Robin had never really been that interested in English Literature. As he was choosing the courses he wanted to attend, he'd just picked it out because he thought it might give him a few easy extra points. It was completely for personal gain. Plus, it didn't hurt that the class was at a reasonable hour in the morning (10 AM) on Mondays and Thursdays, which was convenient for starting the week. But all that was about to change.
His parents had been ecstatic for him when they learned he'd been accepted in an American University, but very nervous and slightly reluctant to see him move abroad. The first-year student came from a northern British suburb, and suddenly switching to such a different environment had been a major shock. Now, he considers himself pretty much integrated, with a nice group of friends and a comfortable dorm room he shares with his childhood friend John Little.
And tonight it's with John and the rest of his group of friends that he heads to the city's best night club, Poison Apple, glad to be able to wind down and have fun before the new semester and its boring classes starts once again. As soon as they enter the club, all his senses are assaulted: his eyes adjust to the flashing lights of the dark room, his ears strain to hear what John is shouting above the music, the club smells of sweat, alcohol and perfume, and the air is warm and damp on his skin. Personally he's always preferred a nice night out with his boys in a bar with a few beers, but tonight he's looking for something else, he needs to switch something up in his routine. Tonight he's not ashamed to say he's looking to have a nice time dancing and drinking with beautiful inebriated women. He'd broken up with his long-time sweetheart, Marian, when he knew he was moving to the States and long-distance relationships were too much of a hassle (there was a big risk of falling out and ruining the good memories they had made).He admits he'll welcome any female attention he can get right now: he hadn't really had the time to chat up or mess around with women since he arrived, the first semester had been busy and hectic.
Now he's on the dancefloor after having finished the first round of shots. The exhilaration of dancing and moving in time with a crowd combines itself with the buzz of the alcohol, and he loses himself in the music. He sways and rocks in time with the loud bass, and a few times ends up dancing with lithe women grinding up against him. After a while Robin starts to get thirsty and slightly tired: dancing for a solid half-hour does that to you. He makes a beeline to the bar, avoiding and swerving around the small groups of dancing people. He finally arrives and leans against the counter, his grey-blue eyes flicking towards the barman, attempting to make eye-contact. When he finally does he shouts his order over the music, turns around and gazes at the crowd while waiting for his drink.
From the bar he has a broad view of the club and he spots a few of his friends having a good time, some of them chatting in booths, others dancing it up. He continues to scan the room slowly and his eyes almost flick back to the barman to check on his drink but something stops him. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight before him. He first notices her legs: the high heels she's wearing enhance the firmness of her calves. As his eyes trail up he notices that not only are her legs lean and to die for, but her ass is nice and round, and exactly the kind that makes his mouth dry (He's always been an ass man, and this one is just sinful). The woman is dancing about 15 feet away from him, and he has to make a conscious effort to keep his mouth from dropping or drooling. The gorgeous woman's long raven locks bounce along with her as she jumps to the rhythm. Her wavy hair frames her delicate features, striking dark eyes and full, red, painted lips contrasting with her light olive skin. A drop of sweat trails down her neck and dips down in her cleavage, encased in a beautiful black form-fitting dress. He's never been so blatantly nor suddenly aroused by just the sight of a woman before, and he struggles to comprehend just what attracts him to this woman so much. He's not a bloody teenager anymore after all, right?
He can feel electricity grow between them and she must have felt it too because she turns around, eyes curiously scoping the room before finally locking with his. They stare at each other for a moment, feeling the tension build between them. Robin is sure his heart skips a beat as her lips form a coy smirk and she winks at him. Her dancing is suddenly slower, deliberately so, her hips swaying in a tantalizing motion, letting her hands brush against her own body, putting her curves on display. She knows he is still watching her, and it makes this all the more hypnotizing. His eyes follow her every movement, drinking in the vision before him. He can feel himself getting hotter and hotter, and his pants are starting to get uncomfortably tight. He feels shameful, like a perverted voyeur, and he thinks he should go talk to her (not ogle her!), as there was a definite attraction there. He's about to walk towards her when the barman signals him that his drink is ready, and he turns around to pay the man and take it. Not just 15 seconds after his eyes left her, he looks back to where the woman had been dancing but can't spot her. Where did she go? He looks around, maps the area, but there is no trace of the stunning woman.
Disappointed, he looks back down at his drink, turns back and leans on the counter, facing the bar and its wall of alcohol and can't help the small sigh that escapes him. Robin is still baffled by the strong reaction this woman elicited from him, and the subsequent big letdown of losing sight of her. He gulps down his strong drink and asks for another, determined to keep his buzz going, and not let this little incident ruin his night.
…
He's on his third drink when he hears someone clear their throat. His head snaps to his left and there she is. The bold woman smiles at him and starts speaking, but oddly he's not listening to her words. No, he's mesmerized by the timbre of her voice, a deep, smooth and sexy tone that is just music to his ears. Again he's puzzled by the effect the raven-haired beauty has on him, his cheeks warm and he struggles to get his mouth to respond. His heart is pounding in his chest and the hotness he'd felt earlier returns in full-force. He feels a hand on his shoulder, the small contact sending a sting through his body. "Are you okay?" He snaps out of it and attempts to compose himself. "Oh, uh yeah, sorry I'm just…uh…" he sighs and takes a deep breath. "A blubbering idiot who apparently can't form coherent sentences when lovely women are near…" He gives an awkward chuckle and pivots his body so he can face her. She smiles at this and puts her hand out for a shake with a small laugh. "Let's start over then. I'm Regina. And you are…?"
"Robin. Nice to meet you Regina." The man at the bar introduces himself, his grey-blue eyes crinkling from his smile. He definitely has an English accent, one that makes her toes curl with pleasure, but from where exactly, she can't tell. It doesn't really matter when all she can feel right now is a warm tension in her lower belly and a definite hunger for the man before her. She'd just moved here a week ago and now that she'd finally unpacked everything she was thrilled to finally go out and get to know the city by night with her best friend, Mal. The dark-haired woman had been having a great time letting loose on the dancefloor when she had suddenly felt a pull, a weird tingling sensation on the back of her neck. She'd looked around and her eyes had finally rested on him.
She didn't know why she'd immediately acted out the way she did, dancing flirtily and then going up to him to strike up a conversation. She's rather reluctant to admit that he's affecting her just as much as she's obviously affecting him. He's very attractive and charming, with deep dimples appearing whenever he grins at her, and he's got a clean-cut look about him. She notices his defined muscles through the thin fabric of his white shirt. Regina feels like she's drowning in his mirthful eyes as they go on with the small-talk, and she doesn't hold back. She occasionally brushes against him or touches him briefly with her hand, and she's very confident in the natural effect she has on him by simply standing there in her tight dress. But again she's surprised by her response to this man. She can feel his eyes occasionally roam her body, leaving a trail of fire behind them. Her center is warm and pulsing, and Regina wonders why this man makes her so, why her behaviour has dramatically changed around him.
They continue to chat and laugh, seemingly ignoring the strong sexual tension surrounding them, but they have a great time nonetheless. This seemingly casual conversation turns into a tug of war as they inch closer to each other, neither wanting to be the first one to give in to their primal instinct.
It's not long after that their mouths finally meet, after having slipped away to a dark corner of the club where no one can see them. He's backed her against the wall, and her hands are seeking purchase in his hair, tugging him harder against herself, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, desperate for more contact with his searing skin. The tension that had been building between them finally bursts like water through a dam. They cannot get enough of the other, and finally touching him, having him touch her, is everything she expected and more. Their lips are deliciously moving in unison, and she can feel his hand dip down from her hip and grab her ass, grinding her against his body. She can't stop the moan that escapes her as his other hand trails up her body, and brushes against her nipple before starting to knead her breast. Her whole body is on fire, and she can feel herself dripping from just these few minutes of kissing and the simple touches on her body.
Regina's unbelieving yet pleased by this sensory overload, sparks running through her from her toes to the top of her head, so she gets more aggressive with her mouth and hands. He breaks away from her, panting, and she suddenly realizes how out of breath and flushed she is herself. Robin lets out a groan of pleasure as her hips slightly buck into his, and she can feel his painfully hard arousal press against her navel. His head dips down and starts leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses on her neck. She whimpers as he finds her weak spot at the juncture between her neck and shoulders. Her hands run over his body, grab him in an effort to bring him impossibly closer. She can feel him smirk against her neck as he realizes what he's found, and he continues to worship that spot relentlessly while simultaneously pleasuring her breasts. She bites her lip in an attempt to silence herself, and tries to concentrate on the upbeat music and possibly clear her head enough to form coherent thoughts in this whirlpool of bliss and thrill. But it's all in vain when he finally lets loose and roughly takes her legs, wraps them around his waist in a position that has his pressing right where she wants -no ,needs him. It's all too much and she cries out in pleasure. "Fuck! Robin!"
God, this is amazing. He never wants to stop. He's never felt such a strong attraction to anyone before, and hearing Regina cry out his name and curse has him hardening even more. This woman is too wonderful to be real, and the way they fit perfectly together is difficult for him to wrap his head around. It just feels…right (and of course pleasurable). Right now he knows very well that he wants her, but deep down, in the last remaining sane part of his brain he feels like there's something more than physical attraction here. What he's feeling for this woman is illogically strong. If he weren't so busy snogging the hell out of her or basking in the sounds she's making, he'd probably realize that there's something more here, a connection on another level.
But then she starts rocking her hips against his, and he just loses it. Regina is retaliating, tearing him away from her neck and crashing her lips to his. Soon, her tongue is prodding his mouth and sliding against his own. She lets one of her legs fall back down against the floor, but keeps the other firmly wrapped around the back of his thigh, preserving the delicious friction against her core. Her arms wrap around his back from behind and her hands trail up and up, rubbing in small circles. But then she completely changes tactics: she bites down on his lower-lip and lets her nails dig down into his back, probably leaving long red streaks in her wake, and Robin oddly enjoys it.
He can't contain the louder-than-intended grunt he makes as she sends pleasure coursing through his body. They break apart once more, and he takes pride in her disheveled appearance, pink cheeks and ragged breath. He grins and flashes his dimples at her, relishing in this small moment of intimacy. He's about to speak when suddenly a ringing noise rips through the air, surprising them. The spell somehow crumbles, and they break away from each other. Robin, flustered, reaches for his back pocket and takes his phone out.
"Yes, hello?" Robin starts talking animatedly on the phone while she sorts and straightens herself out. Regina can't believe what just happened. She just made out with some (handsome) stranger at a club. She must have drunk more than she thought. She stands there awkwardly while she thinks it through and tries to rein her libido in. She doesn't have time to reach a conclusion as Robin just finished his call, puts his phone back in his pocket and turns back to her with an apologetic expression on his face.
"So, uh, I'm sorry but I have to leave, my friend John is having an emergency, he drank too much and he's passed out in the club, I have to go get him home…or to the hospital if it's worse than we think. He's lucky that Tuck saw him and contacted me." The college student fidgets slightly as he feels like he's now in a very awkward situation, and he'll need a moment to calm himself down (he can't really walk around with a boner).
Regina reassures him that it's fine, his friend needs him but deep down she's sourly disappointed. It's been some time for her and this is exactly what she needed (though she was unaware of it an hour earlier). Not long after he's gone, she returns to the dancefloor in search of Mal, hoping to get the handsome foreigner out of her mind by dancing it off and drinking. A lot.
...
Hours later she's still at the Poison Apple, sitting at a booth and conversing with her best friend and ex-girlfriend, Mal. She eventually did end up forgetting about the incident with Robin for a little while, as anyone would when around such a beautiful woman as Mal, swaying and rocking on the dance floor and drinking too many shots to remember. The women are both comfortably buzzed due to their high alcohol resistance, and Mal had suggested taking a break from dancing, so here they were.
"Enough small talk." Mal's eyebrow raises suggestively, her lips curling into a knowing smile, and Regina still can't help being slightly intimidated by her friend's self-assurance and panache in whatever she did, even when inebriated. "I saw you leave and go talk to some guy earlier, I lost sight of you for a solid 15 minutes, and you come back flushed and messy, lipstick smudged, and you seem completely out of it." The sensual blonde didn't even feel the need to ask questions, confident in her skills, and knowing that Regina would naturally explain what happened. And of course, she was right. No one knows Regina Mills like Mal E. Fick after all.
Regina sighs, closes her eyes and rubs her temple briefly. She should've known the blonde would have picked up on it, she always was very perceptive and almost possessive of things she considered hers, almost like a dragon with treasure. That was one of the reasons they had decided to stay good friends, and she was very happy that they had stuck together through thick and thin, as Mal was very precious to her, an important person in her life. The blonde had helped her break away from her mother's bad influence and pursue her dream of teaching, and they've developed a very strong bond.
So it's no surprise that Mal picked up on her uncharacteristic behaviour, as she rarely disappears with complete strangers on their nights out together. Regina doesn't mind telling her either way, she's got nothing to hide from Mal. So she explains to her, the sudden and odd attraction she felt for this man, how natural and pleasant their chat was, and then how they'd gone off to the side to make out heavily. Mal's smile is more of a Cheshire cat grin now, hilarity in her eyes, barely containing a snort. "Oh, I see." She recomposes herself, straightening her posture and alluringly sips from her glass. She flips her blonde locks back, takes out her lipstick and mirror, and starts applying it in an expert manner: swiftly and perfectly.
Regina's slight irritation at her friend's behaviour turns to annoyance as Mal remains silent for a good minute, drawing out her strokes as she applies her makeup, not commenting any more than those three words. Regina breaks their silence, the music still blasting in the background.
"So, you're not going to say anything?"
"What's there to say?" Mal raises an eyebrow, hardly containing the tug at her lips.
"Well, I don't know, maybe some kind of reaction to… this weird event that happened tonight? Some kind of analysis? Isn't that what friends do in chick flicks?"
"Nope. Unless you have something to say about this I'm not going to make it into something it's not. This isn't a movie, Regina, this is real life."
Mal feels that she was close. Very close to getting the juicy details and actual feelings Regina is still hiding from her. And again, she's right: this went much deeper than just some one-night physical attraction.
…
Robin ended up having a very bad night out. Not only was he quite disgruntled by his phone's interruption, but he had to half-carry his much larger friend back home. Thank god Tuck was such a devout friend, he doesn't think he would've managed on his own, even if he is rather fit. It took them quite some time to haul John back to the dorms, and he can hear him snoring loudly on the opposite bed.
Robin checks his bedside clock with an upward nod of his head, and buries his head back into his cushion. He sighs and closes his eyes. It's 4 AM and I'm still fucking awake. I can't get her out of my mind. He squirms and tosses on his bed a few more times before falling back down on his back, spread-eagled. His eyes flutter open and he stares at the ceiling, hoping to distract himself from his corrupt thoughts. He'd already taken a cold shower, he didn't know what the heck would get him to fucking fall asleep. Why can't I seem to shake her out of my head? Why did kissing her feel so…right? And finally why the hell did I leave? He should've at least asked for her number or full name, have some way of finding her again! He felt like such an idiot. At least he'll get to sleep in tomorrow- or, uh, today, since it's Sunday.
…
Sadly for Robin his night did not improve in the slightest. He barely got a wink of sleep that day, and again later that Sunday when he went to sleep earlier than usual (he had class at 10 on Mondays) he'd thought anything would be better than last time. But he was wrong. And now it was Monday morning and he felt like shit. His nights had been filled with erotic dreams of Regina, her soft curves sliding against his body, riding him, kissing him, moaning in his ears and screaming out his name…and fuck he shouldn't think about this when he's heading to class. Especially not about how beautiful she looked, her face scrunched up in pleasure, nor how real it had felt, almost like a memory from another life.
So it's without enthusiasm that he heads to his English Lit room for the first class of the second trimester, where he's -as always- greeted by the bored, grey face of Mr. Sneed. He plops down into his chair unceremoniously and takes out his pens and books. He's always seated either on the third or second row, preferring to hear the lectures loud and clear and not having to deal with distracting peers in front of him. He then proceeds to stare at the ceiling, waiting for the class to begin. He drowns out the first minute of mandatory babble from the professor, but his interest is piqued when other students start to whisper and talk around him. "…and so I'm pleased to introduce to you your substitute English Literature teacher: Miss Mills." Mr. Sneed finishes with a small, half-hearted clap and then motions to the door.
His mouth dries. His blood rushes south. His heart starts pounding fast in his ears. What is she doing here? The elegant woman from the night before comes through the door, heels clicking on the floor until she comes to a stop in front of the black board next to his professor. She's dressed in a form-fitting black pencil skirt, a simple white dress-shirt with the top buttons left undone, and her vest rests on her shoulders. And fuck just when I thought I had her out of my mind. Am I hallucinating? Robin pinches his arm slightly and comprehension dawns on him. No. This is real. Regina is my substitute teacher. How the hell was he going to be able to concentrate in class now?
Robin tunes back in and listens to what's happening right in front of him. "And so now that I've cleared the modalities, I now call on your new professor to introduce herself and start the lesson. I'll be leaving now."
…
Professor Regina Mills. She'll have to get used to that title. She hopes that her nervousness isn't showing, and she's doing the best she can to keep her cool and talk clearly. First impressions are important, and she wants to be respected. But one of the students here has already had a…first impression to say the least.
On Sunday Mal and she had met up at her house to make sure everything was in order for Regina's first day at her new job. Sure, they were a little hungover, but it's nothing they hadn't lived through before, and Mal definitely wanted to get to the bottom of this story. Even if she also had work to get done for the next day as a main columnist of "Villainous", an influential fashion magazine. They'd already organized most of her files and notes into folders, then stacked them into the shelves of her office. After finishing up in her office, they had headed to her living room on her couch to settle the final details, and for Mal, to reap the results of her hard work. Regina was sitting, legs crossed over the sofa, sorting through the last pile of papers and Mal was about to make her first move when Regina's eyes widened, incredulous, mouth ajar, struggling to form words.
Mal knew that very few things could elicit such a reaction from her friend, and she immediately snatched the piece of paper from her hands. Her eyes quickly scanned the roll call list- complete with pictures to avoid attendance fraud- and started to conceive what might've caused of her friend's shock. Regina seemed to regain her bearings and cleared her throat before speaking in a low voice. "That's the man from last night." She pointed to a student on the list.
"Robin Locksley." Mal read from the paper. "Well good choice there, little one, I see the appeal. He's most certainly titillating…"
"Mal don't you get it?" Regina finally snapped out of her lethargy, sprang to her feet and faced her friend with a slight scowl on her face. "I drunkenly made out with one of my future students. And the thing is, I didn't tell you this last night, but I really felt a connection, I wanted to pursue this." She pursed her lips, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You know as well as I do that I don't believe in stupid things like fate, destiny or anything like that but I really feel this…this thing, this pull towards him. And now I have to be his teacher."
Mal levelled her with her eyes and understood that this was more than physical, but she couldn't resist poking fun at Regina, and it would alleviate the tension. "Well I guess you'll both fulfill the all-time fantasy of a student-teacher dalliance…that's quite salacious and appealing actually. This makes me nostalgic of the fun times we had on college grounds not that long ago." She gave a small laugh at the memory of them, college students, almost getting caught in the janitor's closet.
Regina seemed to grasp the atmosphere her friend was trying to establish and relaxed a bit. She shook her head and laughed, lowering herself back on the sofa. "Mal, this isn't the time for messing around. I know I'm being an uncharacteristic sap right now but I really could get into a lot of trouble if, and I say if I pursue this."
"Nonsense! Have you even checked the official school rules?" Mal was very happy with herself. Regina probably hadn't realized what the columnist was trying to get her to admit herself, but she was very perceptive, which is why she was quite content with the current situation. In the past two years, Regina had slowly succumbed to a routine way of life, and particularly her love life had consisted of either horrible blind dates or one-night stands (with very attractive men and women). Mal wasn't one to dislike one-night stands or celibacy of course, but she could see that Regina just wasn't happy. So last night when she had seen the spark in Regina's eyes she knew she had to become an active player in this, and give her friend a few nudges in the right direction.
So now that she had seemingly gotten her friend to understand, after scrutinizing the school rules, that it wasn't that big of an offense as long as they weren't too obvious about it, and that she didn't show any favoritism, she started to concoct a devious plan
And now Regina Mills was standing in the amphitheater, breathing deeply through her nose in an attempt to slow her heart rate. She could already feel the now-familiar gaze boring into her, warming the nape of her neck and slightly tinting her cheeks. Okay. She can do this. She can put Mal's plan into action.