Firefighter's Virgin

I sent Jason a short but polite text back, informing him that I was busy and completely not interested, hoping that he would finally give up on me.

“I hope that’s the last time I’ll have to turn him down,” I said, staring down at my phone.

“You could always file a complaint against him,” Missy suggested.

“No,” I said quickly. “I don’t think that’s necessary. He’s probably just socially awkward. Maybe he doesn’t realize how creepy he seems. And anyway, he hasn’t approached me since that day Chance chased him off. I don’t want to be a bitch.”

“Well, don’t be too nice, either,” Missy said. “Some guys don’t understand polite.”

I sighed and looked down at my phone. There was no reply yet, and I hoped I wouldn’t get one. A part of me still wanted to know how he had got my number, but I decided to let it go.

“You okay?” Missy asked.

“Yeah…sure,” I nodded, shaking off my worry. “I’m great, actually. I have a date to get ready for.”

“You lucky bitch,” she laughed, and I couldn’t help but agree.

Chapter Twenty

Chance

“Can I ask you a question?” Natalie asked abruptly.

She was seated in the passenger seat, with the seatbelt drawn over a white belted dress with long sleeves and a sexy low-cut neckline. Her body was angled towards me, and her expression was curious but slightly cautious.

“Sure.” I nodded.

We had been together for a few weeks now. It wasn’t the longest relationship I’d ever had, but it was the most meaningful. The sex had only gotten better, and the convers

ations were just as good. I had never experienced that before. Usually, if I could talk to a woman, I had no interest in sleeping with her, and if I was sleeping with her, I usually had little to no interest in what she had to say.

“And you’ll be honest?” Her blue eyes were wide and adamant.

“Of course,” I nodded.

“You’re not giving me preferential treatment in class because we’re…you know…”

I smiled. “Are you referring to the graded papers I returned to your class last week?”

“I got an A-minus,” she responded.

“If I had been giving you preferential treatment, I would have given you an A-plus.”

Natalie frowned as I reached over and took her hand. “Do you really think I’m the kind of guy who would mark you up for no other reason than the fact that you’re sleeping with me?”

“I don’t know; are you?”

“I gave you the grade you deserved,” I said firmly. “Your arguments were solid and well-reasoned, your information was up to date and well researched, and your writing was clear and to the point. That’s why you got an A-minus. If I’m being honest, another professor might have given you an A-plus for that paper.”

“Oh,” Natalie said. “Okay… Then why didn’t you give me an A-plus?”

I laughed. “I tend to mark severely in the months preceding finals. It’s a way to prepare my students for what’s to come so that they push a little harder. While your paper was near perfect, you repeated a few points, which is why I marked you down.”

“You mentioned that on my paper,” she nodded.

“Did you not think you deserved an A?”

“I did,” she replied. “I just wanted to make sure.”