Tell Me When by Stina Lindenblatt

Math just isn’t her thing. But I will give it to her—she works hard to figure out what I’m showing her and asks lots of good questions.
    Two arms encircle my shoulders from behind, and a pair of cool lips kisses my neck. Even without Tammara saying anything, I recognize her slightly musky perfume.
    “Miss me, darling?” she purrs.
    Momentarily ignoring the equation I was explaining to Amber, I unhook myself from Tammara’s arms. She sits next to me and rests her hand on my thigh, marking her territory.
    “Math,” she says, taking note of the textbook between me and Amber. “How boring.” She inches her hand up my leg. “I can think of better ways to entertain you.” She doesn’t bother to acknowledge Amber. Everything’s a game for Tammara, and this time’s no exception.
    I remove her hand from my lap and put it on the table. “We’re busy.” I don’t want to be a jerk in front of Amber, but Tammara’s pissing me off. This is my fault. I should have had the balls to end things with her the other morning before I left her apartment.
    “That’s okay.” She glances at Amber, a sly smile edging on to her face. “I can wait. I have to study for my marketing exam.”
    Amber’s gaze jumps from Tammara to me and back again. Her fingers go back to tapping against her thigh. Mine itch to cross the space and cover her hand, stilling the movement. Tammara will see Amber’s actions as a sign of weakness.
    The protective urge surfaces, again. “We need to talk,” I tell Tammara.
    She stiffens for a brief moment before regaining her composure. The smile is back on her face but this time it holds a note of uncertainty. “Why don’t you come over to my place after you’re finished here? We can talk there.” From her silky voice, it’s clear what she hopes will happen, and she’s making it clear to Amber, too.
    Normally I wouldn’t care what a girl thinks, but Kitten isn’t any girl. “We need to talk now.” I say it more forcefully this time.
    “I-I should leave.” Amber reaches for her book and closes it.
    “Give me a moment...unless you really have to go.” I get the feeling she isn’t ready to quit studying yet. I’m certainly not.
    I stand. Tammara doesn’t move. She’s too busy glaring at Amber.
    “Now, Tammara.”
    Without looking at me, she gives a slight nod and follows me around the corner to a quiet spot near the wall. No one pays us any attention.
    She pouts. Some guys fall for it. I’m not one of them. As if sensing that, her pout vanishes. “You better not be planning to tell me that you want to remain friends.” Her heated tone could melt daggers into liquid metal.
    It’s hard to remain friends when you weren’t friends to begin with. I wisely keep that to myself. “You and I want different things, Tammara.”
    “Meaning you were interested in me when it was only sex. Is that what this is all about, Marcus? I want more and you’re only interested in getting laid?”
    Figuring it’s a rhetorical question, I don’t answer.
    “She’s not even your usual type,” she says, pointing out the obvious, even though she doesn’t know how right she is. My type usually doesn’t need any encouragement to drop their panties.
    “Keep her out of this.” My voice is dangerously low, the warning unmistakable. “I’m only tutoring her.”
    Tammara laughs bitterly “I know you better than that. You’re only tutoring her to get into her pants. That’s all you care about. Screw ’em and leave ’em. That’s your motto.” A sliver of hurt mingles with her words, but I can’t tell if it’s real or not.
    “At least I’m capable of caring about something,” I snap.
    Tammara jerks away as if I’d slapped her, and I instantly wish I could take the words back. That was pretty low, even for me.
    “Fuck you, asshole.” She narrows her eyes at me, then looks in the direction we came from. Before I can say anything, she storms off. Fortunately she leaves through the back exit, away