Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
But Roland cracks another grin, even as the blue of his eyes turns a deep navy.
“So Aria,” he begins casually. “What can I help you with?”
I stammer a bit, flushing.
“Um, I thought you wanted to talk about The Green Ribbon?” I ask hesitantly. “You know, the first short story in Her Body.”
Nodding, Roland gazes away for a moment while steepling his fingers.
“Yes, that’s right,” he says, nodding thoughtfully. “I liked your comment in class, and wanted to probe further. Why did you say that the author portrays the female protagonist as a wanton woman? What made you think that?”
I gasp.
“I didn’t say she was wanton,” is my quick reply. “In fact, I don’t think she’s a slut at all. She was married to the man who pulled the green ribbon.”
Roland quirks an eyebrow at me.
“You don’t think a married woman can be a slut? Does a wedding certificate mean that a woman can no longer be loose, so to say?”
I flush again, stammering a bit.
“Well, I’m not sure,” are my slow words. “I suppose so. No, that doesn’t sound right. All I’m saying is that the female character seems to be very familiar with her own body, and makes it available for her husband’s pleasure to do whatever he likes. Is that going too far?”
Roland’s eyes gleam, and he leans forward a bit, adjusting his weight.
“I don’t know. Is letting a man do what he wants with your body going too far? I’m not sure either.”
I nod, my heart racing at this titillating conversation.
“I mean, on the one hand, the main character maintains total control over her actions. She chooses what to give to her husband, and shares herself with him unstintingly. But there was just something so … slutty about what she did, don’t you think? Do normal women do that?”
Roland leans forward again, a gleam in the depths of his blue eyes. His shoulders look slightly tense and very broad as his eyes scan my features.
“I’m not sure,” he says slowly. “Do you consider yourself to be a normal woman?”
My cheeks color.
“Yes, of course,” I say in a rush. “I mean, everyone is abnormal in some way. Take my hair, for example. Most babies are born with blonde hair and then it darkens as they age, but mine didn’t,” I say, blabbering at about a thousand miles an hour. “I’m still as fair as the day I was born, and in fact, I think my hair’s gotten even more blonde with time.”
Roland’s eyes gleam again, but his expression remains placid and neutral.
“Is that right, Aria? Could you take your hair down to show me? I’m afraid I can’t tell very well since it’s all twisted up right now.”
I flush. Somehow, this feels very intimate, although I’m hardly Rapunzel letting down her hair for a suitor.
“Oh sure,” I say while biting my lip. My heart’s going a million miles an hour, and somehow, I’m aroused and hot even though I’m not doing anything but dismantling my bun. “No problem, Professor.”
With trembling fingers, I reach up and fumble a bit before sinking my fingers into the elastic and pulling it from my tresses. Immediately, a long fall of gold streams from my crown before lying in a river against my back. It shimmers and waves beneath the light, as if it has a life of its own.
“There it is,” I say with a small smile. “See? I even have streaks of white, almost like an albino,” I manage as a joke.
But Professor Moore is silent, and for a moment, I think I’ve screwed up. Holy shit, I probably just crossed some kind of unspoken boundary, and he’s going to report me to the authorities now. At the very least, things are going to be extremely awkward from here on out.
But then, he gets up from his chair and circles around until he’s standing behind me, his big bulk large and imposing. Then he gets down on his knees as I remain as still as a doe, and lightly trails a big hand over my tresses.
“So beautiful,” he whispers. “You’re absolutely gorgeous.”
My insides go hot and soft, and I inhale sharply. Oh my gosh, Professor Roland is stroking my hair gently now while running his fingers through the golden locks, and I’ve never been so aroused in my life. He hasn’t even really touched me yet, and suddenly, I know that I want to give my innocence to him. I want him to take me right here, in his office, and with a mewl, I turn slowly to face him.
“I’m yours, Professor,” I say softly. And then echoing the character in the book, I add, “Use my body as you see fit.”
The handsome instructor doesn’t hesitate. In one fell swoop, his mouth claims mine, his lips hard and demanding as my soft ones part beneath his insistence. The air departs from my lungs even as he pulls me against the massive wall of his chest.