Chapter 15: February - Valentine's Surprise

School started in January with the students and teachers entering with the same reluctance; no one seemed to want the holiday and vacation to end, especially Tory. The atmosphere at the school changed quickly, however. Before the first period of that dreary "first day back after vacation" was over, the school was abuzz with the news of Tory's engagement. Everyone was happy for her and gave their well-wishes, but that continued to remind Tory of how much she was going to miss Mitch.

When they parted on New Year's Day, Mitch had told Tory that he would be busy for a while and might not be able to talk as often on the phone as they had been; he had meetings and conferences he needed to attend before he transferred. They talked on the phone for a couple of nights after that, but the calls began tapering off as Mitch's schedule became busier and his days grew longer. Tory decided to use e-mail, as she felt he could then read the messages when he was able to and not feel guilty that he missed her calls. Even so, it had been almost two weeks since Mitch had replied to one of her messages. After all they had been through, she was confident Mitch wasn't having an affair or second thoughts, but the silence was bothering Tory, just the same.

It was now Valentine's Day and Tory had expected to hear something from Mitch that morning, even if it was just a short e-mail. He had proven to her that he would recognize and spoil her on days like these, and she had begun to believe that she deserved his attention. That belief made this day, and Mitch's silence, that much harder to bear.

"How's it going, Mom?" Trent stuck his head in Tory's classroom, breaking her out of her worried thoughts.

"Okay, honey," she replied with just a bit of melancholy in her voice.

"Any word, yet?"

"Not yet. I was going to check next hour, during my free period. Say, where should you be now? Aren't you going to be late?" Tory noticed the time and was curious as to why none of her students were in their seats, yet. There would usually be one or two in there by now.

"I'm just next door with Ms. Larson's Web Designing class. I'll check in with you after, okay? Love you, Mom!" With that, Trent was gone, closing the door behind him. Tory got up from her seat, deciding to check in the hall for her wayward students. Before she got passed her desk, however, the door in the back opened and her students began filtering in. Each had a rose in hand, which didn't surprise Tory since it was Valentine's Day. But, what did surprise her was that each student delivered their rose to her before taking their seat. Although the students didn't say anything to their teacher, they all had smiles on their faces.

"Well, Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Thank you for the roses!" Tory stared at the two dozen roses lying on her desk. "If I had known, I would have brought a vase in."

"I think I saw one in the hall, Ms. Markus," one of the girls in the back offered, pointing to the closed door. Curious, Tory walked to the back of the class. As she reached the door, the knob slowly turned and the door opened. Tory let out a gasp as she brought her hands to her face.

"I couldn't have roses delivered without a vase, baby!" Mitch was standing in the doorway. He entered the classroom and gently placed the vase on a back table before scooping Tory up in his arms. "Happy Valentine's Day, Tory. God, I've missed you!" Tory nuzzled Mitch's neck while he held her tight and her class erupted in cheers and whistles. Quickly, Tory remembered where she was and, reluctantly, had Mitch put her down.

"Will you wait until after class? I'm free next period," she asked, quietly.

"I'm going to stay right here waiting for you, baby."

As Tory brought the vase to her desk in the front of the classroom, she was grateful she had planned a workday for that period. Once her students were working at their computer stations, she quietly arranged her roses in their vase, occasionally looking back at Mitch and smiling.

When the period ended, all Tory's students wished her a Happy Valentine's Day as they left. Just as the last student walked through the doorway, Trent barreled into the room.

"So, were you surprised, Mom?"

"You knew about this?" she asked in disbelief, as she walked to the back of the classroom.

"How else do you think he knew your schedule? Oh, before I forget, Ben and I are taking the girls out for dinner, so I'll be home a little late."

"Not too late; it's a school night. What about homework?"

"Teachers are being nice to us, today; I've only got a little bit. I'll get it done at Ben's before we pick up the girls. You guys have fun! Got to get to class!" Trent left as quickly as he had come but Tory didn't notice. She had found her way back into Mitch's arms.

Not too long after Trent closed the door, it opened again and Terri Larson entered.

"Well, it didn't take you long to take advantage of an empty classroom! I would have expected more of you, Tory! You should be in the office where you can lock the door!" Terri chuckled as she watched her best friend panting from the interrupted kiss.

"Hey, Terri. Guess what? My fiancé's in town so I won't be having lunch with you. Is the office empty now?" Even though Tory was speaking to Terri, her eyes never left Mitch's.

"Actually, I knew he was coming!" Terri paused while Tory shot her a dirty look. "So, you two are coming with me because we have lunch waiting for you in the teachers' lounge! No arguments; you need to keep up your strength for later!" With a little force, Terri pried Tory out of Mitch's arms. When Mitch stood, he needed to fix his uniform and adjust his pants a little. Seeing Tory made him realize just how much he had missed her.

The teachers' lounge was all decked out with Valentine's decorations. Mitch and Tory got their food and Terri ushered them to a table in the middle of the room that was elaborately decorated for the couple.

"We couldn't really have a party, especially since we all have different free periods. So, when Trent told me when Mitch was coming, I spread the word and just collected everything!" Terri continued to talk as she piled the table with cards and gifts from the other teachers and staff at the school. "I was told to take a picture of everything you opened. It'll be just like everyone was here! Trent offered to create a presentation of the pictures afterward that we'll put here in the lounge for a week or so."

True to her word, Terri continued to snap picture after picture of Mitch and Tory as they ate and opened up the gifts. As Tory was getting ready to open the last gift placed in front of them, Terri put her camera away.

"What? No more pictures? Why not take one of this gift, too?"

"I don't think you want me to take a picture of that gift, Tory," Terri cautioned, smiling a crooked smile.

"Why not?"

"It's from me and Anna. And, you might not want your son to see what we got for you and Mitch!" Terri's smile turned into a devilish grin as she turned away to get the boxes and pack up the opened gifts. When Tory untied the ribbon and opened the outer wrapping, the gift broke in two pieces, each clearly marked with Tory's and Mitch's names.

Tory opened her gift first. She was a little embarrassed as she pulled out the contents: erotic massage oils, scented candles, a book on erotic massage, and a couple of adult videos. Quickly, she placed them all back in the box.

"Maybe we'll get to try some of those later, baby. Trent's going to be gone for a while tonight; we'll have the house to ourselves." Mitch's suggestion was not lost on Tory as she began to blush bright crimson. Mitch leaned over and kissed her cheek before opening his gift. Once unwrapped, Mitch curiously looked at the cover of his box, which read "Sweet Treats". He slowly lifted the cover and began to pull out outfits of sheer lace and silk in various colors and styles. He looked over at Tory with lust in his eyes while she continued to blush. Terri laughed as she headed for the door.

"Don't be too long, kids, the period's just about over!"

Once Terri and the other teachers were gone, Mitch leaned over to Tory and pulled her to his lap. "You realize we ARE going to try some of these things out tonight, right?"

"I don't know what you mean!" Tory smiled shyly.

"I want you to put on one of these 'sweet treats' tonight. Then, maybe, we can try those oils and see how sweet you are!" Before Tory could comment, Mitch captured Tory's mouth with his own. Just as he brought his tongue out to meet hers, the couple heard the bell signaling the end of the period. Reluctantly, Mitch let Tory up. Both needed to adjust themselves before heading into the throng of students heading to their next class. They made sure to bring the opened gifts that Terri had packed up with them. Tory dropped them onto her desk in the department office before heading to her classroom.

Mitch stayed with Tory for the remainder of the afternoon. It was difficult for her to keep her mind on her lessons, but she, somehow, managed. When the final bell of the day rang, Tory let out a sigh of relief. Quickly, the couple returned to Tory's office to collect the boxes of gifts and head home. Tory and Mitch said thank-you to the staff in Tory's department and then left for their afternoon and evening together.

Terri had insisted on driving that morning, and now Tory understood why. Mitch quickly drove the lovers home. Once the couple entered the house, the gifts were quickly placed on the floor and they were in each other's arms.

"What do you say to a relaxing, hot bath together and then a leisurely dinner of Chinese take-out before we try out some of those oils and outfits?" Mitch suggested, seductively whispering in her ear. Tory let out a moan in agreement and then locked the door. Quickly, they rummaged through the boxes of gifts to locate the treasures in question and then headed up the stairs to the bedroom.

As Mitch began undressing, Tory started the tub. When she entered the bedroom soon after that, Mitch was already down to his boxers and t-shirt. "Not eager, are we?" she quipped, admiring the slight bulge in his boxers.

"Come over here and I'll answer you!"

Playfully, Tory took a couple of false steps toward Mitch before he reached out and pulled her to him. As he sat back on the edge of the bed, he began stripping Tory as his mouth played with hers. In no time, they were both naked and heading for the filling tub.

Even though Tory's tub was not as big as Mitch's whirlpool tub, the couple enjoyed exploring and enjoying each other. As the water began to cool, Tory suggested they warm up in bed.

"Not yet, baby. Let's order dinner, first. Should we do something like make a list of the gifts so that we can send thank you cards out, too? I think some of those things should be put away before Trent sees them, don't you think?"