile and squeezed my hand.

"Thank you, Christine." His eyes bore into mine and they were full of gratitude. "And thank you for being so amazing with Noah. He adores you. And right now, you're the only constant in his life. He knows you better than his own father. You've been with him six months. I've been with him three."

My head was spinning. I have so many questions about why he feels he doesn't know his own son, about what happened with his mother, about why my heart is pounding a mile a minute and my mouth is suddenly dry. Shit.

"I adore him, too. Anything I can do to help Josh, just let me know."

"Have dinner with me."

I coughed in surprise. "What?" And I realized he still has a grip on my hand.

"Have dinner with me. Tell me more about Noah, what he's like, how smart he is, who his friends are."

I know I looked at him like he's crazy, and I wasn't trying to, but how else was I going to react? He's the father of one of my students! But maybe it isn't a date. I think he just wants company. He just wants to know his son.

"I'm sorry, that's probably all sorts of inappropriate."

"No!" I interjected but quickly tried to regain my cool. "I mean, it's fine. I would love to get a chance to tell you more about Noah."

"Friday night?"

I know I was beaming, but what the hell. I deserve a completely inappropriate non-date with a student's father.

"Friday night."

----------------

My eyes searched the restaurant but I didn't see Josh anywhere. He called me during recess today, realizing that he never got my phone number the other night. I answered my phone and when school secretary told me one of my student's parents wanted to talk to me I panicked for a moment, only to be relieved when Josh's smooth voice echoed over the line. He asked if I would be able to meet him because he had an unexpected meeting pop up at the Prudential Center, and he wouldn't be done until 6:00. So there I was, waiting anxiously in the entry of Legal Sea Foods, checking the door every time I heard someone walk in.

He ended up being 20 minutes late, but it didn't matter because our table hadn't been called yet. My breath caught in my throat as he approached me, and I mentally kicked myself. I had no idea if this is an actual date, so no need getting all worked up about how he looked. But I couldn't help it. He was wearing black slacks that seemed to have some kind of sheen - they looked really luxurious. His white dress shirt was rather formfitting and a simple black tie hanged from his neck. He saw me and gave a slight wave, tossing his messenger bag over his shoulder to free up his hands.

I was shocked when his arms wrapped around me and he pulled tightly against him. Maybe this was an actual date? I was so confused. But in that moment, I didn't care. I just breathed deeply and relished in the clean scent of his cologne. He released me just as our table was called. We settled into a cozy booth near the back and my heart started pounding even faster. If this wasn't a date before, it certainly was now.

"Well first things first. You look beautiful tonight Christine." The words flowed easily off of his lips and for a moment I believed him. I wanted to argue, but for once I held back and responded with a simple thank you.

"I hope you didn't mind coming all the way downtown, but I knew this meeting was going to run long."

"It's not a problem at all. How was your day?"

"Um, insanely hectic. We're having some zoning issues with this new office development and I was in meetings practically all day. You have no idea how much I was looking forward to tonight. It got me through the day."

OK, so apparently making me blush was the first thing on his agenda for the evening. The waitress stopped by and Josh ordered a bottle of red wine before I could speak up and order a Coke. Yup, this was definitely a date.

I glanced up and he was smiling at me, his eyes looking even bluer in the candlelight. I wanted to tell him how gorgeous he looked, how much I was looking forward to this - but I fell back into the safety zone.

"Where's Noah tonight?"

"My parents are in town. He's spending the night at their hotel and he is all about the pool." He let out a soft chuckle and I noticed the crinkles at his eyes when he smiles. How did I not notice this the other night? I'm startled out of our reverie when the wine is delivered and the waitress asked for our order.

"So I wanted to have dinner with you tonight so I could tell you what's going on with Noah and me."

"Josh you know you really don't have to do that."

"I know, but I think it will help him to have you understand the situation. I just want what is best for him, even though it might be hard for me to talk about it."

"Well Josh, you are clearly a great father. It is usually like pulling teeth to get any information out of parents."

"Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'll tell this story to just anyone, but he trusts you. And I need you to help me with him, so you need to know."

"Well whenever you feel comfortable..." I trailed off, taking a long swig of my wine. This was the strangest moment of my teaching career for sure, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

"Did you know Shannon?"

"I met her at parents in the classroom night, but that was the only time. She kind of kept to her herself the whole night and didn't stick around to talk to me afterward." He sighed, and I could tell that information upset him.

"Shannon is..." It was obvious he was searching for a diplomatic term. "A free spirit," he concluded. "It was the very thing I loved about her, yet the thing that ruined our relationship all at the same time. We started dating when we were both seniors in college and had a great year together. She was fun and spontaneous and carefree - everything I wasn't. She was exciting; every day with her was an adventure."

I shifted uncomfortably, unsure why he was telling me all of this. I took another swig of wine to help myself relax.

"I was accepted to Stanford for a graduate program, and she was going to move with me and launch her art career - she was a sculptor. We had everything arranged, an apartment, part-time jobs - I even had a ring that I was going to give her on our very first night there. Then two days before we were supposed to move across the country, she left me with a simple note in my mailbox that said, ‘I love you Josh, but I can't settle down with you. That's not who I am and I know you can do better.'"

I gasped. Who does that? I caught his eyes and gave an empathic smile. It's all I could do. I don't know how to respond to something like that.

"I called her, I wrote her, and never heard back, so I moved to California and started my graduate program. I mean, what else could I do but move on? Two years later, right before graduation mind you, I receive a letter from her that said some shit like ‘Josh I'm sorry for what I did, but you know me, and you know settling down with you was not the life I wanted, blah blah blah, we're too young, focus on your education. I live in Paris. Oh yeah, we have a kid."

"Oh my God!" I could no longer keep my commentary to myself.

"Yeah, she was kind enough to enclose a picture and a copy of this birth certificate. He's Austrian, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he was born in Vienna. His birth certificate is all in German, it's kind of a trip." He looked up from his wine glass and flashed me a warm smile. A shockwave surged through my body. I was going to have to ease up on the wine. "So yeah, there was the proof. Little Noah Alexander Chasez was my son."

"Why did you believe her?" I blurted. Shit, this whole thing isn't even my business, but well, it kind of was because he's telling me...

"Everyone asks me that. But deep down, Shannon is an honest person. I still believe that. She's made many bad choices, but she's honest. She wasn't asking me for anything, just wanted me to know. But I'm not totally naïve, when Noah came to stay with me I had a test done."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply you were naïve." Oops.

"No, I know you didn't."

Thankfully our food arrived to take some pressure off of the situation. Josh dug into his filet and me into my swordfish. The food was amazing, and we managed to lighten the conversation for a few minutes, joking about the couple a few tables away from us who were clearly on the date from hell.

"I'm glad that our date is going better than theirs," Josh laughed and it was infectious. I couldn't stop giggling, and when the waiter stopped by to refill our water, I giggled even harder. Time spent with Josh was easy, comfortable - which worried be because I really should be here with him at all. I mean, it wasn't a school rule - I wouldn't get fired -but in a way it violated my own personal code of ethics. Though it was just dinner, so I didn't feel too guilty. Yet.

Josh asked if I wanted to share a slice of chocolate cheesecake, and I was stuffed, but I didn't say no. Honestly if had to force down a few bites of dessert to keep from heading home, I was going to do it. A few more questions lingered in my mind, and thankfully I drank enough wine to give myself the courage.

"How did Noah end up with you?"

"Basically there was a knock on my door and I opened it to find Noah standing there." My expression of utter confusion must have been extremely obvious, and he continued. "That was it really. Shannon had dropped him off, said that's your dad, and drove away. She left her child standing on the doorstep of a stranger with nothing but backpack and an envelope full of medical records."

I could feel my eyes filling with tears, and I was struggling to keep them from falling. Josh must have noticed because he reached across the table to take my hand in his. His thumb ran lazy circles on my palm.

"I just don't understand how anyone could do that to their child."

"That's Shannon, things get tough and she has to run away. "

"How do you stay so calm about it?"

"Trust me, I'm furious. But I got to know Noah, and my love for him is stronger than any anger I have for her. Everything turned out how it should." God his love for his son is sexy.

"So, when she dropped him on your doorstep, you had never met him before?"

He sighed and ran his free hand over his face. "The part of the story makes me sound so awful. I hadn't ever met him before. I knew he existed and I made absolutely no effort to ever meet him. There were too many excuses - he was in Europe, I starting my career and needed to focus on work. I was just pathetic. Shannon would send me letters and pictures periodically, to let me know how he was doing. And then, when he was five, she ended up moving to Boston so Noah could start school. I thought it was because she wanted to him to grow up in her hometown, but turns out she just followed some boyfriend here. And I lived in D.C., and still never came to visit. I was so stupid."

He gazed down at the table and picked at the table cloth, clearly out of embarrassment. I noticed him swallow, trying to choke down emotion.

"Hey," I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You can't dwell on that now. All that matters is that you've turned it around and it's obvious that little boy means everything to you. You stepped up when it mattered, while she ran away."

"You know the one thing she did right? She told him stories about me, promised him that he would meet me some day, gave him photos of me. So when he was dropped off on my doorstep, he just yelled ‘Daddy, I'm here!' and hugged my legs. So he wasn't completely terrified when he was left with me."

"How's he adjusting?"

"Well that's why I wanted to talk to you. He seems fine at home. Clearly he misses him mother, and cries for her nearly every night, but he's taken to me and my family. I think he's doing well, but I wanted your take. Has his demeanor changed much at school? You mentioned him retreating from other kids."

I nibbled my bottom lip as I racked my brain for an answer. "Not really, I mean, I guess if I really think about it he seems a little more sensitive lately, but I haven't really noticed any major changes. He's not as outgoing as before, but he wasn't really outgoing to begin with. He's just reserved. And he seems to be seeking approval more than usual. But given the circumstances, think he's doing fine."

"Will you let me know if anything changes, or if you have any concerns?" I felt his leg brush mine under the table and I know it was an accident, but I couldn't help but relish in the surge of heat that ran through my veins. It has been a long time since I've been with a man, and apparently a tiny, accidental touch is all it takes to get me going. I took the last bite of cheesecake to distract me.

"Of course I'll let you know."

He took my hand in his and lightly ran the fingers of his other hand over my forearm. I couldn't help but notice that he seemed be sitting closer to me in the booth. "Good, because I have a feeling I'll be talking to you a lot more."

"Oh do you?" I tried to sound coy, but I'm sure I failed miserably.

Yet he seemed to respond favorably. He slid closer to me and tucked my blond locks behind my ear.

"I do." He leaned in closer to me, and my God , he was about to kiss me. That is until the waitress came with the bill.

"Damn," I muttered, and shit he heard me. But he smiled and chuckled lightly.

"That's what I say."

----------------

I motioned for the valet to hail me a cab as we exited the restaurant, but Josh grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. "I thought we could just walk to my place and I'll grab my car and give you a ride home."

I responded with a gentle squeeze of his hand. "That sounds nice."

A gentle breeze hit my cheeks and an overwhelming feeling of contentment washed over me. I hadn't been on a date in longer than I'd like to admit and it felt good. Really good. I hadn't realized how much I longed for physical contact until now.

"So Ms. Harris, you've heard all about me tonight. Tell me something about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Brief history."

"Well I grew up in a small town in Connecticut, moved to Boston for college, been here ever since."

"Siblings?"

"Four sisters, all much older."

"And what do you do in your spare time?"

"Well I don't have much. I'm currently taking graduate classes at Boston College. But when I'm not in class you can usually find me at Fenway, waiting for Paplebon to propose."

He chuckled and I was relieved he wasn't threatened by my comment.

"So you're one of those girls, huh?"

"What girls?"

"A jersey chaser."

"No, I was just teasing. He's married anyway. I'm a true fan. I can give you any statistic you ask for."

He raised my hand to his lips and gave my fingers a quick kiss. "Nah, I believe you." I melted.

"Do you like baseball?"

He shrugged noncommittally, and I tried not to hold it against him. "Noah does, so I'm trying to learn."

"Well I'm a great teacher."

We soon arrived at the steps of a gorgeous three-story home. It was an early 1900s brownstone, like most of the homes in the Back Bay, yet I still couldn't hide my surprise. I mean, I knew he was an architect, but compared to my modest condo, this place was practically a mansion.

He started leading me to the garage when I blurted, "Can I get a quick tour?" What the hell was wrong with me?

"Um, sure, I suppose. If you'd like, I mean." He stuttered in response.

"I just don't get to hang out in these parts all that often," I respond shyly as he led me inside.

The house was unlike anything I'd ever seen. We entered a stately foyer which was flanked by a dining room to the right, and a formal living room to the left. He took me through the dining room into the kitchen, which looked as if it were recently remodeled with luxurious granite counter tops and gorgeous cherry cabinetry. I followed him up the back staircase to the second floor which featured three bedrooms. The first room he showed me was the guest room - nice but nothing special, the second was Noah's room - toys all neatly in their place, just like I would expect from Noah. Lastly, Josh led me into his room, which was decorated in dark browns with blue accents. The color scheme reminded me very much of him, really. In the corner of his room was a fireplace and I wandered over to look at the photos on his mantle. They were all of Noah, and it looked like there was one from every year of his life.

"Those are all the photos Shannon sent me of him growing up." I felt his arms slide around me from the back, and he pressed his body against mine. When he spoke, his breath tickled my ear. Noah really was a beautiful child, and it was quite obvious from even the very first photo that he was Josh's son. Even as a baby his head was covered in loose, dark curls and his blue eyes popped against the combination of dark hair and light skin.

I couldn't take the effect of his breath on my neck any longer and I turned in his arms. Before I could even think, I was up on my tiptoes pressing my lips to his. My mind was reeling - this is Noah's father! - but I couldn't stop myself. Being here with him felt too good.

Thankfully, he responded favorably to my kiss. His arms hooked around my lower back and he pulled me even tighter against him. I ran my tongue along the crease of his lips, seeking permission for entrance, and he obliged without hesitation. One hand rested soundly on the side of his torso while the other snaked its way up his back, until my fingers were drawing lazy patterns on what little neck I could touch above his collar. Our tongues slid against each other softly, in no hurry, just in gentle caresses. It was the perfect first kiss.

His lips left mine, but our foreheads rested against each other and he nuzzled my nose gently. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I should really get you home."

He was right, we had to stop this before it went any further, because trust me, I wasn't about to be the one to pull back. "You're right," I said glancing at my watch. "I really should go home. I have class in the morning."

After a quick trip up to the top story of the house to see Noah's playroom and Josh's office (which in many ways were hard to tell apart since most of his toys were actually Josh's old models), we climbed into his Audi and drove the 20 minutes to my condo in the Cooledge Corner neighborhood of Brookline. Somehow he managed to land a parking spot in front of the building. I glanced at the clock on the dash. It was only 10:15, and after that kiss, I really didn't want the night to end. I glanced over at Josh as he turned off the car. I wanted to invite him in, but that was only asking for trouble. He smiled at me and as hokey as it sounds, his face was illuminated by the light of the moon. Good sense be damned!

"Um, you're more than welcome to come up for a bit, unless you want to go home and relish in the peace and quiet for awhile."

He chuckled quietly. "Believe it or not, it's always pretty quiet around our house. Noah's a pretty relaxed kid. So, um, yeah, I'd love to come up."

As we rode the elevator to the fourth floor of the building, I couldn't help but take his hand in mine. The rush I got from touching him was indescribable, and I felt the need to do it as much as possible. I was never bold with men, and already tonight I had held his hand, and even more shockingly, initiated a rather steamy kiss. For some reason being with him gave me confidence I never knew I had.

"Well, here it is!" I announced as I ushered through the door. "Not nearly as impressive as yours, but keep in mind I'm getting by on a teacher's salary." I laughed, but he just shrugged.

"I don't care about that." He was walked to my refrigerator and inspected the art that adorned the freezer door. "What are these?"

"Oh just artwork I've collected from the students over the years."

"Anything from Noah?"

"No, he's pretty protective of his work. He's never offered any to me. I wish he would though. He's incredibly talented. With an architect dad and a sculptor mom..."

"Yeah, there is a little artist in there for sure," Josh agreed.

Suddenly Josh was inches away from me, how he'd gotten so close without me noticing I don't know, but I wasn't complaining. This time he took the initiative, and before I knew what was happening I was pressed up against the counter and his lips were a breath away.

"Christine, I don't know what it is about you..." he murmured and pressed his lips to mine.

Our first kiss was incredible, but this second kiss was earth shattering. I could feel the blood rushing through my veins and my toes curling in my shoes. Kisses like this didn't happen in real life. This was a movie kiss. But it wasn't. It was real. And somehow my lucky stars aligned so I would get to experience it.

"Spend the night with me." Josh's eyes widened in surprise, and I know mine did too. I don't know why I said that, but for once I was living in the moment and just feeling, and it felt fucking incredible.

"You shouldn't say that to me Christine, because I won't be able to say no."

"I don't want you to. I mean it, come." I reached my hand out hand his fingers laced with mine. As I led him to my bedroom my heart was racing. Here I was, all of 26 years old, and I've only had sex with two people. The first was my college boyfriend, who I dated a year before I finally gave it up to him. The other was a guy I dated for a brief time two years ago, but even him I made wait five months. I was having a Freaky Friday moment or something, because whoever was inhabiting Christine Harris' body at his moment was not me.

Once we reached my room the nerves took over. I tried to make light of the situation. "I don't sleep with all of my student's parents, I swear," I chuckled.

His hands slid up the back of my sweater as he pulled me close to kiss me. "Well I guess I'm just special then, huh."

We fell back onto my bed and indulged in a series of scorching kisses. It felt like hours before his lips even left mine, to begin a trail down my neck where he stopped and sucked roughly at the top curve of my shoulder. I moaned and gently rocked my hips forward in approval.

He shot me an evil grin before biting me there gently, and smoothing it over with a long lap of his tongue. This shy architect from D.C. was going to be the death of me.

My senses were on overdrive and in turn I lost all rational thought. My fingers scurried to undo his tie. I didn't quite loosen it enough before I pulled it over his head, and we both giggled when it got stuck on his ears. While he laughed, I took the moment to flip him over, and set myself on his upper thighs. When I rocked forward, the inside of my thigh rubbed against his crotch and he groaned at the friction. I retreated, so he couldn't brush against my leg again, and he whimpered. I made quick work of the buttons on his shirt and tossed it aside. I took a moment to take in the sight below me. Impatient blue eyes stared up at me under heavy lids, and a soft pant came from his parted lips. His bare chest was nicely splattered with just the right amount of chest hair, which made its way down his flat stomach in a neat line and disappeared under the waistband of his slacks. The slacks were nicely tented, and every few seconds, you could see his hips subtly rise toward mine, trying to rub against me. He was unbearably sexy, and he made me feel the same way in return.

My newfound confidence allowed me the courage to remove my sweater and my bra and for once not worry about how I looked - because the way Josh was looking at me right now - I knew I was beautiful to him. I discarded the clothes to the floor and with a sly smile said, "There, now we're even."

Josh reached up to cup my breasts and ran a thumb over each nipple. I leaned into his touch and arched my neck backward; enjoying the sensations he was awaking in me. It had been too long.

"Come here," he demanded softly.

I braced my arms on each side of him and leaned forward, my breasts hanging just above his face. I looked down between us and saw the muscles in his stomach flex as he lifted his shoulders and head up in order to catch a nipple in his mouth. He paid generous attention to both of my breasts, alternating licks and sucks, and he would follow up with gentle blow on the wet spots, resulting in the most decadent cooling sensation. I was so lost in my own little world, that I didn't notice that my hips were grinding furiously against his.

This time he flipped me over, and I lavished in the feel of his body weight pressing down on me as our tongues battled once more. Before I could comprehend what was happening, his lips were sliding down my neck and continued down the crevice of my chest. He placed wet, open-mouthed kisses on my stomach and I didn't even notice that he had unbuttoned my jeans until they were gone completely. He sat back on his knees and unbuckled his belt, and soon his pants were with the rest of the clothes, in a hasty pile next to the bed. My eyes went straight to his hips, and they were glued to the rather impressive erection that was tenting his boxer briefs. I think he mistook my awe for second-guessing.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Josh," I moaned. "Yes!" Could I sound more desperate? Oh who was I trying to kid? I was desperate.

He leaned down to kiss me again and slid a finger into my underwear. "Hmm, you do want this." He growled quietly into my ear when he felt how wet I was for him. If only he knew I'd been that way since halfway through dinner...

Soon he was pumping two of his fingers into me and his thumb was brushing my clit, all the while working on my breasts with his mouth. I was panting harder and harder, trying not to show how turned on I was. I gave myself away when my muscles clenched around his fingers. His lips found my ear. "Don't hold back. Come for me." He bit down gently on my earlobe and flicked his thumb over my clit one last time, and I let out the most primal sound I ever heard myself make.

"Holy shit." I breathed, coming down off my high.

"Mmm, you're amazing," he whispered against my flushed skin.

"I'm amazing?" I said incredulously. "What just happened had very little do with me."

"It had everything to do with you. I can't keep my hands off you."

Was this guy fucking serious?

When I caught my bearings, I realized he had shed both of our underwear, and was looking at me questioningly. "Last chance to back out."

"Josh stop, I don't want to back out." I reached over and grabbed a condom from my nightstand and as he sheathed himself, I got my first full glimpse of his penis. I hope he didn't see the look of uncertainty which I know flashed over my features. Like I said, I wasn't the most experienced person ever, and he was by far the most endowed of my three partners. I couldn't help but be a little nervous.

This must be a common response from women because he gave me a gentle smile and said, "Hey, don't worry. I'll let you take the lead." He lay back onto the pillows and motioned me over to him. I couldn't help but reach a hand out and stroke him lightly. God he was hard. I stroked him a few more times and he began thrusting gently into my hand. I reached over with my other hand and cupped his balls, giving them a gentle tug and he yelped.

"Don't do that again or this will be over right now," he growled. As much as I wanted nothing more but to lean over and take him into my mouth, I knew he wasn't joking around. Maybe I was being overly optimistic, but that would have to wait for another time.

I straddled him, and caught his gaze before sliding down on him completely. So much for taking my time and setting the pace. I could feel my walls stretching to accommodate him, and I'm not going to lie, it was kind of uncomfortable. But after taking a few moments to sit atop him and adjust, suddenly that stretching was the most amazing feeling ever. We hadn't even moved yet and it was the best sex I'd ever had.

I raised myself up on my knees a bit, only to release myself back onto him, and we both moaned when he hit my deepest spot. We continued in a slow build, until I was falling onto him harder, and he was thrusting up to meet me halfway. A sheen of sweat covered us both as we worked ourselves into a frenzy, and right as I was about to lose it again, he put his hands on my hips and stilled me.

"Josh, what are you doing?" I panted. "I'm almost there, and so are you."

"I just want to kiss you," he said simply, and I don't know what stopped me from coming right then. He adjusted himself so he was sitting up, and I remained on his lap, my legs wrapped around him tightly. This time he took control and started a frantic pace, bouncing me on top of him. His arms were holding me flush with his body, and our tongues met in fiery kisses. I had never had sex in this position before, and I must say; it was amazingly erotic. I began clenching my muscles around him and I knew he was going to lose it soon.

"It's OK, Josh. Let go."

"No, you....haven't...." he panted.

"I had my turn. This is about you."

"No!" The forcefulness of his interruption surprised me. "It's about both us."

Somehow he managed to shift, and the new angle caused his pelvic bone to rub against my clit. It was such a surprise that I came right then, when he had been the one on the brink moments ago, not me. My orgasm set off a chain reaction, and he followed suit seconds later.

We collapsed into a sweaty heap on top of the covers as we tried to catch our breath. His fingers were tracing patterns on my back lightly, and I couldn't help but place kisses on his chest as we regained some semblance of consciousness.

I have no idea what had come over me tonight, but whatever it was, it was not in the lesson plan.