To her surprise, the rest of her morning was remarkably 'Goblin-King-free'. She managed to make it through English without a problem, since it was her best class she could essentially sleepwalk through it and still be assured an A.
Calculus was a bit more of a challenge. She loved math, but on some level numbers never made much sense, they always seemed to do what she didn't want them to do, even when she was sure she was doing the steps correctly - and her concentration wasn't helped by her mind continually wandering back to the problem of the Goblin King and just why he chose *this* particular wish to grant, when she was sure she'd made other careless wishes over the years.
As she was heading toward the cafeteria, hoping for a quiet lunch, Jennifer bounced up next to her, "So, what's the plan for your big 18th birthday do next weekend?" Sarah's excited laugh soon turned to a gasp.."That's why he's here," she mumbled, leaving Jennifer frowning in confusion.
From the minute the last bell rang, Sarah's heart had wedged itself firmly into the back of her throat. The sounds of the other students as they gathered up their things and headed home were like echoes at the back of her mind, hardly reaching her as she made her way through the emptying halls to Jareth's office. As she reached the door, she took a few seconds to gather herself, taking in slow, deep breaths and trying to steady her heartbeat into a less frantic tempo.
'Watch your words and stay alert,' she chided herself. 'Remember, you beat him once, and you're strong enough to stand up to him now. If he asks questions, give him only what he asks for, no more. Don't let him twist your words, don't let him pry too far into your personal life, and don't give him anything he can use against you. And for the love of god, *no more wishes*.'
With that little pep talk out of the way, she rapped on the door hard enough to make her knuckles tingle. A low, inviting voice rang out from within.
"Enter."
Sarah gulped and pushed the door open. The dusty books and stacks of papers that decorated Mr. Caballero's office were gone, replaced with orderly rows of books, and various curios sitting neatly next to them. Crystals on golden holders sparkled in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the open window, casting rainbow ghosts over the walls.
"Good afternoon," he purred, his leonine smile making her stomach flutter with the way he looked at her - as if he could devour her and she'd enjoy every bite.
"Love what you've done with the place," she mumbled, doing her best to focus on the decor rather than the man who held court at the centre of it. "Very quirky. Very you."
She was so tightly strung that she jumped when the door swung closed behind her. From the slightest twitch of Jareth's smile, she knew he was responsible. He rocked back in his seat, long fingers resting on the glossy desktop before him, head cocked to one side as he appraised her.
"Take a seat, pet. I'm not going to bite."
Sarah's eyes narrowed as she sank down into the soft chair opposite him. Given that last little quip, she wondered just how closely he could read her thoughts, and vowed to keep her face blank. She was vaguely grateful for the desk between them - as if mere wood could prove to be any real barrier for him.
"Can I have that in writing," she muttered.
Arching an eyebrow, Jareth smirked. "What was that , Precious?" He purred.
"Nothing... can we just get on with the tutoring?" She demanded in a huff.
Jareth' slender lips quirked, "As you wish."
"No! No wishes! I did *not* make a wish."
Laughing Jareth opened the textbook on his desk, "Relax Sarah, it was merely a turn of phrase. A slip of the tongue you might say."
The flush his words sent to her face made Sarah feel as if she had to be glowing with the force of several suns.
"Now, onto biology," he said, idly turning pages. "Is there any particular area you're struggling with, love? Certain parts of human anatomy you've yet to get to grips with?"
Sarah growled and pushed her hair back from her face, which felt far too hot to touch. "Seriously? I know you're getting off on this whole student/teacher thing, but can we cool it with the innuendo? I have to get home at some point."
Jareth blinked at her in all innocence. "I'm simply trying to establish exactly where my expertise is needed. You didn't think I was planning on keeping you here all evening, did you?"
"I wouldn't put it past you to try," she grumbled. Giving a heavy sigh she realized she had to get it over with. "It's the blasted names of musculature that get me turned around."
"Well, I'm certain we can get you back on track soon enough." Jareth reached across the desk. "Give me your hand."
Sarah squirmed in her seat. She'd had a sneaking suspicion this might become a physical lesson. "Why?" she demanded. "You planning on feeling your way down until you get to something more interesting?"
Jareth sniffed in laughter. "Hardly. Trust me."
"Hardly," Sarah muttered. Still, she found herself reaching across the desk to meet him, holding back just before their fingers met. "No tricks?" she asked again.
Jareth smiled. "You have my word."
Though she had no clue just how much value his word might hold, she decided to bite the bullet. The moment their hands touched, warmth flooded through her skin. Her breath caught in her throat.
"What's happening?"
"Nothing, yet. Abductor pollicis brevis."
Her eyes widened at the sudden tingling sensation she felt at the base of her thumb.
"That's... okay...abductor pollicis brevis," she repeated.
Jareth nodded. "Say it again."
The tingling sensation faded, so Sarah swallowed heavily and repeated the words, only to gasp as the pleasant tingling warmth started up once more.
"Again," he demanded.
"Abductor poliicis brevis," she nearly whispered, biting her lip at the heat that flooded her cheeks, as the muscle twitched and tingled deliciously when she said it's name.
"Very good," Jareth nodded. "Next, 'Palmar interossei'.
" The strange tingling moved, building until she said it's name.
The Goblin King continued his journey along her hand, soon moving past her wrist, onto her arm. Like any obedient student, she recited after her teacher, curling her tongue around the complex names of each muscle as that curious buzzing sensation rose and fell beneath her skin.
Whenever she stumbled over a name, the tingling intensified, growing sharper, stronger, until her pronunciation was correct. By the time Jareth reached her deltoid muscle, she had her knees pressed together, and her thighs were trembling. She was relatively certain she would never forget any of those names again.
Just as she began to worry what would happen if things went further, Jareth released her hand.
"Very good, Sarah. I think we've covered enough today, and I wouldn't want to overwhelm you."
Little late for that, groused her brain.
"Practice those for twenty more minutes. The 'stimulation' should act as a reminder until around midday tomorrow. Make sure you practice them. I shall quiz you tomorrow afternoon," he said, closing the textbook. "Unless you have any more questions for me, you may go."
Sarah stood on shaky legs. "No, that's okay. You've been...surprisingly helpful. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
Jareth simply smiled and bowed his head in acknowledgement. With a lazy wave of his hand, the office door swung open again, allowing her out into the now empty corridor.
As Sarah made her way to the exit, she began to test out her new abilities. Whenever she muttered a name under her breath, the corresponding muscle lit up with another intense bout of tingling, sending lightning shocks of sensation through her arm, as though in reward. It wasn't quite as intense as the connection she had held with Jareth, but it was there. She broke into a smile as she continued to test herself on her way home, giggling as she managed to awaken some of her more ticklish spots.
As she slid her key into her front door, a sudden thought wiped the smile from her face entirely.
What would happen when *Jareth* reached some of those more sensitive places?
Chasing the errant thought away, Sarah pushed into the house, only to be greeted by Karen."Dinner is in the oven, Sarah. Toby has been bathed and is watching TV. Just tuck him into bed at 8."
A moment later Karen bustled down the hall, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. She paused at the mirror to adjust the scarf around her neck. "How do I look?"
Smiling Sarah fixed her step mother's earring and nodded. "Lovely. Daddy will fall in love all over again," she grinned, as Karen hugged her close.
"You're sweet dear. I left you the last slice of lemon cake. Have a good night and we should be back by midnight."
Hearing the front door close, Sarah sighed and made her way to the kitchen. "Dinner... Toby time... bath...and bed...no more thinking about Goblin Kings and their highly suspect motives...not to mention their questionable methods."
Once Toby was asleep, Sarah found her mind growing restless. She tried to occupy herself with a little studying, but her history textbook seemed even less exciting than usual, compared to her new ability. She tried it out off and on as she fidgeted in front of the tv, pleasant tingles running through her arm as she slowly tuned out what was on screen.
Though she tried her hardest to resist, she eventually caved in to the inevitable. That tingling felt just too good to ignore. Long before Karen and her father came home, she sat cross-legged on her bed, biology textbook spread on the covers before her. She could feel her face growing redder as she flipped through the pages, and hotter still as her mind raced with the possibilities. Blushing, she decided to try an innocent little test first - just to see if she could.
"S-s-sartorius," she whispered, with an expectant glance downwards at her thighs.
To her disappointment, she felt nothing. Dismay crept through her body as she challenged herself to a full journey along her leg, rhyming off one muscle after the next, all with no effect. The same thing happened with every other area of her body. When, in frustration, she moved back to her arm, the now familiar tingling sensation returned at once. It was the only area she could control. Clearly, the Goblin King had already anticipated her move.
"Son of a bitch," she grumbled.
Flopping onto her back, Sarah grumbled darkly, the textbook thumping loudly as it fell onto the floor. She lay there a moment, before giggling at the irony of her situation - she had made him promise not to take advantage of her 'tutoring' and here she was trying to do just that.
Sighing, she picked up her fallen book and actually practiced for 20 minutes, as Jareth had instructed. Fighting a yawn, she finally closed her books and prepared for bed. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.
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Sarah found herself walking the empty halls of her high school. It was eerily quiet and she felt as if she was being watched. Looking over her shoulder, she saw no one, but hurried down the hall none the less.
When she reached the office of Dr. Knightly, she knocked softly.
"Enter." His deep voice called from inside. Pushing the door open, she hurried inside and closed the door behind her, still feeling nervous about being in the hall alone.
"Sarah, perfect timing." Jareth grinned. "Have a seat and we'll get started."
Sarah nodded and tried to ignore the way his eyes roamed her body. As she sat down, Jareth stood and walked around his desk. With a wave of his hand she heard the door lock and she began to think maybe the hall was safer.
Jareth sat on the edge of his desk in front of her, his charcoal grey, pinstriped suit looked like it was tailor made, and knowing him it probably was. The grey shirt and dark blue tie seemed to make his lighter colored eyes shine. Sarah found herself getting lost in the beauty of them as he unbuttoned his jacket.
"Now tell me Sarah," he paused to push the black wire rimmed glasses further up on his nose, did you practice like I instructed you to?" His voice was deep and commanding. "Or do I need to punish you?" He smirked.
Shaking her head, Sarah wet her lips and rubbed her sweaty palms on her pants. "No, I practiced."
"Did you now?" Jareth leaned back on his desk and crossed one leg over the other, his pants still far too tight to be legal, but Sarah wasn't about to complain about her current view.
"I did."
He sat forward and black his gloved hands on his knee as he studied her. "I believe I should give you a small quiz just to be sure."
"I didn't bring a pen or pencil." She stated as she realized she didn't have her backpack or even a purse with her.
"No worries, love." He purred. "This will a hands-on vocal quiz." He stood and walked around her. "Now I'll touch an area and you'll name it. Get it right and I'll reward you, get it wrong..." he placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. "Well, let's just say you most likely don't want to do that."
Sarah swallowed nervously. "Just the ones we covered yesterday, right?"
"That is correct, Precious. Though I may give a few others for extra credit." He teased, his lips by her ear. " Ready?" She nodded and he slowly removed his right glove with his teeth. He bit the end of each finger and pulled gently on the leather until he was able to pull the glove off completely. "Let's start with this one..." he rubbed his now bare hand over her shoulder, pushing the sleeve of her shirt up so the tanned flesh was visible.
A shiver ran down her spine from the gentle touch of his hand. She tried to focus as he caressed the skin and softly massaged her shoulder. "That's... that's the acromial."
"Very good, Sarah." He whispered before kissing her shoulder. "And under here?"
His hand rubbed around to her underarm and tickled her slightly. Trying not to laugh, she squirmed a bit. " That's the axillary."
"Correct, Sarah." His naked hand massaged the muscles in her shoulder and upper arm, while his still gloved one played with her dark chesnut locks. "I'm so very pleased that you truely are learning after only one tutoring session."
Sarah turned her head and watched him as he stepped away from her. Slowly the pinstriped jacket slid from his shoulders and he tossed it on his desk. Turning to face her, his blue eyes met her green ones as he loosened his tie. She tried not to let her eyes wander, but she couldn't help herself. Slowly they roamed his lithe figure and took in every inch of him. She had to admit he knew how to wear a suit.
"See something you like, Precious?" He was grinning wickedly as he pulled off his tie and tossed it on top of his jacket.
Sarah tried to respond but found her mouth extremely dry. Unable to speak she had meant to shake her head no, but her body betrayed her.
Jareth removed his other glove and tossed it on the growing pile of clothing. "If you're a good girl, maybe I'll let you seduce your teacher later." He unbuttoned the top three buttons and pulled his shirt open. "That's better. I never understood human men and the need to choke themselves."
"Guess you're more of a flaunt it if you got it type of guy."
"Why hide it?" Jareth questioned as he pulled a chair over by Sarah. "Besides, its so much fun to watch the look in your eyes gradually grow hungrier and hungrier."
"I... I don't know what you're talking about." Sarah replied as she turned her head.
" Oh yes you do, Precious." Jareth whispered as he sat beside her and leaned closer. "But we'll get to that after you finish your quiz." He took her arm and resumed massaging it, using both hands now. "Keep naming the muscles from here down."
As Sarah named the muscles, he worked his hands down her arm, massaging and caressing each muscle she named. The lower he went, the harder it was for her to focus. When she said the last one, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.
"Very good Sarah. Now recite them in the opposite order." He instructed as he nuzzled her hand, kissing it softly.
"Okay..." She took a deep breathe and begain naming them again. She gasped and stopped when he started sucking on her index finger. "Jareth..."
"Keep going." He murmured around her digit.
Swallowing, she nodded and watched him continue to tease her hand with his mouth. If it felt this good one her hand, she could only imagine what he could do to other areas. As she kept naming, he kissed and licked up her arm, whispering worda of encouragement as he went. When she stumbled on a word, she cried out at the feel of his teeth nipping her flesh.
"Try again, Sarah." He warned.
Finally, with quite a bit of self control, Sarah named , but Jareth kept kissing her shoulder and neck. "Very good, love. You passed my quiz. Now I believe I should reward you. Would you like that?" His hands made their way up and down her arms as his lips caressed her neck.
" Yes..." she sighed.
Jareth pulled away and returned to the seat he had pulled over. "You have 13 minutes in order to seduce your teacher before our time is up. Do what you like, but remember I can be cruel. For everything you do to me will be returned ten fold later."
Sarah watched him for a moment before getting up from her seat. As she sat on his lap, things started to grow hazy. She felt herself waking, and tried with all her might to fight it, but it no use. Soon she felt the scene fade away as her eyes opened.
Sarah sat up in her bed. She was breathing heavy and covered in sweat. "It was just a dream..." she muttered. "Damn Goblin King!" She cried as she threw her pillow at the door.