Under the Mistletoe - Part 3

Click here to read the previous parts of the story.

Sarah walked with purpose towards Eli’s classroom. He’d been on her mind far too much – and he’d been flirting with her far too much in the three days since the teacher’s Christmas party – and Sarah hoped that a direct talk where she told him to stop might help them both.

His door was shut and Sarah peered through the glass to see that Eli was packing up to head home for the day. She reached up to knock and hesitated as she looked down and noticed that her cardigan was buttoned. She’d kept it open all day and has only buttoned it up when class had ended and the students had gone home. Though good sense told her to unbutton it before stepping into Eli’s classroom, Sarah didn’t listen to good sense.

She eschewed knocking, too, preferring instead to let herself in. Eli looked towards the door and offered a charming smile as Sarah stepped into the classroom and gently closed the door behind her.

“Sarah, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?” Eli asked.

Sarah approached his desk with her hands clasped in front of her and said, “I need to talk to you.”

“Of course,” Eli replied. “I’m all ears.”

“I’d…I’d like you to stop flirting with me,” she said.

Eli smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Sarah very nearly stomped her feet in frustration before briefly closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Why not?” she asked.

“To be honest, Sarah, if you truly find it offensive or if it makes you deeply uncomfortable, I’ll stop. I’m not a monster, after all. But, I don’t want to stop because I desire you, Sarah. I feel a kind of desire for you I’ve never felt for anyone else,” Eli explained. “And, I think you feel the same way, which is why I don’t intend on stopping.”

Sarah suddenly felt quite hot, though the temperature hadn’t changed in the matter of a few moments. “I don’t know why you’d think that I desire you. I certainly haven’t said anything to indicate that, and I’m a married woman.”

“Being married doesn’t suddenly preclude you from desiring other people,” Eli said. “It just makes you less likely to act on those desires. And, being married doesn’t preclude other people from desiring you, Sarah. It doesn’t make you less beautiful to me. The part of me that desires you, that wants you so desperately, doesn’t know that you’re married, or it doesn’t care. I’m not sure which is true, but I know that the ring on your finger doesn’t dim the yearning I feel for you.”

“But…but…” Sarah said as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her mind offered very little in the way of a coherent response, though, in part because no man had ever talked to Sarah like that, even Matthew. His desire had always been obvious, but she wasn’t sure it was ever something that felt so potent to him.

Eli stepped out from behind his desk and approached her. She stepped back, but when he took her hand and ran his fingers over her smooth skin Sarah didn’t pull away.

“I want you, Sarah,” Eli said softly. “I know you’re married, but I still want you. I crave you. It’s why I can’t stop flirting with you. I’d rather touch you, and kiss you, and…well, and do so much more with you, but a little flirtation is enough to satisfy me for now.”

Eli stepped closer and suddenly their bodies were nearly touching. He reached up and gently brushed aside the hair that had fallen over her forehead.

“Can I kiss you?” Eli whispered.

Sarah nodded and tilted her head ever-so-slightly as Eli’s lips approached. Her heart pounded harder than she’d ever remembered as she closed her eyes. A moment later his lips touched hers and his hand moved to her waist before slowly moving to her lower back. Eli pulled her close and Sarah’s breasts pressed into his chest.

“Wait, wait,” Sarah said as she stepped back while a wave of guilt washed over her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t. I can’t. My husband. I shouldn’t.”

“I know you felt it,” Eli replied. “I know you want me like I want you, Sarah. I know you want to kiss me again. I know it.”

He stepped closer, studied her face for a moment, and kissed her again. He pulled Sarah close once again and she felt her body melt into his as her mouth opened. She welcomed his tongue and offered her own as she surrendered to a desire that proved far more potent than expected.

“Wait, wait,” Sarah said again.

Eli stepped back and she glanced at the considerable, unmistakable bulge in the front of his pants. “What is it?” he asked.

Sarah wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she knew they couldn’t continue making out in his room. Anyone could walk in at any moment, after all. “This is insane,” she said. “I have to go home.”

“Don’t,” Eli said. “Come home with me.”

“What?” Sarah asked as she stepped away from him.

“Sarah, I know you want me, and you know I want you. Why fight it? Why not come home with me? Why not let me have you? Why not give yourself over to the desire that we both know you feel?” Eli argued.

Sarah felt an unexpected temptation to do that very thing. It was as if she was being almost literally pulled towards him by some unseen force. She resisted, though, instead heading for the door and saying, “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Eli said something, but Sarah was out of the room before he could voice his opposition to her decision to leave. She rushed back to her classroom to grab her things in hopes of making it to the parking lot before Eli could catch up.

Unfortunately, Sarah was too slow and Eli was standing outside her classroom when she emerged with her coat and bag. He handed her a note card and said, “It’s my address. I won’t expect you to come, but you’re welcome to do so anytime you’d like.”

Much to her surprise, he smiled and walked away. She looked down at the note card to see his address neatly written – he lived surprisingly close to her and Matthew – and then looked up in time to see Eli glance back and wave.

Sarah stepped back into her classroom, fell into her chair, and stared at his address. Despite the overwhelming guilt that would follow, she considered going to see him. Sarah wasn’t foolish. She knew what would happen if she did visit him. That’s what she found thrilling, though. As horrible as it was to think of betraying her husband, Sarah couldn’t deny the continued signs of desire.

She couldn’t go to Eli’s house, though. She couldn’t go home either. Instead, Sarah grabbed her things, headed for the parking lot, and drove to Hailey’s house.

“Sarah? What are you doing here?” her friend asked as she opened the door.

“Can I come in?” Sarah replied.

Hailey stepped aside. “Of course, come in.”

The moment she shut the door Sarah said, “Eli kissed me. Or I kissed him. Or both.”

Hailey’s mouth hung open for a few moments before she said, “Wait, what? You kissed Eli?”

Sarah nodded. “After school. In his classroom. I went in to tell him to stop flirting with me and he ended up kissing me. And then he kissed me again.”

“Again?” Hailey asked. “So, you weren’t upset by the kissing?”

Sarah bit her lip and shook her head. She felt so many things at once she wasn’t entirely sure how to process it all.

“Come,” Hailey said as she took Sarah’s hand and led her to the kitchen table. Hailey filled her tea kettle with water, set it on the stove, turned on the burner, and returned to sit next to her friend. “So, you kissed Eli and you weren’t upset by the kiss. Does that mean you enjoyed it?”

“Yes,” Sarah admitted. “But that feels terrible. A married woman isn’t supposed to enjoy kissing another man.”

Hailey laughed. “I hate to break it to you, but lots of married women enjoy kissing lots of other men. The same goes for married men.”

Sarah knew her friend was right, though it wasn’t a particularly helpful observation in the moment.

“How was the kiss?” Hailey asked. “I mean, outside of you not being upset about it, was it a good kiss?”

Sarah nodded.

“Was it better than good?” she asked.

“I think it was, yes,” Sarah said. “I think, in a way, I’ve been trying not to think about it, to be honest. But, it was a really good kiss. Both of them were. I mean, the second one was moving a lot closer to full on making out, really.”

“Tongue?” Hailey asked.

Sarah nodded.

“Sarah, wow, no judgment, of course, but you’re the last person I would have expected this kind of thing from. In a way, I’m impressed,” Hailey noted.

“Impressed?” Sarah asked.

Hailey nodded. “Yes. You gave yourself over to passion, even if it was just for a moment. I feel like every woman should do that from time to time. I mean, didn’t you feel alive when it was happening? Didn’t it feel amazing?”

Sarah laughed. “It really did. Is that terrible? That seems terrible.”

“What if we agreed not to judge it at all, to just let it be?” Hailey suggested. “I mean, it already happened. I feel like the more important thing is what you do from here.”

“Eli wanted me to go to his place,” Sarah said. “After the kiss, I mean. He wanted to…well, you know.”

“He wanted to fuck you?” Hailey asked.

Sarah normally found Hailey’s use of coarse language a little irritating, but in this case her reaction was far different than she’d anticipated. Instead of being irritated, she was hit with a brief touch of arousal as she pictured doing that very thing. It was, after all, exactly what they would have done if Sarah had agreed to go back to his place.

“Yes, at least, I think that’s what he wanted,” Sarah replied. “He didn’t say it, but he was…well, he was…hard.”

Hailey smiled and stood as the tea kettle began to sing. She turned off the heat, dropped a tea bag into two cups, and filled them deftly before delivering them to the table. “Did you consider doing it?” she asked.

“Only for a moment,” Sarah said.

For the first time in their friendship, Hailey looked shocked at something Sarah had done. “Sarah, I think you undersold how good that kiss was if you considered cheating on Matthew, even if it was just for a moment.”

Sarah thought of the kiss again. She thought of Eli’s lips against hers and the way his tongue moved. She thought of his hands on her waist and her lower back. She even thought of the way his erection pressed into her, indicating his desire without any doubt.

“I’m terrible, aren’t I?” Sarah asked.

“If you’re looking for someone to make you feel guilty, you’ve come to the wrong friend,” Hailey replied. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing wrong with feeling a little bit of passion and lust. And, it seems to me that you could go any number of ways with it.”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

Hailey dunked her tea bag, smiled, and said, “Well, you could rush home, tear Matthew’s clothes off, and satisfy the desire that Eli stirred by, forgive me, fucking your husband. I’m certain he’d be more than happy to lend you his cock, even if he doesn’t understand why you’re hot and bothered the moment you walk through the door. You could also take the less responsible route and go over to Eli’s for a quickie before going home to your husband. I know it sounds insane, but lots of people have sex outside their marriage, some with the full knowledge of their spouse.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Sarah said.

Hailey laughed. “That’s not surprising, my sheltered friend. Though, I suppose you’re a little less sheltered than you used to be, aren’t you?”

“I suppose so,” Sarah replied. She sipped her tea, savored the taste, and swallowed before deciding to offer another confession. “You remember that day I rushed out of the teacher’s lounge? After coming out of the bathroom?”

Hailey nodded.

“This is embarrassing and so unprofessional, but I rushed out because I’d just masturbated in the bathroom,” Sarah said.

Hailey laughed. “Holy shit. Maybe you’re not sheltered at all, Sarah. Wow.” She sipped her tea and then said, “Wait. Why were you masturbating in the bathroom?”

“Eli had flirted with me and touched me – just on the arm, nothing big – and I couldn’t control myself. I literally couldn’t control my arousal. It was so embarrassing, but it was like I had to get it out of me or I was going to lose my mind,” Sarah said. “I felt the same thing after he kissed me today. That’s why I considered going to his place.”

“It won’t end if you fuck him,” Hailey informed her friend. “If the sex is good, at least. You’ll only want him more. You’ll fuck him again, and again, and again until at some point you’ve finally depleted the desire. It probably won’t happen quickly, though. So, if you decide to go that route, be prepared to go that route over and over again.”

“You’d have gone to his place, wouldn’t you?” Sarah asked.

“Of course,” Hailey replied. “But I’m not married, so it’s not really comparable.”

Sarah sipped her tea and stared past her friend as her mind raced with all manner of thoughts, many of them alarmingly dirty.

“You really want him, don’t you?” Hailey asked.

Sarah felt a surprising sense of pain as she nodded. She felt terrible for wanting Eli like she did. A married woman wasn’t supposed to harbor desires like that. “How do I stop feeling this way?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Hailey said. “I’ve felt that way a few times in my life, but I always solved it in a way that would be challenging for you.”

“You mean you just had sex with the guy,” Sarah replied.

“Lots and lots of sex,” Hailey clarified. “Lots and lots of really good sex. I miss it, to be honest. Really good sex, I mean. All sex is good, but there’s nothing quite like a man that can really, truly fuck me to a great orgasm.”

Despite Hailey’s proclivity for over sharing, Sarah was still a little taken aback by her frankness.

“Sorry,” Hailey said as she clearly recognized the scandalized look on her friend’s face. “I got a little caught up in my own head there and forgot that despite your little dalliance today, you’re still the most sheltered woman I know. And I don’t mean that in a bad way.”

“I’ve never taken it in a bad way,” Sarah replied. “So no worries there.”

Hailey smiled. “So, what are you going to do?”

Sarah sat back, sighed, and said, “I have no idea.”

Sarah went home that night, made love to her husband, and returned to work the next morning determined to put aside her desire for Eli and be the wife Matthew deserved.

She made sure to keep her cardigan unbuttoned, and when Sarah ran into Eli mere minutes after entering the building she offered a pleasant nod – and nothing more – before heading to her classroom. Much to her delight, she’d managed to keep her desire from the previous days at bay, which put a smile on her face and a bounce in her step for her morning classes.

Sarah took her lunch in her classroom – as she did once or twice a week when she yearned for a bit of privacy – and she was about to take the first bite of her salad when a gentle knock announced someone’s presence. The door opened and Eli stepped through before gently shutting it and approaching her desk.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hudson,” Sarah said in an attempt to signal that she wished to keep things professional.

Eli stopped just short of her desk, smiled, and held Sarah’s gaze without saying a word. It took just a few moments for her resolve to crumble and for the desire that had nearly overtaken her the day before to stir once again. Sarah looked away in the hope that she could short-circuit the feelings that seemed to be out of her control.

“Look at me, Sarah,” Eli said.

Her gaze returned to him in an instant, as if Sarah had no control over herself.

“Button up your cardigan for me,” he said.

Sarah looked down at her blue cardigan – which remained unbuttoned – and then back up at Eli. Her hands remained on her desk, though she felt an unexpected desire to do as he’d requested.

“You know I think you look utterly irresistible when you’ve buttoned up your cardigan,” Eli said. “So please, button it up for me, Sarah. Make me happy. Do as I desire.”

Sarah looked down at her cardigan once more, but this time she buttoned it up for reasons she didn’t entirely understand.

“Look at me while you do it,” Eli said.

Sarah’s gaze returned to Eli’s face as her fingers found the buttons. He stepped to the side of her desk just as she finished and he bent over and kissed her. Sarah’s lips parted when his did and for the second day in a row she had Eli’s tongue in her mouth. Sarah moaned as a powerful wave of desire washed over her.

“I must have you,” Eli whispered as his lips lingered achingly close to hers. “I absolutely must have you, Sarah.”

“I can’t,” she replied.

Eli took her hand and helped Sarah to her feet. He stepped closer, pushed her lunch aside, grabbed her by the waist, and almost effortlessly picked Sarah up and set her on her desk. He moved between her legs and they kissed again, this time with far greater vigor. One of his hands moved to her lower back and the other found her breasts. Sarah moaned into his mouth and spread her legs as if she was inviting Eli to fuck her right there on her desk.

“I know you want me,” Eli said softly. “I know you desire me as much as I desire you.”

Sarah couldn’t bear to utter the words, but he was right. Of course he was right. Matthew was the only man she’d ever kissed with such passion, and Sarah had never kissed her husband like that in school.

“I expect to see you at my house today,” Eli said as he stepped back and smiled. “Make sure your cardigan is buttoned up when you arrive.”

Sarah closed her legs and slid off the edge of the desk as Eli turned and left. She sank into her chair, wiped a bit of saliva from her lips, and closed her eyes. Her heart pounded as she heard Eli instruct her to button up her cardigan the way he liked. Something about his self-assuredness, about a man simply demanding what he wanted, thrilled Sarah in a way she didn’t understand in the slightest. She told herself she wouldn’t go to his house after school, but she knew it was a lie.