#slid in like a powerpoint slide transition

[runawaymac]

“dude they almost sideswiped-”impossibly loud gong sound effect in my head as an image of sideswipe slowly creeps closer

[nazariolahela]

Best Beloved: Chapter 5

A/N: Hey y'all! This is a PM AU I’ve been working on. It’s a bit different than my previous fic series and I’m really excited to try something new. I hope y’all enjoy it. This story is told in dual first-person narrative, from Kaia (F!MC) and Damien’s POV. The first half of this story takes place during Kaia’s freshman year and Damien’s senior year of college. The second half is two years after Kaia graduates. There will be sprinklings of canon in this fic, but we’ll try to step out of the box for the most part. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow @lady-calypso @irishwhiskys-blog @loveellamae​

Synopsis: What happens when you find yourself crushing on your best friend? For years, Damien and Kaia have been friends, while secretly harboring feelings for one another. Everything changes one night after a little too much alcohol and years of pent up feelings. Can they control their emotions and salvage their friendship, or will the feelings they hold for one another destroy everything they have?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Damien and Kaia meet for a study group, but the assignment isn’t the only thing they’re struggling with.

Kaia

“You’re late,” I said, my feet propped up on the table, as Damien shuffled across the library to where I was sitting. It was our weekly study session and we were supposed to start 20 minutes ago, but I was the only one in our group who had grasped the concept of time management.

“Yeah, sorry. This internship is kicking my ass. I had to stay late because we were setting up some new security clearance protocols. Don’t tell anyone though. That information is classified,” he replied as he slid the backpack off his shoulder. He took a seat at the table and shot me a panty-dropping grin. My body instantly reacted. Bastard. How did he keep doing that?

“Yeah, well Brad and Allison aren’t here yet either, so I guess I can’t be too mad at you.”

“You couldn’t be mad at me if you wanted to. You love me.”

I paused. Did he really just say that?  He always knew how to push my buttons. Even when we were kids. It’s like he lived to get a reaction out of me. I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Anyway. We need to get the rest of this project done. It’s due on Monday. Did you finish your part?” 

“Of course I did. What do you take me for?” he grinned, pulling his laptop from his backpack. I watched him from the corner of my eye as he set it on the table and opened it up, powering up the device. “I’m emailing it to you right now so you can add it to the final document.”

I had the unfortunate task of presenting the project to the class, so everyone sent their parts to me. It was my job to outline the project, then organize each part into our PowerPoint.  

“Not gonna lie, this is not how I wanted to spend my Saturday afternoon. I have a very pissed off girlfriend right now,” he said.

I hid my smirk behind my laptop. I know, I know. It wasn’t very nice of me, but I got a little thrill hearing that Damien and Alana were having problems. It wasn’t that I wanted my friend to be miserable, but if he suddenly became single, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I had nothing against Alana personally, but the few times we interacted, she was very cold towards me.

“Hmm...that sucks. So, I have Allison’s part. She emailed it to me last night, but I’m still waiting on Brad’s part. I put your part on slides 5 and 6 to transition from Allison’s slide, then we’ll put Brad’s part on slides 9 and 10 after my part. Then, we should be good to go.” I checked the time on my phone. Brad and Allison were over half an hour late. I sent both of them a text asking when they planned on showing up, then went back to laying out the presentation.

Damien and I worked in silence for several minutes. Occasionally, I would look up from my computer and sneak peeks of him. I couldn’t help but stare at his features. Even after all these years, my attraction for him never waned. He looked up and caught me staring; his lips turned up in a wide grin.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“Um...uh...nope. Y-you’re all good!” I replied a little too enthusiastically.

“Then why are you staring at me like that?” he smirked.

I felt my cheeks turn beet red. I quickly looked away and tried to focus on what I was working on, but I could still feel his eyes on me. My phone pinged, breaking the silence — and thank the gods — the tension. I grabbed it and saw a message from Allison. She mentioned that she wasn’t feeling well and would not be able to make our study group tonight, but that she would see us next week. There was still no word from Brad, which I was not surprised by.

I rolled my eyes and placed my phone on the table. “Well, Allison’s not coming. I don’t know about Brad, but I’m guessing if he was going to show up, he’d be here by now.”

Damien shrugged. “No biggie. That kid is a major tool anyway. Not having him here is a blessing.”

I giggled. “True, but we can’t finish without his contribution, so we’re stuck with him until we turn this stupid ass project in.”

“Yippie,” he said in a monotone voice. I rolled my eyes and went back to finishing up our presentation.

We worked for about ten more minutes until my eyes started to blur from staring at the screen. “Well, I guess this is a good stopping point for now. Until we get Brad’s part, this is as far as we can work,”

I stuffed my things in my backpack and slung it over my shoulder when Damien stopped me.

“Hey, you busy right now? Wanna go get a bite to eat?”

I cocked my head in confusion. Was he really asking me to hang out? I had offered to meet him for lunch or coffee outside of our study group several times, but he always had plans with Alana. “Uh…I guess. If that’s okay with you.”

“Obviously it is because I just asked you,” he smirked.

“Yeah, sure. You wanna go now?”

“Nah, I was thinking sometime next month. Of course, I want to go now. When else would we go?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

I looked down at the yoga pants and hoodie I was wearing. “Well, I was hoping to shower and change before I go out in public.”

“You look fine. No one’s going to give a shit what you’re wearing. Besides, you’re technically already out in public, so it’s a little late for that,” he laughed.

I huffed. “Fine. Where are we going?” 

“There’s a little bistro off-campus that has really good burgers.” He slung an arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his body. The feeling of him pressed up against me sent chills down my spine. I shuddered as he grabbed my backpack and handed it to me, then led me out of the library.  

When we reached his car in the campus parking lot, he unlocked the doors and tossed his backpack in the back seat. I stopped in my tracks. He still had the same car from high school. All the memories of us riding around in this thing on Friday nights came flooding back. He moved to the driver’s side door, stopping to wait for me. “Are you going to get in the car, or are you just going to stand there all day staring into space?” He extended his arm and tapped his index finger to his wrist. “Time’s a-wastin', Park.”

Snap out of it, Kaia. It’s just Damien. But it wasn’t ‘just Damien.’ It was the boy I had been in love with for as long as I could remember. I moved slowly to the car and opened the passenger’s side door, sliding in. He smirked and started the ignition. We drove in silence, the only sounds coming from the radio. A song from our childhood started playing and we looked at each other with goofy grins on our faces.

“Remember the first time we heard this song? You wouldn’t stop singing it for weeks,” he said with a laugh.

“What? It’s a good song,” I replied, singing along and dancing in my seat.

I smiled at the memory that song brought back. It was the summer of 2009. Damien and I were in his backyard, hanging out in the treehouse he and his dad built a few summers before. Two of his younger sisters, Isabela and Carina, were having a sleepover, so he was hiding out. His sister Carina was my age and we were in a couple of classes together, so I was friendly with her, but I spent more time with Damien. The sun had finally set over the horizon so we decided to start up a fire in the fire pit and make S’mores. We climbed down the ladder and he pulled a lighter from his pocket.

“Why do you have that?” I gasped.

His eyes met mine and a smirk spread across his face. “I was smoking a J behind the school gym this morning, so I needed it.” He stared at me for a few seconds, watching my reaction, then burst out laughing. “I found it in the junk drawer in the kitchen, you dork. You know I don’t smoke.”

I leaned over and smacked his arm. “Not funny, Dames.”

“I disagree. I thought it was hilarious.”

“Whatever. Just light the stupid fire. I’ll run inside and grab the stuff to make S’mores.”

“Watch out for the slumber party,” he called back as I walked into the house. I made it to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets, looking for the ingredients we needed. I found the graham crackers and chocolate bars but had no luck locating the marshmallows. I was about to go back outside and asked Damien when I turned and bumped into Isabela.

“Hey, Kaia. Whatcha doing?” she asked, holding several bags of chips in her arms.

“Dames and I are making S’mores. Where are your marshmallows?”

She set the bags of chips down and rummaged around the pantry before locating and tossing me the bag. “So, what’s going on with you and my brother?”

My cheeks instantly flushed. “Wh-what do you mean?”

She smirked. “You know what I mean. You two spend an awful lot of time together. Are you two a thing?”

“No. It’s not like that. We’re just friends,” I lied. Her cocked eyebrow said she didn’t buy my bullshit, but she nodded her head. I grabbed the bag of marshmallows from her hand and hightailed it back outside. "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas blasted through the portable speakers in the yard. I approached Damien sitting in front of the firepit, poking one of the logs with a stick. He was shirtless and the moonlight bounced off the muscles of his toned back. The sight made my mouth water. That was the first time I realized I was in love with him.

I was thrust back into the present by the sound of Damien killing the engine. I looked up and noticed we had arrived at the bistro. We exited the car and made our way inside, snagging a table toward the back of the restaurant. The waitress dropped off the menus and took our drink orders, before leaving us to decide what to eat. I pretended to peruse the menu, but my mind was on the guy sitting in the booth across from me.

“Order whatever you want. My treat,” he said.

“Huh?”

I looked up and he was watching me. He nodded toward the menu in my hand. “Don’t worry about paying. I’ve got it this time.”

“You don’t have to do that, you know.”

“I know,” he said softly, riling up the butterflies in my stomach. Our waitress returned a few minutes later and took our orders. Damien ordered the Maple Bacon Burger while I ordered the Mac ‘N Cheese Burger. The waitress left to put our orders in, leaving us alone again.

“So, now that we’re a month into the school year, how are your classes going?” he asked.

I shrugged, swirling my straw in my glass. “Classes are going well. I’m not ready to drop any of them, so that’s a plus. Dorm life is pretty fun, too. I got really lucky with my roomie. Her schedule is different from mine, so we don’t see much of each other, but one night a week, we hang out.” I tapped my finger against my chin. “It’s crazy to think that we’re already a quarter of the way through the semester, so that means I’m 1/32nd of the way through my college career.”

He laughed. “I guess that’s one way of looking at it. What else is going on? Any interesting guys catch your attention lately?”

My eyes shot up to meet his. Why was he asking me that? I went back to staring at my drink. “Uh...not really. There is this guy in my algebra class who asked me out, but I turned him down.” I peeked at him from under my lashes, unable to make out his expression.

***

Damien

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On one hand, I wanted her to find someone who would make her happy if I couldn’t. On the other hand, knowing that she wasn’t involved with anyone gave me a tiny sliver of hope. I know she wouldn’t wait for me forever, but I still liked that there wasn’t another guy capturing her attention. Jesus, I was such an asshole.

“So, what happened?” the words left my mouth before I could stop them.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s super nice and really cute, but I just couldn’t bring myself to say yes. Which is weird, because there’s definitely an attraction between us. My whole goal for this semester was to step out of my comfort zone.”

She looked up at me, those big, beautiful brown eyes staring into my soul. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, everything about this girl did things to me. Her laugh was like the most beautiful music to my ears. Her sense of humor was aligned with mine. Even her looks were enough to make other girls jealous. When she complained earlier about how she was dressed, I internally rolled my eyes. Even when she didn’t try, she still looked mouth-watering. She was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a light pink hooded sweatshirt with the words “Rosé and Shine” written in gold cursive letters across the chest. Yes, I looked at her chest. If she busted me, I would’ve just said I was trying to read her shirt.

I awkwardly cleared my throat. “You should give him a chance. Who knows? He might turn out to be a great guy. We all know those are in short supply lately.” Gods, what was I doing? I knew it was the right thing to do, but saying those words hurt.

She nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe he is great and we’ll be really happy together. I just don’t know if I’m ready to start dating yet. I think… I just...I’m not over...” she trailed off.

“You’re not over what?”

“Nevermind,” she shook her head and took a long sip of her drink.

The wheels started turning. Was she talking about me? I know she dated in high school, but Nadia told me those relationships never lasted longer than a few months. She suspected I was the reason for that. Yeah, I know it sounded a tad creepy, but I was able to keep tabs on her, thanks to her cousin’s need to gossip.

One particular moment was that first Christmas after I left for college. I received a text from Nadia asking if I was coming home. She then asked that I keep my distance from Kaia. When I asked her “why,” she told me that she was still upset about what happened after graduation. 

But I didn’t care. I wanted to see my best friend. I dropped by her house to say hi to her parents. They always treated me like the son they never had. Her dad asked how college was going. I told them about my classes and the friends I had made so far. Her mom was filling me in about the neighborhood gossip when I caught a glimpse of Kaia hovering in the hallway. She looked like she wanted to talk to me, but I could tell she was embarrassed to see me.

We locked eyes briefly before she turned around and retreated to her bedroom. I waited a few moments then excused myself to use the bathroom. I stood outside her door, listening for any signs of movement, before lightly tapping on the door. I heard the springs of her mattress squeak under her weight, then the door swung open. She looked adorable in her red and white Reindeer pajama pants and white thermal top. My eyes briefly traveled down and I noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“So, you weren’t even going to come to say hi to me?” I asked.

She shifted on her feet. “I don’t know. I figured you didn’t want to talk to me after what happened last time.” I watched as her eyes traveled up and down my body. It took everything in me to keep from pushing her into her room and kissing her. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. Not only were her parents in the other room, I knew the whole age difference was frowned upon. And what if we did get together and it didn’t work out? I’d lose my best friend forever.

“You’re my best friend, Kaia. No matter what happened in the past, that will never change,” I replied.

“Even when I get drunk and act like a lovesick idiot?” She played with the drawstring of her pants, avoiding my eyes.

I gripped her chin with my thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up towards mine. “There’s nothing you could do that would ever make me want to stop being your best friend. And hey, I don’t hold what happened back then against you. Sometimes we do dumb things when we’re drunk.”

Her face dropped and it told me I had said the wrong thing. I brought my hand up and cupped her cheek and she leaned into my touch. The moment was interrupted when her mom called from the kitchen to ask me if I wanted some hot cocoa. I dropped my hand and gave her a weak smile, then backed away slowly as I made my way down the hall back to the living room. I looked over at my shoulder to see her still standing in her bedroom doorway, watching me go.

I was pulled back into the present when the waitress arrived at our table and delivered our food. The two of us ate in awkward silence, occasionally looking up at each other. After our plates were cleared, the waitress reappeared and I ordered a slice of cherry pie for us to share. When the pie arrived, we each took a fork and dug in.

“So, tell me more about this mystery guy?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She chewed for a few moments, hesitant to talk about it, then finally spoke. “Well, his name is Hayden. He’s a freshman and a photography major. He’s from Upstate New York and has a Border Collie named Dipper. He also has a twin brother named Harley, but I guess they don’t get along. Nadia loves him and she’s been bugging me to go out with him for the last few days.”

I didn’t know this kid from Adam, but I instantly didn’t like him. Was it jealousy? Probably. Was I going to do anything about it? Nope. “It’s obvious that you like him, so why not go out with him. You’re overthinking this, Kaia.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she sighed and took another bite of pie. At that moment, Alana’s friends Rowan and Cecile walked by. They waved, then stopped short when they noticed it wasn’t my girlfriend sitting in the booth across from me. Cecile gave me a skeptical glance while Rowan looked on in shock. 

“Hey, Damien. What are you up to?” He asked, looking between Kaia and me. 

“Hey, guys! Just capping off a little study session. This is Kaia. She’s an old friend.”

He nodded. “Cool, cool. You guys going to Homecoming next week? Cecile is a candidate for court, so we were going to have a little get-together after the crowning ceremony. You and Alana should come. It’s gonna be fun.”

“Yeah, that sounds good, man. I’ll talk to her about it this weekend.”

Cecile cocked an eyebrow as if to call me out on my bullshit, but didn’t say anything. She narrowed her eyes at Kaia, then turned back to me. “Well, we gotta go. Tell your girlfriend, Alana, hi for us.” She grabbed Rowan’s hand and they walked out. I sighed. I was sure I was going to get a phone call about that by the end of the night.

“Well, that was weird,” she said. “Speaking of, what’s going on with you and Alana?”

Shit, where do I start? “It’s complicated right now. We’re taking a break.”

Her eyes widened. “You guys broke up?”

“Eh...Not exactly. We’ve been fighting a lot, so we’re taking a few days to calm down and re-evaluate the relationship. It’s not how I would have handled things, but she thinks it will give us time to,” I held up my index and middle fingers, making air quotes, “figure things out. She thinks I’ve been neglecting her, which I kind of have been. But she also thinks I’m cheating on her.”

“Wow...I genuinely don’t know how to respond to that,” she replied.

“Yeah, me neither.”

Kaia nodded silently, setting her fork down on the plate. She rested her elbows on the table and folded her hands in front of her face. “Can I be honest with you? This whole relationship seems really unhealthy. There’s a huge lack of trust on both sides. That’s something a break isn’t going to fix. If she doesn’t trust you to be faithful, your relationship is doomed to fail. So, it’s up to you to figure out how you want to proceed. If you think the relationship is worth saving, you need to prove that you’re a reliable partner, and she needs to work through her insecurities. If not, you’re better off ending it now. Especially before you two decide to get engaged or something.”

“I kind of already proposed to her though,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Oh,” she replied. “Well, you should think about doing some sort of premarital counseling before you get married.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because she said no,” I deadpanned.

Kaia went quiet. I waited for her to say something else, but before she could speak, the waitress reappeared to drop our check off and ask if we needed anything else. Neither of us spoke as I paid the bill and we made our way out to the car. I debated asking her what she was thinking but decided against it. We rode in silence back to the dorms. When I pulled up in the parking lot, she grabbed the handle to exit the car, then stopped.

“For what it’s worth, Dames, I am sorry about you and Alana. I might not like her, but you’re my best friend. And if she makes you happy, then I’m happy for you. If you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

I nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate that. And hey, let me know how things go with Hayden.”

She frowned slightly, then quickly covered it up with a smile. “Will do. I’ll see you in class on Monday. Have a good weekend.” She got out of the car and took off running towards her dorm.

I dragged my hand down my face. Get it together, Dames. She was my best friend. And I had a girlfriend. I got out of the car and headed toward my dorm. When I reached my floor, I swung open the door to my room and was met by the cold stare of my girlfriend, sitting on my bed, her hands folded in her lap.

“Alana? What are you doing here?” I asked as I moved into the room. She rose from the bed and made her way towards me.

“Cecile texted me.”

Shit. I knew this was coming. “Babe, it’s not what you think.”

Her eyes gave away nothing as she took a deep breath. “It’s not important. What matters is you and me.”

Confused, I grabbed her hand and sat down on the bed. “You know I love you, babe. And I know I’ve been a shitty boyfriend these last few weeks, but I want to make this work and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

She nodded, but her face told me she didn’t believe me. I sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple. It was going to be a long night.

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

Remnants, Part IX

Chapter Summary: This chapter is transitional, so bear with me. I’ll be borrowing some ideas from the NATM movies, but mostly doing whatever I want to the plot to make it more Ahk-centric. Part X will be the final, action-packed chapter, but I do have an epilogue outlined, too. 

Part I,  Part II,  Part III,  Part IV,  Part V,  Part VI,  Part VII,  Part VIII

Story Summary: You are in the midst of formulating your dissertation, but you’ve hit a wall. Your doting aunt, Rebecca, has a solution that brings you face to face with Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth King. As the connection between you and Ahkmenrah grows, and as the secrets of his ancient tablet unlock, the once-king will find himself faced with a difficult choice.

Thanks so much to @kitkatcronch  @kpopperotp12  @seafrost-fangirl  @sassystrawberryk  @perfect-rami  @txmel   @limabein   and  @rami-malek-trash for reading : ) If anyone else wants added to the taglist, let me know. I’ve greatly appreciated the feedback!

Warnings: None

It was mid-April, and you smiled as the sun warmed your skin. Although the air still held a chill, it was clear from the budding trees lining the courtyard that summer would soon make an appearance. It had been a particularly brutal east coast winter, and even though the thought of summer brought forth deep pangs of nostalgia, the sun was a welcome change.

“Okay, Y/N,” Chelsea said as she flicked a long strand of hair over her shoulder. “One more time from the top.”

 You began the introduction to your thesis defense for the tenth time that afternoon. In two weeks, you would be in front of a room of both your current and potential peers delivering your defense. The details of your work had drawn a lot of curiosity, so your chairs warned you that it would be a full house. You felt your work as a TA prepared you pretty well for addressing a full auditorium, but you knew that you probably wouldn’t sleep properly until this was all over. To secure job offers, your delivery needed to be stellar.

 In addition to professors, a variety of museum directors and field experts, including the museum director of Cairo, were flying in to listen to your defense. Thanks to Ryan, your name had become familiar to the director in Cairo, and he began to closely follow your publications. If your defense went well, you could be fielding offers not only from all over the states, but globally.

 After Ryan’s six months in Africa, he transferred to The University of Sydney to finalize his thesis and finish his PhD. You always had a hunch that he’d return home, and you sent a text congratulating him, wishing him the best. He’d responded something similar and that was the last you had talked to him in a while. As much of a presence as Ry once was in your life, it was shocking how quickly you could put a person behind you.

 Unless, of course, you were still in love with that person. Despite Ahkmenrah’s last words and his desire to no longer see you, your feelings had not waned. The days did get easier, and you were actually prone to smiling and going out with your friends, but when it got quiet, when you ran out of things to keep your mind occupied, your mind flooded with your memories of him.

 It had been eight months since you had seen Ahk, nearly double the time you had actually spent with him. That was one of the reasons you knew your feelings were real, unlike anything you had experienced before. Normally, like with Ryan, when someone was out of your life, they were just that—out. You thought of them less and less until you never thought of them at all. That was the nature of life—people came and went, just like in that verse from the “Prufrock” poem by T.S. Eliot: “In the room the women come and go. Talking of Michelangelo.”  

 You still had to work every single day to keep thoughts of Ahkmenrah at bay.

 Chelsea finalized her markings in your notebook and handed it back to you.

 “I really think you should stick to opening with that in-depth description of the Nile—the sight, the sound, the smell—it’s riveting. It sets up the scene for the Egyptians acceptance of Akhenaten’s proposal—one river that gives life, one god that gives life.”

 You nodded, drawing a star by Chels’s note.

 “I’ll rework the PowerPoint tonight. Can I buy you dinner as a thank-you?”

 Chelsea laughed, “You don’t need to keep feeding me. I’m happy to help. God knows you’ve proofed enough of my papers over the years.”

 You grinned and shrugged your shoulders.

 “Does that mean you aren’t hungry?”

 Chelsea shrugged into her backpack and said, “Hey. Let’s not get hasty now.”

 The two of you giggled together as you decided on a place for dinner.

 * * * * *

 After latching your door and sliding the deadbolt into place, you dropped your backpack by the coffee table and headed to the fridge to grab a water. You wanted to make Chelsea’s suggested change to your PowerPoint presentation and then settle in to do yet another round of edits.

 You nearly had each slide memorized, but when you got to the part of your presentation that challenged your field’s previous notions about Egyptian royalty and argued that the emergence of monogamy in marriages made for a natural evolution to Akhenaten’s monotheistic cult, you paused, your mind swirling with thoughts of Ahkmenrah and his parents.

 You knew once your mind began swirling with memories of Ahk that your proofing skills were rubbish after that, so you shut your laptop and made a cup of tea, sipping it while you watched some light television.

 This was your nightly routine; the more you could push away your thoughts of Ahkmenrah and the museum, the easier it would be to fall asleep.

 You settled into bed, and after about a half an hour of tossing and turning, you fell asleep.

  ~ ~ ~

The cat in your lap purred, its sleek, warm body a welcome weight. You smiled as you stroked the fur behind its ears, noticing that the cat was curled tightly in your lap, settled on your white linen dress that fluttered around your ankles; golden bangles intermixed with brightly colored beaded bangles adorned both of your arms and jingled pleasantly as you moved.

 As you looked up from the sweet creature snuggled on your lap, you smiled as you took in the scene before you. Below, the Nile sparkled in the sun, its lifegiving waters reflecting a deep blue that reminded you of a stormcloud plump with rain. Palm trees littered the banks, grouped in clusters that shaded the grass underneath.

 A strong, but soft hand, one that you knew well, slid over your bare shoulder. Your eyes closed to your husband’s loving touch, his fingers eliciting goosebumps as they slid down your upper arm.

 “Still so sensitive to my touch, love?”

 “Mmm,” you hummed, eyes still shut as Ahkmenrah’s presence enveloped you.

 “Would you like to join me for the meeting with the builders? They believe they have figured out a way to extend irrigation channels into Fayyum to revitalize the fields there.”

 “Oh? That’s excellent news!”

 Ahkmenrah returned your grin, reaching to take your chin in this hand, his fingers grasping the point to tilt your head up. He leaned down for a kiss, sweet, at first, but with a quick swipe of his tongue across your bottom lip, it occurred to you that it was odd for the king to be visiting you mid-afternoon.

 You licked across your lower lip, relishing in the taste of him.

 “Is there something else that you wanted, my king?”

 “I missed you,” Ahkmenrah said with an earnestness that squeezed your heart.

 “I always miss you,” you said, gently prodding your sleepy companion until they leapt off your lap, allowing you to stand and stretch before turning to face your husband.

 You slid your hands up his biceps and locked your eyes onto his. His eyes were particularly blue today, not unlike the Nile. Words weren’t needed as you looked at each other, love etched across both of your faces.

 Ahkmenrah pulled you close to him and closed his lips over yours once more. Soon, you were lost in the passion of the kiss, in the way his body felt against yours, and in the warmth that radiated from his love.

 ~ ~ ~

You gasped as you bolted upright, sweat pooling at your lower back and across your temples. It was the third night in a row that you had this same dream and its vividness continued to overwhelm you. Similar dreams had plagued you over the months, but there was something about the clarity and the purity of emotion within this dream that made it much worse than the others.

 The tears were already formed and as you laid back down, they silently spilled onto your pillow. You knew that no matter the results of your dissertation, you would have to put distance between yourself and Ahk.

 When you loved someone, sometimes you really did have to let them go.

 * * * * *

 Normally, you weren’t one for big parties, but the laughter and spontaneous emission of congratulations along with the buzz of the bar, the clang of glasses, the din of the band in the next room, were all a welcomed cacophony. You hadn’t a clue how many drinks had been bought for you and even worse, consumed by you, but you were the happiest you had been in months.

 You passed!

 You earned your PhD and you had a small pile of job offers to sort through, although you already knew which one you were going to take. It wasn’t quite as much money as some of the others, but it was your dream; and even better than fulfilling your dream, you would be able to give something back to the person who had helped you in your hour of need.

 After you had presented your defense, as you were shaking hands with Dr. Omar Gamal, the director of the Museum of Cairo, an idea took shape and you weren’t ashamed to think that it really was brilliant.

 As you finished the drink in your hand, you gathered everyone’s attention to announce that you were taking the job in Cairo. Cheers erupted and you couldn’t stop grinning as your friends and family took turns congratulating you and peppering you with questions.

 What you didn’t tell anyone was that you already knew exactly what you were going to do once you got there, thanks to Ahkmenrah’s papyruses and your journey through his memories. If you couldn’t be the one to bring happiness into Ahk’s life, then perhaps a reunion with his parents could.

 * * * * *

 By early September, you were well settled in Cairo. Finding Merenkahre and Shepseheret proved to be easier than you expected. In the basement of Cairo’s museum, there was a repository of unidentified mummies, most proving to be average Egyptians who had just enough money to build a decent tomb.

 Apparently, as a final insult, Kahmunrah had buried his parents as commoners to ensure their afterlife would be the opposite of the glorious affair normally reserved for the royals. To Kahmun, a life without luxury was the true punishment, so you really weren’t shocked to find that he did bury both of his parents together. Of course something like love wouldn’t have been valuable to him.

Villains. In the end, they’re all the same.  

 At first, Omar thought you were crazy, and you thought that you were going to for sure get fired. One of the most prominent kings of the Middle Kingdom and his beloved wife were Unidentified Mummies #17 and #18? Impossible.

 But after extensive tests, you were able to prove that the ages and the causes of death matched that of Merenkahre and Shepseheret. What you weren’t able to do was reveal your exact source. It took a lot of cross referencing and circular explanations, but Omar was diverted when you made your proposition for an exciting new exhibit, and even more diverted when you made your proposition to reunite Merenkahre and Shepseheret with their son, Ahkmenrah.

 Omar’s dream was to return all major Egyptian exhibits to their homeland in order to declare them property of the Museum of Cairo. Lending them out to travel the world was one thing, but it was a true indecency when colonizers were the ones who still owned what was taken from the Egyptians’ land.  

 You had sketched up a proposal of showing the three layers of royal Egyptian life—the throne room, the Royal Wife’s garden, and the prince’s chambers. The only hitch in your plan was that to raise the funds for a permanent exhibit in Cairo, you had to build the exhibit at the British Museum of Natural History. If they held the first rights to display, they would fund a permanent exhibit in Cairo.

 The British Museum could also secure the rights to display Ahkmenrah because the American museum was willing to trade Ahk for the mummy of Ahmose-Meritamun; the Americans would then be able to create a female-centric display, something they had been looking to do to showcase the prominence of women during the Ancient Egyptian empire.

 The only thing left to do was to ensure that Larry and Rebecca helped to keep your surprise—when Ahkmenrah was ready to be moved, he should know only the scarcest of details.

 For the first time in a long time, everything was going according to plan.

 * * * * *

 After Omar popped the top of the champagne, the cork skittered across the floor and you and your team laughed as you held out glasses out to catch the bubbly alcohol.

 Merenkahre and Shepseheret’s exhibits were a smash hit. Your PR team had been hyping the return of Ahkmenrah next month to complete the triage of Egyptian royals and opening night had already been sold out.

 The current exhibit of Merenkahre and Shepseheret had been featured in multiple publications and the detail of each layer of royal life had cemented your place as one of the top anthropologists in the world. You never forgot that you owed it all to Ahkmenrah, and you never forgot that you were really doing all of this for him. Within the next month, he would be reunited with his parents.

 Your phone rang, its music invasive and interrupting the happy atmosphere.  

 You sipped the top of your champagne before it could overflow and checked the screen.

 Larry.

 Larry never called. He was a texter, and it had been a long time since you talked. He was still working as the night guard, but he started going to classes to get his teaching degree. Aunt Rebecca was proud of his initiative, and she had kept you up to date on his progress; had she been calling, you wouldn’t have thought twice about letting it go to voicemail and checking it later. But Larry calling . . . something wasn’t right.  

 “I gotta answer this—be right back!” you said as you moved away from the laughter and the even happier chatter.

 “Hey Lar—what’s up?”

 “Y/N! I’m so glad you answered. Look, I’m not sure how to tell you this, and he doesn’t even know I’m calling you because he’d probably sick those jackals on me if he did find out and we all know—”

 “Larry. You’re babbling. What’s going on?”

 “Ahk’s sick.”

 “Sick? He’s a regenerated mummy. He comes back to life in perfect health, perfectly restored. How could he be . . . sick?”

 “It’s the tablet. I think the tablet is . . . dying.”

 You had made your way to the end of the hallway where a large set of stairs led up to the display. You sat down, hard, on the top stair, your body numb, your mind whirring—you were so close to giving Ahkmenrah his parents back. He couldn’t be dying, for fuck’s sake. He just couldn’t be.

 “Tell me everything.”

[artificialqueens]

Extra Credit: Part 3 (Shalaska) - Rosie

A/N: Hello, it’s me, Valentina alaskadelneedles who has changed her pen name to Rosie! I’m back with another instalment of Extra Credit, please enjoy! Feel free to tell me your thoughts about it here or at my new fanfic blog @aqrosie !

Summary: After their last ‘meeting’ in Sharon’s office, the ball is now in Alaska’s court to make the next move. And she makes many moves – just not at Sharon. Cue a sexually frustrated professor giving a lecture while side eyeing the blonde in the front row who’s practically sitting in the lap of the boy next to her. A healthy 5.8k words.

It had been almost an entire week since their last ‘meeting’, and Sharon was beginning to think Alaska was giving her a taste of her own medicine.

Sharon, who last week was too worried to pick up the phone for an entire seven days, was now the one playing the waiting game.

Each day she would type away in her office, her eyes flicking to the door and her heart rising whenever someone walked past her room. But it was never Alaska.

Each night she would come around her fingers, her limbs shaking against her white sheets as the blonde’s name rolled off her tongue and echoed around her bedroom walls. But it was never the same.

Sharon realised this was probably how Alaska had felt last week while she waited for the call Sharon never made, an overly excited ball of sexual energy that was also riddled by self-doubt, nerves and anticipation.

But as Sharon entered the hall to deliver her morning lecture, she knew she wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

Sitting in her now usual spot in the front row, Alaska was chatting away to the bubbly blonde girl who was always the first to raise her hand to answer one of Sharon’s questions.

“How have you not started the assignment for Integrated Marketing Communications yet, Alaska?” the blonde cried, her loud, gob smacked tone allowing Sharon to hear their conversation.  

“I dunno, Courtney,” Alaska drawled sheepishly, casting her gaze over to Sharon before meeting her friend’s eye, “I’ve just been busy.”

“Well, I’m going to the library after this with Bendela if you want to come, I can help you start?” Courtney asked.

“Aw, thanks girl,” Alaska smiled. “Ah, I have to do an errand first, but I’ll meet you after.”

Sharon didn’t react as she eavesdropped, her face blank as plugged in her laptop and opened her PowerPoint, knowing fully well she was the errand.

The clock hit 9am and the last few stragglers to enter the hall found their seats, one of those stragglers being Derrick Barry, and one of those seats happening to be next to Alaska.

Sharon forced her eye not to twitch as she watched Derrick fumble into her lecture late and nosily set up his laptop.

Like Courtney, Derrick was a student who always raised his hand. Unlike Courtney, whose contributions were intelligent, thoughtful and aided class discussions, Derrick’s answers were always either mansplaining what Courtney had just expressed, or a bad attempt at humour – or worse, hitting on Sharon.

Sharon caught herself, realising the true reason for Derrick being extra annoying today was because he got to sit next to Alaska.

“Alright, before I begin, I’ll answer the burning questions,” Sharon said to her class. “Yes, there is a mid term quiz and no, I’m not pushing it back, it’s a midterm quiz.”

As a groan rippled throughout her cohort, Sharon caught sight of Alaska, whose sight was set on Derrick Barry.

The sound of a record scratching echoed in Sharon’s mind.

With the back of her pink pen in her mouth, Alaska was smiling at the boy next to her, her thick lashes fluttering at someone who absolutely did not deserve to experience the beauty that was Alaska’s fluttering lashes.

Alaska finally tore her eyes from Derrick and looked at Sharon before giving her a small, cunning smile.

Oh, you wanna play that game? Sharon thought.

“So, Week 3,” Sharon announced, smacking her middle finger down on the spacebar key of her laptop a little too forcefully, her eyes locked on Alaska as she transitioned to another slide.

As Sharon walked her cohort through a new concept and posed questions at them to generate discussions, she was constantly flicking her attention to Alaska, who had it trained on the fool next to her.

She noticed everything, from Alaska flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder and practically onto Derrick’s, to how she giggled at his dumb comments – not that Sharon could even hear them, she was just going off what had previously come out of his mouth – to the way Alaska’s forearms were pressed to her sides, her already perky breasts made to look even bigger.

Sharon nodded along and politely smiled as a student took far too long to communicate a simple idea, all the while picturing Alaska lying across her lap with her skirt up and her underwear down, Sharon’s hand smacking her tight, perfect ass.

“Ah, yeah, exactly,” Sharon said encouragingly when the student finally finished. “This brings me to my next point, social media. Now, who can tell me some ways companies and brands use social media well?”

A few people raised their hands, but none as enthusiastically as Courtney. Sharon smiled and gestured for her to speak.

“When brands quickly reply to customer service posts, typically on Twitter, and are actually helpful, it reflects really well on the brand and resonates with their younger target demographic. Direct messages, like DMs, are also a good tool as well when young people don’t want to call customer service,” Courtney said perfectly.

“Yeah, well said,” Sharon nodded encouragingly.

Contrary to her profession of being an academic, Sharon described herself as technology illiterate. Once she got the hang of one platform, five more were springing up. Apparently Facebook wasn’t cool anymore, but SnapBack was all the rage. Or was it SnapClap?

Derrick raised his hand proudly, and Sharon’s expression flickered slightly, mentally preparing herself for whatever response she would receive this time.

She had recently actively avoided accepting Derrick’s contributions, but she had pulled herself up on it. It wasn’t fair, and it was unprofessional of her to let her own opinions get in the way of a student’s learning, no matter how infuriating that student was.

Her eyes narrowed as she noticed he was reclining back in a ‘too cool for school’ way, his right arm propped up on the back of his chair in an attempt to look like it was around Alaska.

“Sure, Derrick,” Sharon forced out, gesturing at him to speak.

With a smirk on his lips and a look in his eyes he would probably describe as ‘cheeky’, Derrick announced, “I’d like to slide into your DMs, Ms.”

As Sharon’s eyebrows rose, another groan rippled throughout the cohort. They were just as much over Derrick and his bad attempts at hitting on Sharon as Sharon herself was.

Alaska grimaced and side eyed Derrick, but she still didn’t move away from him, instead continuing to almost lean into him, like a couple. Sharon narrowed her eyes at their little seating arrangement.

She could join in on Alaska’s games too though, couldn’t she?

Conjuring up her best fake laugh, Sharon cackled, her face barely moving and her eyes dead as she looked at Derrick.

“Ah, you’re so… funny, Derrick,” she said, even though she had no idea what the fuck a DM even was.

Alaska’s jaw dropped as she witnessed Sharon Needles giving Derrick Barry the time of day.

Sharon met her gaze before she turned around to walk back to her podium to flick to another slide, and Alaska just rolled her eyes.

When Sharon looked up at her class again, she saw Alaska had repositioned herself, now sitting in her own seat and not leaning into Derrick anymore, the cunning smile wiped off her face.  

“You know,” Sharon smiled, clearly happy with herself and feeling victorious, “I think I might push that midterm back, just a week though.”

A cheer erupted amongst her students, followed by a smattering of applause.

“Well, that just about wraps us up,” Sharon said as the clock hit 10am. “Don’t forget you have another module due this Friday, and I’ll email you all to confirm the new mid term quiz date.”

It was a flurry of students closing laptops and grabbing their bags as they packed up, conversations filling the room as they began to file out. Alaska and Derrick were still sitting as Courtney confirmed their plans to meet up later before leaving.

As Alaska took a final sip from her water bottle before sliding it into her bag, Derrick leaned towards her, his face far too close to hers.

“Hey,” Derrick said, dragging out the word and failing to do it as effortlessly and coolly as Alaska did with her words.

Alaska just looked at him, her face pitched as if she smelt something bad.  

“What?” she said, leaning away.

“Let’s go out sometime,” Derrick said confidently, not even posing it as a question.  

Alaska had to hold back a laugh.

“And what would give you the idea I’m interested in you?” Alaska snapped back. She flicked her gaze to Sharon, who was being crowded by students with questions.

Derrick’s expression fell from one of smugness to confusion at Alaska’s instant rejection.

“But, but the lecture… the hair, the flirtin—“ Derrick fumbled out.

“I have no interest in you, no one’s interested in you,” Alaska hissed, shutting her laptop before slipping it into her bag.

“N-no one’s interested?” Derrick faltered, his puzzled expression missed as Alaska slid out of her seat and walked up to Professor Needles.

She joined the crowd of her peers and smirked at Sharon, who was nodding along and mentally scolding the students for not asking these questions in front of the class where everyone would have benefitted from her answers.

“No, I can’t push the deadline back further. No, I can’t process extensions; you’ll have to apply through Student Services. No, five website references are not enough, the librarians will help you find peer reviewed articles,” Sharon rattled off, almost robotically.

Slowly but surely the crowd around her dispersed, the shoulders of students slumped as they faced the reality of university.

Alaska was about to walk up to Sharon to do her normal ‘can I grab another extra credit form off you, Professor?’ spiel, but another student beat her to it.

Striding in front of her and catching Sharon’s attention was Kimora Blac, a cocky double degree Law and Business Marketing student with an ego the size of her ass.

“Good morning Professor,” Kimora smiled, offering her hand to Sharon, who stared at it almost dumbfounded at first before shaking it. Whether they were real or not, Sharon was obsessed with Kimora’s sharp cheekbones, and Alaska noticed her staring.

“First of all, I’m a huge fan of yours,” Kimora gushed. “I watched your speech from last year’s Global Marketing conference on YouTube and loved it.”

“Oh wow, thanks,” Sharon replied brightly, learning for the first time she was on YouTube.

Alaska glared at the back of Kimora’s stupid head, not believing how much of a suck up she was.

“I was just wondering,” Kimora continued, “I happened to be away for the first few weeks of the semester due to an overseas exchange, and I’ve missed some of the modules. Would I be able to apply for extra credit to make up for what I’ve missed?”

Alaska’s eyes grew wide as Kimora uttered the words Alaska always did when she entered Sharon’s office.

Sharon’s surprised reaction was a mirrored image of Alaska’s, and she caught sight of the younger girl’s expression over Kimora’s shoulder.

Alaska smirked and raised one eyebrow. Yeah, she silently asked Sharon, can she?

Sharon swallowed and addressed Kimora, who stared back at her with dark, catlike eyes accentuated even more with sharp, black eyeliner.

“Uh, wi—with extra credit,” Sharon stumbled, “you’ll have to actually apply through the faculty co-coordinator. I can’t process it on my end.” She flicked her eyes to Alaska before she said the last part. “So, I can’t help you.”

Kimora nodded understandingly, albeit a little frostier now that things had uncharacteristically not gone her way.

“Okay, I understand, thank you so much for you help anyway, Professor. I look forward to the rest of the semester with you,” Kimora said, and Alaska rolled her eyes for the second time today at just how desperate Blac sounded.

Kimora turned and walked away, both Sharon and Alaska left to watch her long, black, slicked up ponytail sway above her round ass as she walked out of the room.

Once the door shut and they confirmed they were alone in the empty lecture hall, Alaska turned to Sharon.

“So, Professor,” Alaska said softly, walking up to Sharon, her fingers brushing the buttons of the older woman’s blouse. “Can I have some extra credit?”

Sharon couldn’t contain her laugh as she pulled Alaska in for a kiss.

*

Sharon wasn’t even pretending to do work in her office as she waited for Alaska.

After their brief kiss in the hall before, Alaska had told her she had planned to drop by her office after their lecture, but first they had to leave the room separately.

As Sharon calmly walked through the campus, her insides were alight with excitement and anticipation. She had admired herself in the mirrors of the elevator as she rose to her floor, a complete turn around from how she felt in the exact same space just last week.

Seven days ago she was filled with so much shame after realising she had screwed a student that she couldn’t even look at herself in the elevator’s reflection. Now, she fixed her hair, checked there was no lipstick on her teeth, and adjusted her cleavage. It was only then she realised she was wearing the same dress she had worn the night she had gone up to Alaska at the bar, and then gone down on her in the bathroom.

While it was office appropriate, it was also black, low cut, hugged her figure and could easily be hitched up. As the elevator doors slid open, Sharon couldn’t wipe the smugness off her face. She had a plan.

Now she sat in her office, tapping her nails against her desk and not even bothering to look busy as she waited for the younger girl, her eyes focused on the digital clock in the top right corner of her desktop.

Finally Alaska appeared, and for once it wasn’t a fragment of Sharon’s imagination, but the real thing. She had seen her in the lecture hall just 10 minutes ago, but somehow Alaska looked even better.

She stood at Sharon’s open door and leaned against the frame slightly, biting her bottom lip in an effort to stop smiling like an idiot.

“Hi, Professor,” Alaska said hurriedly, her voice higher than she would have liked. Sharon couldn’t help but grin back, and it warmed Alaska. They were both as excited and horny as each other.

“Can I talk to you about extra credit for the assignment?” Alaska asked as a colleague of Sharon’s walked through the corridor.

“Sure,” replied Sharon, a little too quickly. “Come in… and close the door.”

Alaska stepped inside and closed the door before locking it. She reached up to pull the blinds down for privacy, but smiled when she saw Sharon had already done so.

Sharon leaned back in her leather chair that was more expensive than the car Alaska was saving to buy before tapping her desk in front of her.

“Come here, baby,” she whispered, and Alaska happily obliged.

She walked around and sat on the hard, wooden surface of Sharon’s desk, the palms on her hands propping her up as her feet dangled. She crossed one leg over the other, and neither of them missed the moment where her skirt rode up, revealing more of her thigh.

Even though she was sitting higher than Sharon, Alaska still felt submissive under the older woman’s gaze. As she watched Sharon’s eyes trail down her body, she felt herself pulse.

Sharon reached out and felt the material of Alaska’s skirt between her fingers. It was baby pink, incredibly short and pleated. Sharon could feel her heart thumping in her chest as she stoked the fabric, failing to ignore all the memories it conjured up.

She was suddenly remembering all the afternoons in high school she spent sitting on the bleachers, smoking and watching the cheerleaders practice, feeling herself throb as their short skirts flew up around their bodies as they were launched into the air. They would wink at Sharon and giggle with one and other, each cheerleader showing off to their favourite audience member.

Then she was remembering her first time, behind the sports equipment shed where her hands had trailed up past the hemline of a school skirt much like this before kissing a girl not at all like Alaska.

Alaska knew what she was doing when she picked this out this morning.

“I didn’t think you’d be so cliché,” Sharon said as her fingers grazed Alaska’s schoolgirl-esque skirt. She didn’t touch her skin, and it drove Alaska crazy. Alaska didn’t want tentative touches; she wanted Sharon to rip the damn thing off her.

“Not as cliché as this,” Alaska replied before leaning back and spreading her legs.

She flicked her pink skirt up to reveal a bright red thong underneath. Sharon’s eyes widened and she cleared her throat almost comically, and Alaska had to bite her lip to stop the laugh that threatened to bubble out.

“What happened to the pure, little white one you had on the first time?” Sharon joked.

“It’s probably still on the floor of that bar’s bathroom,” Alaska said, the tip of her middle finger running over the lace and between her folds as she spoke.

“You want me to fuck you like I did in that bathroom, hmm?” Sharon asked softly, leaning forward to gently kiss Alaska’s inner thigh.

Alaska’s breath hitched as Sharon’s kisses got closer and closer to her core. It took everything in Sharon not to give in yet, to not slide the thong off and bury herself in Alaska. Not yet. Even though she was sitting, Sharon’s hips jerked slightly, her body impatiently hungry for what she knew was coming.

“Yes,” Alaska breathed as Sharon mouthed over her folds ever so slightly. She could feel Sharon’s hot breath against her sensitive skin through the lace, and it made her eyelids flutter.

“Well you’re not gonna get it,” Sharon said suddenly, her slow, sensual tone replaced entirely with bluntness. She pulled away and leaned back on her chair, narrowing her eyes and sizing up Alaska.  

“What?” Alaska attempted, sitting up. She tipped her head to the side as her foggy, lust clouded mind tried to keep up.

A smile pulled at Sharon’s lips and threatened to spoil her dominating act. But she couldn’t help it; Alaska just looked so adorable, all confused and spread out.

“You really think I’m going to do all the hard work and eat you out after that stunt you pulled earlier with Barry?” Sharon practically spat the last word.

Alaska’s eyes grew wide before she cottoned on. Her plan at making her Professor jealous had actually worked. They both knew Alaska’s flirting with Derrick wasn’t real, and that Sharon wasn’t nearly as envious and annoyed as she was pretending, but that was part of the fun.

“Are you jealous, Professor?” Alaska asked, sitting up so that she was almost looking down at Sharon, her long legs dangling off the desk as she spoke.

“Very,” Sharon drawled, her hands sliding up Alaska’s thighs before pulling her forwards slightly, towards her, their eyes locked on each other.

“Have I been naughty, Professor?” Alaska asked, her voice quiet, because she feared if she spoke any louder, their sudden bubble of role-play would pop.

Sharon’s chest rose at the word choice as she breathed in deeply. She shifted in her seat and squeezed her thighs together, already feeling dampness.

“So naughty,” Sharon sighed, her hands caressing Alaska’s thighs under her skirt.

Whether they realised it or not, they were slowly moving closer, their world getting smaller as they gravitated towards each other.

“What do naughty girls do?” Alaska asked, her lips inches from Sharon’s.

Sharon paused, her eyes trailing down Alaska’s neck before meeting hers again, and Alaska forced herself not to shiver under the older woman’s gaze.

“They get on their knees,” Sharon said.

Alaska’s plump lips parted as she gasped slightly. She slipped off the wooden desk with ease, eagerly obeying Sharon.

She flicked her long blonde hair behind her shoulders and spread her knees as she positioned herself between Sharon and the desk.

Sharon hitched her tight dress up, the material gathering around her waist as she exposed her pale thighs. She went to pull her underwear down, but Alaska stopped her.

“No,” Alaska said with a shy smile, her fingers hooking under the elastic, “I want to do it.”

Sharon lifted her hips slightly so Alaska could pull her black underwear off. The material clung to her dampness slightly as it was pulled away, reminding them both of their first time in the bathroom.

Sharon heard a soft, low moan before realising it was herself. A blush blossomed on her neck as Alaska pulled her underwear down her thighs, over her knees and down her shins before carefully navigating them between her high heels.

Sharon spread her thighs before lifting her legs to rest her feet on the desk, her red Louboutin bottoms against the polished, oak wood.

“I missed you so much,” Alaska said between the kisses she placed on Sharon’s inner thighs.

“Show me how much you missed me,” Sharon whispered as she ran her fingers through Alaska’s soft hair, emphasising the first word.

Without any more delay, Alaska leaned forward, her tongue lapping over Sharon’s slick folds before dipping in between them.

Sharon gasped, her mouth falling open as she was finally met with relief. Her whole week was building up to her next encounter with Alaska, and every second was worth the wait.

Alaska flattened her tongue before licking one long, slow stroke up Sharon, who spread her thighs wider at the sensation.

A string of moans, gasps and praise was held back behind a bitten lip as Alaska’s movements intensified, building Sharon up before bringing her down, edging her along.

Alaska pulled away, only to bring her fingers between Sharon’s folds.

“So wet,” she murmured, her fingers already slick.

She leaned forward again, her tongue lapping against Sharon’s bud as her index finger circled her entrance.

A high-pitched moan leaked out of Sharon, and suddenly she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“So good, that’s so good baby, ah,” Sharon babbled, her hand on the back of Alaska’s head pulling her even closer as her hips automatically rocked up, desperate for more.

As Alaska slid her index finger in completely, she hummed around her sensitive bud, sending shock waves through Sharon’s body.

Sharon clutched her armrest with one hand, her knuckles instantly turning white as she gripped the leather.

Alaska slipped a second finger into her entrance, and Sharon squeezed around her touch, grasping for more.

“You like that?” Alaska drawled, her voice raspy.

Sharon could only nod feverishly. Moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes as Alaska pumped herself in and out before adding a third finger. She wrapped her lips around Sharon’s clit, showering her in a mix of tongue, sucking and moaning.

Sharon was close. Her limbs were rapidly becoming both weightless and heavy at the same time, and her mind felt simultaneously so distant but so present.

And then her phone rang.

Gasping, Sharon’s eyes shot open as she was ripped back into reality.

Her hand on the back of Alaska’s head halted her and held her close as another sharp ring sounded from the office phone.

Sharon glanced at the called ID and felt her gut lurch. She couldn’t let this go to message bank.

Shooting a glance at Alaska, Sharon picked the phone up before bringing it to her ear.

“Hi Chad!” she sang, greeting her boss entirely too happily. She needed to tone it down.

“Hey Sharon,” Chad Michaels replied warmly.

Sharon loved Chad. Even though she was the Executive Dean of the university, Chad was almost like a loving mother figure. She was in her mid fifties and took Sharon under her wing when she joined the university. Chad, Senior Public Relations Professor Bianca Del Rio and others interviewed Sharon when she applied for this position, and Chad was the one who went out of her way to make Sharon feel at ease and welcomed.

“What’s up?” Sharon said casually, as if this were just a regular phone call with her boss and there wasn’t a student under her desk and between her thighs.

“I know you’re super busy at the moment…” Chad began, and Sharon nodded, looking down at Alaska. She was very busy.

Alaska met her gaze and lightly lapped at her folds before gently focusing on her pulsing bud. They kept eye contact the whole time, and Sharon almost dropped the phone. This was the hottest thing that had ever happened to her in her 35 years on earth – and her boss was semi-present for the moment.

“…and I’m not even the one who usually makes these arrangements but everyone’s sick at the moment, you know how bad this flu season is, but I was just wondering if you were able to take Roberta Queens’ first year Global Marketing lecture this afternoon at 2pm?” Chad continued. “I’m so sorry to throw this on you last minute, but she’s called in sick and there isn’t anyone else to take over, and I know you can handle it.”

Sharon tried to listen to Chad, but she couldn’t pull her focus from Alaska, who was batting her thick lashes at Sharon as she continued.

“Uh, yes I can—ahhH!“ Sharon’s hips jerked as Alaska’s teeth deliberately grazed her clit, the younger girl causing Sharon to gasp right down the receiver to her boss.

“Sharon?” Chad asked, her voice concerned.

“Yes!” Sharon exclaimed, tearing her gaze from Alaska and holding her close to halt her movements. “Sorry, I uh, I had to sneeze, and it just won’t come, you know? But yes, I can definitely do that.”

Alaska pulled away and brought her hand to her mouth, physically having to bite down to stop herself laughing.

“Ah yes! I hate it when that happens.” Chad replied, completely fooled. “It’s such a tease.”

“Yes,” Sharon agreed, her eyes wide at Chad’s word choice. “Such a tease.”

“Wonderful then, thank you so much Sharon, I owe you one,” Chad said graciously. “I’ll forward you Roberta’s email that has the PowerPoint and content notes attached.”

“Yes, sounds good, thanks Chad,” Sharon hurried out, desperate to hang up.

“Great, thanks Sharon.”

Sharon waited for Chad to hang up before she slammed the phone down herself, her attention now fully on Alaska.

“Even my boss thinks you’re a fucking tease,” Sharon whispered as Alaska smiled and shrugged her shoulders in a ‘not my problem’ way, except it definitely was.

Sharon’s heart was beating wildly. She couldn’t believe how reckless they were just then – and she couldn’t believe how much it turned her on.

She tangled her fingers in Alaska’s hair and brought her closer. While their actions before were drawn out and teasing, now it was fast and hot. Sharon took full control, grinding herself against Alaska, who moaned as the older woman’s slickness coated her lips and chin. She returned her fingers to Sharon’s entrance, pumping them in time with Sharon’s grinding and clenching. She parted her fingers, stretching Sharon before twisting and curving them, hitting the spot that made Sharon’s eyes roll back.

“Mmph, fuck, yes, Alaska,” Sharon whined as she threw her head back against her leather chair. She spread her thighs wider, arched her back further, and held Alaska closer, her orgasm building and building as Alaska continued to fuck her.

She felt her abdomen tighten. A spark ran up her spine as her legs tensed. And then she was coming, her body finally letting go entirely and giving in. Her legs shook and her fingers scrunched Alaska’s hair as short, sharp gasps came out through her parted lips.

Alaska could only continue as Sharon came, leading her through her climax as her walls spasmed around her fingers. Even though she was below her on her knees, Alaska had never felt more powerful as Sharon unraveled above her, completely submitting to Alaska’s touch.

Sharon came down from her high, and Alaska gently lapped at her folds, causing little aftershocks to ripple through her body. With heavy limbs and a wide smile, Sharon ran her fingers through Alaska’s hair lovingly.

“Such a good girl,” she drawled affectionately, her speech thick with lust. “I think you deserve a reward.”

She patted the desk above her, and Alaska quickly stood up, hopping back on the desk like she was before. She leaned back and brought her legs to her chest, clumsily knocking over Sharon’s stationary in her enthusiastic process.

Sharon’s hands trailed up her thighs before ghosting her fingers over Alaska’s crotch.

“So pretty,” she commented on the red, lacy thong with flower detailing. She lightly traced her fingertip up Alaska’s folds before roughly rubbing her pulsing clit.

Alaska jerked up, a sharp gasp escaping her.

“I’m not gonna last long,” Alaska managed out, “I’m so fucking ready for you.”

Sharon smiled, leaning down to kiss her. Their lips met, and Sharon’s tongue traced the rim of Alaska’s upper lip as she continued to rub her.

“Your mouth is needed elsewhere,” Alaska gasped as her hips shuddered under Sharon’s touch.  

Stifling a laugh, Sharon hooked her fingers under the thin red straps of the thong and pulled in down Alaska’s slender legs.

Now she laid bare before Sharon under the bright glow of the desk lamp with her skirt up, underwear gone and thighs spread. With previous partners, this amount of vulnerability would have been nerve wracking, but with Sharon it was different.

With Sharon, Alaska felt powerful, confident. She felt safe.

Quickly unbuttoning her blouse, Alaska pulled the white material apart to reveal her pink lacy bra and more soft, pale skin underneath. She cupped her breasts as she arched her back against the desk, her eyes on Sharon as she felt herself.

And then Sharon was finally between her thighs, her hands holding her thighs apart as her tongue dipped between her slick folds. She rapidly flicked over Alaska’s clit, feeling the younger girl practically vibrate under her touch. She pushed her to the edge before pulling away completely, not letting Alaska come so easily.

Alaska had to bit her lip to stop herself from crying out, both grateful and furious at Sharon for edging her along.

Now more than ever, Alaska noticed Sharon’s expertise. Maybe it was experience, or just confidence. Whatever the case may be, no one had ever fucked Alaska like Sharon currently was.

While her lips wrapped around her pulsing bud, her fingers circled her entrance, sliding into her before pulling out entirely. She kept going, each time pushing herself further into Alaska and pulling out just as fast. She moaned around Alaska, her actions slow and gradual before they were rapid, building with intensity every second.

And then she would pull away, leaving Alaska a desperate, crying mess who would beg her for more.  She repeated this an endless amount of times, building Alaska up only to pull away and edge her on. She kept going, tears springing to Alaska’s eyes as her breathy moans filled the office.

“So, fucking, good, Sharon, ah,” Alaska whined, and she was surprised she was even able to speak.

She legs were shaking, her body was writhing and her walls were clenching around Sharon’s fingers, grasping at her touch. She placed a hand on Sharon to hold her close, and the older woman looked up at her as she continued, her thick lashes fluttering in front of her sultry gaze.  

And finally Alaska was coming, her mind simultaneously going blank yet exploding into a million pieces as Sharon finally pushed her over the edge. She squeezed her eyes shut as her mouth parted in silence scream, and her back arched against the hard wooden desk as she held Sharon close.

Sharon leisurely ran her tongue over and between Alaska as she settled down from her high, her legs twitching and her breath shaking whenever Sharon would coat her oversensitive bud.

Alaska propped herself up on her elbows once Sharon pulled away. Sharon found her sensible black underwear forgotten on her nice carpeted floor beneath her and shimmied it on before pulling the skirt of her dress back down.

They smiled at each other, dopey and sleepy and absolutely spent. There was a comfortable silence in the room, no words were needed, their bodies had said enough.

Sharon offered to button up Alaska’s blouse, and they both smiled as her fingers delicately manoeuvred the little white, heart shaped buttoned into their respective holes.

“Would you like to come over for dinner tonight, Alaska?” Sharon asked when she finished the final button. Alaska’s cheeks turned pink at the invitation.

“Yes, of course, that would be lovely,” Alaska replied. The thought of Sharon making dinner for them made her heart swell.

“Perfect, I could start preparing now,” Sharon smiled, joking.

“Don’t you have an impromptu lecture to prepare for?” Alaska asked.

“Oh fuck,” Sharon cursed, feeling like she was back in high school and had forgotten homework was due.

She just wanted to go home and plan what she would make for dinner for her girlfri— for Alaska. Sharon shook her head slightly, not wanting to think about why she so effortlessly referred to Alaska as her girlfriend. An affectionate warmth spread in her chest at the thought of the word – girlfriend.

Alaska laughed at Sharon’s forgetfulness, hopping off the desk as Sharon quickly opened her emails, her head shaking slightly as she remembered her lecture. Alaska picked up her forgotten red thong on the floor and went to put it on before she thought of a better idea.

As Sharon scrolled through a never ending stream of unread emails and downloaded PowerPoints and lecture content, Alaska silently slid open her desk drawer and stuffed the thong inside, the bright lacy material a shocking contrast to the rest of Sharon’s black stationary and bland paperwork.

She brushed Sharon’s blonde hair to the side before she placed her hands on her tense shoulders and leaned down to kiss her neck goodbye. Sharon’s shoulders immediately relaxed and her frantic typing came to a halt.

“I’ll see you tonight?” Alaska double-checked.

“Yes,” Sharon said warmly, swivelling around in her chair and taking Alaska’s hands in hers. “Come by around 6? I’ll text you the address.”

“Sounds perfect, I’ll see you at 6 then.”

Alaska moved to walk away, but Sharon pulled her back into her embrace gently, lightly kissing her lips.

“Okay, see you at 6,” Sharon smiled.