Chapter 7
Cora figured that if Paolo could survive three full days of her in full cranky PMS mode without running for the hills, he was definitely a keeper so she dropped her guard completely and let him in. Let him really see her.
Fridah was skeptical still, something about him apparently just rubbed her the wrong way. She tended to be a good judge of character what with seeing people at their worst all the time so Cora didn’t dismiss her concerns. Still she wasn’t going to let a feeling Fridah had stop her from pursuing what could, finally, be true love.
She was in class, teaching conjugation and trying her level best to be present with her pupils. Susie Haiser in the back showed great promise but she was easily distracted. Bran Richardson was more concerned with showing how much of a ladies’ man he was rather than making sure he read the day’s assignment. Jared Wesson was dedicated to a fault but he needed to relax a little and not treat every test like it was life and death. These were her students now, they should be her primary concern. Some days were better than others though.
*****
“You know what, girl?”
Cora threw down her pen in irritation, scowling as a thin stream of ink spurted out like fresh blood.
Fridah smiled, amused, passing her roomie a tissue. She was getting ready for work as Fridah graded papers on the dining room table.
“What, Cora?” the dancer rubbed her forehead in annoyance. “That Sarah Stark!”
Fridah nodded sagely. “Ah, yeah, the white girl with the corn rows? What’s she done now?”
“Urgh!”
Cora made a vague swatting gesture. “She’s just so infuriating! She’s written a page of this… Utter drivel!! She’s supposed to be analyzing Shakespeare’s genius, not telling me exactly how she would have gone about writing the plays herself! She’s ruined Romeo and Juliet! Just look!”
Fridah scanned the wrinkled sheet of paper, covered in scrawling biro and Cora’s careful scarlet annotations.
“‘I think Romeo and Tybalt should have got together, because Juliet was an utter drip who did nothing to help herself’?” Fridah read out with a snigger.
“It’s not funny, you jerk. That play is a masterpiece, Stark has destroyed it for me forever.” Cora sighed dramatically, staring at the red ink on her fingers in distaste.
Fridah bit her lip to stifle a laugh. “Sorry, darling. I know Shakespeare means a lot to you…” Cora pouted. “Yes, well…”
“And I agree with you that this Stark girl may be secretly Satan…”
The English teacher grinned. “Yeah, she is! She asked if I was even qualified to teach English, ’cause I’m black! And she refuses to spell ‘definitely’ right; she uses ‘defiantly’. Every single time! She knows they’re different things, she’s just doing it to piss me off!”
Fridah smiled indulgently, passing Cora a mug of coffee.
“Why don’t you give her an F and be done with it?”
Cora took a long slurp of her drink. “Fine…” She sulked.
Fridah smirked.
“And perhaps I can dig up some dirt on her. You do know your deputy head is one of my regulars?”
Cora’s mouth dropped open, “Noo!” she whisper-shouted.
“Yeah. Now shut up about it because that shit is confidential.”
“Yeah of course, definitely. What you take me for?” Cora rubbed her hands together gleefully, “This is too juicy.”
“Coraaa…” Fridah said warningly as she slipped on her Pumas and stood up ready to go.
Cora mimed zipping her lips shut, but she couldn’t hide the huge grin on her face.
*****
“Fridah told me something before she left and I can’t tell anyone,” Cora announced as she opened the door for Paolo later that evening.
“Okay,” he replied as he stepped into the apartment, taking off his shoes at the door. He walked with sock feet to her bedroom where he had a change of clothes. Armani suits were comfortable but not really appropriate for lounging around in an apartment. He had a few clothes stashed at Cora’s for just such occasions. It was easier than going home and then coming back here…or so he told himself. His mind thrust away the thought that they had become disturbingly domestic ever since he’d nursed her through her period before it had a chance to fully form.
“But I have to tell someone!” Cora yelled as he slipped his shirt off.
“Don’t do it,” Paolo replied biting back his smile. He knew he was about to hear it anyway – he had sisters after all.
“Promise you won’t tell anyone,” Cora asked appearing in the doorway and peering at him.
“No,” Paolo replied his smile becoming a full fledged grin.
“Oh come on Pablo. Pinky swear.”
“Nope. Fridah told you not to tell anyone. So you don’t tell anyone. Not even me.”
“You are such a…fuddy duddy,” Cora complained making Paolo break out into frank laughter.
“Is that even a word?” he asked.
“Sure. It means killjoy. I am an English teacher you know.”
“No. I wasn’t aware,” Paolo replied dryly his head reappearing over his shirt just in time to catch Cora checking him out.
“Like what you see?” he asked.
Cora stepped into the room, her demeanor totally changed, as her eyes became liquid caramel pools of lust and her expression sobered as her hands reached out for him. That’s all it took for him to step forward, catching her hands in his and pulling her to him. They kissed for a long time, bodies barely touching, his hands still holding hers prisoner. Then Cora made a small sound of want, deep in her throat, and that’s all it took for Paolo to pick her up and throw her on the bed.
*****
“Paolo,” Cora said, and Paolo leaned across the space and kissed him, slow and sweet and chaste, mostly just brushing their lips together.
“Paolo,” Cora said again, and then they were both at it crazy, frantic, desperate, Cora’s mouth slicking heat across his jaw, his shoulders. Paolo wanted to bite her, to suck on her, everywhere; licked his tongue all the way across Cora’s smooth jaw, got Cora’s ear in his teeth for a little while, Cora gasping and straining against him, muttering, “Paolo, Paolo, Jesus.” Fingers digging into Paolo’s shoulders, hands hungry and desperate on each other. Paolo shoved his sweatpants out of the way and Cora’s too, and they were rutting and squirming and getting everything off, the whole bed jouncing around under them.