The Ivy Lessons (27 page)

‘Oh,’ I moan, as he pushes himself deeper and deeper. I grip tightly to the banister, and everything turns blurry. All I can think about is
Marc
and what he’s doing to me.
I don’t know what I should think
about anything right now, but what I do know is this feels so good.

‘
You like it?’ Marc asks
, moving faster. ‘I knew you
would.’ His hand slides back and forwards, faster and faster. I hea
r him moan then, and that
feels better than anything.

‘Oh God,’ he says, pushing further inside me with every stroke. ‘You’re a very accommodating student. Very, very accommodating.’

I can feel he’
s nearly all the way inside me
now, and I come, feeling my knees go weak, and hearing myself calling his name.

As waves of pleasure ripple
through me, I feel him
slide
all the way inside until his body presses against my buttocks.

‘Oh G
od, oh Sophia,’ I hear him say, a
nd I feel the beat of him against me
.

He collapses against my shoulders, grasping my breasts and pulling me into him. He holds me tight for a long time. Then he wipes his forehead with the back of his ha
nd, and slides himself free
.

I see he’
s still hard, and feel sad. He didn’t come.

He puts the condom into a plastic bag, and it’s then I realise he must have been planning this all along. The lubricant, the bag, the special condom.

‘You planned this,’ I say. I feel good, but sore.

Marc
nods. ‘
Call it lesson preparation
.’

‘I
don’t know how I feel about what just happened
,’ I say, pulling my dress down.
‘Or where.’

He wraps his arms around m
e. ‘You think too much. It was good for you. I promise.
You’d better get back to your trip. Catch up with the class.’

‘What about you?’

‘I don’t
want anyone to get suspicious about where you’ve been
.
I still have your reputation to think of.
I’ll leave by the fire exit and meet you later on.’

‘Okay.’ I swallow, not sure how I’m going to make it down those creaky wooden steps. My knees are still so weak. ‘Where?’

‘I have something planned for us,’ he says. ‘A little extra-c
urricular trip all of our own. I’
ll have a car come pick you up in two hour’s time from the campus gates
. Now go.’ He gestures to the staircase. ‘Ladies first.
They’ll be getting suspicious.’

‘Okay.’ I hea
d towards the staircase, then take careful steps until I reach the bottom
. I cross the stage, and turn back to see
Marc
on the balcony.
He’s staring at me
, deep in thought. When he notices m
e looking up,
a fondness
passes over his face
that makes my heart melt.

‘It’s go
ing t
o be hard to wait,’ he says
.

‘I know,’ I say. ‘
What are we going to do,
Marc
?’

He shakes his head. ‘I don’t know.
Yet
.’

Chapter
58

After the museum tour,
Tom, Tanya and I have
coffee in the Globe restaurant. It looks out over the Thames, and we watch
the grey waters churn under rain and wind
.

‘I
’m loving this place,
’ says Tom. ‘Wheelchair ramps as
ide, what a great
day out.
And apparently it’s educational!
Shame
you dawdled, Soph. The museum was by far the highlight
.’

‘I thought it was pretty boring,’ says Tanya. ‘Soph had the right idea – hang around and get a better look a
t the theatre itself. What an amazing
building.’

‘It was,’ I agree.

‘
Did you like
the stage
itself
?’ Tanya asks. ‘You know,
Marc
performed on that stage,
don’t you?’

‘Yes,’ I say quietly. ‘
I loved the stage
.’
And Marc
performed again
on that stage
this afternoon.

‘
W
here did
Marc
disappear to?’ asks Tom, with a knowing smile.
‘Funny how you both disappeared together.’

‘He left through the fire exit,’ I say, innocently. ‘I don’t know where he is now.’

‘I’ll bet,’ says Tom, taking a sip of capp
uccino. ‘Well. A little London t
our awaits, do we think? Shall we walk and wheel ourselves back to the college, and take in the sights on the way?’

‘You do know how far it is to the college, don’t you?’ says Tanya.

‘Of course I do. I grew up in London. Are you saying because I’m in a wheelchair, I can’t
go very far
?’

‘No,’ says Tanya. ‘I’m saying because you’re incredibly lazy,
you can’t go very far
.
You moan about going over the grass on campus, and that’s just a few metres.
Which means either Sophia or I
will end up pushing you most of the journey.’

‘I understand,’ says Tom. ‘The two of you will squabble about who gets to push the famous Tom Davenport. Well, squabble not ladies. You can take it in turns. I like to be fair.’

We all laugh.

‘I don’t mind pushing you,’ I say.

‘Nor do I really,’ says Tanya.

‘Then what are we waiting for? We’ve got no lectures this afternoon, correct? So we’ve got all the time in the world.’

‘Actually, I have to be back on campus in an hour,’ I say, checking my watch.

‘Really?’ Tom raises an eyebrow. ‘A hot date with someone? Perhaps even a certain lecturer we all know and love?’

‘Something like that,’ I admit.

‘Sophia, be careful with him,’ says Tanya
. ‘He’s
older than you
, and ... well, you know my thoughts
.’

‘Nonsense,’ says Tom.
‘He’s only five
years older
.
I’m dating a thirty five year old divorcee online.’

‘
Yes, but this is different
,’ says Tanya. ‘He’s a very powerful man. He’s got money. Fame. Experience. I don’t want you being taken advantage of, that’s all.’

I nod into my hot chocolate. ‘As far as
Marc
’s concerned, I never know what to think,’ I say. ‘Some days I feel like I’m getting closer to him. Other times, it’s just ... I don’t know. Weird. I mean the whole thing is weird.’

‘You got that right,’ says Tanya. ‘Weird and wrong. He shouldn’t be messing around with a student, no matter how old she is.’

‘I know,’ I say. ‘But sometimes ... haven’t you ever been attracted to the wrong person?’

‘Never,’ says Tanya, shaking her head. ‘I wouldn’t let myself. It’s not in my mental wiring.’

‘Well, sometimes people fall for someone they shouldn’t
,’ I say. ‘And if that happens, what can you do?’

‘You do whatever you like, and worry about the consequences when it all goes wrong,’ says Tom.

‘You control yourself and stop yourself getting involved,’ says Tanya.

I feel somewhere between their two answers lies the right advice. I’m just not exactly sure what that advice is.

Chapter
59

At 6pm, I find myself at the campus gates again, only this time I’m not shivering. I’m wrapped in the cashmere coat
Marc
bought me,
and watchi
ng a robin hop along the
wrought iron gate
.

A black car pulls up, but it’s not a limo this time. It’s a sleek Mercedes with
tinted windows
.

Keith jumps
out of the driver’s seat and opens the passenger door for me.

‘Thanks,’ I say, climbing in. ‘How have you been?’

‘Not bad,’ says Keith, adjusting the mirror. ‘How
are you, young lady? Is Master
Blackwell
treating you alright?
I hope so.
I’ve never known him behave this way over a woman. Never.
’

‘
I wouldn’t know how he usually behaves with women
,’ I sa
y, staring out of the window
.
‘But to me, nothing that’s happened with Marc tells me I’m anything special.’

‘You’d be surprised.’
I see Keith
smile.

As the car pulls into
Marc
’s garage, I see
Rodney
waiting by the beige Rolls Royce
.

H
e opens the car door for me. ‘Mr
Blackwell
has asked me
to escort you up to the den,’
he says, opening the door that leads to the house and walking up the steps.

‘
Thank you,’ I say, following him
. ‘Bye Keith.’

Keith waves at me as I enter the dragon’s cave. The entrance hall smells of polish and lemon juice, and is as cool and sterile as ever.

‘The den’s on the first floor,’
Rodney
explains, leading me up the huge flight of stairs.

He takes
me towards the back of the house, to a closed door.

‘He’s in
there,’ he says, knocking on the door
‘Mr
Blackwell
! Your guest is here.’ With that
,
he hurries down the stairs.

I open the door, and see a room of leather sofas, red carpets and glass coffee tables.

Marc
is sitting
on
one of the sofas, one leg sprawled along its length. He’s holding a small book of
Romeo and Juliet
, and closes it carefully when he sees me in the doorway.

‘Good evening, Sophia.
’

‘Good evening.’

‘
Have you eaten yet?’

I notice
a selection of food
laid out
on a shiny mahogany table
. Balls of
moz
z
arella
with fresh
basil, rust
ic breadsticks wrapped in
ham,
cherry tomatoes on skewers, shavings of parmesan cheese. Behind the food are a couple of bottles of red wine, and a bottle of white sits chilling in a glass ice bucket.

I shake my head. ‘
No. Not yet
.
I had a lot to think about today. I didn’t feel much like eating.’

‘I had a few things I
thought you might like brought up
for yo
u.’

‘You thought I might like
Italian food?’ I notice the parmesan looks very fresh, and the mozzarella is the delicious go
o
ey kind you only usually find in Italy.

‘It’s the best food in the world,’ he says.

‘My mother was from Italy,’ I say. ‘I go back t
here sometimes. It’s true
. The food there is amazing.’

Marc
’s mouth hints at a smile. ‘You’re half Italian?’

I nod.

‘I should have known. Take a seat.
’

‘
Thank you
.’ I take a seat on the sofa, feeling the familiar effect
Marc
has on me. Knee trembles, a slight sickness and an overwhelming sense of excitement.

‘You look nervous,’ says
Marc
, placing the book on a huge, square glass coffee table
at the centre of the room. The table is
empty, except for a gold bottle opener
, a remote control
and half a bottle of Peroni.
‘Wine?’

‘I
am
nervous
,’ I admit. ‘And I’ll take beer if you have it.’

Marc
grins at me, and my insides go soft. ‘Beer?
Not such a delicate thing after all.
’ He opens the arm of the sofa, and I see six beers inside. He opens one and passes it over. I feel his fingers against mine and shiver. The beer is cold, so I guess the hole under the sofa arm must be some sort of fridge.