Prologue: How it all started

I've always hated the stress and drama of parent/teacher conferences. It was one of the few times I'd really "dress up" so I can make a good impression on the parents. This was especially true with the first formal meeting as I figured if I look good, then they would take the news of their child's academic difficulties a little better. Therefore, I put up with a pantsuit or a blouse and nice skirt with stockings and garter belts. The only plus to all of this was we would go on a minimum day schedule. At least the shorter days meant I wasn't standing in my high heels for an entire day. In an effort to finish more quickly, I had several conferences scheduled back to back for the first three days, allowing me to have a chance to go home early for a couple of days.

I also hated staying late on Fridays, especially when I'd decided to wear a skirt and heels, but I had two different parents who had begged and promised to come if I would stay. So, I figured I'd get some grading done, and do some extra planning while I waited. My first appointment showed up early while I was finishing my grade-book work. The parents walked in and asked if it was okay if they were early. I was so thrilled at the prospect that I might get to go home early that I went through the report card rather quickly. I did explain the student's strengths and weaknesses and answered all of the mother's questions, even making suggestions for things the family could do at home. The parents left happy with the report and I continued with my work.

As I waited for the second parent, I sat at my desk listening to my iPod and planned my next month's lessons. I had finished my grade-book and I was hoping to get ahead of my lesson plans so I could have an occasional afternoon to myself. It was then I realized I needed to change my wall and add the stack of new student work that I had gathered this week and sorted. I sighed, stood up, took the stack of papers from my desk, grabbed my stapler, and my small ladder. I kept the ladder by the window with the emergency grate so even my shortest student could open it if an emergency were to occur. I hooked my iPod into the waistband of my skirt, put my ear buds into my ears, stood on the ladder, and removed the old work with my staple remover.

Once the old work was down, I began stapling the new work where the old work once hung. I was standing on the top step reaching to put an assignment on the wall when suddenly I felt a hand on my back. I yelped and jumped nearly falling off the ladder, dropping my stapler and some papers. Standing there, a tall, dark haired man looked at me, smiled and mouthed something that looked like, "Sorry."

He was quite handsome, dressed so impeccably in a dark suit and tie. His black hair seemed a bit mussed, but his light brown eyes were piercing, reminding me of creamy caramel, and I was quite embarrassed. I took the ear buds out of my ears and smiled back at him. "Are you Mr. Stone?" I asked.

"Yes. Are you Ms. Perry?" he said in a deep, sexy voice as he bent over, picked up the fallen papers and my stapler, and handed them back to me.

"Thanks ... and yes ... I am," I replied as I smiled and blushed. I checked the time and realized he was late and I had lost track of time. I pulled my iPod out of my waistband and began to wrap my headphones around it. "Did you have trouble finding my room?"

"No, but I got caught in traffic. I'm sorry to make you to wait so long for me."

"Oh it was no big deal. I had some work I needed to do anyway. Would you please sit down," I said as I motioned to an empty chair near my desk where I had the parents sit to either brag on their kids or break the bad news to them.

He reached his hand up to help me, I smiled, took it and I stepped down. Now I could easily tell just how tall he was, at least six-foot, and I caught myself staring into his eyes for a bit longer than I should have. Once I snapped myself out of my momentary daze, I escorted him to my desk, and pulled out the report card for his son. He sat down as I did and said, "I'm really sorry for startling you. I thought you heard me walk in."

"It's my fault. I knew you were coming. I guess I had the volume to loud," yet, even as I said that I was sure the volume wasn't up that high.

"Well, your door was open." It was like he was trying to justify his entry to me.

Of course he was right, I had left my door open so the parents would know I was available and in the room. This wasn't that unusual for me to do so, especially if I was expecting someone, or had a student in the room after school so no one would think I was being a bad teacher. These days, you can't be too careful, and I don't need someone accusing me of inappropriate touching. Moreover, some parents were quick to sue over anything, real or not. Quickly, I switched into my teacher mode and went over his son's report card, an overall good report card for this time in the school year and the meeting went rather well. When I asked him if he had any questions for me, he looked at me as if he had a question, but then said, "No."

We shook hands to part, and I grabbed my things and followed Mr. Stone out to the parking lot. I decided that after my long day and my meeting with Mr. Stone, I was in no mood to cook, and was way over due for a nice dinner. Of course, on my budget, a 'nice dinner' looked a lot like a local family restaurant that e-mailed me coupons often, so I could eat for under fifteen bucks with tip. As I loaded my things in my car, Mr. Stone walked up and asked, "I hope I didn't get you in trouble with your husband?"

I smiled and said, "No, you didn't. I'm not married."

"Boyfriend?" he asked.

I smiled and said, "No boyfriend either."

"An attractive woman like you is single?" he asked and smiled again.

"It happens, I guess I'm just too picky for my own good," I explained.

"Heading home alone then?" he asked.

"Actually, I'm going to get something to eat, I'm not in the mood to cook tonight."

As I closed my trunk he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure yet. I know I don't want fast food so I figured I'd drive around until I found something nice and cheap."

"May I join you then?" he asked.

I must admit, I was more than a little surprised. Here was this handsome father asking me if he could join me for dinner. It did worry me that this did seem a bit inappropriate to go on a date with this man, but I rationalized that it was only dinner. However, I didn't want an unpleasant surprise, like his wife showing up and wanting to kick my ass. Thus, I asked the question I didn't want to ask. "Well, Mr. Stone, isn't your wife waiting for you at home?"

He lowered his head and sighed, "My wife and I are separated." He shrugged his shoulders and continued. "And it's Oliver, please. So how about it, I mean, it's just dinner?"

I giggled and said, "Oliver ... Stone? As in the director?"

"Yeah," he said with a sheepish smile. "However, I'm younger and not nearly as rich."

"I'm sure you get that a lot."

"Not as often as you'd think. So, how about that dinner?"

I smiled and said, "Oh, okay, and please, call me Alexis. Do you have any suggestions of a nice quiet kid-free place we can go?"

He smiled big and his brown eyes lit up. "Alexis, what a beautiful name. Why don't we drop your car off at your house and I'll take you to a nice quiet place that I almost never see kids at."

This made me a bit nervous, as I wasn't comfortable with parents knowing where I lived, even such a handsome young father as Oliver. "I don't know," I hesitated. "I mean, how do I know you're not some stalker or a serial killer?"

He looked down at me and smiled. "I guess you have a valid point, Alexis. How about this, you park your car at my hotel and then I'll drive us to dinner."

"Hotel?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said blushing. "I'm only in town for the night and I'm in the middle of a job transfer and promotion so I haven't been able to secure an apartment, thus I've been living in hotel rooms. I'm hoping that once the dust settles I can either work on saving my marriage, or ending it. Either way, I want to do what's best for my ... um ... son."

His long pause before the word son gave me some concern. It was like he was trying to remember the gender of his child. I knew this was silly as he was probably just tired and hungry, his proposal seemed reasonable, and at least he wouldn't know where I lived. "Okay, let's go," I said.

I followed him to one of the nicest hotels in town, parked my car, and let him take me to a nice, secluded, romantic restaurant I had never seen before. This wasn't that big of a surprise as I couldn't afford places like this, and I never really date men of this caliber, so why would I even know they exist. When we arrived, I was concerned because I couldn't afford such a nice place, but when I tried to protest, he assured me that dinner was on him to make up for his tardiness and for me not to worry. I blushed from my embarrassment as we walked in together. The place seemed empty at first, then I realized that the way the booths were set, you couldn't see anyone unless they walked right in front of your table. Several of the tables were hidden behind heavy red curtains as I saw a waiter emerge from behind one. We were escorted to a nice table, lit by candles, sat down and began to read the menus.

Everything looked good, and the prices weren't too outrageous to my relief, so I knew I didn't have to worry about what I ordered. I won't lie, was more than a little surprised. A restaurant this nice and you could still get a steak for a fair price. The waiter arrived and Oliver ordered a bottle of white wine. We placed our orders, then toasted to a nice dinner and a good report card. The wine was sweet, crisp, and a bit fruity. I was sure it was expensive as my experience with wine was rather limited, and never this good.

When the waiter brought our dinners, he dropped our curtains so we were isolated in our own little secluded room. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and an even better conservation. He told me about his work as a fashion buyer, his recent promotion to Marketing Manager for a designer I had never heard of, but then, if it wasn't a name I saw at the local Target or Wal-Mart, then I probably didn't know who they were. He also explained that he was to leave early in the morning for an important meeting in Europe and would be gone for a few weeks. When I asked how his son felt about his being gone for so long, he looked at me confused for a moment, then said, "Well, isn't that what Skype is for?"

I blushed and said, "Do you use Skype a lot with your son?"

"Not as often as I should," he said sadly.

I smiled and squeezed his hand. "Don't be angry with yourself. I know many students whose parent is away in the military and if it wasn't for the Internet, they'd never see or talk to their mom or dad. I know it's not the same thing for you, but know that you're doing the best you can, considering your situation."

After a bottle and a half of wine, I was feeling more relaxed and comfortable. Oliver was a wonderful man, so funny and warm, and such a doting father. I was letting my mind wander and started thinking that I really wanted to kiss him, when suddenly he kissed me. It was a kiss filled with shock and enjoyment. He forced his tongue into my mouth and they danced together for a moment when he suddenly pulled away. He blushed and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so forward, but I've wanted to do since the first time I saw you."

I smiled and said, "There is nothing for you to be sorry for," and kissed him again.

The second kiss was even better than the first kiss. I was glad we were hidden because I would have been more than a little embarrassed to be seen kissing in public like this. He put his arms around me and pulled me in close. There was a small part of me that wanted to resist, as if something was telling me that this was wrong, but I pushed that thought aside and wrapped my arms around him. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a slut, but it had been a long time since a man had kissed me like this. I felt his hands rub my back, my arms, and my legs. I felt so glad I worn a skirt instead of a pantsuit. I continued to kiss him, his lips, across his cheek, nibble his earlobe, and rub his back as I felt myself melt. One of his hands moved to my breasts as he kissed down my neck. I gasped as I felt his fingertips brush my right nipple. He began to unbuttoned my blouse, and soon was running his hand over my bra.