16 Improvisation

LILY

I could tell it was hard for him, watching them go. To his credit, Brandon took it like a champ.

Hunter looked absolutely dashing as a pirate — his biceps bulging from some ragged white shirt with a plunging neckline. Ditto for Colin, hook-hand and all. He'd scarred his handsome face up with some creative makeup, while his firm swimmer's legs tore their way out of his striped pirate shorts.

Both of them, from head to toe, did every inch of their costumes proud.

"Damn guys… you look good."

I touched Hunter's chest, pretending to adjust something while feeling the hard musculature beneath. He smiled knowingly. In that moment I imagined them taking me. Dragging me below decks and just plundering me, the both of them, like the saucy wench I knew I could be. In fact—

"Ready?"

"Hell yeah."

They bounced out the door after one last goodbye, leaving a very glum Brandon in my very capable hands. I had already settled him down in front of the fireplace. Traded his latest attempt at sneaking a beer for a tall, frosty glass of water.

"Mid-terms," I said sternly. "Remember?"

He nodded again, and we got to work. At first it was slow going. There were a lot of distractions; feeding the fire, answering the door to hand out candy, trying to keep Brandon's attention focused on his work rather than our usual flirtatious banter. I tried keeping things serious though. For as long as I could, anyway.

"You're definitely getting it," I said after an hour and a half, "but I still think you're going too quickly."

Brandon groaned in frustration. We were laying side by side now, the fire roaring, the workbook between us.

Slow down," I told him. "Read the questions. If you just take your time, you'll realize exactly what answer they're looking for."

Another knock at the door. Another group of trick-or-treaters. They were showing up less frequently now that it was getting a little later, but they were still coming. And we were almost out of candy.

Brandon did his best to listen as I tutored him some more. Another hour went by, but somewhere around the forty-five minute mark he really started to understand. He started giving the right answers, and showing the right work. It was like something in his head just clicked.

"That's it!" I told him excitedly. "Just like that!"

He grinned with pure happiness, then leaned over in my direction. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me, but he only planted one on my cheek.

"You're the best, you know that?"

"Well I am a professor," I acknowledged.

"You're a lot more than that," Brandon swore. "Much more…"

Our heads were still close. Our lips, not all that far apart. I could picture us leaning in. Starting slowly, like two magnets giving in to the inevitable attraction.

Oh no…

I wanted so very badly for it to happen. Couldn't allow it to happen…

Playfully, I clapped the book closed in his face.

"We deserve a break," I grinned. "Let's go!"

My latest student blinked in disbelief. "Go where?"

"Trick or treating, silly!"

Brandon still had no clue what I was talking about. I leapt to my feet.

"You've got a pirate costume upstairs too, right?"

"Well, yeah…"

"So go put it on! I'll meet you back here in five minutes."

I took the stairs two at a time, then rushed into my room. I didn't own a costume, but scaring up a last-minute pirate wench couldn't be all that hard. I could certainly improvise.

Brandon took five minutes to finish. I probably took ten. By the time I came back downstairs, his jaw hit the floor.

"Lil..Lily!" he breathed. "Holy shit…"

I was wearing a flowing black skirt that I never really liked, so I had shredded it short all around. It fell about my thighs in sexy tatters, right below my black leather belt with the big buckle. My breasts were encapsulated in a satin red boustierre. Right now they were pushed up and together — showing off a hell of a lot of cleavage — beneath a barely-buttoned white shirt with a plunging neckline.

"You look…"

"Like a pirate?"

Brandon pulled off his eye-patch for a better view. His gaze dropped downward, lingered unapologetically at my chest, and finished where my bare legs were covered by some really hot fishnet stockings. Knee-high black boots completed the outfit.

"Where the hell did you get all this stuff?"

"One of the perks of being a woman," I smiled, "is that you can improvise."

He grinned — that innocent, boyish grin I loved so much — and handed me a bright red bandana. It matched the one he was already wearing.

"Pirate buddies?"

"Pirate buddies," I laughed.

Outside, the night sky seemed pregnant with a billion stars. The air was cold and crisp. As I gulped it into my lungs it tasted absolutely delicious.

"Let's run," I said, my eyes wide with excitement.