Forbidden (Completed) EDITING - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Omniscient
"Ms. Thomas, can you give us a practice final before we take it? You know just a refresher." Tatiana said while raising her hand. "Just to know how much ground to cover without cramming everything in?"
Erica surveyed the crowd. All of them had sad puppy dog faces. She laughed to herself. "How many of you are in favor of Tatiana's brilliant idea?"
Everyone's hand went up at once.
"Fine. You guys win again."
The entire class cheered. Erica could look every student in their eyes unphased. She had to avoid looking at Demarcus. Even at the slightest glance he would look up from his notes and give her that look that drove her wild. She had to keep her composure the best she could.
She looked down at her watch. She was one of the few professors who dismissed her students on time or let them leave just a few minutes earlier.
"Alright, guys you are dismissed." She announced.
Everyone gathered their belongings and disbursed. The last one to make his way down the steps from his seat was Demarcus. In normal fashion, his back slung over his shoulder. His t-shirt was just the right amount of tight showing his muscles.
"Ms. Thomas." He approached her with a playful smirk on his face.
"Haha, very funny."
"I'm just playing. You know that." He licked his lips as he sized her up. Staring at how tight her pants hugged her hips and thighs. "So are we back on?"
"What do you think?" She laughed. Thinking how could he not already know this.
"Aight, cool. I'm playing ball with the fellas tonight. If you're not asleep by the time I finish, I'll call. But I know how you need your rest after I'm done with you." He winked at her before he walked.
Erica couldn't stop smiling. She felt happy for them to be back the way they were. Another part of her wishes they could go weeks without seeing each other again. Because the "I miss you sex" was amazing.
Erica finished her last class. She was exhausted and her feet were killing her. She wished she could show up to class the way her students did. In sweats and sneakers and not putting so much effort into how they looked.
She rummaged through her bag making sure she had everything. As she moved items around, she stumbled across this velvet jewelry box. She forgot David had gifted it to her. It was another one of his Please go out with me again gifts. She had been avoiding him ever since her and Demarcus made up.
Now was the perfect time to let him down gently.
"Hey David," She said as she entered his office. He was sifting through papers on his desks. He looked up with a smile.
"Hey," he cleared his throat. "Hey, Erica."
"Hi, are you busy?" She closed the door behind her. She walked further into his elaborate office. She felt like she was in high school going into the principal's office.
"No not at all."
"Umm, I'm here to return this." She pulled the jewelry box from her purse. As she removed it, a look of disappointment appeared on David's face.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No, I think you're a really great guy. It's just I don't want to mix business with pleasure. You're my boss and I have heard how things can go. I just want to keep it professional." She placed the box on his desk.
She wasn't lying. She was already rolling the dice with Demarcus. She couldn't afford to lose her job two times over. At least with Demarcus it was a secret that was easy to keep. With David she knew he would flaunt it. She noticed as they paraded around the gala that night.
"I knew I didn't have a chance." He shook his head. "A woman of dignity. Headstrong focused on her job. Professionalism at its finest. I love it." He stood up from his desk.
Erica blushed at his compliment.
"So no hard feelings?" She asked.
"Of course not." He came from around his desk and approached her. "How much do you want this job?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Erica was taken back by his change of demeanor. He seemed like a totally different person. Than the sweet and charming man she had met weeks ago.
"Listen, I think I better go." Erica began to walk away. David forcefully pulled her by her arm back to him. His hand tightly held her waist.
"You didn't answer my question." The look on his face scared her half to death.
"David, let me go." She demanded.
"Playing hard to get huh? What more do I have to do?" He took his other hand and firmly slid it down her arm. He whispered something in her ear. She wanted to scream. She always supported the me too movement she just couldn't believe so many men were caught up in that.
Now she sees it for herself.
"David, you have 10 seconds to take your hands off of me." Erica swallowed afraid of what his next move would be.
"What are you gonna do? Tell on me?" He gave a cynical laugh. "They aren't going to believe you, if you do. Why must you make this so difficult, Erica? If you knew what was good for your career... you wouldn't pass on this opportunity." His hand went below her waist slightly grazing her butt.
Erica pushed against him the hardest she could. The way he disregarded her fight haunted her. How many times had he done something like this to another woman? She thought.
"If you scream. I won't be so gentle." He dropped down to his knees in front of her as his hand tugged on her pants. Erica could've easily kneed him. She wanted to but her legs froze. She didn't want to believe this was happening to her.
Just as he tried to get her pants down.
"Mr. Walker?" Someone said outside his door.
He looked like deer caught in headlights. He immediately got up from the floor and straightened himself up.
"You're fired." He said flatly. "Just a second." He called out to whoever it was on the other side of the door.
"Y—you can't fire me. Finals are weeks away." She got herself together from trembling. She grabbed her purse.
"Oh my dear but I can. I'm the head of this department. All I have to do is just give them a reason why."
"I haven't done anything!" Erica said through gritted teeth as her emotions were getting the best of her. "Every single one of my students adores and appreciates me. The only thing I have done wrong is believing who I thought you were. You're not gonna get away with this." She warned him.
On her way out. She was too traumatized to see who was on the other side of the door. Her eyes were burning as she walked down the hallway. She just wanted to hurry up and leave.
"Man, y'all niggas cheating!" Tre accused Demarcus and Jamal. It was a game of 2 on 2. Demarcus and Jamal were up. It was easy for them. They had been playing ball together since they were babies.
Demarcus knew every pass Jamal was going to throw. So he made sure he was right there to catch it.
"Shut up." Demarcus laughing. "You can't even play. You barely got two buckets by yourself. Justin the main one making y'all points."
"Let's take a time out." Justin threw up the referee sign.
Demarcus chest heaved as he lumbered over to the bench where his gym bag was. He grabbed his blue powerade and almost drunk it whole in one sitting. He unzipped one of the pockets where his phone was.
Erica (15) missed calls
He had to make sure he was reading it correctly. He immediately tapped her name. Calling her back.
"Boo, what's wrong? You can't tell me over the phone?" His voice became softer as he heard the sorrow in her voice. "Ok, ok, I'm leaving right now."
The one thing Demarcus hated was seeing or hearing her cry. He watched her do so much of it at the beginning of their relationship.
The guys were getting ready to suit back up and resume the game. Demarcus walked over with his bag on his shoulder.
"Where you going? We are in the middle of a game." Jamal said.
"Yeah, I know. I gotta go. Erica sounded real bad over the phone. I gotta go see what's wrong with her."
The group kissed their teeth simultaneously.
"I told y'all the nigga is beyond whipped." Tre chimed in.
Everyone laughed except Demarcus. He would usually say something smart or talk about some area that Tre lacked in. But nothing.
"Yeah, y'all just add one of the little homies that's over their waiting for space on the court. I catch y'all niggas later."
Demarcus jogged out of the gate. His car waited for him right there. He was glad he didn't have to park too far away. He threw his bag in the backseat not caring if something fell out of it.
He put on some R&B to cool him down literally and physically. He was already amped from the trap music he was listening to his airpods during the warm up.
Traffic was easy. He was thankful that the I-285 allotted him this chance. It would've continued the growing madness in his body if traffic was normal. He rushed into Erica's building, he didn't even get the chance to speak to the security guard.
His main priority was Erica.
He knocked on the door. Erica opened it. She looked different from how he saw her earlier. Her cheeks were stained with tears. She didn't care if he was sweaty; she fell against his chest.
He moved the two of them further in the apartment while still keeping one arm around her. He nudged the door closed with his leg.
He pulled her away to look at her. "What's wrong, Erica?" He looked in her eyes. He only called her that when he was serious.
"I can't even talk about it." She looked up as more tears started to fall from her eye.
"Come on let's sit down." He pulled her down onto her couch. He held her hand in his. "Talk to me."
"I went to give David a gift that I couldn't accept. The conversation started out good and then a shift happened. He started asking me questions and got closer to me— and he started touching me. He had the tightest hold on my waist. I told him to get off of me several times. He just kept on. I threatened to tell but he didn't care. He got on his knees." She sobbed. "He almost pulled my pants down but someone knocked on the door. I immediately got out of there."
She took a deep inhale.
Demarcus had this look on his face. The same look he would have whenever Terrance would do some dumb shit but this time it was colder.
He was on fire.
He snapped back from his thoughts back to comforting her.
"Bae, I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." He took her hand that was in his and kissed the back of it.
"What if nobody did come and stop it? I would've just stood there. I don't even know why I just stood there." She broke down.
Demarcus took his thumb and wiped her tears. "This isn't your fault. You were scared." He took her into his chest. "I love you, I love you." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much."
He was honestly lost for words.
Demarcus already looked at David sideways just because he was stepping on his toes. He hated seeing him walk out her office that day.
Now he wanted to kill him