•16•

3rd Person

Men have promised her that she wouldn't be able to walk the next day or that she'd be "paralyzed" during her numerous sexual encounters, but all have proven to be false. The professor, on the other hand, made a change. She was floating in the sky. This was the nicest feeling she'd ever had, and it had been well worth the wait. She admired him and what he had done for her, and she craved more. He was rough and brutal, which Dixie appreciated. She was on the verge of bursting into tears. The doors of possibilities had suddenly opened.

Noah prepared a warm water bath for her, adding a few drops of lavender soap and antibacterial wash to aid in the healing of her wounds. He told the chef to make something light and delicious for her while that was being done. All sadomasochistic relationships required some form of aftercare. If a dominant is unwilling to provide aftercare, he isn't the right dominant for the job.

Noah returned to the room and carefully scooped her up, making sure not to aggravate her wounds. When a dominant could be vulnerable to his submissive, it was a lovely thing. A rare thing. But it was lovely. Only a true dominant, could tell the difference between his rough and soft sides, and his soft side was the focus of his aftercare.

"It's going to sting for about 5 seconds before I put you in the bath," he said, a small smile on his face.

Dixie's heart glowed as she thought of how he planned to give her warnings. To him, it was a minor gesture, but to her, it was a significant one. She couldn't tell if her heart and intellect were in love with the professor or if she was just fascinated by the sex and his intriguing personality. The wanted the latter, but really hoped it was the former.

Noah gently placed her in the warm water, and it did sting a little, as promised. She relaxed as she sunk into the water. He took over when she raised her hand to get the soap. She was not going to move an inch. He slathered her body in the gentle soaps and meticulously cleansed her areas. She was half asleep at this point, but she wasn't about to go down silently.

"That was something," she remarked, her tone sounding almost nostalgic.

"I'll be rougher next time, but since it's your first time, I took it gently."

"Funny. I'd like to ask you a question."

"You can ask whatever you want."

"Do you trust me?" She was conscious of her unwavering faith in him, but she was curious as to whether he had trusted her.

"More than anything," he said as he continued to bathe her.

This was the epitome of vulnerability. Trust was a stronger link than any love or relationship either of them had ever known. That was a strange and frightening question for her to ask, but she needed assurance. She was looking for reassurance. She also wanted for this to last indefinitely, but she knew it would not and could not. A teacher-student connection was forbidden, and while this vacation was fantastic...once it's gone, everything goes back to where it was before midterms.

She giggled and yawned as she said, "Thank you, that was my last question for now, I'm sleepy."

He gave her a friendly smile. Everything seemed to make sense to him at the time. He has completely forgotten about Alissa. Nothing else seemed to matter once Dixie was doing good. He carefully covered Dixie in a fluffy towel after draining the bath water from the tub. He was enthralled by the prospect of seeing his imprints on her. They demonstrated that she belonged to someone, which was something that everyone should be aware of at this point.

He helped her out of the bathroom and into bed. He dried her and dressed her before going to clean himself off.

"I'll be right back, baby," Noah said.

Her heart did somersaults and backflips. He undoubtedly spoke the words casually, but they meant something to her. She'd never felt more admired than she does today, and her desire for affirmation had gradually faded. She was becoming into her own person, thanks in large part to Noah.

Noah's shower lasted a long time, but it was well-deserved. He was deep in meditation about everything as he stood there. He knew Dixie would have to be his plus one at the donors' event, but was it worth the risk of meeting Alissa? She was a bright young lady who knew everything and let nothing pass her by. She wasn't a killer, but she ruined a lot of people's lives. She wished for no one else to be with Noah except herself, but life intervened and love faded.

He stepped in with a towel wrapped around his waist, fresh from the shower, to find Dixie fast asleep. He guessed the supper would have to be eaten tomorrow because it was waiting downstairs. He dressed and went downstairs to alert the staff that Dixie had fallen asleep, and they wrapped and refrigerated the meal for her.

Noah returned to her room and joined her in bed. He drew her into his arms and stroked her hair. This level of intimacy was pure, and it could only have come through a love channel.

"Thank you, Sir," she said softly, her voice fading in and out.

She began to sob deeply, and he simply held her tight. She was having a "drop" moment. She was thankful for everything, including the trip, kindness, sex, and happiness. Nothing or no one had ever made more sense in her life than now. When a submissive and dominant bonded, it was a real gratuitous moment.

Was it just a professor and his student, after all? Is it possible that they could grow into something more?

Noah's mind was racing. He wasn't ready to give up on her. It was one thing to fall in love, but it was another to acknowledge it. He needed to talk with Bryce, so he got up and went to his study after waiting until she was sound asleep.

"Hey, Bryce, how about lunch today?"

"Sure, I'll bring Halley over so she can meet Dix, eh?"

"Perfect."

Boy talk was usually awkward and uncomplicated. This week wasn't something Noah was looking forward to. He was overwhelmed by the donors' event, the Alissa issue, and all of these growing feelings, and he just wanted to shut everything off. Even dominants had a loss of control, or at least the feeling that they did. Someone's perspective alters when they fall in love, I suppose.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Dixie awoke on her own in the bed. She was aware of Noah's absence, but she also understood that he was a very busy and wanted guy, and she didn't want to get in the way. He was also too job-oriented to put a woman ahead of his career.

She was aching in every part of her body, but that didn't stop her from wanting more. Was she attempting to come up with new methods to use her safe word?

She made her way to Noah's office, using the covers on the bed as a cover. He sat in his chair, his hand resting on his temple. She was completely enamored with him, and who wouldn't be?

"Dixie, why are you—?"

"Awake? Because that's what I want to be. I'm also hungry and bored."

She felt like she owned the world after one session, yet her ego and behavior would be temporarily restrained.

"Don't get me wrong, Dixie, you may be in pain right now, but I'll gladly add to it." With each step closer to her, he said those words loudly. Her eyes were filled with dread and want once more, and his ego was overflowing. He clenched his teeth and growled, "You test me every fucking day, Ms. D'Amelio."

"I know, sir," she remarked jokingly.

"I should use your mouth more, but I'm sure you're still suffering from a sore throat. Bryce and I have business to attend to today, so you'll meet Halley."

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, you don't, but you deserve credit for asking. There's also this donation event, and I'd like you to be my plus one. Just answer yes, and you'll be given a wardrobe to chose from as well as all the extra glitz. Please."

"Noah Beck, mhmm? Begging?"

Back against the wall, throat seized.

"Fuck, you make things difficult. You're going to the donation event tonight, so I'll send my guys with supplies and you'll be ready by 6 p.m. Wear whatever you like from the available options."

Dixie won the mental battle. She began to see all of Noah's habits, and she was able to predict what would agitate him and what would soothe him down. He was allowing her to come to know all facets of him, except those concerning Alissa. He wished he could tell her, but there was never an appropriate time. Noah stepped out in front of her and allowed her to go around the office at her leisure.

It was an active environment. Mahogany desks and a large number of books which resemble his office on campus, but it was bigger and more handy.

"Have you read all of these books?"

He replied, "I've read most of them, and some are just for show."

"I see," she whispered, "A man with numerous talents."

"Oh, Ms. D'Amelio, you should know it best."

It was the sexiest thing ever, when their eyes locked on each other. He saw agony in her eyes and felt terrible. What was she thinking about this time?

He walked back over to her and gently placed his palm on her face, stroked her cheek with his thumb. She gave a kind smile. They loved the silence, especially the silence between them. It wasn't awkward or suspicious; in fact, it was the most calm and refreshing thing they've ever experienced.

"Is there something wrong with me?" she hesitantly questioned.

"Wrong with you?" He repeated, trying to understand what she meant.

"Yeah." She sighed, looking down. "Regular people don't do this."

"That may be true, but you are the one who creates your own sense of normalcy. People like you and I are hard to come by in this world, and society as a whole rejects us. So this is an uncommon and highly regarded connection that the two of us share, and it is also based on personal preferences. There's nothing wrong with you, so don't worry," he reassured, "You're perfect, at least to me."

A girl's best friend is reassurance. She didn't want romance, but she was in desperate need of it. It felt almost wrong at times to be herself. She accepted her status as a socialite, but she was afraid of social rejection. No one really approved of this type of relationship, and she considered a variety of options, but in the end, happiness triumphed, and she was happiest here.

"Thank you, that was just what I needed."

A gentle kiss on the cheek sent jolts and waves through her heart. She was feeling butterflies in her stomach. The wonderful moment came to an end, and Dixie resumed her wanderings around the office, while Noah resumed his speech writing. It was around 4 a.m., and neither of them seemed to be sleeping. Dixie wanted Noah to rest because she thought he worked too much, but who was she to judge? She reasoned that her sole role in his life was that of a submissive, and that he wouldn't perceive her as anything else.

"Would you like to hear the rest of my speech?"

"I figured you'd never ask," she said with a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the core, good evening. As most of you know who I am and what I stand for, I'll attempt to keep this PG. The foundation was created with the goal of assisting, transforming, and expanding small-scale activities into large-scale, successful enterprises. Dixie, put down the pocket knife, it's dangerous."

"Firstly, the speech was incredible, and secondly, I like knives," she remarked, fondling and spinning the blade. This potentially lethal tool appeared to enchant her soul.

As he heatedly came closer to her, Noah said, "Give me the knife."

"Fine, where did you get this in the first place?"

"Bryce spent a lot of money on it as a gift for me."

"It's a nice gift, but don't you think the blade is hand carved and annoyingly sharp?"

"That's why we don't play with knives."

"But we could," she said seductively, licking and biting her lips.

She threw the sheets on the floor, revealing her damaged and exposed body to him. Noah couldn't claim she wasn't beautiful, no matter how hard he tried. His soul was piqued by everything about the sigh in-front of him.

"Ms. D'Amelio, you never give up, do you?"

She evilly laughed, "I'm just feeling a little dangerous."

He kissed her aggressively, after rolling his eyes. Their tongues danced and struggled for domination, while their hands wandered freely across both of their bodies. Noah took the knife and ran against her thigh, being careful not to draw much blood. She growled at the sensation, but as the pleasure and pain intensified, she writhed away from it.

He broke the kiss by putting his index and ring fingers in her mouth and telling her to suck while continuing to play with the knife with the other hand. Noah quickly placed his fingers into her hole after removing his fingers from her lips. There was no way to breathe because there was no air. She was still sore from the incident less than 12 hours before, but agony and pleasure went hand in hand.