Ginnie leaned forward, placed her elbow on table, and gently placed her chin in the cup of her hand. The V of her blouse intentionally gaped. She watched his eyes. They were focused on her exposed cleavage. That satisfied her. Ginnie delighted in the tease. She nonchalantly moved her hand across her lap to tug at her blouse. Now when she moved, even more of the V between her creamy breasts was exposed. Ginnie crossed her legs under the table and coolly slid the point of her high-heeled shoe against the back of his calf. Tony took an involuntary breath. Ginnie gave him a sultry smile and rummaged through her purse for her notebook. Her questions always began with her favorite topic of conversation between them, Tony's dreams, and desires.
Tony delighted of moments like this. He liked the conversation and he particularly liked the way Ginnie flirted with him: a flash of cleavage, a coy word, and an inadvertent touch. While tantalized by these displays, he was cautious with what he revealed to her. Tony carefully guarded his dreams and fantasies. To dream one must sleep or at least relinquish conscious control and therein was his terror. The vivid blue flashes, the tingling from head to toe, and the blinding white light all combined to make his dreams of her a fearful experience. Yet, Tony could not help himself. She was constantly on his mind and in his thoughts. It was hard for Tony not to contemplate, savor, and mentally relive those private, secret moments they spent together when she dominated his entire being.
His head bobbed and snapped back. He jolted wide-awake and sat bolt upright only to discover he was still at his office desk. It was awash in unmarked student papers. Tumbling over the computer keyboard were the notes for the next day's lecture. Organization by piles was his forte. By the bookshelves were three disorderly heaps representing the current research papers with which he busied himself. Publish or perish was still the rule even for a professor with tenure. He felt a moment of panic. Glancing at his watch he was relieved to find that he had not slept through their date. He had enough time for a leisurely walk to the rendezvous. She was never late; on the other hand, he tried never to keep her waiting. Through the halls, he strode popping in and out of offices and classrooms. He punctuated each visit with a short conversation.
"Alice, could these be copied for tomorrow's class? Sixty copies should be enough."
"Jason, you need to hand in those papers, if you want to upgrade your marks before the end of term."
"Excuse me ladies...Oh thanks, glad you enjoyed the lecture"
His progress towards the outside courtyard was a series of one-way conversations delivered with practiced sincerity. "Oh Laurie, we must meet regarding, oh you know, what do you call it? We need to have it ready for the Dean before month's end. Drop by Alice's office and make an appointment so we can finish it..." His voice trailed off, not waiting for a reply he headed through the doors and outside.
He proceeded at a steady pace across the courtyard to the cafŽ by the Student Union Building. Since it was a warm, bright, fall afternoon he chose an outside table. He beckoned the young waitress, ordered their usual fare of nachos and beer, and sat back to wait.
At precisely 4:30, he saw her leave "The Maze" and start across the courtyard. She was wearing a crisp blue pantsuit and a white blouse. His favorite piece of jewelry, a gothic cross, was around her neck. They had met just over four years ago at a faculty mixer. She was a junior assistant in the Psychology Department doing research on the electrical transmission of brain impulses or something like that. He could never remember. Drawn to her quiet assertiveness, he had arranged that they work on several committees together. Over the years, they found that they shared a lot.