The Reprimand
"Shit, he's going to kill me." Riley said aloud to herself, glancing at her watch as she parked her car. She was twenty-five minutes late for class.
Professor Daniels hated tardiness. It was the third time in the last four weeks that she had been late. A last second phone call had tied her up, making her fifteen minutes late leaving the office. Traffic was horrible, causing her to be delayed even more.
Riley felt the Professor's eyes on her as she eased open the door. He looked in her direction as she entered the room, his angered gaze cutting into her. "Sorry." She mouthed as she quietly slipped to the side, taking a seat near the back of the classroom.
He quickly resumed the lecture, occasionally glancing in her direction. She could tell that he was very displeased with her. However, he still called on her and allowed her to participate. Typically, if a student found themselves on the Professor's bad side, they were invisible. The class ended with a reminder that mid-term exams were the following week, and that any late entries would receive an automatic failing grade. His dark green eyes locked on Riley as he spoke.
Professor Daniels' voice cut through the noise of the class as they packed up to leave. "Miss Andrews, if I could have a word with you, please." Riley cringed. She knew she was in trouble this time.
Riley shoved her notebook into her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she approached the lectern. "Yes, Professor Daniels?" She asked sheepishly, her cheeks already flushing with embarrassment.
"You are aware that this class has an attendance policy, correct?" His voice was sharp as he spoke to her. He watched as her eyes dropped, and she nodded.
"Yes, sir." she replied quietly. She was older than the typical community college fare he was accustomed to. She was in her late twenties, with an athletic build, short blonde hair and teal-green eyes. He could tell she always came from work, because she was always dressed up. He figured she must be some sort of administrative assistant or something, based on how nicely she dressed.
"Then you are aware, Miss Andrews," he continued, sternly as he watched her reaction, "that this is the third time that you have been more than fifteen minutes late this semester." He paused, studying her. He struggled to keep his thoughts on the fact that he was irritated with her, rather than the fact that he wanted to throw her on the desk and ravage her on the spot. "The third time in the past four weeks, actually."
"Yes, Professor." She replied. He could tell from the tone of her voice that she was embarrassed, but also nervous.
"So you understand then, that it means that I should drop you from my roster and fail you, correct?" He asked, watching her wince as he said the words. She was a good student, with a 4.0 GPA. Dropping her would sabotage her GPA.
"Yes, Professor Daniels." Her voice was laden with disappointment.
A few students were waiting to speak with him, so he quickly set his plan in motion. "I'm willing to discuss this further with you, Miss Andrews." He said quietly. "Meet me in my office in fifteen minutes. Don't be late."
He turned his attention to the other students, effectively ending their conversation. Riley went straight to his office, taking a seat on the floor outside his door. There was no way she was going to be late if it meant saving her grade.
Twenty minutes later, Professor Daniels approached his office door. He smiled when he saw Riley waiting by his office door. She looked up anxiously as she felt his gaze locked on her. She quickly shoved her textbook and notebook back into her bag and stood up to meet him as he reached the door.
"You are on time, I see." He said, looking her over as she stood there anxiously.
"I came straight here." She replied quietly.
As he unlocked the door to his office, he smiled wickedly. She had no idea what she was in for. His plan was working perfectly so far. "Let's see how desperate she is to save her grade." He thought to himself as he opened the door. As he flipped on the light, he gestured for Riley to walk in. "After you, Miss Andrews."
"Thank you, Professor." Riley said, slipping past him to take a seat in front of his desk. She placed her bag on the floor next to the chair and sat nervously, fidgeting while he closed the door behind them.
"Okay, Miss Andrews," he started, "tell me why I shouldn't drop you from my class and give you a failing grade." His voice was cold as he took a seat behind the desk. His stare pierced through her as he waited for her to answer.
"Honestly, Professor." Riley started, her voice shaking. "You have every right to drop me and give me a failing grade. The circumstances to my tardiness were beyond my control since they were work-related, but the bottom line is that I violated the terms of the syllabus." She took a deep breath to steady herself before finishing. "So if you want to drop me, I can't stop you. It'll cost me the Dean's list this semester, and cost me financially, but that's my problem, not yours."
He was impressed. He was used to tearful pleas and endless excuses from eighteen and nineteen year olds who were desperate to avoid failing grades so as not to incur disappointment from their parents. He wasn't used to the honesty and maturity that Riley brought to the table.
"Riley," He said, quietly, her expression startled at hearing him call her by her first name. "I'm going to make you an offer. I'm only going to make it once, so think about it before you say no." He smiled at her darkly as he leaned forward onto his desk. The move made her uneasy, but she didn't move.
"Okay, what is it?" She asked nervously.
"I'm going to 'test' you." He said, his voice taking on a sinister tone. "You pass my test; you stay in my class and keep your grade." The way his dark green eyes flashed as he stared at her while he waited for her reply let on that he wasn't talking about coursework.
"What does this 'test' entail?" Riley asked, her voice hollow. She had a bad feeling about where this conversation was headed. Deep down, she knew that she didn't want to know the answer.
"I think you know, Riley." The professor replied, standing from his chair. He locked his door, and turned off the overhead light, so that the only light remaining was the dim light from his computer monitor. He stepped closer to her, and reached out, grasping her by the wrist.
As he pulled her to her feet, he felt her hesitate. "If you say no," he whispered into her ear, "I will fail you from my course, and you can say goodbye to the Dean's list." He paused, watching her stiffen as he caressed her face. "You need three more courses with me before you finish your program. Keep that in mind." He tilted her chin up, looking down at her as he finished. "I could make your remaining time here extremely difficult."
"What are you saying, Professor?" Riley's voice cracked as she spoke.
"I'm saying that I believe you're smart enough to know what choice you need to make." He brushed his hands down her sides, feeling her shudder at his touch. He grabbed her by the hips, pulling her forward against him. He knew that she could feel that he was aroused. He didn't care. He was making a point. She looked up at him, panicked.
"I don't know," Riley started, unsure of what to do. The Professor was probably fifteen years older than she was. But he was attractive. He stood at least six inches taller than her, even in heels. She secretly had a minor crush on him, but the age difference alone caused her to put it out of her mind.
The way he stared down at her as he waited for her reply made her anxious. "Well?" he asked quietly, resting his hands on her hips.
She had a feeling that if she said yes, that it was opening the door for the Professor to use sexual favors to his advantage. She didn't trust him to not hold it over her head as a threat. Was it a risk that she was willing to take to finish her program and stay on the Dean's list?
