The Professor Read Free

defend myself. That, right now, I wanted his advances more than anything in the world.
    He licked his lips before he spoke.
    "Be here bright and early tomorrow. Eight o'clock."
    He didn't move an inch, and the hungry look in his eye remained.
    "On a Saturday?" I asked. My voice had taken on a lower, more sensual pitch. "What do you have in mind?"
    He considered me again, letting the tense moment draw out even longer. Then, his hands gestured toward the wall. Bookshelves filled to swelling stood there looming over the office.
    "You'll be helping me on a research project," He said. "Be prepared to do a lot of reading."
    Confusion officially overcame me. "Research?"
    "You said you were willing to do anything. I have my own deadlines looming and right now I'm in need of a research assistant."
    "Oh," I began, my thoughts and words trailing off.
    "You are still interested, right?" His tone contained a hint of danger - of challenge.
    "Yes. Yes, of course."
    "Good," he said. "Then I'll see you tomorrow morning."
    I sat there stunned for a moment as he disregarded me and returned to the work on his desk. The heat inside me had yet to subside. I raced out of the office, praying to God that I didn't make any more a fool of myself than I already had.

    * * * * *

    The door clicked shut and Ethan let out a breath he didn't realized he'd been holding. The bulge in his pants, however, refused to subside. Maybe now that Kayla was gone it would go away - or maybe he would have to excuse himself to the men's room and handle the situation himself.
    He looked at the papers scattered around his desk with a sense of frustration. There was no chance he was going to get any work done now, not after having Kayla there. It was Friday, he deserved to cut out a bit early - right?
    Ethan sat back and closed his eyes. He had taken note of Kayla the moment he saw her in his class. She was sitting in the third row, bright eyed and excited to be there. It was a far stretch from the majority of her classmates that only took his class because the University required it. The more he saw of her work, the dedication and intelligence she demonstrated, the more turned on he became.
    Then the most recent exam had occurred. It was the last before the end of semester finals, and her performance on it was sure to destroy her hope at earning an 'A'. All of the drive and hard work were going to be tossed out the window because of that one exam.
    Perhaps that was why he had offered to help her out. Or at least that was the lie he was telling himself. He hoped giving her extra credit wasn't a mistake. He knew how he felt about her - and he hoped it didn't cloud his professional judgment. The University had given him some flexibility with regard to a student's final grades. Extraneous circumstances needed consideration - and that's all he was doing - giving a bright and promising student a little extra consideration.
    Ethan rubbed at his eyes and looked at the clock. His day would be ending soon, and then he could flee campus as fast as possible. He desperately needed some distance, some perspective. And there was no better cure for that than getting lost in the heat of the gym.

    * * * * *

    The next morning I climbed the three flights of stairs to the Finance department. My watch read 8:02AM - two minutes late. I was surprised to be there at all.
    Keep it together, Kayla.
    A last minute case of nerves nearly kept me in bed. It was like a part of me insisted on sabotaging everything. The Professor had definitely played his part in my hesitation as well. I was nervous to see him again - nervous that I would make a fool of myself, that he would see how much of an idiot I really was. I could ruin any possibility I had of earning his respect and trust.
    But why did I care so much? I mean, sure, I wanted his respect. He was a well known - and liked - professor in the College of Business. Having him in my corner could open doors that I never even knew existed; but did his respect