On the way she engaged in a self examination. It was one of her ways. She'd cultivated a kind of honesty with herself that she was very strict about. She wanted to have one of those sessions now and talk to herself about what was happening with Rafael.
"Okay, girl," she said out loud---her way. "Are you being silly? Stupid? A bit crazy? How does it feel?"
She thought about that, letting the past few days replay themselves in her mind. She came to an initial conclusion quickly. This is what her self dialogue was like:
"It feels as exciting as anything I've ever done."
"Even Carolyn?" was the next question.
"Yes, actually even more exciting than Carolyn!"
"What about professional standards and such? Conflicts?"
"With my personal sex life? I don't think so."
"What if he's temporary?"
"I won't let that real possibility keep me from living this present reality and from finally doing things that I've so often thought about, dreamt about, fantasized about and longed for."
Catherine realized that she was sliding into a really good place with this.
"Are we sure?"
"As sure as we can be!"
Then the conclusion:
"Then do what you have planned for today; enjoy it."
Her own ego struggle came out on the side of continuing what she had started with Rafael. She was pleased; she was relieved, and she knew, was dead certain about the fact that she wasn't just kidding herself.
When she got to school, she gave herself time for a cup of coffee at the student center. A number of students saw her and nodded to her. She acknowledged them. After a while, a voice said to her, as she was looking over some notes for 11 AM, and sipping coffee:
"Dr. Little, may I join you?"
The voice struck her; her senses were immediately alive, when she recognized Rafael's voice. She looked up and flushed a little. She suppressed a notion to do something to recognize him and declare her newly found agreement with what she'd offered him. She backed off and said instead:
"Rafael, please do join me; how are you?"
He sat and gave her a smile that said everything it needed to.
She responded with a quiet: "Yes, sir."
"You've been thinking?" he asked softly.
"About the whole thing," she said, "Big debate; major cross examination me to myself."
She hesitated and said:
"What I've offered you is absolutely right, correct for me. I don't regret a word or an action."
He smiled at that and said:
"So good to hear that, Associate Professor Little. Even the spanking!""
"I'm afraid especially the spanking," she said, in almost a whisper, "I don't understand that but it's true."
"Catherine love," he said softly, "You are so delicious."
"Thank you, sir," she answered.
Right then they were interrupted.
"Dr Little, Rafael, hey!" A voice from the direction of the food line said breaking into their conversation.
They both looked and coming toward them with a big smile was Bonnie Braum.
"Hi, Bonnie," Catherine said.
"Hey, Bonnie," Rafael said.
"Am I interrupting?" Bonnie asked as she neared the table.
"No," Catherine said. Then she turned to Rafael and said:
"Thank you, Rafael, I'll have the paper back today at our 11 AM class."
"You're welcome, Dr. Little," Rafael said, as Catherine got up and walked away.
"The perpetually overlooked Catherine," Bonnie said in a conspiratorial voice, as she slid into a seat at the table with Rafael.
"So what's up with the most overlooked babe in captivity?" Bonnie said.
"Oh, just stuff about a philosophy paper that I wrote," he answered.
"Boring!" Bonnie said in an exaggerated fashion. "But isn't she a babe!"
"She is attractive," Rafael said.
"Attractive, hell, Rafael, Catherine Little, the perpetually overlooked, is eating stuff, Rafe!" she brayed.
"Don't call me 'Rafe'," he said, and she grinned, knowing full well that he didn't like it.
"Don't be a bitch, Bonnie," he said softly, "It doesn't get you any points."
"Rafael," she said then, leaning toward him, "You are so delicious that I'd do you first, if I did guys at all, which I don't usually. I might even rate you up there with Catherine the perpetually overlooked."
"Awfully nice of you, Bonnie," he answered in a somewhat bored tone of voice.
"Aw, Rafael, don't be that way; I'm sorry that I needled you, and I do have a piece of news."
"Yes," he asked.
"There's a party on Saturday, I want you to come and bring a date," she said.
"Okay, okay, the date only if you want to," Bonnie said holding up her hands. "I don't know what you're trying to save yourself for, Rafael, you're smoking hot."
"Thank you, Bonnie," he said, "Maybe I'll come. But no drugs? I'm not interested in a drug party."
"No drugs, a small group," she said, holding up her hands again, "I've made that clear, and you know that I can make that stick. But maybe, just maybe some sex! If you bring a date, make sure that she dresses hot! I want to look over whoever you bring. You'd share wouldn't you? I mean with your friend Bonnie?"
He laughed at her brazenness: "You know, Bonnie, I might!"
"That's the spirit!" she said, "So, get out there and get a date, make it a hot one."
He laughed again.
"Hey, I know," she brayed again, holding her face in toward him, as though conspiratorially, "Bring Catherine the perpetually overlooked Little! But make her dress hot and not dowdy!"
He laughed harder then, as she grinned at him with her witticism.
"Okay, Bonnie, I'll do just that!" he said through his laughter.
She finished her coffee and got up from the table with an air kiss and a "Ta!", leaving him sitting there and smiling to himself.
She was composed and professional, when she went to her 11 AM philosophy seminar. The class was an hour and a quarter. They had a discussion of the works they were reading for the first 45 minutes. Then she gave them a reading assignment and told them she'd distribute their papers and would speak to some of them about the papers.
She wandered around the room from the left front to the right rear. It was there that Rafael always sat, in the very back. She got to him only after a while. She handed him the folder with his paper.
"This was very well done, Rafael," she said, and managed, as she spoke to rub her calf against his leg. He leaned the leg back to mimic the pressure of her leg. "I liked the way you expressed yourself. Thank you for good work. I have included more comments inside the folder."
He opened the folder, and went through the pages. The grade was an A+, which they both knew that he deserved. But then he turned over the last page and there, attached to the back of the folder were two photos. It was all that he could do to not hoot out loud at the discovery.
In the first photo, Catherine was lounging in the doorway of her bedroom, totally naked, and grinning at him, via the camera.
But the next photo was the one that really got him.
In this photo she was in the same doorway only with her back turned to the camera. She was still naked and showing her magnificent ass but on it she'd written, just above the ass cheeks: "This ass belongs to Rafael!" and across the ass cheeks themselves: "Spank me, Fuck My Ass!" Beneath the swell of her ass cheeks was written the words: "Rafael, you're my Master!"
He looked up at her and she was blushing.
"Thank you, Doctor Little, for the kindness of this."