The next few days passed in a work-mode blur.

Each assignment did get harder as I solved them, and each one took longer and longer to understand. The second one had taken me two days, while the third took me almost four whole. I was currently amidst number five, and I was on my third day of working on it. One thing was the reading material that only seemed to grow each time, but it was the comprehending it all and then doing the assignment in the end that made it take the time it took. 

But as Harry had pointed out, this wasn't a race. 

For about a week now, I had barely seen anything to Harry, except for the times I had stopped by his office to hand in my finished assignments. Both times he had been on the phone with his earpiece stuffed into his ear and his hands white with chalk as he worked on the problem on his blackboard. The first day I had gotten here, he had mentioned something about a deadline. I wasn't sure if he was still on it or if he was working on something else, all I just knew was that the equation on his blackboard kept growing and growing. It wouldn't be long before he was going to run out of space. 

On the ninth day, a week and a half after the first day where he had presented the assignments to me, I was still sleeping in my bed when I was awakened by the sound of my door being opened. I groaned in complaint when I recognized the heavier footsteps that couldn't belong to Giselle in a million years. If he was waking me up at 7 in the fucking morning...

"You better be a burglar," I mumbled irritably when I heard him walk up to the side of my bed. I grumpily rolled my head his way and cracked an eyelid open when I found him standing there, hands in his pockets as usual, looking down at me with an impatient look. 

"I have a guest coming by today."

That slowly woke me up. Other than his brother's unannounced visit, in all the time I had been here, Harry had never had a guest over. Well... other than me. He always seemed to prefer to seek them out, rather than invite them over here, despite the fact that he claimed to hate the outside world. It had always intrigued me on some level. 

"Who is it?" I tiredly said and rolled over onto my side, rubbing my face when the arrival of his guest seemed to concern me. Why else would he be here?

"A colleague whom I've been working on a problem with," He replied. "He's coming over for brunch, and I would like you to sit in."

I halted up and slowly lifted my eyes to meet his. He wanted me to what? "Why...?" 

He smiled tightly. "Because he happens to be a professor at a certain college. It's never too late to make an impression, and although it's yet to be decided whether or not you'll qualify for the scholarship..."

I slowly sat up and looked at him, suspiciously. "You want me to sit in on a work-related meeting with one of your colleagues, who happens to be a professor, who might soon be... my professor?" Was this purely a coincidence or should I read more into it? "Wait... is this the Dyer-whatever dude you were helping with a thesis?"

"That would be him," He affirmed. "Professor Havers. He's a brilliant mathematician, and he's coming over today to discuss the final details of his thesis before he publishes it."

"How come he's coming over here?" I wondered and laid down in bed again now, stretching out. "I mean... you usually go to see them. Not the other way around. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Harry smiled a little. Then, looking at the floor, he answered; "I prefer to keep this house my sanctuary, but from time to time I do invite an individual over for a luncheon. I don't always trust our conversations to be kept in private out in society."

Such distrust. But then I guess he had his reasons. "Alright. So brunch with two nerds. The food better be bomb, I'm just saying."

His lips twitched, but he then looked at me. "There's one last thing. When Havers arrive, I plan to introduce you as a family friend. I hope you'll find that decent, given the circumstances."

The circumstances. The circumstances being me really being here for his money and connections, and in the first case, more specifically his sperm. Of course all of that had changed now, but I didn't know to exactly what. He was teaching me to teach myself math, so I could earn my scholarship fair and square, yet we sometimes spent nights in the same bed together. Complicated just got a new meaning, I think. 

'Family friend' was a nice word for what I really was. Homewrecker or gold digger seemed more appropriate, or maybe even sugar baby, but I understood Harry's reasons for choosing a more... diplomatic term for what I was. Especially since this man could possibly be my future professor, it would look bad if he knew how I got into the school. And even if he didn't know... the man had a brain. Young girl, older man... living together, spending the summer in each other's company... family friend could put a lid on the gossip that could surely spread. 

"You can introduce me however you like," I said, giving a little smirk back. I didn't know why, but teasing him had become a thing I couldn't help but do. When he chuckled back quietly, I felt the tingle in my stomach that the deep sound caused, the faint shadow of his dimple popping out. I wanted my lips on it. 

"Good. I suggest you get out of bed and start getting ready then," He said, eyeing out my outstretched shape on the bed. The bed he hadn't been in for almost a week. "He'll be here in about three hours. Don't be late."

Did he really think I'd take three hours to get ready? That was only if he stayed another hour and a half. 

I shook my head with a pursed lip when he then turned and walked out of my room, leaving me to get ready.

Today was going to be long.

~~~

I wanted to get as much work done before his guest arrived, so I had spent the hours after getting ready with studying and reading more of the material that came with my assignment. It was when I heard the chime of bells from the door that I looked up from my book.

I guess it was time to be social. 

I came down the stairs, just in time to see Harry walking towards the door. He briefly turned and looked at me as I came down, looking my outfit up and down, before turning towards the door and opening it. 

I had worn the most decent dress I had brought on this trip and paired it with a cute pair of sandals and done my hair with some loose, beachy waves. My makeup was subtle, and if I did say so myself, I looked nice and polished. Like the average girl-next-door. 

Or in this case, girl-upstairs-to-the-left. 

The moment Harry opened the door, I wasn't surprised to see a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair standing in front of the door, but what did surprise me was the large smile and happy look he got when he saw Harry. He smiled broadly and stuck his hand out. "Harry! So good to see you again."

If he was a kiss-ass, he was a good one. However, Harry greeted him back with his usual reserved smile and invited him inside. "Percy. Glad you could make it."

"We both know it's not an invite you say no to, coming to see your dusty lair," He chuckled, to which Harry politely smiled back. It was right about then that Professor Havers eyes lifted and noticed me standing by the foot of the stairs. "Oh, pardon me. I believe I'm being awfully rude. You must be Cassandra Berry."

That momentarily surprised me. I didn't know Harry had told him about me in advance. "Yes, hello. It's so nice to meet you, I've heard great things about you and your work." I could kiss ass as well. 

I stepped forward and took his outstretched hand with a smile. Professor Havers raised an eyebrow and looked me up at down, but unlike Harry, smiled delighted. "Pleasure is all mine. I hear that you're quite interested in math yourself, Ms Berry. It's good to see young people taking an interest in a challenging subject."

I looked towards Harry and rose a brow. Just how much had he told him about me? "Well. Interested is maybe a bit strong," I modestly replied with a smile back. "I'm merely trying to understand what makes it so... complex," I looked towards Harry again and hoped he took the hint. His lips twitched. 

"Of course. Well, then I hope today will be enlightening for you," Professor Havers smiled, squeezing my hand a last time before retracting his own. 

"Yes, speaking of," Harry broke in, already cutting to the chase. He gestured towards the dining room. "Shall we?"

We all three ventured towards the large dining room, and I watched as Harry politely pulled the chair out for me while Professor Havers took the seat at the end of the table. Harry himself sat down next to me, but turned all of his attention towards Professor Havers. A load of papers and notes laid on the table before them, on the corner between the silverware. 

"Now, I've studied your thesis," Harry begun, just as the maids came in with a pot of tea and an assortment of milks, creams, sugars and Splendas. They set it all down as Harry continued, undisturbed. "And there are some points I'd like to go over with you, if you don't mind."

I wasn't exactly sure why Harry decided to invite me to the meeting, but as the time passed and the two gentlemen talked, I realized it certainly wasn't to make friends with Professor Havers. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't get a word in edgewise. They were so deeply entrenched in their discussion on infinite and finite numbers that I might as well have been part of the decor. As much as I wanted to leave, though, I stayed for some reason, and I soon realized why. 

I didn't understand much of what they were talking about. Most of what they were discussing was complete nonsense to me, but that wasn't really what mattered. What did matter was... I couldn't stop listening and watching as Harry talked. 

The way he pushed his glasses up when he got too passionate about a certain subject shouldn't have looked so hot, but it did. He used his hands to point at certain areas in the texts that laid before them, before dragging them over to the numbers and graphs on the papers that he had provided himself. Professor Havers animatedly followed his lead with gestures of his own, but even so, my attention couldn't rip itself away from Harry as I watched his every little move. 

I noticed his jaw clenched whenever he disagreed about something Havers said. I saw the way his lips pursed when he listened to something that was far-fetched, before he took the word himself and proved the man wrong. Professor Havers responded with frowns, but ultimately head-nods and some deep hums that indicated what Harry was saying stirred his mind. 

But it was stirring something completely else on me. 

I didn't realize I was sweating and feeling hot until I crossed my legs on reflex when I felt a sudden ache between them. My eyes looked up at Harry and listened to the way he passionately talked about what consumed his whole life. He was so driven. I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me, but listening to him talk was turning me on. 

Badly. 

Swallowing dryly, I tried to control my hormonal body and instead tried to focus on the plate of half-eaten food in front of me. That became hard when Harry's voice raised and penetrated my ear again, his authoritative voice trying to convince Professor Havers that the thesis needed to get altered on some point because... shit, I couldn't even focus on his words anymore, even if I understood them. I was melting here, and the evidence was in my panties. 

"—No, if and only if the number of triplets of integers—"

"I'm sorry," I spoke up, clearing my throat to break into their little exclusive bubble. Both men looked up and turned their heads towards me and looked at me as if they had forgotten I was here. "I don't mean to disturb, I just—"

"Oh, do pardon us," Professor Havers apologized. "We got so completely wrapped up, we've been ignoring you."

"That's okay!" I quickly said. My eyes turned to Harry when he looked at me with a slightly creased brow. "I was actually only interrupting because... well, I was wondering if you would mind if I retired. I'm afraid I'm not feeling so well all of a sudden."

Professor Havers immediately frowned and looked at me closer. "You do look a little flushed. You might be coming down with something, dear."

Coming down with something. A case of horniness, to which there was only one cure. Yeah, that sounded about right. "I just might. I'm so sorry."

"Nonsense, I hope you feel better," Professor Havers sympathized. Both men then stood up when I pulled my chair out to leave. I smiled politely, but then went to leave. 

I had only just exited the dining room when I heard Harry's muffled voice excuse himself. I then heard footsteps following me, and it only took another moment before I sensed him right behind me. 

I gasped quietly when he surprised me by pulling me to the side and cupping my face. 

"Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever?" He looked concerned at me and then pressed his hand over my forehead. I pressed my lips together, frustratedly. "I'll ask one of the maids to bring some tea up to your room."

Oh, for heaven's sake. 

I reached up and wrapped my hand around his neck, before stepping up to my toes and pulling his lips down to mine. I mashed mine against his and moaned softly as I felt him reach out for the wall behind me to support his balance when I practically clung to him. His lips responded to mine, and with a small movement, he cupped my face and kissed me back when I deepened the kiss. 

For once, I didn't need him to be a perfect gentleman. I needed—I wanted him to be rough with me, to touch me places without my verbal permission, to take what I didn't know I was ready to give before his lips caressed mine. 

Just once, I wanted him to understand that I didn't understand what I wanted, but that it was his job to figure out what that was. 

Pulling away from his lips, I panted lightly and kept my eyes closed as I continued to cling to him. I heard him breathe back heavily as well, but with much more control than me, as usual. 

"Cassandra..."

"I'm not sick," I cut in. I grabbed his hand when I realized he wouldn't do as I wanted, and therefore pulled him closer, so close his hand slid up between my thighs. "I'm horny."

His palm cupped my crevice. I made him feel what he had somehow done to be in the other room and let his fingers investigate the evidence that was the damp patch of my cotton panty. 

He exhaled a slow breath into my hair, just near my ear. His fingers probingly felt the outlines of my lower lips. "I see."

"It's all your fault," I hissed up at him when he continued to caress me, but did nothing else than just that. What would it take for this man to snap? "You turned me on."

When my lips feathered along the line of his jaw, I felt him clench it before nuzzling his nose into my hair. "I don't recall trying to," He replied. 

I scoffed lowly, because that sounded too cocky, even with his calm voice. I then had to bite my lip to avoid moaning when he suddenly pressed down on my clit through my panty, as if to arouse me further. Bastard. "You were talking and... and... f-fuck."

I gripped onto his shirt and then had to bury my mouth against his chest when he found the spot. I couldn't help but release a soft moan, even though I was aware we were standing in the middle of the hall with only a corner and a wall separating us from the other room. I tried to keep my sounds to myself, but I just couldn't.

He then suddenly stopped moving his fingers. I was just about to whimper out a protest when I felt him lift his other palm to my face and cup it, before drawing my lips up to his. He looked into my eyes for a brief moment, before slowly lowering his mouth onto mine. 

I shut my eyes and clung to his shoulders as he devoured my lips with his slow, but dominating movements. I was trembling, and the hand he had purposely kept between my legs was now a grinding pole for me to rub myself against as I felt his lips mold against mine. God, why did his lips feel so good against mine?

He pulled away too soon, and before I could protest, he removed his hand from between my legs and brushed my cheek with his thumb. I slowly and reluctantly opened my eyes and looked up to find him already looking at me.

"Go upstairs," He admonished. "Make yourself comfortable. I need to go back to Havers. He's my guest."

I was frustrated and I let him know with a little, irritated look. Of course I knew we couldn't do anything right now. He had a guest over and this was just... weird. I didn't even know what had turned me on or what had made me come so undone, but this was so unlike me. I usually had a somewhat decent grip on my urges when in company of others, but today something slipped for me. I stood by my accusation, that it was entirely his fault. 

"Have fun working," I replied, letting go of his shirt. He was the first to pull away, and even if I didn't want him to, he left shortly after. I heard his footsteps walking back into the dining room where he was met by Havers concerned interest. Harry excused the disturbance, but didn't comment on my health. A second later they were back to talking math. 

And I went up to my room to have a serious conversation with myself about why the hell I was getting so attached to his touch.

~~~

A few hours later, I was stood in the shower. 

I hadn't come back down after I left to deal with my... situation, so I had no idea how the meeting had went. I had no idea if they got to talk about what needed to be talked about, but I did know that Professor Havers had stayed for a good five hours or more. 

Now, just around around 3pm in the afternoon, I was chilling my body down with a much needed shower, after trying to distract myself with my assignment and papers, but it seemed my body had gone into some sort of heat. If it wasn't because I knew my body so well, I would've actually suspected I was coming down with something.

But unless you counted your period as an illness, it was just Mother Nature taking her monthly place in my uterus and making me extra horny. 

I sighed as I stood in the shower and let the hot water soften and massage my skin until I felt all my tense muscles loosen up. 

There was something else that had been on my mind for a while now, but I had continued to ignore it since, just like my period, it brought too much pain to think about. And, much like my period again, it would all pass if I just let time run it's course. 

Although, this usually took longer than a week to clear out of my system. 

I was too deep in my thoughts and my head was halfway buried under the stream of water, I didn't hear the door to my bathroom open. It was only when I sensed movement in the corner of my eye, I turned my head and found Harry leaning up against my sink. 

Shit. Why the fuck did he look so good with his sleeves rolled up and his top collar slightly undone? Leaning up against the marbled sink casually with his arms crossed over his chest, the light above hit his dark brown hair just right and made his perfectly combed locks look irresistible. Even his jawline seemed shaded as his hooded eyes watched me through the glass.

"There's a name for it," He then spoke. His deep, low voice resonated against the marbled walls and sent hot chills cascading down my back. "Being aroused by intelligence. There's a term for it."

I didn't fucking care if it had a birthday and a social security number. I just knew the water and his dark eyes weren't helping me, and I had been waiting hours for a release. 

"Get in here," I whispered, but with earnestness. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command. 

I saw his jaw clench at my words, and for a moment, he did nothing but look at me. My eyes didn't waver from his, but my body quivered as the water pelted down over it and coated it in another kind of heat. 

Then, it happened. He slowly arose and straightened out. I watched as his hands lifted to the buttons at his chest and started slowly unbuttoning them without a shred of haste. 

I felt my chest rise and fall with impatience and frustration as I watched him slide his shirt off and let it drop to the floor before he went for his pants. It was almost torturous watching him unbuckle his belt and slide it out first before dragging down his trousers and boxers together. 

Stepping out of his clothes, he opened the shower stall door, just as I felt my breath evaporate. I didn't move as he came up behind me, the steam from the water enveloping him the second the door shut behind him. Boxed in, the shower suddenly became that much smaller, and my stomach tightened as I felt his body heat press against my back. 

When his lips then suddenly grazed my shoulder, my eyes shut, just as I felt his hands come around my body. My breath got pulled out of my lungs, and I surrendered to his mercy as he pulled me into his chest and turned my head with a light grip on my chin. In the darkness behind my closed lids, I felt him looking down at me, before his mouth pressed firmly against mine. 

A pliant whimper I didn't know I had the submission in me to expel came out of my throat when his hand came up and lightly cupped my breast. They felt heavy with need, and his touch did nothing to lighten the feeling pressing over my chest. His thumb caressed my nipple softly, and just like that, another whimper left my mouth. 

Suddenly I was turned around, or maybe I turned around by myself—all I knew was that my hands were suddenly wrapped up around his neck and clinging to his hair as Harry's hands swept down and caressed every longing part of my body.

– That was the thing about him that I couldn't explain. His touch wasn't ravenous, yet every part of felt how much he wanted me. He handled my body the way a man should handle a woman's body; Softly, but firmly; Demandingly, yet gently. I had never been touched with that much respect before, and it made me feel hot all over.

I gripped the back of his head firmly now and pulled back from his lips for a moment to meet his stare through hooded eyelids. He looked back down at me and brushed my cheekbone with his thumb, but the constant look of calmness and control still ruled his gaze. For once, I just wanted him to... let go. For me.

Pressing my lips together, I stepped up on my toes and pressed my lips back against his and felt him lean down slightly to kiss me back. My hands automatically cinched themselves around his neck, and the next moment I felt Harry's hands travel down my thighs.

Within a flash, I was in his arms, my feet no longer touching the ground, but my legs wrapped around his hips instead. I let out a small whimper when he then pressed me up against the cold, tiled wall, the same time the warmth of his cock pressed against my moist lower lips. 

His eyes lifted, and for a moment, our gazes met. His amber eyes looked into mine, and I momentarily forgot how to breathe.

We both knew we weren't just fucking anymore. We both knew, yet his eyes that set the mood didn't change. They were dark and they were staying that way, but filled with control as I scraped my fingers against his scalp provocatively.

I needed him to fuck me. Just fuck me, and nothing else. A hard, merciless fuck to get rid of the sensation in my chest that wouldn't go away on its own. If he could just do that one fucking favor for me...

I gritted my teeth, and with resolve, reached down between us and palmed his stiff erection. Looking up, I then caught his eyes as his jaw tightened when I steered him towards my wet entrance that throbbed to feel him. 

Fuck me, I spoke with my eyes, glaring hard at him. Just fuck me, please.

I knew he was smart enough to read me. That's why when I saw his eyes darken a shade, I knew he had heard me. He slowly leaned in towards my mouth and stopped just a breath away, just enough to let me feel his parted lips graze mine. 

Fuck me. Fuck me so you won't make love to me again.

You owe me that much, you prick.

I cried out a muffled cry when he then suddenly pressed forward and let his erection slip inside me, just a few inches, before he with a last push slid all the way in. I felt my inner walls stretching around him, felt my legs tremble as they tightened around his hips. 

My eyes had closed on their own, and without my sight, I felt him kiss my neck softly as he pulled back, only to press deeply inside me again. I felt him pulsing inside me, touching all the places I needed him. 

The moment my walls eased around him, he started moving steadily in and out of me, my body pressing up against the cold tiles with every thrust. Sounds left my mouth that I hoped the shower would drown out, but knew deep down they didn't. My hands clung to his shoulders and neck desperately, and my eyes remained pressed shut as I felt him stir me towards a climax. His body was moving harder and harder against mine, but with the same aggravatingly slow pace I couldn't fight. 

My nails scraped down his shoulder blades when he pushed into me with a particularly deep thrust. I whimpered and gripped his hair, ripping at it as he slowly retracted before repeating the motion. He struck deep within me and made me spasm around him in response, my body sliding against the wet wall behind me with every movement. 

My hips moved on their own and matched his pace, but every part of me was fighting the orgasm that was welling up inside me, the orgasm I had been waiting for for hours now suddenly feeling wrong. I hadn't wanted it like this. 

My breath evaporated when he then suddenly pinned me to the wall and supported me with his weight. I opened my shut eyes when I felt him grip my chin and turn my eyes towards his. 

The eyes that met me weren't the same ones as before. They were the same shade of dark, the same kind of control ruled them, but there was something else inside them now as he looked into mine and brushed his thumb against my bottom lip. 

He wasn't fucking me.

• • •

– Fuck.