Continuing My Education Ch. 01

Author's Note:

This story is an edited version of A Learning Experience Part. 1, which was previously posted. At the time I submitted the story, I didn't check to see that the title was taken, and I stole a bit of thunder from the lovely joscelyn2tg, who already had a story with that title. Her story is incredible and worth your time. She graciously agree to edit my story, and I decided to change the name too.

I want to thank all of you who read the unedited story, and provided feedback. This is a significant improvement thanks to my editor! Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: My stories contain descriptions of consensual sex between adults. All characters and situations are fiction. Any resemblance to real people is strictly coincidental. All stories are property of the author.

Comments are welcome!

I've tried to keep the story as realistic as I can, while holding a level of fantasy.

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Most students that come across my path represent the typical college student stereotype: young, entitled, and more interested in fun than any real learning. Of course there are always the bright, driven, amazing students who rise quickly to the top of the class. Working at a community college also means that I see a lot of returning adult students, who are often working on changing their careers.

One student recently spent two years with me in such a class. I teach a two year science course as my main teaching load, and she was required to take it for her new career goal as a pharmacist. With the recent upsurge of prescribed drugs, pharmacology was becoming a popular major. But the primary courses are very demanding and many students tend to drop out before the end.

Cassandra managed to not only survive, but thrive in these courses, getting well-earned As in each semester. She also led study groups, and generally keep the rest of the students in check. Despite her talent and intellect, she would often come to see me during my office hours to ask questions, or even just work outside my office at one of the tables there, to study nearby and get my input if necessary. Bright, outgoing, and sweet, she was always a welcome presence.

I've been attracted to students before, typically the cute and sweet, next-door type, but as the second year went on, I developed more than a simple attraction to Cassandra. Part of it was her age, just slightly older than myself, and the other was her deep brown eyes. But even though I was drawn to her, I always tried to keep our relationship professional and friendly, as least outwardly. She was incredibly attractive, and I couldn't help notice many of the freshman students paying her a great deal of attention.

After the final exam, at the end of her second year, I thought that would be the end of it. She smiled as she gave me her paper, then whispered 'Have a great summer'. I smiled and whispered the same back to her, and thought I would never see her again. But less than two hours later, I heard a knock on my office door, and just as I picked up her paper to grade. When she opened the door and stepped in, I'm sure that my face must have registered happy surprise, because I could see her blush.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to thank you for helping me so much during these last two years. You are an amazing teacher, probably the best that I've ever had... oh, and I brought something for you. Its for..." Her voice wavered slightly as she finished and handed me a medium-sized gift bag, tissue paper showing from its top. I took the bag from her, and began pulling on the tissue paper, but she reached out and placed her warm hand on mine to stop me.

"Please? If you wait until you get home... um... you'll understand," Our eyes met and a look in hers I had never seen was there. Vulnerability, sadness and even a little fear. Her fingers caressed the back of my hand for only a split second, then with renewed redness of her cheeks, she muttered a hasty goodbye and I listened to her heels on the floor as she left. I was in such a state of shock about the entire encounter that my fingers were still gripping the tissue paper. I was sorely tempted to see what my gifts were, but I reluctantly removed my hand and placed the bag on the side of my desk.

I struggled through grading the exams, including Cassandra's, who once again earned her 'A' with an outstanding effort, but by late in the afternoon I had finished, and even completed entering my final grades online. My heart was beating quickly as I filled my briefcase, grabbed Cassandra's gift bag and sped home. I didn't have anything prepared for dinner, and forgot to stop and pick up something on the way. As I walked into my kitchen I was shaking my head and chuckling to myself as it was obvious just how much Cassandra was affecting my life. Throwing a frozen pizza in the oven, I sat down in my living room, staring at her gift bag and expecting something to happen. What was inside that she didn't want me to see at work? Or perhaps it was something she did not want others to see?

Finally, I pulled out the tissue paper and reached inside without looking. Wrapped in another piece of tissue paper was a polo shirt, identical to one I had lost to a lab accident a year before. I gazed at it in wonder, since I knew that they were no longer available for sale. Putting aside my surprise, as well as the polo shirt, I reached in once more, and pulled out a pound of my favorite coffee. It was as though she had discovered all those things I love to have at work. I pulled out the last of the tissue paper, and found a sealed envelope at the bottom of the bag. Opening the envelope, there was small note.

'Dear Jason, A simple thank you isn't enough for everything that you have done for me these past two years. I came to your class very unsure if I was doing the right thing in returning to school. You showed me that I made the correct choice and that I would grow to understand the things that now enrich my life far more than anything ever had before. You gave me that confidence and the hope of a new career for the years to come. I adore you for all of it. These are pictures I took for you last month. You will probably want to contact me after you see them, but I'll be away for two months visiting family for the summer. It's better that way, since I know anything between student and teacher is against the rules. Have a wonderful summer. You deserve a nice long break to enjoy yourself. Love, Cassandra'

I reread her note two more times before finally placing it on the coffee table. So many emotions were running through me so quickly, that I found it impossible to separate them. Frustration, joy, sadness, pride. With a furrowed brow, I pulled out all of her pictures from the envelope. The first showed Cassandra smiling at the camera... a beautiful sunset over a lake in the background. The next was the same scene, with Cassandra sitting and facing the water, running her fingers through her hair. Her long, flowing skirt seemed to be fluttering in the lake breeze, showing her smooth legs up to the knee. A third picture showed Cassandra dipping her feet into the water, holding her skirt up slightly, again showing her legs up to the knee. The pictures only reinforced what I knew about Cassandra, she was graceful, elegant and utterly beautiful. Dark flowing hair, olive skin, slender but with subtle curves.

I felt my own arousal as I revealed the last picture. Fuck me!

Cassandra was in a bedroom, hers I imagined. She was lounging against some pillows, head tilted back, and spraying herself with perfume. She wore only black panties and a polo shirt. The polo shirt that lay on my coffee table. My eyes glanced over to it and then widened. I quickly pulled the shirt to my face and carefully inhaled. It was Cassandra. Her perfume. Her skin. Her hair. The hints of scent that I had detected over two years mixed together and flooded my nose. I was hard almost instantly, and wanted to drop my shorts and masturbate right there, but managed to regain control of myself as I tried to make logical sense of this situation.

A beautiful, intelligent former student had sent me a lovely gift, and a provocative picture. There could not have been an innocent reason for the picture. It oozed sex, so she must have some strong attraction for me. Certainly the combination of the picture, with her wearing the shirt, and her scent upon the shirt, was enough to absolutely convince me that her feelings for me were at least as strong as those I had for her. Even though her note suggested that she wanted no response, I could never let that stand based on the feelings I had at this moment. With only her school email address, I would have to be discrete, but I was now determined to reply to her.

I put the folded shirt aside and went to get my laptop. I had to shift to adjust for my erection as I sat back down on the couch and brought up my online class roster. I found her email and started to type, choosing my words very carefully.

'Cassandra, Thank you for the replacement polo shirt. I cannot think where you found one exactly like the one I lost in lab, but I'm truly grateful for it. You are an amazing student and I wish you the best in all your endeavors. If you ever need advise or assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me. Regards, Dr. Hansen'

I reread the email several times, making minor changes, and I knew that it was completely inadequate for the gift Cassandra had given me. But I knew that emails were sometimes monitored by the campus administration, and it was best not to include anything that may suggest more than a student-teacher relationship. I hoped that Cassandra would see the email at some point over the summer, and respond using a personal address that I could reply to using my own personal email, thereby eliminating any problem based on our previous teacher/student relationship.

Putting my computer away, I picked up the shirt again and unfolded it, planning to try it on. Something fell from within the folds of the shirt and hit the floor. Panties. The panties that Cassandra wore in the picture. Fuck me. Twice!

My hand shook as I leaned over to pick them up. The photo was one thing. The panties were something else. I lifted them, feeling the fabric, soft and satiny, then breathed in the scent. More of Cassandra's perfume, mixed with something more earthy, musky, perhaps her arousal. It had been so long since I had smelled a woman's scent that it seemed foreign, though still very exciting.

I couldn't resist now, so I unbuttoned my shorts in the middle of the room and pushed them down along with my boxers. I grasped my cock and started to stroke still breathing in the panties. Unable to hold back in any way, it wasn't more than a minute or two before I groaned and felt my warm cream flowing over my fingers, the scent filling my nose. But there was something in the scent of my own cum that forced me to sniff Cassandra's panties again. There were similarities in the scents, enough that I was a little confused. I shook my head and decided that each person was different and that I must have been smelling mostly myself. I quickly cleaned up, and put the shirt in the hamper, but left the panties unwashed on a shelf in my closet.

The next new months went by quickly because I suddenly had family matters to attend to, and what hours I didn't spend with family, I spent working on the landscaping around my house. I loved being outdoors as much as possible, even in the hot, sticky July weather. I checked my email everyday for work purposes, as well as Cassandra, but nothing appeared. As August approached, I decided that she must have decided to move on. I was disappointed, but also understood at some level. She had admitted her attraction, given her thanks, and that was as far as she was willing to take our relationship.

On a particularly hot Friday afternoon, I was working out near the edge of my yard, putting mulch around some young cedars that I had planted the year before. I was sweating so much that my eyes stung, and after an hour's work, I was feeling light-headed. Not wanting to pass out or be sick in the middle of my yard, I retreated inside to towel off and have a glass of ice water. I pulled my laptop over to me at the kitchen table, an finally saw an email from Cassandra with the subject line 'Summer Greetings and a Request'

I smiled at finally seeing a reply, and I felt a swelling elsewhere as I opened the message I had been anticipating for months now.

'Jason, I take it from your response that you opened you gift and enjoyed it. Long ago I taught myself to make clothes, and although it was a challenge to replace your favorite polo, it was well worth it. On a different note, I was hoping that you would be able to tutor me for my entrance exam coming up in six weeks. I have spent most of the summer relaxing and clearing my head after all of last year's hard work, but now I have to focus again. Please let me know as soon as possible if you would be willing to spend time preparing with me. Perhaps a few hours a week? I would truly appreciate it. Sincerely, Cassandra'

My mouth hung open as I finished reading the email. Tutoring? Of course I would agree to that, but Cassandra wouldn't need several hours a week to prepare. She was too intelligent and talented for that. She had an ulterior motive, I was sure of it. I checked and she included not only her phone, but also her home address. I was shocked when I saw that she lived only a few blocks from here. I could walk there in a matter of minutes!

My mind was buzzing with so many thoughts, I rushed upstairs to shower and shave to make myself look presentable. And while I would rather wear something like one of my polo shirts that I preferred at work, the hot weather wouldn't permit it. I pulled on khaki shorts and one of my light t-shirts, checked myself in the mirror, slipped on some sandals, and left. It had not occurred to me to call first, I was so excited to see Cassandra again. My thoughts kept drifting back to her picture and the smell of her panties. Helping her with her exam was very much secondary at that point.

After only four or five minutes, and passing by two Mormons along the way, I now stood in front of her small ranch-style home, one that I had passed by many times during short jogging runs I took to stay in shape. I checked her address once more on my phone to be sure, and then I walked up and rang the door bell. From inside I heard an angry voice.

"For fuck's sake, will you leave me alone! I have no interest in being a Jehovah's Witness! I'm a..." The door opened and Cassandra shot an absolutely furious look at me, but then once she saw who it was, her face quickly registered utter shock.

"Oh no..." she said with the small voice of a child, then slammed the door in my face.

I knew that I had come without warning, but I didn't quite expect this kind of a reception. I listened closely, and heard sniffling from the other side of the door.

"Cassandra?" I said quietly.

"Jason? I'm... sorry. I didn't expect you like this. They were just here. I... I'm not decent. Could you... go around back and wait on the deck? I'll only be a few minutes, I promise. The gate's open,"

I heard steps moving away from the door quickly, so shrugging to myself, I went around the side of the house, through the high wooden gate, and into the backyard. Neatly trimmed grass with small pockets of beautiful flowers greeted me as I slowly walked along the path and up onto the deck. I chose to sit on a patio chair facing away from the sliding glass door.

The deck had shade from a tall silver maple tree that swayed in the gentle summer breeze. I chided myself as I waited, planning on apologizing as soon as Cassandra emerged. I really should have called first. The damage was done now, and despite what had just occurred, she invited me to stay. That was something at least. I didn't have to wait all that long before I heard the sliding glass door open. I turned around and stood up.

Cassandra stood before me in a yellow sundress, dark hair around her shoulders, large brown eyes gazing at me, half scared, half reproachful. I had a difficult time not looking at her from head to toe, but I figured that I hadn't earned that kind of look yet.

"Cassandra, I'm really sorry, I should have called first. I was just so happy that I you responded to my email that I didn't think properly. Please forgive me," As I spoke, her eyes softened, and her painted lips curved into a smile.

"It's alright, Jason. I don't blame you, I blame the Jehovah's Witnesses for bothering me two days in a row. I don't normally get so angry, because they are so nice and polite, but I guess the heat got to me," She brushed a hair behind her ear and looked away for a moment. Neither of us could speak, with the lingering question of the picture... and what it meant... still hanging in the air. "Why don't you come in now? I should give you a little tour of my home, if we're going to study here," she said quietly, and beckoned me to come in. As she turned, I allowed myself a quick full view of her body from behind.

Slender, almost willowy, with long smooth legs, feet in simple sandals with a slight heel. She moved with such grace, I wondered if she had training as a dancer. And such a rounded bottom that I loved on women. It teased and swayed in such away that I had to think about baseball just to prevent myself from walking inside with an erection.

My tour was brief, since her house was small and she avoided her bedroom because, "I just tossed off my other clothes, so it's a mess,"

We ended in the kitchen and she poured us some iced tea, and once again, we sat looking at each other. I could have started with her request for tutoring, but I couldn't just let the tension linger. It was starting to put a knot in my stomach, and I couldn't let this go on.

"Cassandra, before anything... else, we should talk about your gift first. I didn't get to say or ask anything in the email that I wanted to, because it could have been monitored by the school," I tried to speak as calmly as possible, but this was a sensitive subject, and my voice was nervous. Cassandra nodded slowly, also nervous. I took a breath and continued.

"First, I haven't received such a thoughtful gift from anyone in quite sometime. The polo by itself was amazing. I would have worn it today, but it's in the laundry now. I've worn it quite a bit over the last couple months," Cassandra blushed and smiled, but didn't interrupt, "and as for the pictures..." I paused. I wanted to choose my words very carefully, but on thinking about them, all I could imagine was the scent of Cassandra's panties, and how incredibly sexy she looked then and now.

"Jason, you don't have to say anything about them. I took them on a whim, just because I have a passion for photography, and thought I could give you something to the remember me by." Cassandra's voice was almost detached, as through she didn't mean a word of it. This last sentence struck me as odd, as well as her tone. It gave me resolve to get to the heart of the matter.

"Cassandra, that last photo was incredibly sexy and provocative. Just that was enough to arouse me, but you included the panties too. Please don't tell me those were a parting gift," Cassandra seemed surprised at how direct I was, and looked flustered. She tried to say something, but closed her mouth, shaking her head. I noticed that she had balled her hands into fists. This wasn't how I wanted this to go, so I reached out and carefully took her hand, gently prying open her fist. Her eyes looked right at me, and she tried feebly to pull her hand away.

"I have been attracted to you since the first day you walked into my class Cassandra, even if it was subconscious at first. I liked having you around my office so much, and I think you are beautiful, intelligent, talented, warm, kind and a dozen other things. The only thing that prevented me from showing real interest in you was the fact that I was your professor," As I spoke, Cassandra's lips parted, looking surprised, and I continued to hold her hand in mine.