Instead he rose, showered and shaved and went through to the kitchen to put on coffee, leaving Juliette to sleep. A few minutes later she appeared, dressed in one of his T-shirts to give him a sleepy hello. She kissed him good morning and, with a teasing glance to check he was admiring her, retreated for the shower. Her long legs looked particularly fine as he watched her go.
After breakfast Michael showed Juliette where she could leave the key for the flat hidden above the door. Then he had to say goodbye and leave her to it, explaining he had meetings in college first thing. It all seemed so natural between them that Michael never asked when he could see her next. He presumed simply that they would catch up later.
The day was busy and Michael barely had time to assimilate what had happened the previous night or that morning, or what it meant. This was clearly no longer a one-off encounter with a student, unplanned and regretted later. Now he was a repeat offender, embarking on a relationship with someone he definitely shouldn’t be seeing. He buried himself in work and tried to forget the potential implications for a while. At least until he could think calmly and clearly away from college.
That evening he got home and the flat felt suddenly empty. Juliette had cleared away the breakfast things and left him a note “Thank you for a great night Mr Archer, see you soon, Love J.” The use of his surname made him chuckle, it was already becoming a recurring joke between them. But now it finally dawned on him that he still had no real way of getting in direct contact with her. She had not given him her mobile number and he had forgotten to ask. She felt like a ghost in his life, appearing out of the blue and then disappearing again. He felt completely confused when they would see each other and how she was going to act the next time they met.
Michael was due to meet some of the other staff for a drink that evening. He made himself something to eat and then quickly scanned his college email for any updates for tomorrow. There was one. It was from Juliette. “Come over later. I am in R309 Block H. 10:30PM, Juliette”
This was not planned. Instead this was inside college and potentially public. And the little they had discussed about meeting again had all centred around keeping things private. But then nothing had been predictable over the last few days. So Michael simply replied that he would ring the buzzer to her block at 10:30 and then left. He knew he could always leave the bar a bit early and no one would really comment. There was always the angle that the new-boy had homework to catch up on.
Later that night Michael found himself with his finger on the buzzer, feeling not for the first time recently that everything was a little surreal. Visiting Juliette at her hall of residence felt like he was crossing a forbidden boundary. This feeling increased as he saw Juliette appear through the window. She was dressed in a very short pleated skirt and an old hooded top and flip-flops. She looked effortlessly sexy but also every inch the university student. She was totally out of bounds to him.
As she answered the door she put her finger to her lips. She motioned him silently to follow her and lead him quickly up the stairs. As quietly as he could, he followed her up three flights of stairs and then down a short corridor, pausing at the second door on the right. Juliette unlocked it and they slid through quickly into her room. They had made it without being seen. Juliette shut the door behind them and locked it again.
“Phew, that’s better,” breathed Michael, buzzing a little from the clandestine entrance they had just made. “Is this your room?” The question was ridiculous but it was such a monumental moment he just blurted it out. It felt amazing to be inside a personal space belonging to this beautiful young woman. He wanted to have a look around and take the opportunity to find out a little more about her. On first impression the room was reasonably spacious, with a desk and work area, a sink and armchair and a bed under the window. Juliette had obviously made small attempts to make the space personal but the college institution décor was pretty hard to overcome.
He realized Juliette was watching him. She was standing a few feet away, perched against the sink and looked nervous. He took his jacket off and she took it from him. “Can I have a kiss?” He asked. It seemed to be something he needed to ask. The easy intimacy they had shared just that morning suddenly felt a million miles away.
“Err No. I mean that’s not why I asked you here.” She paused, and sucked her bottom lip thoughtfully. Michael wondered if they were about to have “that” conversation; the one about teacher-student relationships not being a good idea. His face, never good for poker, must have shown his disappointment. Why had she asked him over so late in the evening to just tell him this?
Juliette smiled as if she had just come to a decision. “Actually yes you can”, she said. “In fact, I’d like to play a little game. Are you up for that?” She threw her hair back and looked at him coyly.
“Sure, what sort of game?”
“Well you ask me what you want, one thing at a time, like asking for a kiss. I mean, yes you can have one but you can’t do anything else unless you ask. We take it one step at a time that way. Do you see what I mean?”
“OK.” Michael laughed. “Of course, why not?”
Juliette still seemed a bit anxious to him. But if taking control meant she could relax then he was more than happy to go along. He wondered if it was because they were in her territory for the first time. If it all felt more bit more real for her now, seeing him in her room late at night.
“Can I have that kiss then?” he asked gently. She nodded and looked almost shy.
Their kiss began a little awkwardly. Juliette kept herself apart from him at first, leaning in as if she was only just daring the agreed contact. Michael caressed her mouth with his, carefully exploring her lips. She reacted like she was experiencing the shape of his kiss for the first time; tasting him to be sure she liked the sensation. But as she began to relax, her body moved forward. She allowed her lips to press harder against his and he could feel her soft mouth opening to him a little at a time. As her responses grew he slid the tip of his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues met for the first time, fluttering against each other, and now her mouth was open and pressing fiercely against his as she began to respond with more abandon.
Pulling away, Michael spoke softly into her ear “I’d like to touch your face with my hand and hold you closer, will that be ok?” Juliette nodded her assent, leaning into him. He caressed her forehead and then her cheekbone with his fingers. He stroked her hair away from her ear before leaning in to kiss her again, first on her cheek and then on her soft mouth once more. This time Juliette responded with no hesitation, opening her mouth to his and allowing their tongues to dance together.
Michael put his hands on Juliette’s hips and drew her closer. She pressed herself against him, her body losing the last of its stiffness as her need for him grew. But after a few moments she paused, and taking hold of his hands she moved them away from her, taking a small step back.
“I want you to sit down on the edge of the bed,” she breathed. “And each time you ask me something you have to remove a piece of your clothing, ok?”
Michael moved towards the bed, pulling her with him, their hands still holding each other.
“Do you want to start? He watched her as he sat, enjoying her growing confidence.
“Oh no, you lead…” she grinned back at him. “You have to ask me. What’s next Mr. Archer…?”
“In which case I think I’ll take off both my shoes. And I want you to take off both your top and your bra.” It was a gamble and Juliette arched her eyebrows at his sudden raising of the stakes. But without further protest she let go of his hands, pulled her sweatshirt over her head and threw it over the nearby chair, defiantly meeting his challenge. Then, throwing her hair back, she turned round so that she could unclip her bra with her back to him.