Samantha pulled her car to the side of the road and checked the address again. It still said 1437 Conroy Road, just like last time. She was driving to her first tutoring session with Mr. Nevil on the third Monday in May and she was sure she was lost. The houses were enormous mansions that had to be worth millions. How can a high school teacher afford to live here, she thought as she pulled back onto the road. A few blocks later she saw 1437 on a mailbox and turned onto the driveway.
The house was gorgeous, one of the nicest she had ever seen. Sam had been to this part of town before since a few of her friends lived in the area. However, most lived closer to Sacred Heart, her high school, in an upper middle-class part of town. Their houses were plenty big and certainly expensive, but Nevil's was on a whole other level. Sam suddenly felt out of place as she parked her used Toyota Camry and got out. The house was a brick two-story mansion with an expansive front yard. Everything was in perfect shape and she could only imagine how nice it was inside.
At least I don't look out of place, Sam thought as she walked around the side of the house. She was wearing a form-fitting floral print dress that was short and low-cut enough to get attention while still looking classy. She wore her blonde hair down and knew that at 21 she could likely pass for a neighborhood trophy wife.
Nevil had told her to ring the front doorbell, but her friends had told her his office was in the basement, so she'd decided to use the rear door. Walking around the side and down the sloped driveway, she saw a large swimming pool surrounded by a huge back yard with beautiful landscaping. There was a covered outdoor seating area beyond the pool and a large patio between the pool and the house. How can this guy have such a nice house, Sam thought as she found the back door and knocked. After a while man who looked to be about 50 answered and she said, "Hi, I'm Samantha Gentry."
"Bob Nevil," he replied as he reached out to shake her hand. "I expected you at the front door. I apologize if I didn't tell you where to go." He had a firm handshake and appeared to be about six feet tall. He had a few extra pounds around the middle but otherwise looked to be in decent shape. If I'm going to get hit on and maybe groped, I could do worse, Sam thought.
"No, you did. But I didn't want to bother anyone," Sam said. "I thought using the back door would give us more privacy."
"You can go to the front from now on. Anyway, come on in," Nevil said. "My office is through that door to the left." Sam walked into what appeared to be an enormous basement. It had a pool table, ping pong table, giant seating area with an enormous television, a bar, and several tables. Large windows looked out on the back yard and another set of doors led directly to the patio. I could get used to this, Sam thought as she took it all in. "Wondering how a teacher can afford all of this?" Nevil asked.
"No, not at all," Sam said before pausing briefly. "Well, actually, yes, I am. You have such a beautiful home."
"My wife is the CEO of SND Health Systems," Nevil said. "She gets all the credit. I'm just a humble math teacher."
"That's really impressive," Sam said.
"Yes, teaching high school math is quite the accomplishment," Nevil said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant that--I mean, yes, you're right, it is," Sam said.
"I know what you meant," Nevil said. "I'm just joking around. Cynthia is a very impressive woman who's managed to have an amazing career. Which is great for me, because I can do what I love, which is teaching, and still live in a place like this. Anyway, my office is right through that door."
Sam walked into what appeared to be a home office, with two desks and a small leather love seat. Nevil followed her in and left the door open behind him. He sat at one desk and gestured for Sam to sit at the other before saying, "So, Ms. Gentry, what type of math do you need help with? Geometry, calculus, algebra?"
Sam hesitated, not sure what to say. She was actually quite accomplished at math, having already finished calculus 3 and linear algebra. While it wasn't her major, she found it interesting and was minoring in it. She had come here prepared to play the dumb, ditzy blonde in the hopes Nevil would be into it. But now she wasn't so sure so, on gut instinct, she decided to play it straight. "I could use a little help with linear algebra. I got a B- in it last semester, so a refresher wouldn't hurt. Then I'd like to work on differential equations since I'm taking that in the fall."
"Linear algebra and differential equations?" Nevil asked incredulously. "What high school do you go to?"
"Do I look like I'm in high school?" Sam asked with slightly flirty tone. "I'm 21 and just finished my junior year in college."
"I just assumed," Nevil said. "Everyone I tutor is in high school. But to answer your question, no, you don't. I apologize, it's my mistake." He glanced downward as he said it, just a quick look at her ample breasts that let Sam know he was interested. This shouldn't be too hard, she thought as she smiled back at him.
"It's perfectly okay," Sam said. "Can you help me? If those subjects are too advanced..."
"Not at all," Nevil said, interrupting her. "It'll be nice to work on something beyond the high school level. I have some textbooks around here somewhere that we can use, unless you brought your own materials."
"I have my linear algebra textbook," Sam said. "But I haven't bought the differential equations one yet. Thank you so much for helping me."
"It's quite alright," Nevil said. "Thank you for hiring me. We can use your book. Just let me know what you want to start with." He sat next to her, and Sam showed him a few things she'd struggled with. They spent the next almost 60 minutes working through them. Nevil was quite helpful and seemed excited to be teaching higher-level math. The problem was he didn't appear to be excited in the way Sam had intended. He was a perfect gentleman--no ogling, leering, touching, groping, or anything inappropriate. When the hour ended, he said, "You're good at this, Ms. Gentry. Are you sure you need tutoring?"
"Thank you, that's so sweet," Sam said. "To be honest, I'm kind of an overachiever. When I was playing tennis at Miami, I didn't have much time, so I couldn't take substantive courses like this. Since I hurt my knee and left the team, I've been able to take tougher classes like this. My friends think I'm kind of a dork, taking advanced math classes for fun."
"I doubt very much that anyone thinks you're a dork, Ms. Gentry," Nevil said, taking another glance at her gorgeous body. "Anyway, our hour has ended. Same time tomorrow?"
"I'll be here," Sam said. "And please, call me Sam. Or at least Samantha."
"I guess that would be okay, since you're in college," Nevil said. "In that case, you can call me Bob." Sam smiled and walked out, taking another opportunity to marvel at his house. He's definitely interested, Sam thought as she drove away. A few more days and Becky will be all set.
But Nevil didn't do anything the rest of the week, even with Samantha's increasingly revealing outfits and open flirtation. The closest he'd come was making a comment that he was surprised someone like her was interested in advanced math courses. "What do you mean, someone like me?" Sam had asked innocently.