Amy clutched her books tightly against her chest as she walked into the classroom. She was one of the first students to arrive and claimed one of the empty desks on the front row. She slid her body into the hard wooden seat, pressed her knees together, and smoothed out the front of her new black dress. She kept her eyes down on her books as she listened to the American accents of the students sitting somewhere behind her. They reminded her that she was thousands of miles from her family back in London, and she wondered what her classmates would think when they heard her speak for the first time.
She had worked long and hard to get a scholarship large enough to pay for an American university education. Her family wasn't exactly poor, but she had known from a young age that she would have to work hard to realize her dreams of travelling the world. She threw herself into her studies and excelled, though it occasionally meant that she had to make sacrifices in her social life. If she hadn't been so focused on making perfect grades, she might have discovered that her classmates considered her to be one of the most beautiful girls in school. Her porcelain body was naturally fit and full figured, adorned with a flowing mane of wild red hair. She charmed everyone around her without even trying as she pursued her own agenda with focus and determination.
It wasn't that Amy wasn't interested in sex. She had even lost her virginity at a graduation party this past summer, though the performance of that random 18 year old boy left her feeling somewhat disappointed. There was something about older men, especially those in positions of authority, that turned her on more than any young jock ever could. What would it be like to be with a man who had years of experience? She spent many nights in the darkness of her bedroom pondering that question beneath her sheets.
The sound of the door shutting abruptly brought Amy's attention back to the present, and she saw her professor for the first time. The first thing that struck her was his strong, stout body, which seemed better suited for rugby than academics. Although he was dressed like a college professor, he strode to the front of the room with the authority of an army officer. The classroom fell silent as he placed his briefcase behind the lectern and opened his notes. Amy found herself clutching the desk a bit too tightly and made herself try to relax.
"Welcome to World History 101," he said. "My name is Professor James, and I will be your instructor for this course. The syllabus is being passed around now. You can read it on your own time. It includes the schedule, attendance policy, et cetera. I'm not one of those professors who is going to spend the first day of class going over the syllabus and dismiss class early. You have all paid a high price to take this class, and I promise you that you will get your money's worth. To that end, we are going to get started immediately. Let's start with a simple question. Why are you here?"
Amy froze as the professor turned and looked straight at her, and her mind jumped into action to find the answer to his question. They were both looking directly at each other without speaking. She knew the actual answer: she was in this class because it was required and happened to fit into her schedule, but something told her that it would be wise to keep that to herself. He was still looking at her, but she didn't know what to say. It felt as though she was under the spotlight during a stage play and couldn't remember her lines. She suddenly had the sensation of being physically vulnerable. The professor wouldn't be able to see up her dress from this angle, but she found herself pressing her knees together anyway. It felt like a minute had passed, though in reality it was merely a second or two.
The professor turned away and continued his introduction to the class, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Something inside Amy compelled her to look at his hands to see if there was a wedding band on his finger. She didn't see one and felt a tiny prick of excitement and curiosity before she suddenly realized the implications of those thoughts and pushed them aside. All that mattered was that she needed to listen carefully, do her work, and make the highest possible grade on every task. She opened her laptop and began taking notes on the lesson that the professor was just starting to give. For the next few weeks she paid close attention to every lecture, did all the assigned reading, and studied hard to prepare for her first test.
Three weeks later Amy was sitting at the same desk and smiling. Last week the class had taken their first exam, and the professor was handing them back. The professor had written in red ink, "100, excellent work. Meet me in my office after class." Amy had expected to ace the test, but knowing it for certain always calmed her nerves and gave her a rush of satisfaction. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that many of the other students hadn't fared as well, which gave her a slightly cruel sense of satisfaction and superiority. The professor returned to the front of the room and began the next lecture without discussing the previous exam. Amy rode the emotional high of her accomplishment for the rest of the class period, more confident than ever that she would make it through the semester without any trouble. In her excitement she didn't stop to consider why the professor wanted her to come to his office.
Later that day, Amy knocked on the slightly open door of the professor's office and let herself in. Dr. James was leaning back in a high backed leather chair, talking on the phone, and he raised a finger to indicate that he was almost finished. She looked around as she stepped inside and was awestruck by how many books she saw. Every wall was covered by bookshelves filled beyond capacity, and stacks as high as two or three feet tall sat directly on the floor in various places. She couldn't imagine how long it would take to collect so many, much less how one person could possibly read all of them. She seated herself in an open chair on the opposite side of the professor's desk, which was so covered with items that the oak surface was barely visible. Among the books and papers there was one item that stood out and caught Amy's attention: a finely crafted wooden chess set made of walnut and ash.
The professor, noticing Amy's interest in the chess set, finished his call and looked at her with a curious smile. He nodded toward the chess set and asked, "Do you play?"
"No, but I think I'd like to learn," she replied, feeling a little blush rising in her cheeks. She instantly regretted her choice of words, which could so easily be misconstrued.
He raised an eyebrow and looked intrigued. "I wasn't expecting you to have a British accent," he said. "Are you English?"
"Yes sir," she replied. In the few weeks she had spent in America she had quickly learned that her accent provoked a great deal of interest, especially from men.
"What a nice surprise," he said, leaning back and folding his hands over his stomach. "As silly as it must sound, we Americans are easily charmed by it. Makes you seem more sophisticated and intelligent somehow. In your case it's obviously true."
Amy brushed her red hair back and looked at the floor shyly, not sure how to respond and feeling a confusing mixture of emotions. "Thank you, sir," she said and found herself smiling nervously, despite her better judgment. "Many people in England feel the same about American accents. That they're rather nice, that is." Somewhere inside her head an alarm bell went off, and the responsible part of her personality told her to tread carefully.
"It brings back pleasant memories," he said. "I spent some time in London on sabbatical a few years ago. Maybe we could talk about it over drinks. There's a British pub near here that just opened a few months ago, and it would be interesting to see whether you think it's legit or a cheap imitation. Could show you a thing or two about chess, too."
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Amy replied cautiously. "I'm only 18, after all."
"I won't tell if you don't," he said with a mischievous smile.
Her cheeks felt much hotter now, and she no longer had any doubts that his interest in her went well beyond the realm of academia. Images flashed through her mind not unlike the ones that she had been thinking about in bed throughout the past summer. But this wasn't a dream, and she decided that she needed to get herself under control before she did something she might regret. "That sounds lovely, sir, but I really am quite busy. I'm not sure I'd be able to do something like that without letting my grades slip."
To her surprise the professor didn't look terribly disappointed. "Of course," he said with a casual shrug. "Wouldn't want to let your grades slip. In fact, that's why I wanted you to come to my office. You were the only one in the class to make a perfect score, and I wanted to congratulate you. I don't know if you've picked a major yet, but you might consider studying history. You seem to have a knack for it."
"Thank you sir," Amy replied, genuinely flattered and somewhat relieved to be steering the conversation in a safer direction.
"I'd love to talk more, but I have an appointment later and need to get some grading done beforehand," the professor said, rising to his feet to indicate that the meeting was over. "Let me know if you have any questions about the class, and feel free to stop by during my office hours if you need anything at all."
Amy stood at the same time and nodded gratefully. "Yes sir, I will," she said, and hurried out of the office as fast as she could without causing concern. As soon as she was a few steps down the hall she breathed a huge sigh of relief and headed straight back to her dorm. She thought about the meeting throughout the rest of the day, replaying it over and over again in her mind, wondering what might have happened and where it might have led. That night, in the darkness of her bedroom, she thought about the meeting again and imagined what it would be like to go out with her professor without any consequences. With one hand covering her mouth and the other working inside her panties, she brought herself to a powerful orgasm thinking about what could have been.