The following few days passed largely without incident. Iris faked sick on Tuesday morning to skip Art History, but then heard from Eddie that Professor Brenn didn't show up anyway. The Professor sent a message to the class that he wouldn't be in for the week and included a PDF study guide for next week's midterm. Additionally, Iris received a couple private e-mails from Brenn but deleted them without reading.

Iris was pleased with her reprieve from the Professor, and Eddie was glad to see that she rebounded so quickly from her ailment. They were, by degrees, working through the pall of Iris's betrayal. Every free moment they had was spent together. Eddie finished his project a couple of days before the entry deadline, and the couple spent most of the week studying for midterms together. Eddie only had two actual tests because of his art classes, and Iris was still far ahead in most of her classes. The light load allowed them time to try sex twice more. The first attempt had gone quite well, she actually orgasmed before him. The second time wasn't as successful. Iris was convinced that the inconsistency was a product of their inexperience and Eddie mostly agreed, but didn't really want to talk about it.

On Thursday, when Iris was stepping out of her economics class, she checked her phone to find five missed calls and a slew of messages from Eddie.

"Hey, what's up? Is everything okay?" she asked, calling him back without even reading the messages.

"No, I don't know maybe. My project might have been a complete waste of time." Eddie replied, sounding distraught.

"What happened?"

Eddie explained that, because of the size of the project he needed the special exemption from the judges. It wasn't expected to be an issue since his design teacher was sort of the head of the thing, and there were only a couple other faculty that had to sign off. Eddie's design teacher assured him it was never a problem in the past, but now it was a problem. Eddie heard that one of the professors wouldn't sign off and that his piece might not be in the show.

Iris asked who was refusing to sign off, but Eddie didn't want to say. He was just frustrated and wanted to vent about it.

"Was it Professor Brenn?" she asked.

"Yes." Eddie answered in a small voice. "You really don't have to worry about it though. I'm pretty sure we'll sort it out. It's just been a hassle, and I'm upset."

When Iris hung up with Eddie, she immediately unblocked and dialed Brenn's number. She could fix this, and she would.

"Hello Iris." he answered.

"Hello Professor Brenn, I needed to talk to you about signing off on an entry for Edward Karr's art show submission." She tried to sound as formal as possible.

"Meet me in my office now and we can talk about it."

Iris felt the shiver of adrenaline shoot through her body as she walked to his office. She was angry and nervous and couldn't believe Brenn's audacity. Besides an out-of-line joke or two, he had been sweet to her -- even when that's not what she was looking for from him. She mounted the stairs to the fourth floor, absentmindedly fixing her hair along the way. Iris barged into his office without knocking.

"Are you serious about this!" she said, angry but trying to keep her voice down.

She closed the door behind her, not wanting to risk anyone hearing. Brenn stood up from his desk as she entered, his typical cool demeanor replaced with a troubled look.

"I just wanted to ask you something." he said.

"What could you possibly want? You're trying to punish me now, through my boyfriend. That's insane stuff."

"The exception sheet for his exhibition piece? If you're worried about that, it's already been signed."

"Then why drag me here?"

"Because you called me, and I've been tortured for days about why you cut me off. I mean there's a million reasons you should have, I get that. But it just happened all of a sudden and I was hating myself wondering why."

"Your wife. I met your wife. You hadn't mentioned you were married."

"That's poetic. We're divorced." said Brenn.

Iris was initially incredulous at his reply, but he explained that the divorce was finalized at the beginning of the semester. They were keeping it to themselves because she was up for tenure, and he had a good relationship with the people who made that decision.

"Okay, I understand." replied Iris with a small voice. She wasn't sure what to think of it and turned to leave.

"Wait, if I could say one more thing. It makes sense, you moving on, but I wanted to tell you that I was in a really bad place before we met, and you brought me back from it. I'm sorry for any pain I caused. Our relationship mattered to me. It's probably the only thing that mattered to me." Brenn said.

Iris heard his words but didn't look back. She left his office walking slowly as she cried quietly to herself. A week ago, she made a clean break, and her life was put right, but now he went and told her those things. While they were together, she comforted herself with the idea that it was just a crush, just physical. Even if that was self-delusion, it worked for her. But this time he had blown up her life worse than before, because she could no longer pretend those feelings didn't exist. Iris needed to avoid Brenn, no matter what.

The next week, Iris no-showed for their Art History midterm. Eddie talked to her after class. She told him that she had an unavoidable conflict (some scheduling problem with a lab) and already contacted Professor Brenn for an alternate exam time. Iris had no plan to make up the test, but didn't care about the consequences. She spent the rest of the week in a trance. The other midterms went fine, of course, but she just wasn't herself. Eddie was a little concerned about Iris's emotional state, but she managed to sidestep his inquiries by claiming to be stressed about her tests.

The Friday after midterms was the opening of the student art exhibition. Not only had Eddie's piece been selected, but it was a featured work. Meaning it was an award finalist. Iris was happy for him, especially since it was something different to focus on in her life. She had totally stopped going to their Art History class, and it was far too late to drop. Iris made up a rather flimsy excuse of why it wasn't a problem, but Eddie didn't question it. When she finally got up the guts to check her midterm grade for the class, she found that Brenn had given her an "A". There was no grade that would have made her happy, but that "A" really frustrated her.

The night of the exhibition opening, Eddie met Iris at her room wearing his best suit. Really, it was the only one he had that fit. Iris opened the door wearing a snug black dress. It was nothing expensive, but she looked terrific in it. She was Eddie's date on his big night and wanted to look the part. The couple strolled through the late autumn campus hand-in-hand.

"I'm a little nervous about how it will go." said Eddie.

"It turned out great. Besides, you're a sophomore, this isn't your only chance." she replied.

Iris kissed him before they entered the gallery. The event was bigger than it would typically have been, because Professor Brenn was unveiling some artwork. Well-dressed patrons of the university filed into the building. Iris was a little nervous about Brenn's art, but was mostly confident it wouldn't be anything that would put either of them in a bad situation. She was more worried about running into the Professor and held close to Eddie because of it.

The night started out smoothly. They checked out the different pieces together and Iris got to play third wheel while Eddie talked to some of his classmates. When they announced the awards recipients, Eddie's work ended up getting the top honor for his year, but after that, things got a little weird. Brenn never showed, and the organizers decided to open the back hall to exhibit his pieces without him. As the guests went in, they found the hall walls empty, until they reached the far end. The only piece on display from Brenn was the first picture he drew of Iris. Thankfully it wasn't explicit, but its lone inclusion still carried with it a strange context.

"Iris, it's you." said Eddie.

The picture was from that odd angle beneath Iris's chin. The work turned out well, and though the other guests were a little confused by the limited display, they took their time observing it. Brenn hadn't spoiled his and Iris's secret, but the piece sent a very obvious message to her.

"Dear. I need to go. Can I catch up with you later?" said Iris, holding Eddie by the arm.

"We can both go. Are you alright? Is it something to do with the picture?" asked Eddie.

"Not at all, and you stay it's your big event. I'm sorry, I'll just be gone a minute." she said, giving Eddie her biggest smile.

Eddie could see that Iris was enraged, even though she tried her hardest to hide it. Her heels clacked loudly against the hard gallery floor as she stormed out. She knew where Brenn would be and went straight to the Art Building. It was time to put an end to this. When she entered his studio, Brenn was sitting on a stool wearing a well-tailored suit. He was dressed for the exhibition he hadn't attended.

"So what's your big plan -- telling me all of that stuff!" said Iris, ready for a fight.

Brenn hopped off the stool and cautiously approached her.

"What do you mean plan?" said Brenn.

"Yes, plan. You said a lot of things last time we met, and you left me a fairly conspicuous and public message today. So what's the plan? I come crawling back? And then what? What would that look like? Would I be your eternal mistress? Are you going to quit your job and reenroll in college? We could study accounting together. Or maybe you expect me to keep myself hidden away until graduation, and then you'll make me an honest woman. Which is it, Brenn?"

"Which one do you want?" he replied, stepping right in front of her.

Iris began to tear up.

"Don't be stupid, none of those things are going to happen. We're ending this now." she said.

"Alright, we'll end this now."

He tilted her chin up and kissed her briefly before she pushed him away.

"No!" she said.

But before he could react, she pulled Brenn back to her and embraced him around his torso. Iris held her face against him as her tears absorbed into his suit jacket. After a while she calmed a little and looked up at him. He returned her look with a compassionate gaze -- he wouldn't initiate anything with her again. So, she kissed him. In that instant, Iris and Brenn were in agreement. They couldn't continue, it had to end here, but they would remember it.

Iris allowed herself to go slack in his embrace. He lifted her and carried her to the bed. Her left heel slipped from her limp foot -- clattering on the hard tile floor. When he sat her on the bed she asked for Kleenex and began to laugh. Her face was a crying mess, and she needed the tissue, but it would probably serve Brenn right to make him finish in a tissue.

Aggressively, she started to remove his pants and underwear. Her tight black dress was riding high on her hips, disclosing the tops of her thigh-high nylon stockings. His penis was only out a moment before she enclosed her soft lips around it. Brenn was already fully erect and didn't require help from her mouth, but that mattered little to Iris. This was it, and she needed to taste him and smell him one more time. She momentarily withdrew her lips from his member, still massaging him with her hand, and began to lick his shaft starting from the bottom -- splaying her tongue as wide and flat as possible.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Brenn said, pushing her back gently.

Her enthusiasm was welcome, but it caused Brenn to risk arriving too early. He took a moment to finish undressing and sat on the bed beside her. Iris lifted her arms straight above her head and stared at him with her dark eyes as she waited. He obliged, taking the hem of her dress and lifting it off in one smooth motion. In addition to her stockings, she wore matching bra and panties in transparent black lace -- her raised pink nipples pushed against the thin fabric.

The couple began to kiss hotly, inhaling each other as they lay on the bed. Brenn yanked down her bra, ripping the fragile garment, and started to tongue her areola. Iris hummed in delight. She reached for his penis, wanting to reciprocate, but couldn't get hold with her hand. She had a better idea, adjusting herself and wedging his cock between her silken thighs. The head of his penis pressed against her vagina, restricted only by the thin lace of her panties. She allowed him to tease her with his member as he tested the permanence of her underwear.

Brenn stood up from the bed and looked around with a mild air of hopelessness. Iris dipped her thumbs into the waistband and pulled off the diaphanous panties. She held her legs up, knees bent and spread herself completely -- her body bared unconditionally for this man.

"I should run to my office and grab a condom." said Brenn.

With her eyes fixed, Iris slowly shook her head "no". She was committed, and she would have him completely. He was barely back into position a moment before plunging himself wholly into her. He should have been more careful, but he was losing control. Iris was his dream, his obsession, his muse. Once she had given him approval, the game had ended. She was his.

Iris yelped initially when he penetrated her, but it was fine. She was totally turned on and ready for him. Her first orgasm came quickly -- Iris's primal reaction to feeling his raw penis within her. She fought through the quivering climax, in an attempt to stay present with Brenn while he continued to fuck her. Loud pitiful moans eschewed from her as she continued to kiss him.

"I can get on top." Iris said breathlessly as her orgasm subsided.

Iris began to adjust her body, but Brenn didn't allow it. He grabbed her by the arms, just below the shoulders, with his large firm hands. She was transfixed to the spot. Iris was exquisite and he had her. Everything he wanted was right in front of him. He wouldn't let her go. Brenn pushed oppressively into her again and again. She made him feel like he was in heaven. It wouldn't be long now. She hoped to give him everything he wanted. What she didn't appreciate until that moment was, in order for them to both get what they wanted, he would have to take it from her.

She was still pinned to the bed, the soft flesh of her arms pinched tight and reddening within his grip. Her breasts flailed wildly in consequence of his thrusts. Brenn was in a beastly state, grunting with every drive and Iris reveled in it. She had done this to him. She, a beautiful woman, had turned him from a handsome, charming, intelligent man into this savage brute -- hellbent upon consuming her. And she was the same -- a hopelessly base woman at the edge of another orgasm, who wouldn't stop if the whole world was watching.

Iris's breath quickened as Brenn continued to ride her intensely. Sweat slicked their bodies. She tightened up and shook seriously as the orgasm came -- crying out scandalously as her vagina tightened around his surging erection. All at once, he exploded within her. Iris felt the consistency inside of her change as he repeatedly drove his ejaculate covered penis into her orgasming vagina. She wrapped her legs around him, holding him close, as his hips tensed and slowed. Brenn loosened his grip on her and slumped onto the bed beside Iris -- obvious hand prints visible on her arms. As Iris lay intertwined with Brenn, his come spilling from her vagina and running down her thigh, she finally knew what she had to do.

Epilogue

Iris stood at the end of the hallway, chatting to some of the other guests. She was striking in her purple pastel ballgown. With a plunging neckline and a slit that rose to her left hip, it teetered just on the edge of appropriate. The gown looked much more expensive than anything Eddie had seen her wear before. Her hair was arranged high in an updo which helped prominently feature the elegant line of her neck. He timidly neared her wearing a tux he rented for the event.

Unlike the exhibition a couple months ago, Eddie was not amongst the guests of honor. This was a large public museum, and Eddie was thrilled to have one of his works temporarily on display with the other student selections. His ticket to this event was a fortunate byproduct of his art being selected. Otherwise, he would never find himself at a gala like this.

"Hi." Eddie said to Iris.

"Eddie! Hello." she replied, warmly embracing him.

It had been two months since the night of the college art exhibition. Two months since she met him in front of his dorm at three in the morning to break up. He tried to convince her not to, that they could work through any problems. But Iris felt she couldn't be herself within the relationship. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter. In the end he couldn't do anything to convince her to stay. After that, she disappeared from campus completely.

"You haven't been around campus at all." he said.

"I transferred. I go to the private college downtown now." she said.

"Are you living there?"

"I live in a house in the city."

"That's great. It's crazy seeing you here."

"Yeah, I came with a date."

She smiled, mildly ashamed of her confession, but, in case he was thinking it, she wasn't going to give Eddie false hope. There were a million things Eddie wanted to say to her, but nothing he could get out after that. He mentioned the other people he needed to talk to and left, but there was no one else he knew. He entered the crowded gallery hall and blended in amongst the patrons, hoping to put Iris out of his mind. But ran into someone else who brought him back to that bizarre time in his life.

"Edward. Right?" said Professor Brenn.

The two nearly ran into each other in the mass of people. Eddie knew he would likely be there. The museum announced it would show some of his new works for the gala.

"Yes professor. Hello." replied Eddie.

The pair exchanged an uneven handshake -- Eddie's knuckles slightly crushed in the professor's firm grip.

"I saw your piece in the student section. It turned out well." said Brenn.

"Thank you."

Without much to say to one another, Eddie and Brenn awkwardly parted. Eddie made his way towards the evening's featured art and once more caught sight of Iris. She was mingling with a much older couple as though she was friendly with them. Professor Brenn approached the trio, and they stopped their conversation and warmly greeted him. He shook the hands of the older couple and stood beside Iris and put his arm around her waist, resting his hand high on her hip. She leaned into him familiarly. Eddie looked away and continued to move through the gallery.

The density of the crowd increased as he neared the room center. There was a bit of a stir over one of the new pieces. Eddie wove his way through and there it was. A large-scale painting of Iris, fully nude. It was unabashed and provocative and brought back a clear memory in Eddie's mind.

The Wednesday evening two months earlier, Eddie returned to his studio from a dinner break. He had been sexually frustrated that week and the occupants of the adjacent studio were clearly having sex before he left to eat. Thankfully now, his studio was silent, and he got back to work. After five minutes though, he heard some more murmuring from the next room followed by a laugh. It was a distinct and well-known laugh to Eddie, but he needed to be sure. He crept into the hallway of the nearly unoccupied building and tested the door of the next studio. It was unlocked.

Eddie slowly opened the door, just enough to see inside. Professor Brenn was there, working on a painting. Iris laid on a chaise modelling for him, naked. Eddie's mind went into overdrive,trying to convince himself that somehow Iris's nude modeling now had nothing to do with that woman he heard having sex earlier. Professor Brenn had Iris for many sessions and being nude was a natural progression. If it was Professor Brenn having sex earlier, it could easily have been with someone who left before Iris got here for her session. Even if the Professor's counterpart earlier sounded sort of like Iris and giggled like she did.

Iris got up and skipped over to the Professor, in total comfort with her naked body as she stood close to him to inspect the painting. He rose and went to grab more supplies. She continued to stare at the painting while she swayed her hips in a kittenish fashion. When the Professor returned, Iris quickly sat on the stool playfully preventing him from taking a seat.

"I'm going to need that stool." said Professor Brenn.

"And what if I won't give it up?" said Iris, swiveling towards him.

She spread her legs, and Eddie's ability to rationalize the situation evaporated. The Professor dropped his palette, kicking up a spray of the viscous paints which flecked the back of his clothes and Iris's body. She laughed, smearing a black dot that landed on her left breast. He got on his knees directly in front of her open legs and pulled her close and tasted her vagina. She slipped her legs over his shoulders and grabbed the back of his head firmly, holding him close. It was quick. After about twenty seconds, Iris went rigid -- lifting herself from the stool completely as all her weight rested on the Professor's broad shoulders. She held her knees as tightly together as possible while the Professor continued to tongue the inside of her vagina. Iris roared in uncontrolled delight. When she finished, Iris pulled Brenn up and kissed him lovingly.

"Alright, alright, let's get back to work." Brenn said, spanking Iris on the rear which caused her to scurry back to the chaise.

Eddie was aware of Iris and Brenn's relationship from that point, but still didn't want to end his relationship with her. Then, some sort of miracle occurred, and she admitted to her infidelity -- even if it was in a different form. Somehow, because of her guilt or a screw up on the Professor's part, Iris decided she was done with him. As hard as it was for Eddie to hear her say those things to his face, he was happy to move on. But on the night of the student exhibition, when he saw Iris's reaction to Brenn's painting of her, he knew there was trouble.

Eddie already screwed up earlier that week by mentioning his problem getting into the show. He suspected Iris helped fix it, and didn't want to know the details. When she stormed off at the exhibition, he knew she was going to Professor Brenn. She was clearly angry, and he tried to convince himself it wasn't a problem. Eddie stood there looking at the painting and something occurred to him. Iris had never been that mad at him, so mad that she couldn't hide it at a public event. Eddie grew very concerned, and after a few minutes, he left the exhibition to pursue his girlfriend.

On the way to the Art Building, Eddie considered his plan. He may have been too scared to say anything to Iris previously, but if she was rekindling a relationship with the Professor, it would end their relationship. He would have to fight for her. Tell her that he loved her and still wanted a future. He would have to knock on Brenn's door, come what may. But things were not at all how he imagined.

When Eddie reached the darkened hall of the fourth floor, the only light came from the open door of Brenn's studio. Eddie could already hear them from down the hall. They had started. He anxiously approached the door to find Iris and Brenn having sex. Because it was so fierce, and Brenn had her pinned so firmly as he pushed into her, Eddie worried she was being forced. But as he gathered his courage to step inside, he heard her.

"Please, please Brenn! I need to feel you come in me!" shouted Iris, brazenly.

The exclamation from Iris froze him to the spot. Eddie just stood there watching as the woman he loved was fucked by their Professor. Unable to pull himself away, he witnessed the couple embrace rapturously as Brenn erupted within her. Iris's orgasm was clearly magnitudes larger than she had ever experienced with Eddie. Even when Brenn finally pulled himself from her, exposing his unfettered penis, Iris continued to pursue him. She met Brenn's lips with several deep loving kisses.

Eddie stared at the nude painting of Iris in the large gallery for a long time. It was incredibly successful at capturing her beauty in its entirety. A beauty that in many ways she hid from him. In the image, her left breast wore the black smear of splashed paint. He looked around the room one more time, masochistically hoping for a glimpse of Iris.

She was laughing at something Brenn said as he held her close to him. They were holding court in the center of the gallery. Brenn was the great artist, the man of the hour, and Iris was his muse. The old patrons flocked to meet the young incarnation of Brenn's work. Iris was the center of the show. The mild scandal created by the by the age difference of the couple only added piquancy to the scene. As Eddie made his way out, he saw her pull Brenn down for a kiss. After which, Brenn took Iris by the hand and quickly led her towards a side hallway, making his apologies to the guests on their way. She couldn't help but giggle as she disappeared around the corner.