On Friday morning I decided to go down the main stairs through the entry hall of the fraternity. I was just about to leave when I heard, "Good morning, Claire."
I turned and saw Max and chirped, "Hi Max!" with a little more enthusiasm than I intended.
"You don't have to sneak down the back stairs," he began, "none of us will bite, unless you want us too," he joked while undressing me with his eyes.
The images from my early morning dreams of Max using me as his personal sex toy came flooding back. I blushed, my nipples hardened and my pussy got wet. "No, I know we don't need to hide," I replied with a smile, "but you guys didn't know that you'd get stuck with two women living here."
"It wasn't a mistake. I mean, Howard can't just assign you to live in a fraternity," smirked Max.
"What do you mean?" I asked while feeling both confused and concerned.
"My dad and Howard are on the Alumni board that funds and manages the national chapter of this fraternity. Howard asked the board to allow him to assign you to live here."
I felt a little sucker punched and needed some time to process this news, "Well I'm glad he did," I replied with a forced smile. "I'd like to hear more, but I have to get to class."
"I'm glad too!" began Max. "I hope that we'll see more of you and Aria," he added suggestively.
I left the fraternity and walked slowly to my morning class. I felt sad and angry. I felt how I imagine Eliza Doolittle felt when she realized that she was a pawn in a game being played by two elderly men who had little interest in her as a person. I needed to talk with Howard. I needed to know why he did this and I could only hope that I wasn't part of a wager.
After my first class I marched up to the administration building and climbed the stairs to the second floor. "Hi, how can I help you?" asked the general administrative assistant who greeted anyone visiting offices on this floor.
After seeing his name on the tag pinned to his pocket I replied, "Hi Tim. I know that Howard is a busy man, but I need to talk with him now," I replied professionally.
"Ok, and your name is?" asked Tim
"Claire, Claire Brostwin," I replied abruptly.
Tim called and within seconds Howard threw open the door, "Claire! It's good to see you, please come in," he welcomed me enthusiastically.
His jovial manner took the edge off of my anger. I sat in the chair facing his desk and asked, "Why did you do it?" I began, "and why didn't you tell me?"
"Oh boy. I fucked up, didn't I? When you assumed that the housing assignment was a mistake and you seemed happy with it, I just let it slide," sighed Howard.
"Are you using me? Is this some kind of a bet?"
"Oh no. You mean like Eddie Murphy in Trading Places? Absolutely not. Oh shit, I am so sorry Claire," apologized Howard with tears in his eyes.
"How did this happen? And don't lie to me or I'm going to Hannah and Holly," I threatened somewhat jokingly.
I could see Howard shaking at being threatened with his wife and daughter. I laughed a little inside at Howard being cut-off from sex with both of them.
"I had called a meeting of the Delta Tau Omega alumni board of directors. I'm the current chairman," he began, "and after we had concluded our business, I told them your story and they asked me, no they begged me, to house you in the fraternity."
"But why? What did you tell them?"
"I told them your story. Not just your story but the story of our neighborhood and how you helped our families to become whole again. I also stressed how you helped to teach our teenage sons how to relate to women."
"So why didn't you tell me this before I moved in?"
"In retrospect it seems like a bad decision. When you thought it was a mistake and you were eager to meet the challenge, I didn't want you to feel any pressure to fix anyone," he concluded.
"Howard, this may surprise you, but you did the right thing. I've already helped several of the guys and the word is spreading fast," I consoled him.
"Holly introduced me to Derek. Is he one of your success stories?"
"I knocked off a few of his rough edges and it's up to Holly to polish him to perfection," I smiled. "Before I leave, what's the story with Tim?"
"He's a second-year student who makes a little extra money by answering phones and doing some basic admin tasks."
"Ok, I'm leaving now. I'm going to chat with Tim and don't interrupt us," I chided.
I left Howard's office and he seemed relieved. As I approached Tim's desk, he turned and asked "What did he reprimand you for?"
"Actually, I was here to reprimand him, but it was just a misunderstanding. Do you mind if I sit and talk with you for a minute?"
"Ummmm," he began nervously and then looked toward Howard's door.
"Don't worry, I told him we'd be talking and not to bother us," I giggled.
Tim seemed to relax some as I sat in the chair at the side of his desk, facing him. We spent some time on small talk about the classes we were taking, our other interests and I finally asked. "Are you dating anyone?"
"No, there's a girl I like but she's so too good for me and I don't know how to talk with girls," he sighed.
"You've been talking with me for almost twenty minutes and if you haven't noticed, I'm a girl," I winked and smiled.
"But you're different. You make me feel calm and confident," he observed.
"Just say hi and tell her that you'd like to talk and get to know her better. Can you do that?" I asked caringly.
"I think so, but, but," stuttered Tim.
I laughed at myself as I recalled what had happened with Derek and considered how to avoid that. I stood up, gave him some space, and suggested, "Stand up Tim."
He pushed back his chair and when he stood up, he was taller than I had imagined. "How tall are you?" I asked while smiling to assure him that I was pleased with his stature.
"I'm six-three and no, I don't play basketball," he joked.
"Come hug me," I urged while holding out my arms. It was then that I noticed the tenting in his pleated front pants and his reluctance.
I took Tim by the hand and led him into Howard's office. "Go cover the desk," I began, "Tim and I need some time without any interruptions."
Tim was shocked but Howard put him at ease when he replied, "Take your time, I can do this paperwork out there for as long as you need."