Fall was coming to an end. Laney saw the Professor less often in his office so as not to draw any suspicion. However she came to his house a few times a week. Sometimes she spent all weekend with him, cooking, watching movies and making love. And reviewing class lessons - sometimes.
One Saturday, Laney picked up a pizza after work and headed over to the Professor's house. He had never been to her apartment. It was only a four unit dwelling, but the downstairs neighbors were actually students at the same college. Laney wanted to protect their secret. She didn't want anyone to know about her relationship. Besides, the Professor had a bigger home that afforded much more privacy.
She drove over and parked. Sometimes he would be sitting on the swinging bench on the porch, waiting for her, but she did not see him outside. She went to the front door and knocked, but no one answered. The door was unlocked so she went inside, setting the pizza down on the kitchen table.
"Professor?" she called out.
She took a few steps and realized the door to her left was open slightly, with the lights on. She thought that door was for a closet, but as she got closer she could see stairs leading down. She opened the door and stepped down to the lower level.
It was a fully furnished basement. One side had a TV, couch, chairs and a coffee table. There was even a mini wet bar to one side. The other side was tiled, and contained a lab bench and all kinds of chemistry equipment.
"Wow!", she exclaimed.
The Professor turned when he heard her. "Oh Laney, sorry about that. I didn't hear you come in. I must have lost track of the time."
"You have a laboratory in your house?" she asked.
"Yeah." He looked so cute with his goggles and white lab coat. He was swirling a flask with what looked like some kind of solvent swishing around inside.
"What are you doing?" she asked. It looked like there were various projects going on. Notes and books were scattered about.
"I'm a chemist, Laney. I teach for a living, but I actually have a lot more fun working down here, doing experiments and proving theorems."
Sure Laney knew he was good at chemistry. She didn't realize he was absolutely fanatical about it though.
A set of test tubes set up near the end of the bench caught her eye. There was a notebook next to it. It looked like he had been comparing the strengths of whatever was in the tubes.
She gestured to the setup. "What is the point of this experiment?"
He sighed. She knew he often sighed when he had to explain something he really didn't want to go into.
"You know what? Why don't we go upstairs and have dinner."
"Professor?" She asked, tapping the notebook with her finger.
"Okay." He put the flask in a mini fridge and took off his goggles. "I was testing a chemical that enhances pleasure."
Laney laughed. "What?! Are you serious? Like what kind of pleasure?"
He gave a small laugh. "Sexual pleasure. It sounds really weird when I say it out loud but basically I was trying to find a way to enhance orgasm."
Laney could not believe what she was hearing. "Really? Does it work?"
Now the Professor gave a knowing chuckle. "I'd say so."
Laney was smiling too now. "Can I try it? What's it like?"
There was that sigh again. "I don't recommend it. Obviously it's unregulated. I can't guarantee its safety."
Laney's eyes were filled with hope. "But you are amazing. You know everything. Look at all of these equations and experiments. You obviously know what you are doing."
He paused, thinking. Finally he said, "Maybe you should think about it."
