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I ’m tapping my pen on my deck when I hear the doorbell ring. Instantly, I’m on my feet, knowing he is here. My body instantly lights up, the thought of my tempting, older private math tutor sending flutters down my core. I glance out of the window, spying his mop of dark brown hair as it disappears inside the door.

Last night, I pushed the boundaries by sending him pictures of my tits. I know it is bad and naughty, and I know he’s never obviously expressed any interest in me, but he’s the only silver lining in my life. Mom got drunk last night and she loves using her leash on me when she’s violent, recounting how I ruined her figure and my parents’ marriage. It’s not my fault that Dad cheated on her because she gained weight, but it’s what we believe in this family. I know my parents care for me and Dad spoils me with so many luxurious things. Still, I wish they loved me too, loved me enough to get through their issues.

With George away at college, I am in a precarious position. After my brother failed to get into any prestigious institutions despite Dad giving them big donations, the expectations shifted to me. After I failed to get in despite my improved SAT score, Dad got serious. Last night, things got really awkward when my parents announced their plans for my future.

“You’re getting married as soon as you graduate school,” Mom said, half-drunk. I thought she was kidding, but then, I turned to Dad who looked utterly serious.

“Your brother has already disappointed us by not getting into an Ivy League school. I hope you’re not planning to follow in his footsteps.” I got admission letters from a bunch of universities last year and none of them were the ones my Dad wanted. Despite hiring a tutor for me, I’d failed to meet his expectations.

“But Dad, you said you wanted me to go to college.”

“Not anymore. The Kingstons, you know the family, Bill and you are classmates.” My heart stopped beating when he mentioned Bill because he was the most boring person I knew. Bill was a spoiled, rich kid just like my brother, and he only knew how to waste his life until his parents handed him the reins of their banking empire. I had no doubt he’d cheat on me as soon as he went to college and treat me like an accessory as soon as I delivered the prescribed 2.5 kids. I didn’t want that kind of life for myself, not after I’d grown up in a household where my parents barely tolerated each other and stuck together only for appearances. “Well, Bill is going to Yale next Fall and he wants to marry you.”

“What!? Dad, I’m only eighteen. I’m too young to get married.” I had planned on going to college and falling in love after I graduated high school. I wanted to find someone who loved me for who I was and not for my family connections.

“Your mother was nineteen when we got married. You’re not that young anymore. Bill wants to meet you next week so that his parents and I can come to an agreement. I hope you’ll show up in your best clothes.” Dad’s voice was harsh and I knew he’d hit me if I didn’t listen. Dad didn’t usually hit me, but it happened every once in a while when I failed to meet his expectations. After my disappointing admission letters, I stopped arguing with him. “And while we’re at it, I think it’s time you stopped getting private tuitions. Your math grades are up and you don’t need to study so hard anymore.”

My heart dropped like a stone. The thought of being stuck with my parents and never seeing Ronan again was the worst kind of punishment.

“No! Please. I promise I’ll behave but let me get private tuition until I graduate.” I never thought I’d be begging my parents to let me study. My hot tutor was the only ray of hope in my life. “You said that studying Ronan was having a positive effect on my grades.”

“I can’t believe vermin like him gets to study at a prestigious institution while my children bring nothing but disappointment to the Mulligan name.” Dad stands up. “Fine, you can have your math classes but don’t think that’s going to get you out of a marriage with Bill.”

With that, he left.

That’s why I sent Ronan those tit pics. I wanted to do something bad and naughty before I signed my life away to a lifetime of maintaining appearances. I want to be loved and desired by a hard-working, capable man like Ronan. I’ve been in love with him since the day he walked in through the door and said he’d be teaching me math. He was so serious, but he was stable and caring, something my parents had never been. With him, I felt like I wasn’t drowning. I could be myself, tease him, play with him, and he’d let me. But there is one line he never crosses.

There’s a knock on the door.

“Come in.” My eyes are glued to the door that opens, revealing the tall, dark, and handsome form of my private tutor. He steps in, taking up space in the room, and making my heart speed up. Ronan has been my tutor for two years, but I feel like this every time I see him.

“Good evening,” his voice is deep and sexy, seeping into my heart like medicine. The invisible pressure I’ve been feeling all day dissolves and my heart feels a little lighter.

Ronan Jackson is sexy AF. With those stormy, broody silver eyes, thick brown hair, a sharp jaw lined with stubble, and the hardest body I’ve seen, he’s my version of a porn video. At over six feet, he’s tall and athletic, his figure a mismatch to his intellectual personality. I still can’t believe he’s studying Math with a body like that when he could be using it to make women come instead. He should be a model or a football player.

“Good evening, Elsie.” He’s all formal in that crisp white shirt he insists on wearing to our tutoring sessions. I know he wears a t-shirt and hoodies like normal guys at college, but he acts like I’m a job when he’s here. I know Dad pays him to make sure I pass all my classes, but my feelings for my tutor are nowhere near professional. His gaze flickers over the books on the table, my bookshelf, and my bed with a crumpled pink bedsheet that was part of the pics I sent him last night. I’m wearing a half-sleeve V-neck t-shirt and a push-up bra that tries too hard to show off my assets. I know men like girls with big boobs, but no matter how many YouTube breast-enhancing massages I try, my tits won’t grow. Ronan’s gaze slides down my chest, taking in my miniskirt that barely covers my ass. I wear clothes like that to tempt him, but deep down, I just want him to love me. Ronan is the only person who listens to me, the only one who replies to my messages and gives me attention. I notice the slight difference in his breathing, feeling a sense of accomplishment when he turns his gaze away. “Shall we start today’s lesson?”

“I know you don’t speak like that to your friends.” I went to view Ronan’s college because Dad wanted me to go there but instead of seeing the buildings, my eyes were fixed on my hot, older tutor.

“How do you know that?” His silver eyes narrow. “Have you been stalking me?”

The mention of that word makes my pussy quiver. Ronan’s narrowed eyes make me feel like I’m the only woman in the world. I wish he’d stalk me, see me every time I slipped my fingers between my legs in the sanctuary of my bedroom and came calling out his name. My cheeks heat, realizing how disturbing my fantasies are.

I shrug. “I bet there isn’t much to you except Math and studying.” I want to appear nonchalant, to label him as a boring person so that I can get on with my life. But no matter how hard I try to convince myself, my body won’t stop wanting him. I feel there’s a hidden depth to him, a shadowy beast he keeps under lock and key. How else could someone who looks that hot not be interested in girls?

There’s a flash of something in Ronan’s eyes but then, he turns away and begins pulling out his books. He sits down on the chair next to me, placing them on the table as I take my seat. Just sitting next to him and talking about math feels intimate. “Did you do your homework?”

“Not all of it. I was busy sexting last night.” His fingers pause when I mention that word. I pull my chair closer to my tutor. “Did you like the pics I sent?”

“I deleted them.”

“Awww, that’s so tragic. How are you going to get through college sex? Surely, even you need relief sometimes. My brother says men that age need release. They can’t stay with the same woman for too long.”

Ronan grips the book a little too tight, making me wonder if he hates men who cheat. I bet he’d never cheat if he had a girlfriend. I’ve asked him about it, but he says he’s too busy to date. I know Ronan works several part-time jobs including this one to make ends meet. He doesn’t come from one and though he has a scholarship and his mom helps him out, he still needs to make money. I might’ve been a sheltered princess all my life but there’s something about a hard-working man like Ronan that turns me on. He isn’t like my brother or Bill. He worked for everything he’d got and that makes him so much sexier.

“When I go to college, I plan to sleep with a new guy every week. Just to keep things interesting.”

Ronan’s chest rises and falls unevenly, making me wonder if I finally got to him. He doesn’t seem like the jealous type, but maybe I’m wrong. “College is for studying, not sleeping with boys.”

I sense it every time he holds himself back. It’s like he adorns the mask of a stern tutor when he could be so much more. There’s a simmering passion beneath his surface,

“Where’s the fun in all work and no play?” I slide my palm over Ronan’s thigh and feel a muscle jump underneath. “Don’t you ever want to play?” I turn my voice into a seductive purr. We’ve been playing this game for years, and he never melts. Still, I won’t stop trying. “You know, kiss a girl or make out? Go to parties, get drunk, wake up naked in bed with someone you don’t even know.”

“No.” There’s a burning intensity in his gaze as he says it. How can a man like this be single? It’s not even logical. I know girls at his college are all over him.

I snuggle closer, my breasts brushing against his side as I whisper in his ear, “What about someone you know?”

His hand moves, grabbing my back in an attempt to pull me away, but as he does, I flinch.

“Ouch.” I try to pull away, but Ronan stops me by grabbing my wrist. His eyes meet mine and I look down, trying to avoid my weakness.

“Are you hurt somewhere?” his voice is steady, making my nerves buzz.

“No. It was just—” He pulls me closer, fisting the hem of my top and yanking it up to reveal the scars on my back. He pushes the fabric up my spine, revealing inches of scarred skin. I close my eyes, feeling the air cool the marks on my back. Mom makes me submit to her wishes when she’s really angry, and that’s usually every time she gets a picture of Dad and his secretary from her private investigator. I don’t even know why she has one, but she spends all day crying over it, drinking herself to death. When I try to interfere, she blames me and hits me.

“Are those…” His eyes go wide with fury as he takes in my scars. I feel exposed and ashamed. I didn’t ever want him to see me like this. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where they came from. Ronan has seen my mother drink. She even came onto him once but he refused her. Then, she threw glasses around and created a mess until the maids made her stop. Ronan runs his thumb over the new scar and I moan. “Is this the one that I touched?”

He’s so cool, so calm and collected despite the rage I know he feels.

“Yes.” He’s holding me too close. I’m half in love with my tutor though he’s never shown any interest in me before. But Ronan is the only one who ever listens to me. With him by my side, I feel a little less lonely.

Time stands still as he drags his finger over the healing mark, making me breathe heavier with each stroke. His fingers tighten on my wrist, digging into my flesh so hard that I think it’ll break. He’s never been so forceful with me before, never tried to do anything like this, and I kinda like it.

“You’re…hurting me.”

His head snaps up and Ronan immediately loosens his grip. “I’m sorry.”

“You should let me go before someone walks in. The door isn’t locked, remember?” My voice is breathy, his touches making my pussy moist and ready.

“Do you have scars anywhere else?” I can’t stop my body from reacting to his touches, can’t stop the anticipation in my heart when he treats me with kindness.

“A few in my thigh, stomach, and neck, though they’ve faded.” Mom tried to strangle me once when she was really angry but Dad came and broke us up. She went to rehab for a bit after that, but she still has an alcohol addiction. I know she only does it because she’s sad, but I want her to stop.

“Turn around.” I obey him, turning my body so that he can get a clearer view of my back. Ronan pulls my shirt up, tugging on my hands. I raise them, allowing him to take them off my body, leaving me in only my white t-shirt bra, and miniskirt. I feel so exposed, though he’s seen me in far less than this. Coiling a hand around my stomach, he pulls me toward him. His lips ghost my ear, his fingers touching the marks on my back, opening me up in a way nobody else ever has. “Who hurt you, little dove?”

Little dove.

He calls me that sometimes. And I love it. It makes me feel special.

I moan when Ronan runs his calloused thumb over one welt, gently touching it. My entire body turns into a puddle, leaning into his touch.

“Who did this to your beautiful body?” There’s no mistaking the raw possessiveness, the undisguised anger in his voice.

“You think I’m beautiful?” My flirtation is my defense mechanism. I don’t want him to dig too deep, to know how imperfect I am on the inside.

“Answer me. Was it your mom?” I sense him shift, his knuckle stroking my spine all the way to where the waistband of my skirt is. My nipples tighten under my bra, aching to be touched by those big, rough hands.

“Yes…It’s nothing out of the ordinary.” I sense him shifting, just stifling a yelp when he picks me up like a doll and slides me over his muscular thigh. I’m about to say something when I feel his thick, massive erection under my ass, poking through my skirt. I forget to breathe, closing my eyes and reveling in the sensation of sitting on my hot tutor’s lap and being touched by him.

Lowering his head, he whispers against my skin, “I want to kill your parents for hurting you. You’re not even safe in your own home.” I’ve never seen such a display of emotion from him before. Has Ronan been hurt too? Is that why he’s so concerned about me.

When I feel him move, I ask, “What are you doing?”

“Making you feel better.”

Ronan’s lips brush against my broken skin, cutting off all my thoughts. He moves his lips over my wound, kissing it lovingly. My mind melts because no one has done anything like that before, and my body loves it. I love how careful he is, giving me scars attention as he kisses them one by one. The feelings I’ve buried in my heart explode. I grab his arm where it flexes around my waist, needing this so much. When I sent him those pics last night, I wanted him to touch me, to suckle on my tits like I was more than a student to him. I want him to be the first man who touches me, the one who takes my virginity and makes me his. But this is so much better. It’s like he knows exactly what I need.

“Ronan…” My pussy clenches around the air. His hot breath mists against my skin, my nipples tingling for my hot tutor. I let him touch my healed marks, kissing each and every one until my pussy is hot and hungry for more. My ass slides against his bulge, my whole body aching for my tutor. I know this is so wrong. He could get into trouble if Dad ever found out what we did, but I still want him.

He finishes kissing my scars one by one, keeping me securely in his lap. I lose myself in his kisses, needing him so bad. I want his cock inside me, his mouth on my tits making me forget the pain.

A loud crash outside the door makes us both sit up. I hear my mom screaming downstairs and roll off Ronan’s lap in a second. She’s been drinking again and she’s getting violent. I reach for the door handle but Ronan gets there first, placing his hand over mine.

“Don’t go.” His voice is firm. Ronan pushes me against the door, caging me with his tall, big body. His hands reach over my head and he bolts the door. “She’ll only hurt you more.”

“But…she…”

“Let the servants deal with it. They’ve been through it before.” I don’t know how he knows that. Probably from the last time she lost her temper. “It’s not your responsibility, Elsie.” His hand slides down my shoulder, touching the soft skin of my arm. His eyes are two molten pools of silver, blazing fiercely as I swallow. I want him so bad. Ronan leans forward, kissing my shoulder. “Tell me what happened yesterday.” His thumb strokes my clavicle as he kisses my neck, and my jaw, trailing his hot lips over my cheek. My pussy leaks moisture, coating my seam. I don’t have to touch my panties to know that they’re soaked. “Why did you send me those pics? You’ve never done anything like that before.”