This story contains themes of non-consent and reluctance, as a young lady manipulates and older professional woman, into a compromising position. If this is in any way offensive, please find another story. If you read on please enjoy. Votes, comments and suggestions are always welcome.
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The next morning, Mikaela went for her usual morning bike ride--a daily ritual on her off weeks. After showering, she decided to dress like a headmaster for her visit to a troubled perspective students home. She put on a black skirt and grey suit jacket with a basic white, short-sleeved blouse. She did put her hair in a ponytail for convenience.
She tried to put the events of last evening out of her mind. She still could not grasp how meeting Oxana effected her. In all her years in education she never experienced inappropriate thought for a student. Oxana changed everything.
She dared not let her mind relive her behavior in her off last evening. But it was clear, she could not trust herself where Oxana was concerned. She had decided, she could not recommend Oxana for enrollment.
When she arrived at the house, she was not surprised, it was small and looked weathered. She had a sense of the neighborhood from the address. She parked on the street in front, and walked up the old concrete steps to the porch. They tilted slightly toward the house from settling over the years.
The porch was wooden and recently painted. With a bench swing on one end, it was clear they did what they could to make it homey. She rang the doorbell, and it was one of the old-fashioned types, with the metal bell and mini-hammer.
Mrs. Boykoff greeted her.
"Hello, Headmaster Preston. Pleasure to meet you." She shook Mikaela's hand. "Welcome, please come in."
She wore black slacks and a red floral blouse. She had dark hair like Oxana, and it was obvious where Oxana had inherited her classic bone structure and brown eyes. She looked about forty, fit and shapely.
"Forgive the place, it's a bit messy this morning; it was movie night last night after I got home at ten."
When she stepped inside, the place was quiet. She proceeded down a short hall that led to the kitchen. There was a family room on the right and a coat closet to the left, with a hallway to the left past the closet.
"Come on into the kitchen. The boys are sleeping and Oxana should be right out. I was delighted when Oxana told me you would join us for breakfast. I'm making French toast. If you would prefer something else..."
"No, that's perfect, thank you so much for inviting me into your home. You've made a cozy place, Mrs. Boykoff."
They drank a cup of coffee as she mixed up the batter for the French toast. It was much more sophisticated than the eggs and bit of milk that Mikaela used. And she had the extra-thick, sliced bread for it.
"I can tell you're a chef. This looks like the real deal. Can I help with anything?"
"No need, this is quick and easy. I'm so sorry about what happened yesterday. Your day must have been a doozy."
"You could say that," replied Mikaela, wanting to change the subject and speed things along. "Oxana was extremely patient, and we did get to spend some quality time together. You've raised a remarkably mature and intelligent young lady. She was quite refreshing to talk to. I'm sorry for what you went through at her previous school."
"It was unfortunate, but she is ready to put it behind her, focus on the final semester and move on to college. She got an early acceptance to Ole Miss yesterday."
"Congratulations. She's got all it takes to be something special in life. You should be proud," said Mikaela. She was right about the new information, Oxana mentioned.
As she spoke to Oxana's mother, she felt a growing guilt over not wanting to endorse her. But the previous night was over the top. As Mrs. Boykoff continued, Mikaela began to tell herself it was silly. She could control herself. It was just the rush of the crazy day. She blew off some steam and was better this morning. Maria was warm and friendly. They spoke for half an hour, and Mikaela learned Oxana's father moved to California and had a new family starting out there. A story she'd heard many times over the years.
She made the toast and bacon and kept it warm in the oven as they talked and waited for the kids. Talking to Maria had quite a calming effect on Mikaela. She felt normal again after last night's loss of herself. She really thought she wanted to help this family.
Then, suddenly, the silence was shattered as the twins came rushing out yelling, "French toast yay!"
"Easy boys, this is Headmaster Preston. This is Alex and Peter. Do you think they might like French toast?" Maria started getting the food out. "Oxana, honey, breakfast is ready!" she yelled.
Oxana came out, in the same outfit down to that single lock of hair framing her face. Suddenly, Mikaela's throat dried up and she could barely swallow. She had just had a great conversation with this girl's mother, who was turning to Mikaela for help with her daughter's future.
Headmaster Preston's twisted mind whirled with nothing but inappropriate thoughts. She froze, taking tiny little puffs of breath. 'They'll all know what I'm thinking. It's written on my face,' she thought to herself, in a panic.
Oxana's grin looked almost devious. "Good morning, Headmaster Preston."
"Oxana, why are you wearing that dress again, did you sleep in it?" Maria joked.
"I'm just trying to look nice for our guest. You see how professionally she's dressed. It's called dressing for success." She walked over and hugged Mikaela, who had to squeeze Oxana to prevent her hands from shaking.
"Good morning, mmm," whispered Oxana, quietly. "Thanks for coming, I can't tell you how happy you made me, Headmaster Preston."
She was so warm and soft, Mikaela had to break the hug and step back. The scent of Oxana's perfume resulted in a little extra tingle. Oxana's tone seemed to be intentionally seductive that morning. In her unsettled state, Mikaela couldn't tell if it was real or just her imagination. Luckily, the boys caught her attention when one of them took her hand.
"I'm hungry, let's eat."
"Okay, young man, it does smell wonderful," Mikaela said, smiling warmly at him.
The timing was perfect. Mikaela took that opportunity to turn her attention to the boys. Her teacher mode made her very comfortable talking to children. While they ate and talked, if there was a lull or if Oxana tried to garner her attention, Mikaela would engage with the boys and alleviate her discomfort. That led to her discovering their reading habits and that they were reading at a tenth-grade level in the fifth grade. They showed her their room and collection of books. They refused to let her go for almost an hour, before Oxana had had enough.
"Okay guys, you need to read or something, and give me time with Headmaster Preston. Let us talk in the kitchen," Oxana said, in her motherly tone.
"Okay," they said, disappointed.
Mikaela's discomfort came rushing back as she followed her, and the thought of kissing her neck ran through her head. In the kitchen, she moved to make her escape. Maria had cleaned up and was sitting patiently at the table with her coffee.
"Sorry for that. They do like attention..." Maria blushed.
"That was fun. They are so bright and articulate. You have three kids who actually read and talk in complete sentences. You don't know how rare that is. I have to say, I am impressed with all of you, and I plan to recommend Oxana for admission. That doesn't mean it's a given, but I will do what I can to help."
Maria stood up and gave her a hug. "Oh thank you. But I would like to talk about some things if you don't mind. Oxana, can you take the boys to the park for a little, so we can talk. You'll need to change, though," said Maria, noticing the disappointment on Oxana's face. "Hurry! Headmaster Preston has given us too much of her time."
Maria held up her mug. "Coffee?"
Mikaela responded, "Normally, I wouldn't do another, but after three pieces of French toast, I need the boost."
Maria had many questions about the school and safety protocols that she wanted to understand before deciding on the new school. She started by asking about the incident the previous morning. Mikaela could not get into too much detail, but outlined the events and how it was handled.
Oxana and the twins came into the kitchen, ready for the park and Mikaela had another mini panic attack. Oxana was dressed in white tennis shoes, a ruffled, white mini skirt miniskirt, with a form-fitting matching tank, and, obviously, no bra. It cut a little low, revealing her C-cup cleavage. And was framed by her flowing dark hair that hung down to her breasts. Her glasses were gone, and there was that vision of Nina Dobrev from Vampire Diaries, the sweet Elena Gilbert.
"Be back in thirty minutes, we need to head to swim lessons."
"Have fun, good to meet you, if I don't see you before I leave," said Mikaela, looking at the twins.
"Please stay if you can. I wanted to talk to you some more," said Oxana.
Mikaela looked at her watch, thinking of an excuse, but relented. "Okay, I can stay a bit longer, but I have a lunch appointment."
Once they left, Maria expressed her concerns about what had happened to Oxana with Clarissa. They talked for some time about what sort of support she might have with counselors at the school, spiritual guidance and activities that could help her deal with any emotional effects of the incident. Mikaela reviewed the resources they had through the school and the church, and it seemed to ease her mind, despite the guilt raging inside Mikaela.
"Oxana insists she's fine and really hasn't acted out or lost focus on her studies, but sometimes the effects of trauma can be delayed."
"Our class sizes and safety policies make sure our students get more one-on-one attention than most public schools. She will be well cared for..."
"That's good to know, Headmaster Preston," said Oxana, startling Mikaela. "Sorry we're late, I could not get them to leave."
"Yikes, I lost track of time. Boys, we need to go," said Maria. "Thank you so much, Headmaster Preston. Oxana, please don't talk her ear off, she has an appointment."
"It won't take too long; I just want to go over some things with her and understand the next steps and expectations. Have a good time guys, see you later." Oxana seemed to stare at Mikaela, as she spoke.
The boys ran to the bedroom for their swim bags, and they shuffled out. Mikaela took a slow, deep breath, steadying herself to stay focused and controlled.
"Let's go to the living room, it's more comfortable," Oxana said, already walking.
Mikaela hesitated, took another breath, and followed. Oxana was seated in a chair that sat ninety degrees to a sofa that faced the TV.
