Worth The Risk (18+)

12

*Sunday*

Avery

Things with Chris went as well as they could, I guess. As I unfortunately expected, he is not comfortable being rough with me, or anybody else. He was super nice about it though, so that was good. Of course, we decided to no longer continue seeing each other. I'm disappointed but relieved. I did enjoy him as a person, the sex and overall intimacy between us wasn't good though. Then there's the selfish part of me that liked how he provided distraction from my thoughts of Mr. L, and now that's gone. I need to learn to handle it on my own.

On the topic of Mr. L, I'm on my way to class to help him with a few things that need to be done before class tomorrow. I'm still struggling to control my ungodly thoughts about him, but at least I don't feel as awkward around him anymore. We agreed to be professional and friendly, and so far, it's been good. I actually even enjoy our alone work time, not just for inappropriate reasons, but because he's really funny and we actually have a lot in common. It's like being with a friend.

When I get to the classroom, he's already there, writing things on the whiteboard for tomorrow. He's in a tight, black t-shirt, fully displaying his double arm tattoo sleeves for the first time, and I'll be dammed if I don't drool when I look at him. Thank God his back is to me, or I'd be busted. I roll my eyes and mumble curse words to myself, trying to calm down as I walk towards our desks.

As I set my things down, he turns his attention to me and smiles.

"Good afternoon, Avery. How's everything?"

"It's good, how about with you?"

"Ditto. Sorry for calling you in on a Sunday, I know you said you don't mind, but I still feel bad. I just knew I'd get this done much faster with your help." he replies, continuing to draw on the whiteboard.

"It's no problem, I had no plans anyways." I reply, situating myself and bringing my attention to the work in front of me, and not the man in front of me who makes my panties wet without even speaking to me.

A minute later, he sits at his desk, and we work silently for a while. I finally set things down to take a quick break and he does the same.

"So... You've never shown off your tattoos before." I say to him, staring at his arms as he lays them on the desk.

"Yeah." he chuckles, looking at them.

"I know I'm allowed to show them at work, I just tend to cover them for some reason. Some people don't take me seriously when they see them." he shrugs.

"I've always found that stupid, honestly. What people do with their bodies has nothing to do with their professionalism or success."

"I agree. Some of the smartest people I've met have body modifications. It's never stopped me from respecting them or taking them seriously." he says.

"Me too. That's actually something I've wanted to write about for a long time. I want to write an article fighting the negative stereotype around people with body modifications and show statistics that it has no effect on their work."

"That's a wonderful idea. Let me know when you want to write that up and I'll be your firsthand helper." he smiles. Christ, that smile is intoxicating.

"Well, I don't see myself having time for that anytime soon, but if you're still willing in the future, I'll definitely take the help." I smile back.

"You have my email. Anytime you decide." he replies.

Our conversation drifts a little, and he shows me almost all of his tattoos that make up his sleeves. Some are meaningful, based around his family or friends, and some are just fun pieces that he liked and got. I didn't have to pay as close attention as I did but... I couldn't help myself. I could probably recite his tattoo layout from memory now.