Chapter 6: Cumming Home And Moving On
Cori left St. Thomas reluctantly, but the closer she got to North Carolina, the more excited she was about meeting with Mr. Harris. Victor, his friend, had said the dean of the business school was a decent man who just liked to have a little fun with the coeds sometimes. A formalized deal with someone like her would allow him to take less risks by messing around with the other girls and could offer her a substantial amount in return.
She was nervous, but also confident. With her new outlook, she knew she could say no or be firm in her demands and guidelines. She was going to be no one's whore. She would be making the calls, saying what was and was not OK. That was her plan, anyway, and she was determined to make it work.
She was still wearing the same outfit she had been wearing when she left the resort in St. Thomas. It was a light blue St. Thomas tank top with a deep scoop neckline and a pair of tight navy blue athletic shorts. She wore no bra and she wore a white g-string under her shorts. She wore white tennis shoes, but planned to change into heels when she arrived on campus. Given the nature of their meeting, the only inappropriate attire would be wearing too much clothing. He had seen her application which included her sexual history. He had seen her R-rated pictures and X-rated video. For her to present herself as anything but sexy to him would be a foolish charade. She wasn't in the mood to play games. This was going to be an honest, open negotiation in which everything was spelled out as clearly as possible. She had her limits and demands in mind and she told herself she would not compromise. And, unlike when Miles, Victor and Sam had broken the rules of their agreement in St. Thomas, she wasn't going to make exceptions or accept violations this time.
When she got off the plane, Cori went into the restroom at the airport and changed into a pair of white stiletto heels. She also rolled down the top waist band of her shorts, showing a little more of her belly as well as the "whale tail" of her thong in back. She kept her hair down and put on fresh lipstick. When she emerged, she saw a man holding a sign with her name on it. She must have walked past him the first time.
"I'm Cori Banks," she said, walking up to him. He was dressed in a tuxedo and Cori realized he was probably a limo driver hired to take her to campus. Well, apparently Mr. Harris was as intent on making a good first impression as she was.
"Hello, Ms. Banks," the driver, a young African American man said. "I'm Anthony. Mr. Harris asked me to pick you up and take you to his office. Do you have any other bags besides that one?"
"Nope, this is it," Cori said, handing him the bag.
"Right this way, then, ma'am," he led her to the nearest exit where his car, a black stretch limo, waited. He opened the door for her and she climbed in, aware that people were looking at her, probably trying to figure out if she was a celebrity. She felt a little like one as she fell into the huge back seat. There was wine, bottled water and fruit. She took a bottle of water and some grapes and leaned back, stretching her long legs across the seat, thinking, "I could get used to this." But she reminded herself not to get caught up in the wining and dining because they sure as hell only wanted her for the sixty-nining. She had to remember that they needed her as much as more as she needed them, even if she didn't really believe that to be so. That was her only bargaining chip and she was going to cling to it no matter how much they tried to take it away.
The airport was actually about 50 miles from the small city that was home to BJU, so Cori enjoyed a relaxing ride, munching her grapes and flipping through some brochures about BJU that Dr. Harris had prepared for her. She loved the look of the campus with its rustic-looking buildings, green quads and beautiful architecture. It looked like a place she could fall in love with and she couldn't wait to see it in person.
When they arrived on campus, she was dropped off at an impressive looking building that appeared to be some sort of administrative center. Two people were waiting for her. One was a young man Cori assumed was a student. He was dressed in khaki slacks and a nice button-down shirt. He smiled at her and shook her hand as she stepped out of the car. She looked for any hint that he knew why she was here and why she was getting out of a car like this, but if Dr. Harris had tipped him off, he showed no signs. Instead, he promptly stepped to the back of the car and took her bag from Anthony. The other person was a young woman who also appeared to be a student. She was pretty with long red hair, dazzling blue eyes and a warm, friendly smile along with a trim figure. She wore khaki shorts with a white button-down shirt hanging loosely and low heeled sandals. Nothing about her indicated that her relationship with Dr. Harris might be anything but professional, yet Cori found it hard to believe the man wouldn't have made advances toward her, given his obvious preference for attractive coeds.
"I'm Sandy, Dr. Harris' personal assistant," the girl smiled, extending her hand. "Welcome to BJU, Ms. Banks."
"Oh, you can call me Cori," Cori shook her hand.
"Very well, Cori," Sandy smiled. "If you'll come this way, I'll take you to see Dr. Harris. Darren will bring your bag. We weren't sure if you were planning to spend the night, but we'll make sure your bag gets wherever you're going."
"Thank you," Cori said, realizing that she wasn't at all sure if she'd spend the night or not either. She looked around at the campus, its lush grass and trees and classic buildings bathed in a warm splash of yellow sun. It was a beautiful October afternoon. There were students walking back and forth, strolling from one building to another, hauling their book bags, sipping their coffee or sprawling in the quad. It was full of activity and looked like a lot of fun. Cori found herself really hoping she could find a way to make this work.
"This is our central administration building," Sandy said as they entered and Cori got a good look at the impressive entryway with the cathedral ceilings she had seen in the brochures. "Most of our university officials, including the deans, have offices here. Dr. Harris has an office here and another in the business building. He's expecting you, so you may go on in."
Sandy held the door open for Cori and she entered the large office. Sandy and Darren remained outside. Cori looked back, watching their faces to see if they might have a smirk or sneer or some other expression that would indicate they knew why she was here and what Dr. Harris wanted from her. Again, if they did, they didn't show. Maybe he really was as discreet as he claimed. She hoped so. That would be a good sign.
As she walked in, Dr. Harris rose from behind his desk. He was tall, athletically built with gray eyes and light brown hair that was thinning and beginning to gray at the temples. His face was friendly and he smiled as she approached, extending his hand.