The Professor Read Free Page A

mean something more to me?
    Snap out if it, you just have a little schoolgirl crush on your teacher. Stop acting so childish.
    Was that all it was - a school girl crush? I’d had those before; what girl hadn’t? I knew I could move on from them, that I could focus on what was important and keep things in perspective.
    Why, then, was I having such a hard time doing that with the Professor?
    The light inside the office was on when I arrived, and I could see the blurred form of the Professor sitting at his desk through the frosted glass window. Heat crept over my face as I glanced again at my watch. At least you’re here , I bargained with myself. Better late than never.
    I tapped on the window lightly.
    “Come in,” he called from inside.
    I eased the door open and entered. The office looked exactly as it had the day before with papers and files scattered wherever space allowed. What had changed, however, was the table in the corner had been nicely organized and cleared away. Yesterday there had been loose papers and books stacked high, now everything was orderly and prepared.
    The Professor looked different too. I was used to seeing him in his expensive suits, but he wasn't wearing one this time. He had on a tight fitting polo shirt that nicely outlined his muscular build. I suppressed a groan of pleasure when he looked up at me from some of the papers on his desk. His beautiful brown hair fell in front of his gorgeous blue eyes and it drove me wild with delight. All of the cautions I had tallied before were instantly cast aside, and the wetness within me took control.
    "You're late," he said.
    I bit my lower lip timidly. "Only just."
    He eyed me up and down, taking all of me in. I wanted stop time right that instant. With his eyes on me. I had never felt more vulnerable, or more secure, in my life. Thoughts of my future, and the reasons why I was standing there in the office were forgotten - were they really what was important, anyway?
    "Please, have a seat," he said.
    The Professor motioned to the table in the corner. I noticed how close it was to his desk - almost too close. We would be working nearly back to back. I could already smell the light cologne he was wearing, and it was driving me crazy. Could I handle being that near him for long periods of time?
    Had he planned it that way?
    I felt his eyes glued to me as I sat down. I tried to concentrate and glance over the papers that were there waiting for me, but it was impossible. All I saw was a mess of numbers, tables, and charts.
    "What am I going to be doing?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at him.
    "You're going to help me with my research," he said plainly.
    My stomach twisted; mortified. Who did he think I was. There was no way I was smart enough to help a professor with their research. I was just a lowly undergrad - and only a sophomore at that. I hadn't even been accepted into the College of Business yet, let alone really began to learn anything about how the business world worked.
    "Don't you need a grad student for that? I have no idea what to do."
    "I thought you were serious about this extra credit?" he asked, his voice deadpan.
    My stomach did another back flip.
    "I am. I'm very serious - I'll do anything. But I don't think I can do this."
    "The business school has high expectations of its students," he said. "You're going to have to tackle some pretty difficult things if you want to make it."
    "I know," I said, trying to find words. "I just, I mean, this is all so much." I waved a hand over the stacks and stacks of paper. "What do you even do with all of this?"
    I could only imagine what my face looked like. A deer in headlights was more composed than me right then. The Professor's face was granite stone - emotionless. He stared at me with a blank expression for what felt like an eternity. Then the stony look broke into a wide smile, and he began laughing.
    My stomach did another back flip on its own.
    "I'm just messing with you," he said through