To Love and Obey (2 page)

So BDSM is a game to you? Gotcha.
“Why would I bark like a dog?”

“You just told me if I told you to do something, you would do it,” Nathaniel licked his lips and smiled. “I’m just seeing if you’re serious or full of shit.”

Now you’re insulting me? This date is gonna end early.
“I see.” Zerrin contemplated how badly she wanted to throw her Moscato at him. Instead, she took the classy route. The good old bathroom escape. “Excuse me, I need to go use the bathroom.”

“Sure thing.”

Zerrin said a silent
thank you
to God for only bringing her clutch and nothing else. Easy escape. She went to the bathroom and on her way back, she hurried out of the restaurant.

It would be the last time she would go online to find a Dom.

One

Nick’s eyes flew open upon hearing the shrieking loud alarm clock on his cell phone. It was six o’clock in the morning, and it was going to be a long day. First, he had a meeting with his other colleagues in the English department to discuss the new teaching assistant assignments for the spring term. Then he had two classes and office hours. Finally, he needed to go to his mother’s home for dinner. He had already blown off dinner with her two weeks ago and she politely told him in not so many words that she wasn’t having it. “If you can afford to see those floozies, you can afford to see your mamma,” Nicola warned him.

Nick managed to get out of bed and began his morning routine—exercise, shower, and breakfast while he watched the morning news. Quickly finishing up his coffee, Nick hurried out of the building. It took him thirty minutes from his townhouse to the main New York University campus, where he spent most of his day. He had a lot of work to do.

The oldest of five brothers, Nick had surprised everyone in the family by becoming a professor. While his brothers opened up their own businesses or helped run the family floral shop, Nick chose academia. He knew there would always be a place for him at Madre’s, but his passion was teaching. He knew he wanted to be a teacher when he was younger, helping his brothers with their homework and becoming a college tutor to high school students.

His size suggested he could’ve been a quarterback; he stood over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a muscular build. He kept his ebony hair neatly trimmed, and he dressed in light sweaters and jeans, the clothes almost tailored to his body. He hid his sharp blue eyes behind black hipster frames.

Nick walked around NYU like he owned it, his confidence and appearance showing up in a room long before he arrived. He didn’t take any bullshit from anyone and would quickly let a person know if they were wasting his time.

He showed up early at the English department meeting and placed his items down. He was making a cup of tea when he was approached by one of his colleagues.

“Did you check out the new crop of freshmen this term?” Professor Bob Bucklee commented. “I swear the older I get, the younger
they
get.” Bob was an older White man with white hair and matching beard. He was of average height with a rotund frame. He always smelled like cigarettes and cheap whiskey, despite the fact that he neither smoked nor drank.

Bob was the perv of the English department. A married man of thirty years, he never propositioned his students. But it didn’t stop his fascination with the newest set of tits and ass that showed up every term.

“They’re lovely women,” Nick commented to appease Bob. While Nick occasionally slept with his students, he didn’t like to discuss their physical appearances. There was something innately wrong about it.

“Lovely? Pssh!” Bob looked around to see if anyone was listening. “They’re fucking hot! I tell ya, man, if I weren’t married to Sally, I would…”

“Bend one over and lick her asshole until she came on your tongue,” Nick finished the sentence for Bob. It was the same sentence Nick had heard every term for the past seven years.

Bob slapped Nick’s back and let out a laugh that sounded like he was wheezing. “You know it, kiddo!” He then left for his seat.

Nick smiled and shook his head. If there was one thing he could count on, it was he knew he wasn’t the pervert of the English department.

“Good morning, Nicholas,” Herschelle Pastora poured a cup of coffee as she walked up alongside Nick. Herschelle was an Italian woman with long ebony hair and hazel eyes. In addition to being a professor, she was also a belly dancer by trade during the weekends. She had often asked Nick to come to her performances.

“Good morning, Herschelle,” Nick greeted her, “how are you this morning?”

“I’m doing just fine,” Herschelle grabbed a donut and set it on her plate. She admired the young man beside her and twirled her hair a little. Nick wasn’t that much younger than she was—only five years—but he had the body of a twenty-something jock. She could tell by the way his jeans and sweaters hugged his body that he was hiding something muscular and hard for her to play with underneath.

And she had heard whispers from some of his former students about his sexual prowess and how dominating he could be.
Fucking Professor D’Amato is like running a goddamn marathon,
she once overheard a student comment. It was a thought that often gave Herschelle delicious wet dreams. “So I was wondering if you would need any more assistance for your research this weekend?”

Nick forced a grin. Each time Herschelle offered to help Nick with his research, she really wanted to play ‘Hide the Penis’ with him. Nick had declined her advances for years, and it only seemed to make Herschelle want him more. It was a cat-and-mouse game in which only Herschelle was an active and willing participant. Nick briefly wondered if she would make the same advances to Bob. “Um, I’ll let you know.”

Herschelle winked at Nick. “Anytime,
Professor
,” she rubbed shoulders with him.

Nick forced another grin and piled some fruit and a muffin onto his plate. He grabbed an orange juice and made his way to his seat, waiting for the meeting to begin. He got a text from one of his submissives and he smiled upon seeing the picture. She was a slender Black woman with ebony hair pinned on top of her head. She was soaking in a bubble bath with a knee peeking out from the bubbles.
At Your service, Master
read the text.

“Who’s that hot beauty?” Bob peeked over at Nick's cell phone.

Nick quickly closed the picture. “It’s a close friend of mine.” He quickly put the phone away. “She was telling me hello.”

“That’s one hot way of saying good morning!” Bob laughed aloud.

“It is,” Nick grinned. “She knows how to follow tasks.”

“Good morning, everyone,” The department chair, Rosemary Rodriguez, put down her briefcase and made her way to the breakfast table. She was a homely, heavy-set Latina woman who looked much older than her 50 years, making Nick to wonder if it was the gossip that aged her. Rosemary acted as if she ruled the university with her demands and rules. She even reported people from other departments for not following the casual dress code.

After she fixed her plate, she sat down and passed out a list of potential grad students for the department to choose from. “I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. We have a lot to cover this meeting, so let’s get started quickly. We have a fresh crop of grad students this semester, and I know some of you need the extra help. I know some of you are interviewing today, and I wish you luck in that…”

Nick thought about his interview. He preferred to work with male grad students; they seemed to have more time to devote to grad school than the female ones, who often had to juggle work and home life in addition to their studies. He wouldn’t mind a female assistant for a change.

Zerrin Campbell.
Nick quickly re-read Zerrin’s background on her resume and was pleased by what he saw. She had a Bachelor’s in English and was working on her Master’s. She loved reading, sports, and she was a news junkie. She didn’t mention a significant other or other family obligations.

She sounded dull and boring—exactly what he wanted in an assistant. Nick wondered vaguely if Zerrin owned a cat.

****

She knew from the moment she stepped out of the cab she had made it. She knew it. She felt it. The air was crisp and refreshing, filling up her lungs with excitement and anticipation. Her shoulders were wide and full of confidence. There was a sparkle in her eyes that hadn’t been seen before, in a long while.

Zerrin smiled. It was going to be a great day.

She had known there was something special about her when she was younger. While her friends hated school and barely paid attention in class, she loved going to school and immersing herself in the works of Hemmingway, Shakespeare, Poe, and Dickinson. She would rather curl up with a good book than party. She was a nerd and quite content with that title.

She wrapped her scarf around her neck and bundled herself up. It was the start of the new term, and Zerrin already had her work cut out for her. She had office hours from eight to twelve, instructing the new students on their choice of study. Then she needed to set up her research schedule. Finally, she was going to interview with her new mentor, Nicholas D’Amato, since she might be lucky enough to be his assistant for the upcoming term.

New York University. The place she was once an undergrad student herself, some seven years prior. She could remember going to class in her pajamas, feeling too lazy to change for the seven o’ clock session. She remembered hustling in the café afternoon shift and all night study sessions with her roommates and other friends. She could remember the wild alcohol- and drug-fueled parties her friends dragged her to, some of which she could faintly remember.

So she was a nerd with a wild streak. She could accept that.

She had moved from Brooklyn to New Jersey to save rent since she didn’t want to share her private space with roommates. It had turned out she needed the isolation and peace and quiet. As an English grad student, her world was full of papers, research, and service. She spent her weekends pouring over her research, wondering if she missed anything in the process. If by chance she did, she started the long, tedious process all over again. She was convinced that being a grad student was a form of BDSM, and she was stuck in masochist mode.

Zerrin arrived at the English department and already saw a line forming outside her office. The new crop of freshmen students were waiting to meet with her, and Zerrin pondered if she should’ve asked for a shot of espresso when she picked up her coffee order. She knew service was a part of her studies, and she did appreciate the assistance the students gave her as a part of her own research. But she had to admit it was a bit of a headache from time to time. She found herself playing the role of therapist more than she advised the students. It made her wonder if she should’ve gone into psychology instead.

“Kionna, I see you barely passed your classes this past semester,” Zerrin looked at Kionna’s grade reports. The girl was lucky she was able to still attend at the rate she was going. “I hope you’re going to do better this term?”

“Oh, I will,” Kionna smiled. “I’m taking English 201 with Professor D’Amato.”

“Oh yes, he’s a great instructor,” Zerrin nodded, “he’s a very good teacher. I think you’ll have fun in his class.”

“Oh, I always will,” Kionna winked. “I especially love the
extra credit
he gives.”

Zerrin picked up Kionna’s emphasis on extra credit and didn’t have to read too much into what the young woman was implying. Zerrin had heard of Professor D’Amato’s relationship with some of the female students and she wasn’t sure if she was disgusted or amused by it. Rumor had it the only reason why Nick was still employed was because the department chair had a sweet spot for him. “Kionna, listen to me carefully, okay? I don’t want to know what’s going on between you and the professor, but be real careful, all right? I don’t want you to get into a position where you have to give sex to a man in order to get what you want.”

“I don’t have to give him anything,” Kionna shrugged. “I want to.”

Zerrin cringed at the woman’s desperation and lack of self-worth. “Regardless,” she emphasized, “if he’s taking advantage of you, please let me know ASAP.”

“I will, but he’s not taking advantage of me,” Kionna smiled. “I’ll see you later, Ms. Campbell.” She then left the office.

Zerrin shook her head. She was going have to try a little harder to get through to Kionna. “Yeah, I’ll catch you later.”

****

“How long did you work out today?” Nick asked over the phone.

“About an hour, Master,” His submissive replied.

“Very good, very good. Well, because you are so committed to staying in shape, you’re allowed to have some ice cream.”

“Can it be a sundae, Master?” she asked.

“Ooh, a sundae, huh?” Nick smiled. “Okay, you can have a sundae. You deserve it.”

“Thank you, Master. I need to get going now. My next class is coming in.”

“All right.” Nick heard a knock at his door. “I hear my appointment has arrived as well. I’ll talk to you later, Whitney.” He hung up the phone and opened his door.

“Good morning,” Zerrin greeted with a big smile.