A/N This is a One Shot A/U, requested by CrypticNotions. Carter meets Reese who turns out to be one of Taylor's teachers at school. Hope you Enjoy!

*I don't own Person of Interest or its characters.


He was watching her.

She knew she wasn't imagining it. He'd sat down, almost at the end of the bar and from the moment she sipped her first drink an hour ago, his eyes had barely left her.

There was something about his gaze, Carter thought, his eyes were busy. He wasn't just stalking, he wasn't just looking. He was observing her, taking her in it seemed. He studied her movements, whether slight or considerable. How her fingers moved over her martini glass, how she licked the rim as a tiny droplet of liquor sought to drizzle from it. He watched the way she flicked her hair from her shoulders and how it travelled in waves down her back.

It was so intimate she thought. It made Goosebumps form on the skin of her bare arms. His eyes moved over her entire body like the fingers of a lover on a journey of discovery, before he took what belonged to him.

It was almost a turn on.

She smiled at the thought.

He wasn't even her type.

She smiled at that too.

It'd been so long since she dated or was in a meaningful relationship, did she even have a type anymore?

She was supposed to be meeting LaBlanca from work here at Stacy's. It was a nice escape from the routine of cases, dead bodies and files. But La Blanca's boyfriend had other plans that included just him and her and so not wanting to waste an evening off and no Taylor to worry about she decided to go out on her own.

She slipped into a simple black halter dress, curled her hair and threw on some sky high heels. Her makeup was mostly subtle, her lips glossed, eyes darkened with liner and neutral eye shadow. But she was stunning if she didn't say so herself.

Yes she was going out.

And here she was, being turned on more and more under the gaze of this handsome stranger.

No he wasn't her type, but she turned on her bar stool to openly gaze at him, not hiding the fact that she knew he was staring at her. She caught his gaze and held it and though her intention was to capture him under her scrutiny, the opposite in fact had happened.

There was a lightning bolt.

Had to be.

Nothing else could explain her response to him and his eyes on hers. She couldn't tell the colour of them because he was a little too far away, but his gaze was intense, compelling, and he seemed to draw her in like a spider coaxing the fly to his web, never to leave again.

He had high cheekbones; they looked like they could cut glass, a very straight, distinct nose and a mouth that seemed to promise pleasure. The corners of his lips were upturned now, a smile?

More of a smirk as he looked at her.

The way the bottom lip curved she couldn't help but think it was made simply to taste the most intimate of places on a woman's body. She couldn't help conjuring images in her mind of where she'd tell him to place them.

His shoulders were square and strong, and looking over him, she could tell he was lean and tall, with long legs that stretched out before him to the ground. His legs were sprawled wide like he couldn't stand to be uncomfortable with the small space in front of him for much longer.

She looked into his eyes again, and he winked. It made her smile almost guiltily.

And he did the same. His face lit up and his eyes seemed to twinkle.

She looked away sipping her drink again and just a few short seconds later he was at her side.

"Do you mind if we take this slow?" His question whispered silkily in her ear left her puzzled but intrigued as he sat down next to her.

She raised an inquisitive brow in his direction and he shrugged.

"The way we've been looking at each other all evening, I can't decide if I should light a cigarette or reach for another condom." He tipped his glass to his head, taking a sip of his beer.

She turned to him on her stool acting surprised. "Has it been that intense for you?"

"It has been pretty heated, admittedly. I was sure you felt it too."

"Hmm-" she said nodding "If that brief interaction has got you gone, I wonder how well you could handle the real thing." She said and took that moment to lick the rim of her glass before downing the rest of her drink.

She wasn't being herself, she knew and right now she didn't care. She'd be responsible again tomorrow, she reasoned, and after another hour of endless drinks, overt flirting and gazing into those intense blue eyes of his – now that she could finally see what colour they were – she found herself inside his apartment in lower Manhattan just a few blocks from Stacy's.

His hands moved around her waist and she was the one who was gone. Such big strong hands she thought as they moved over her thighs. His mouth on her neck was insistent, and she felt his warm breath as his tongue flicked out over her skin.

His hands moved lower to pull her dress up, and they found their way quickly inside her panties. She gasped as he slipped a finger over her clit, then inside her and he turned her face towards his so he could kiss her, plunging his tongue in and out and over hers repeatedly.

This wasn't her, her brain screamed, but his hands felt so good and she was wet and moaning into his mouth. She pressed herself into his hand as his fingers moved faster and faster inside her, drawing her out. She was tingling and she felt surges of pleasure move through her.

Her hands travelled behind her back and she found his belt, pulling at it, unbuckling it and she reached inside his underwear, reaching for him. She stroked him in her hands, hearing his grunts against her ears.

Big boy, she thought.

She smiled as he said yes and she felt him slick underneath her fingers. He spun her round to face him, his hands moving harshly over her butt, he ground her into him, lifting one of her legs round his thigh. She pulled his head roughly down mashing her lips onto his and she felt his cock moving over her opening over and over again. The brief touch of his bare slick skin over her bare slick opening was nothing but pure fire, burning heat.

Her legs were becoming weak as his lips travelled over her chest and he squeezed her breasts through the fabric of her dress.

"Take this off." He commanded and she fumbled with the catch at her neck. She slipped out of her shoes and he wrestled with the buttons on his shirt. As soon as her dress was off, she helped him pull his pants down. They were half tearing at each other's clothes, half going down the hallway to his room while touching each other with want and passion and desire that she hadn't felt in a while.

The bedroom seemed so far she wondered if they'd make it. They paused in the hallway and he picked her up for a bit. They stumbled against a wall and she bit at his lip, running her fingers through his short hair.

"Fuck." She heard him bite out between his teeth before his mouth closed over a nipple.

By now he was probably as on fire as she was.

They finally made it to the bed, where he kissed her from the valley between her breasts all the way down to her toes. By the time he'd finished his exploration of her, she could barely stand it. She was uttering curses underneath her breath, biting her fingers as he kissed her between her thighs.

She wanted him now.

He moved for a bit, searching in the dark for a condom.

She heard the crackling of a wrapper, the only other sound in the room besides their labored breathing. She grabbed at him while he got it on, rubbing her thighs over his strong legs.

Finally he entered her.

Her breath caught. So did his.

He plunged so deep.

She pulled him in.

Teeth and fingers, limbs and joints, all moved, squealed and groaned in pleasure together.

She moaned as he filled her, touching every nerve, bathing every one of them in sensuality.

He made her come fast and hard. She didn't know it was possible to be so caught up in someone so powerfully, so quickly.

After the first time was done, he pulled her on top of him and she rode him hard, while he bit at her skin, held her breasts in his palm and dug his fingers into her back and hips.

He was so hard inside her, so firm and strong. She could barely contain him, and their coupling once more was wild and potent.

It ended with her dissolved in pure feeling, the touch of his mouth over hers, urgent and seeking for more.


Who was she?

This was obviously the wrong time to ask, he thought. They'd just been in the bar for drinks and they just made love twice.

Still he wanted more.

And he hadn't even bothered to ask for her name. She hadn't asked for his either, he thought with a wayward smile. They hadn't seemed to be interested in introductions tonight were they? He mused.

He sighed, hearing the running water in the bathroom, looking in that direction, seeing the light that illuminated the apartment slightly.

He remembered the feel of her on him, how soft she felt, how good and he fingered his cock, feeling it come to life in his hands.

He wanted her again.

He got up, the bathroom his route, the centre of her thighs his true destination.

When he entered the small bathroom she was slightly startled, not expecting him.

He stared down at her, his eyes travelling over her body, taking in her curves, her soft breasts and her nipples that were erect. He raised an eyebrow and moved closer till she was pinned against the tile at her back.

She looked at him while he stared at the curves of her hips and reached down to run his hands over her thighs.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a half-smile. She lifted her head, gazing back at him but he didn't answer. He pressed himself into her, taking one of her hands and wrapping it around his erection.

"Are you…."

He put a finger over her lips before kissing them. Her lips so full felt wonderful against his, her tongue she darted back and forth to meet his own. She was full of passion, and every touch of her fingers on his body drove him insane with want, with desire.

She was small in front of him, he towered over her, but she fit his body perfectly, inside and out.

Her lips on his chest, her tongue flicking over his nipples, his stomach, all sweet torture.

Who was she?

All questions vanished; curiosities disappeared in the dark like the newly opened condom wrapper as he lifted her up and onto him. He felt enveloped inside her, deep and snug and they moved together with her holding on to him as he pressed her firmly into the wall.

She took his entire length in, squeezing him, drawing him into her and he couldn't describe the waves that shook and passed over him.

Her fingernails dug into his back, she arched herself towards him and her hurried breathing told him she was close.

"Shit, yeah." He heard her mutter.

He smiled briefly feeling his own release near.

Her tightness on him finally pulled his seed from his body and he tensed up as she clung to him, taking his kisses as he drained himself slowly.

He was spent.

Maybe even a little smitten.

He didn't do one night stands.

Rather he hadn't in ages.

He thought himself too old, too mature to pick up attractive women in bars just for sex. It was probably why he had no qualms about falling asleep with her beside him, his arm and leg draped over hers feeling more satisfied than he had in a while.

It was also probably why he felt more than a little disappointed that when he got up the next morning, she was gone.

He still didn't know her name.


What had she been thinking? Carter's mind screamed as she let herself into her apartment and flung her keys on the table by the door.

It suddenly hit her that she hadn't even gotten his name, but she just spent the most amazing night with a man who had done such things to her body she spent the whole taxi ride back home blushing like a school girl.

She didn't know the last time she'd been that reckless. If she counted the times she did something that thoughtless on one hand she would probably still have some fingers left.

She went straight to the bathroom stripping her clothes off and as the water touched her bare skin she smiled.

There were no regrets.

She had enjoyed herself immensely. The sensation of fun was something she didn't allow herself to indulge in often. She figured she deserved it and could forgive herself for this brief descent into lustful behaviour.


TWO WEEKS LATER

"So what's this meeting about again? And if you knew about it a week ago, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Carter asked as she walked beside Taylor hurriedly. They were headed to a parent teacher conference that he sprung on her at the last minute. She was a little tired from work, and all she wanted was to go home and relax.

"It's just an update on upcoming events for the next quarter. They want parent feedback and you get to meet our teachers to discuss our progress, good or bad."

She paused as they were about to enter the meeting hall.

"Am I going to get any surprises about your progress, Taylor?"

"I don't think so." He said as they walked the aisles choosing two seats near the front.

"So I'm going to be pleasantly surprised at how well you're doing." She said, and while he answered her she didn't hear a word he said. Her attention was drawn to the front of the room as the teachers filed up to the front. There was one man who stood inches above the rest, his shoulders strong, his stride familiar.

She saw the silver hair sprinkled at his temples and when he turned around she realized it was none other than the man she'd gone home with just two weeks earlier.

"Damn." She said underneath her breath as they sat down. As he took his seat, he spotted her and his eyes locked with hers as he recognized her too. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and well after the principal began to address the crowd, she could feel his gaze on her.

"Taylor, who's that?" She asked finally after the teen noticed the brief exchange between them.

"That's Mr. Reese; he's my new history teacher. Well the replacement. Mrs. Kelly left to go on maternity leave bout two and a half weeks ago."

"Oh." Was all she could manage.

"Yeah, he's really great, mom. Shame that he's only gonna be here till she comes back."

"I can imagine." So he was her son's history teacher. It seemed the situation had gone from embarrassing to downright uncomfortable. He'd already seen her; there was no way to avoid a meeting now. And after the way she practically fled his apartment the morning after their encounter she knew he'd want to talk about that.

She endured the speech from the principal, the question and answers session afterwards and braced herself to come face to face with him again. She got up from her chair standing at the end of the row, standing like some kind of sentry.

She watched Taylor speak to him for a bit and her son must have said something funny because she saw him smile then laugh.

The flash of his teeth took her back to that night, remembering how he bit her on the shoulder and the mark she had for several days after. He put a finger to his lips, rubbing it over the bottom one and she was reminded of how they felt inside her. She could feel herself flushing again; her face was probably red as she felt unbidden sensations moving through her body.

They were walking towards her now and she willed her emotions to be still.

He was smiling at her innocently now, pretending not to know her as she did the same with him.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet John Reese, my history teacher and this is my mom, Jocelyn Carter." Taylor was practically beaming as he held his hand out to her. He probably already had this man on a pedestal. He looked so handsome in his pants and button down shirt with matching tie. He didn't really look the part of teacher; there was an air of something else about him. It almost made her want to know more, even though she'd already known him in the most intimate of ways.

Taylor made his introductions and left, spotting a friend of his across the hall.

His hand on hers was firm, but soft at the same time. The smile on his face coaxed a grin out of her and she felt the sting of embarrassment slowly fade away.

"I was expecting this to be awkward the moment I saw you up front."

"Awkward because I'm your son's teacher and we've slept together you mean?"

"Yeah that." She said as they both grinned.

"Hopefully we've gotten over our first hurdle. But I will admit it is nice to know the name of the beauty that slipped out of my bed without first saying goodbye." She tried to pull her hand back, but he held onto it.

She blushed again at his touch, not being able to control the thoughts racing through her mind. She wondered if he was feeling the same.

He went on to talk to her about Taylor and his increasing interest in world history, especially Western Civilization. It wasn't on their school's curriculum, but he had mentioned Genghis Khan after class to Taylor one day and that had led to his further interest in ancient Rome, Hannibal's conquest, among other notable figures in that time period.

He spoke highly of her son and seemed impressed with his voracious desire to learn new things. She smiled as he spoke and they ventured away from the subject of Taylor eventually and he shared a few things about himself including how he got transferred to the school.

He seemed to be an interesting person, and if circumstances weren't different, then maybe….

He led her back through the aisle and they sat down.

"You know, you didn't have to leave, Joss."

"I had to. It was out of character for me. I….didn't quite know how to react….."

"Then how about a do over." He said leaning in toward her. He was so close; his scent was in her nostrils and she felt giddy. "We forget the other night happened and we meet each other for the first time."

"You really want to forget about the other night?"

"No, I don't." He answered and she found herself feeling relieved, somehow. "But I really want to see you again, and I wanted to make the offer, just in case you did."

He was Taylor's teacher, that fact alone brought many complications. So many things could go wrong.

But they'd already slept together, the worst that could happen, already had.

She was single, so was he.

And he seemed interesting whether she wanted to admit it or not.

She was about to answer when she heard Taylor's voice in the back of her.

"Mom, the other teachers are waiting. You've been talking to Mr. Reese long enough." She got up as Taylor walked off once more, beckoning her to follow.

She fished around in her bag for one of her business cards. "Call me, Mr. Reese." She said and smiled.

"Please, call me John."