"...and here we are at your classroom -- 203." Ms. Wellen strode into the room, heels clacking against the hardwood, and gestured to the back of the room.
"There's a small office through that door there, where you can do any administrative work. It's only big enough for a desk and two chairs, but the walls are thick, so you'll have peace and privacy."
He looked around, still adjusting to the idea of his new role. Mason's Academy for Wayward Girls wasn't exactly the career he had planned, and he was fairly certain that his previous job as an adjunct professor of anthropology hadn't prepared him for the upcoming term. A class of impeccably trained 25-30 year old women was a far cry from an unruly gaggle of college freshmen.
"Now, I generally only assist Headmaster Mason, but your teaching assistant should be here shortly to get you up to speed. Selena is one of our top students, and she can help you with anything you need. Anything else before I head back to my office, Mr. Dennison?"
"No, thank you," he muttered distractedly as he took in the room's setup. The desk at the front was solid mahogany, buffed to a mirror shine. He ran his hand over the back of the sturdy chair (no wheels, he noted), the supple leather cool to the touch. There were only six student desks in the room. From what he had gathered during his interview with Headmaster Mason, the academy was relatively exclusive, and prided itself on its impeccable student-teacher ratios. "We believe in very personal attention for each of our girls," Mason had told him.
Each student chair featured a firm, vinyl-covered cushion, and each cushion was held down by a latch. He swung the seat of the first desk open, revealing an assortment of various disciplinary implements. As he moved to lift a flogger with a delicate pearl-inlaid handle, he felt a short whisper of breath against the back of his neck.
"Professor Dennison?"
He turned to find a young woman in the school's uniform, complete with impossibly tall heels that brought her eyes nearly level with his.
"I'm Selena -- your T.A."
"How the hell did you sneak up on me in those?" Recalling the sharp ringing of Ms. Wellen's boots, he was tempted to believe the brunette had simply materialized behind him.
She laughed softly. "I'm captain of the HM Squad." Noting his confusion, she clarified "Heel mastery. I can run in them, jump in them, and I'm up to ten flights of stairs. We have yearly competitions with a few other schools, and the girls here are drilled hard and often."