Erin put on the new bra and panties she'd bought that morning. New underwear always made her feel good, more confident, in control. She was going to a formal dinner that evening and wanted to look her best. She wasn't looking for hook-up, she just wanted to be noticed, and remembered by the senior staff for when permanent teaching jobs came up at the college.
She checked herself in a mirror. The new bra - a half-cup, push-up - made her breasts perkier, more assertive. She drew her hands up over her thighs, across the flimsy, silky material of the panties between her legs, and up to the bra, where, she let her fingertips play over her nipples, making them tingle and stiffen under the fabric.
Next went on a blouse in stretchy cotton. The extra half-inch of assertiveness, courtesy of the new bra, made the blouse tighter than usual, straining the buttons. She liked that. Then black pantyhose. This was Oxford, England. Full of draughty, medieval buildings. She didn't want frozen legs at dinner. Finally, an above- the-knee, skirt, a jacket and some killer heels.
The dinner wasn't till seven-thirty but, before then she had a teaching commitment. The college ran an outreach creative writing course for local people, and the onus of teaching it fell to the newest doctoral student, Erin. To make things less "academic", Erin had asked her students to write a short piece on Love. In whatever context they wanted. One student had, predictably, written about their dog, another about his parents, another about his baby son. The piece that gripped her was by Carl, who had written about his girlfriend.
Carl's story was erotic and when Erin first read it, it made her horny. Horny enough to reach for her vibrator. She'd noticed Carl's good looks already, and his comments in class were always intelligent. He showed a sense of humour too. Sexy writing suggested a sexy man. Erin wanted to get to know him a lot better.
The regular location of Erin's class had been moved, because of some college maintenance work. It was now taking place in a sixth floor room, in a historic tower, which, of course, had no elevator.
Erin walked up the stone staircase alone and in the quiet atmosphere, she was aware of the soft susurration as her nyloned thighs brushed together. She seldom wore pantyhose and had forgotten how sexy the silky rasping was. She liked its sound, liked the feel of the slippery nylon between her legs. It aroused her. She thought about Carl. She wanted him. A burst of desire swamped her body. Her nipples tingled; her clit swelled. She pressed her thighs close together. For a moment she thought about slipping a hand under her skirt... But she had a class to do.
Carl might not even make the class, might not have found the obscure room it had been moved to. No point getting excited too soon.
On the sixth floor, she pushed open the seminar room door, and saw only one other person in the room. Carl. More than she could have hoped for. Her heart thumped hard.
'Sorry I'm late, Carl. Where's everybody else?'
He said something about a key football match, somebody being ill, and the fact that the location had moved. "The signs to the tower were... difficult to find," Carl said with a warm smile.
His deep, bass voice was like a smooth, rich, red wine - and just as intoxicating. The low-pitched sounds resonated inside Erin's body. Like an organ in a cathedral. Like a bass guitar at full volume. She hardly listened to his words; she was gazing at Carl, studying him properly for the first time. He was tall, with a slim waist, broad shoulders, powerful muscles, but not an inch of fat. His hair was thick and black with a natural friskiness. His tawny-brown eyes sparkled with warmth, and a sense of fun. Like her, he was also dressed more smartly than usual: a slim-cut, crisp, white shirt under a navy sport coat; designer jeans - with button flies, she noticed with a thrill.
Carl had been attracted to Erin for a while, had been waiting for an opportunity to ask her out. She was usually enveloped in chunky sweaters, but now her smarter, tighter clothes revealed her to be even hotter than he'd thought. Her legs were slender, her breasts - neither big nor small - jutted jauntily under her blouse. Her eyes seemed full of light, and a frolicsome half-smile was on her inviting lips.
'Looks like it's just you and me,' she said, as they sat down on chairs facing each other. She dragged her eyes away from Carl's body and forced herself to concentrate on work. 'Let's begin,' she said. 'I liked your story.'
Carl knew he had a way with words, and he'd written a sexy story on purpose, to attract Erin's attention. 'I hope I didn't go too far. I didn't want to offend.'
Erin chuckled. 'No danger of that,' she said. 'In fact, you could have gone further.' No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she worried she'd said too much.
'Really?' Wow! Carl felt an excitement run through him. Erin was obviously an adventurous woman.
'What I mean,' she said, trying to talk more calmly, 'what I mean is you could have built things up more, developed the emotions, to add to the impact on the reader. To make it even more...'
'More... erotic?' said Carl, enunciating the words slowly. His voice was a deep, sexy purr and it sent a blast of heat through Erin's body. A rush of desire. If he could write like that, what would sex with him be like?
'I guess so,' she said, trying to sound calm and casual. Erin cleared her throat and crossed her legs, already feeling a dampness between her thighs. 'Whatever kind of story you're writing you have to
show
your readers the emotions your characters are experiencing, not just
tell
them.' He nodded. 'And you have to pace it carefully, slow things down at certain points, concentrate on details which build up the tension and drama.'
Carl thought a moment. 'A kind of foreplay?' he said casually with a smile.
'Well... yes,' said Erin, flustered by the comparison, but excited and emboldened by Carl's attitude. 'You have to treat your reader as you may your... well, your girlfriend.' God! Was she coming on too strong?
'Lead the reader up to a climax?' said Carl with a winning smile. Their eyes met. Erin realised he was making a move on her. Things were going faster than she expected. This was thrilling.
'I don't actually have a girlfriend,' Carl said, thinking it was time for a little honesty, and beamed a twinkling smile at her.
Erin got his inference: the woman in the story was based on her. Another blast of heat went through her.
'Could you show me how to... work up to a climax. In the story, I mean,' he said.
Erin gave him a look, and reddened. She knew he was leading her on, but it was so delightful, and it would be a mutual seduction. She looked at the text. 'Well, you don't say why the couple in your story find each other attractive. Is it something physical?' She looked around the room, pretending not to look at him. 'You could say, for example, "He was tall, and his bright blue eyes shone out across the room. She saw how his tight shirt outlined the muscles of his powerful chest."'
'I understand,' he said. 'More description. ' He nodded and smiled approvingly, recognising she was describing him. She had the hots for him alright.
'Your turn,' she said. 'Explain why the man is attracted to the woman.'
'Oh...' He was taken aback, but now was his chance to talk about her. 'Maybe something like: "As she walked across the room, he was rivetted by her long, slinky legs in their sheer black pantyhose, below her short, sexy skirt.'"
Erin knew he was describing her. But she wanted more. 'Physical description is OK. As far as it goes. What about some emotion?'