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- I had better start by explaining about Amy. I had noticed her on the first
- day of class. Sitting in the front row of the classroom, looking very serious
- as she took notes, she had a certain attraction that was greater than the sum
- of any parts I could analyze.
-
- What was it about her? I generally prefer tall women, but she was the
- sort of young woman who I tended to think of in her absence as taller
- than her 5'5" frame. Her face was fresh and pretty, rather than beautiful,
- but without a single flaw in her complexion. Her figure was not the kind
- that made you do a double-take, yet when you analyzed it you could only
- conclude that it was perfectly proportioned: curvy but slim hips, and
- breasts that were medium sized or maybe just a bit smaller. Her hands
- were graceful; her eyes were bright and inquisitive; her shoulder length
- hair was straight and tidy; her teeth were white and straight. Kind of
- the girl-next-door look, not a flashy kind of beauty, but one that would
- wear well over a long period of time, I thought.
-
- In one way, I have misled you in my description of Amy. While her eyes may
- give the impression of intelligence, in point of fact she was not a very
- successful student. I didn't feel she was actually stupid, but it didn't
- take long for it to become clear that she was not going to do well in this
- class. Maybe she didn't work as hard as she needed to. Maybe she was missing
- some of the background material the other students already had. Maybe it was
- a full-blown case of math anxiety. Who knows, maybe it was simpler than
- that and she just wasn't very smart. None of this made her any worse in my
- eyes, since there's more to a woman than just book learning. She had plenty
- going for her even if she wasn't another Cantor.
-
- Amy was not a flirt, during class or afterward, and on that first day there
- was nothing to make me think that anything unusual would happen during the
- quarter. My thoughts that day were directed toward giving a good introductory
- lecture. Although I appreciate the decorative value of the female students in
- my classroom, I had never harbored any illusions that they were there for my
- entertainment. First, because sexual harrassment is wrong; second, because
- math is just not the greatest turn-on for most gals ("wanta come up to my
- place, have something to drink, and memorize some dynamite multiplication
- tables?"); and third because I'm too afraid of getting caught and losing my
- job. I don't think I'm a prude on the subject, but I know I've gotten some
- kidding from a couple of my friends about my somewhat oldfashioned attitude.
- Maybe I've missed out on some good times along the way as a result, but I
- have to believe I've missed out on a good deal of needless trouble as well.
- Better to take the safe course, I've always thought.
-
- A few weeks into the course I administered the quarter's first quiz. I
- graded it strictly, since that first quiz of the autumn is for some students
- the shock to their system necessary to get started working on the course
- material. I emphasized to everyone that a poor grade on the quiz did not
- mean that they couldn't get a good grade for the course, but as expected
- the looks on some of the students' faces indicated that a serious
- re-evaluation of their chances had taken place.
-
- It's at this point that usually ten percent of the class decides to drop the
- course, and a larger number decides that they had better schedule some office
- time with the instructor. That's the whole point, of course, to shake the
- sleepy ones out of their doldrums. This class was no exception, and I found
- myself overbooked with students wanting help.
-
- Amy was one of the students who signed up for office hours. She had never
- come up to talk with me after class, as many of the other students often
- did, so this was the first time we had spoken with each other. Based just
- on her looks and manner, I had her pegged as a Political Science major, or
- American Lit. Maybe even Art. I was mildly surprised when she told me
- that she was in the pre-med program. The College Algebra course she
- was taking from me was required in her program; more than that, she told me
- she had to earn at least a B. Although I didn't say so, I was dubious about
- her chances. I gave her my usual pep talk, tried to explain some topics she
- found confusing, and gave her references for further study. But as she left,
- I didn't get the feeling that I had done her much good. Maybe it was because
- she kept calling herself dumb the whole time she was there.
-
- Although some of the students came back for second or even third visits
- during my office hours the next two weeks, Amy did not. I didn't think
- anything about that fact, since many of the students in a given class
- aren't really that motivated, and with upwards of 80 students in the
- class I didn't have the luxury of looking after each one if they didn't
- seek out attention. Amy attended each lecture, but never asked questions,
- and her notetaking appeared to be an exercise in trying to take down each
- syllable I uttered and each symbol I wrote on the board. With some
- students, this would indicate a lack of real interest in the material,
- and a desire just to know the probable contents of the final exam, but
- looking back I now interpret Amy's methodology as sheer desperation. I
- can guess that Amy's reluctance to visit me again was more a reflection
- of her fear of failure than of a lack of motivation.
-
- Not surprisingly, when I gave the midterm exam, Amy's score was the
- lowest in the class. Sometimes a foreign student will do poorly in a
- class for a while, solely because of the language barrier, and will
- eventually catch on to the concepts and move up in the rankings. But
- when an American student like Amy finds herself near the bottom, it's
- much rarer for progress to be made as the quarter goes along. What's
- more, she was a sophomore, whereas most of the students in this class
- were freshmen. I have seen many freshmen start out slowly, because of
- the new environment college represents, and then catch fire as the
- quarter goes along, but this is much less likely with a second-year
- student. Again, with perfect hindsight, I can speculate that Amy knew
- this would be a tough course for her, and she put it off until her
- advisor insisted she take it.
-
- I don't know a teacher who doesn't feel awful when a student tries and
- still fails. The worst part is returning the graded exam paper to the
- student, seeing her take it with low expectations in her eyes, and
- watching her face fall when she sees that she has failed to come up to
- even those low expectations. Amy didn't cry, but you could see she wanted
- to.
-
- I rather expected that she would visit during my office hours that day, and
- wasn't sure what I should or could say to help her. Honesty may be the best
- policy, but I also don't like to discourage a student who is willing to
- try-try-again. But once again I was busy enough with the students who did
- show up that I didn't have time to dwell upon the matter when she didn't.
-
- The next class session two days later marked a change in Amy's manner. It was
- difficult to describe exactly, and someone watching her for the first time
- might not have thought anything of it. She was dressed the same, in her blouse
- and jeans. One odd thing was that she was taking hardly any notes, and another
- was that she had a very strange smile at times. Not a self-confident smile,
- certainly not a happy smile, one that was forced and seemed to be directed at
- me. But it was also hesitant, and anytime I really looked in her direction she
- dropped her gaze after a second. I couldn't have put the reason into words at
- the time, but I felt somewhat flustered, and found myself stumbling in my
- delivery to the class.
-
- After class, she walked down the hallway toward my office. For more than
- an hour she lurked in the hallway, wandering away for a few minutes, then
- returning to check if I was alone. I had seen this sort of behavior before,
- when a student is too embarrassed to let classmates see how badly she is
- doing. I was sure it was killing her to have her friends know her troubles.
- Pride goething before a fall, you know. It was late in the afternoon before
- the last student left and she finally entered my cramped office. Quietly
- she said, "I need some help." I told her that I had a few minutes, and
- motioned for her to sit down with me at my desk.
-
- She listened as I went over her exam with her, nodding her head and murmuring
- "uh huh" when I would pause to see if she was following my explanations. But
- even more than the first time she visited, I got the feeling that I wasn't
- getting through to her. Unlike earlier in the classroom, her face was almost
- expressionless when I looked at her, and she rarely looked up from the exam
- paper. A couple of lightly humorous remarks I made evidently did not register.
- She seemed distracted by something. Finally, it was almost five o'clock,
- and I told her, "I have to leave soon. Perhaps you can come again during
- my office hours next Tuesday."
-
- She touched me lightly on the arm for a moment, and said "please, I need a
- lot of help. Could we schedule some make-up time before that?" It was a
- hesitant yet determined touch, not quite seductive and yet something more
- than just an instinctive touch on the arm. I crossed my legs, my own
- instinctive reaction to hide the possibility of her seeing the beginnings
- of the erection that was stimulated by her touch. Was I imagining things?
- Was she coming on to me? With some girls I would have been sure, yet Amy
- seemed so innocent. She had not looked me in the eye when she spoke, which
- would have given me a better way to gauge her intentions. I certainly did
- not want to embarrass her, or myself, by making an inappropriate comment
- based on what was quite possibly my own imagination. I managed to utter,
- "what do you mean, make-up? You haven't missed any lectures or exams."
- She seemed embarrassed at her miswording, and mumbled, "I dunno, I mean
- some extra help. I really need to learn this material."
-
- I exhaled. Yeah, I guess I had read into her question something she hadn't
- meant. I hoped she hadn't noticed my reaction, or at least would forgive me
- if she had. It was an understandable mistake, after all.
-
- Except, she continued, "it's pretty hard for me. Or maybe I'm just making it
- harder than it needs to be. Sometimes I like to, y'know, make things hard.
- That's what my boyfriend says." Was it just me, or did she also realize the
- double entendre she was making? She wasn't looking at me, and there was
- nothing else in her manner to suggest anything like that. I decided to try
- to back away from that line of conversation, just in case she was trying to
- lead me on. I replied, "well, I suppose I could come in for a while tomorrow.
- How about 10?" She continued to look at the papers in front of her, and said,
- "I've got classes most of the day tomorrow. Would you have time sometime this
- evening?"
-
- I again wondered if I should read something between the lines in her
- request? Yet her delivery was so flat, and she seemed so introverted,
- that I had to doubt the conclusion I was drawing. "No, I have to get
- to a meeting in a few minutes on the other side of town," I lied.
- "Anyway, maybe you should be trying to find a tutor, who could
- give you what you need." I mentally winced at the choice of phrase.
- Did she understand the double meaning that could be inferred? I was
- ashamed of myself for even worrying about the way to phrase an innocent
- question. My conscience was clean, after all. "There's a list of tutors
- on the wall opposite the department office," I went on.
-
- "I've never had much luck with those guys. They always seem to be as
- confused as I am. I'd really, really appreciate it if you could find
- some time for me. What about after your meeting tonight?" She seemed
- sincere, yet how could she not know how personal her suggestion sounded?
- On the other hand, was I getting worked up over something entirely in my
- imagination? On the third hand, if she was trying to come on to me, couldn't
- she be more original than talking about 'appreciation'? On the fourth hand,
- how many hands do I have, anyway?
-
- I pointed out that they keep the building locked after hours. "Maybe you
- have a friend who could help?" I suggested. "My boyfriend took Calculus,
- but he just makes fun of me when I ask him questions about math. Could I
- come over to your house? What time will you get home?" she persisted.
-
- My hormones were working like they hadn't in a long time, not since I met the
- gal that had precipitated my divorce. I looked at Amy's face. She had for just
- a moment turned slightly toward me, but now quickly looked back at her papers,
- avoiding my eyes. I made the mistake of letting my eyes wander below her
- shoulders. Her words sounded so suggestive as to be laughable, yet her manner
- indicated that she was thinking about nothing but studying to raise her
- failing grade. How simple it would be if I would just ask her, "are you
- proposing a lay-for-an-A, or what?", and tell her to forget it, but what if
- I was wrong? Embarrassment, at the least, possibly real trouble with the dean,
- if she complained to someone. No, best to play it cool. I should just tell
- her, "no, I don't think that would be a good idea." But she was so
- attractive to me, the horny part of my brain wanted to find out what she
- intended. And so innocent, that the logical part of my brain wanted to
- believe that she was completely unaware of the impact that her suggestions
- were having on me. With the two halves of my brain pre-occupied like that,
- I had no extra brainpower for talking, so I blurted, "you don't know where
- I live." Dumb. Or, maybe the horny part of a guy's mind will always win.
-
- She responded to my non-sequitur with one of her own, saying, "I've got
- a bike." If there was a hint of seductiveness in her eyes, or even humor,
- I was missing it. Just a simple, factual statement, like "I've got a
- pencil", or "I've got a million bucks", or "I've got a wet pussy just
- waiting for you." There went my brain again. Gotta stop thinking like
- that.
-
- "It's a long ride. I don't know if it'll be worth your time." The horny
- part of my mind was keeping this line of conversation going, yet doing so
- betrayed the fact that I was wavering in my resolve. If, indeed, she was
- even thinking what I was thinking. She replied, "you're the best teacher
- I know, I'm sure you'll be able to help me." Not even a hint of a suggestion
- of a trace of an improper proposal there, was there? Especially considering
- the alternative replies she could have made. ("Oh Teacher, I'm sure it'll
- be worth it for you too. Pant pant.") The conflicting sides of my brain
- came to an agreement that I was getting worked up over nothing. Of course,
- if I was such a great teacher (to take her remark at face value), how come
- she was flunking my class?
-
- I looked at my watch. "Well, I don't think you should come over alone. Can
- you bring someone along, maybe your boyfriend?" She thought for a moment, then
- said yes. "OK, I should be home by about nine. Bring your books," (duh, like
- she was going to bring a dildo and some Crisco), "and I'll help you for
- an hour or so." I gave her directions to my apartment, glad to have
- figured out a way to defuse a touchy situation.
-
- I found myself driving home very carefully. My mind was so woozy from the
- extra adrenalin I had been pumping, and then the letdown, that I had to
- concentrate on the road or I'd run off it. Now that she had agreed to, I
- wondered if it was really necessary to have insisted she bring someone.
- I thought, so what if she came alone, a few cheap thrills for me, all in
- my mind, and she'd never be the wiser. I can think what I want, and as
- long as I don't act on it, no harm done. She doesn't even know for sure
- that I live alone. For all she knows, I'm happily married to my gay
- lover. And anyway, I don't think she means any harm.
-
- Soon after I walked into my apartment, the phone rang. It was Amy. "Hi,
- I'm glad I found you at home. I thought you were going to a meeting," she
- said in her customary toneless voice. "Uh, actually, I, uh, found out my
- meeting has been cancelled at the last minute," I said, embarrassed to be
- caught in a lie, and glad that I had thought up a second falsehood that
- would cancel the first. "Would you and your boyfriend rather come over a
- little earlier?" "That's what I wanted to call about. My boyfriend, like,
- can't come. But I still, you know, want to come see you anyway."
-
- Hoo boy. And here I thought I had it all worked out. My erection started
- to form again, and since I was alone I fingered it idly through my pants
- pocket, before deciding that that was an especially foolish thing to be doing.
- "Well, I don't know..." "Please, sir, I really need your help. It would
- mean a lot to me." There was something about the way she called me sir that
- weakened my resolve. Damn, I wished I could see her face, to help me tell if
- there was anything to my suspicions as to what she meant. I had to go by
- my assessment when I saw her earlier, which was that she was merely naive.
- "Well, OK, for a little while." "Um, can I come now? Would that make it
- hard for you?" "Uh, give me a little time to eat and clean up, OK? How about
- 8?" "Um, OK. See you." Click. I wondered what I was letting myself in for.
-
- My attention wandered as I prepared myself dinner, and I had a near-mishap
- with a paring knife. After my sumptuous repast of spaghetti and meatballs
- (no garlic, just in case - who am I kidding?), I decided to straighten up
- the place. Chuckling to (at?) myself, I took a few minutes to clean up the
- bedroom as well. If I'm going to kid myself, I might as well be thorough.
-
- Cleaning up took less time than I expected, mostly because I did such a
- poor job of it, and I sat down to read a magazine. But I couldn't
- concentrate on it. I decided, however, that I was really enjoying the
- adrenalin rush I was feeling. I began to mull over the possibilities.
- Maybe she would arrive wearing a bikini, come through the front door and lead
- me to the bedroom, and .... Nah. I didn't know her well, but that didn't seem
- to be her style. Maybe she would play it straight for a while and pretend
- to study with me, then at some point slip her hand onto my leg and
- rub it, moving closer to my crotch until she was giving me a handjob,
- then ask if I'd like to do something more. Yeah, that would be nice.
- But again, she's coming over just to study, and anything else is just
- my hormones talking.
-
- It was a little less than an hour and a half before she was to be there. I
- decided to do a better job of cleaning the bathroom. After all, a gal might
- need to go pee even if she's just there to study. While in the bathroom, I
- considered that maybe the wisest course would be to jerk off now, so that
- I wouldn't be tempted to actually do anything when she was here. Funny how
- those childhood associations with the bathroom continue into adulthood. It's
- just a good thing my friend Dan isn't coming over here this evening, I
- thought. He had been with me at that bar when I met Deborah, and although
- I had been definitely attracted to her, there was no doubt in my mind that
- it would never have gone beyond just playful touching and dirty talk with
- her if he hadn't been egging me on. Not that I blamed Dan for my divorce.
- Maybe I should call Dan anyway and invite him to come over while Amy was
- here. Wouldn't that put a charge in her circuits!
-
- Maybe Mike; that might be fun for her. Or better still, my three fishing
- buddies from up north. Boy, they could be crude; I'd like to see Amy's
- reaction when one of them pinched her nipple in front of everyone. There
- I go again, I thought. Even if she is desperate for a good grade, I don't
- want to see her humiliated, do I? She is so sweet and innocent, and here I
- am thinking such thoughts. Of course, if she is coming over to seduce her
- professor, then maybe she isn't so sweet, and definitely not so innocent.
- It's not that she has anything bad coming to her, but she might deserve to
- be taught a lesson.
-
- I sat back down in the living room and resumed reading. Still an hour to go.
- I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to clear my head. It was an
- unseasonably warm autumn evening, and the fresh air felt good. But the dark
- thoughts continued to loom in my head. I thought of the double entendres
- she had been dropping. "My boyfriend can't come." "Would that make it
- hard for you." "I like to make things hard." Well, if she really is
- interested in trading a little hanky-panky for a grade, then she can't
- insist on being too particular about every detail of the transaction.
- In fact, if she needs this grade as badly as she says she does, she is
- in no position to dictate any of the conditions of the deal.
-
- I caught myself again at this point. Isn't that the fantasy of a dorky
- teacher, that he can get free sex in exchange for a good grade? I felt
- ashamed, but not so much so that my erection subsided any. There's a
- first time for everything, even screwing a student. But the situation
- would have to be just right.
-
- OK, so what could I expect from this young woman? Slam bam, thank you ma'm?
- She could no doubt be convinced to give a bit more. Probably a blowjob first
- if I played my cards right. Caryn had never been too keen on that particular
- activity when we were married, which had made it more of an issue to me than
- it rightfully should have. So, yeah, Amy should be made to sample the sausage.
- What about after that? I'm not really into anal sex, but maybe just once it
- might be fun, with a girl who's not in any position (ha ha) to argue. Would
- she permit herself to be tied up? I considered that, and realized that I
- didn't have the necessary equipment on hand. The ladies I date aren't very
- kinky, and anyway I don't know anything about the subject. That kind of
- activity is very tricky or someone can actually get hurt.
-
- I realized I was getting too far from my apartment, getting near a bad section.
- I turned back. My realization that I was near our small red-light district
- caused another wave of guilt to come over me. I have never, never, come even
- close to screwing one of my students. Not that I get that many opportunities,
- but I have always been careful to not emphasize the power a teacher has
- in giving grades, and to not make comments that could be misinterpreted.
- Hell, I always make it a point to say "arrive" instead of "come", and
- "difficult" instead of "hard" when talking to a female student. It's
- a form of sexism, I'm sure, but a benign sort that makes certain that no
- one gets any wrong ideas. Now here I am, thinking about the possible sex
- acts I might perform with a student who will be, er, arriving in half
- an hour. Well, I decided, if she didn't try anything I'd just play it
- cool, and if she did come on to me then maybe I'd lead her on a bit before
- telling her to forget it. Cheap thrills, I repeated.
-
- Besides, there's lots of times professors have students over to their
- place. Usually it's a group of students, and the professor is someone
- in the Sociology department hosting a rap session (like, wow, maaaan),
- but the point is, having a student over does not automatically mean
- something is going on. It might not look good to every single old prude
- out there, but that didn't make it wrong. Then again, that analysis was
- bullshit, since the ideas going around in my mind definitely WERE wrong.
-
- I walked back up the steps to my apartment, went to the bathroom, then came
- back to the living room and sat down on the couch. The kidneys sure were
- working overtime tonight. Again I tried to read my magazine. The article I
- turned to was about why the U.S. educational system wasn't teaching its
- students well enough. Just what I needed. I went to the fridge and got a
- can of pop. No beer tonight. I didn't want to do something I later would
- regret and blame it on the alcohol.
-
- I went to the bathroom again. Though I felt like I needed to pee, just
- a little bit came out. I caught myself checking whether my underwear was
- clean. Old boy, I thought, you are setting yourself up for a big letdown.
- I went back to the living room, and turned up the thermostat a couple of
- degrees. It was a nice night, but you wouldn't want her to get too cold
- in her birthday suit, I chuckled to myself.
-
- Why was I even contemplating such a risk to my career, for just an
- evening of fun? Stupid, stupid, stupid. I asked myself what it would
- take to be worth the risk. Maybe more than just one night of fun. What
- if she could be talked into repeat performances? I felt a major wave of
- horniness come over me with that thought. Now, that would be something
- closer to being worth it. The thought of reducing this apparently classy
- girl to the level of common slut was unexpectedly stimulating. But I would
- still have to protect myself somehow, from there being the slightest
- chance of word getting out. What kind of leverage could I have, once she
- had her grade?
-
- How many of her other teachers had gone through this charade? I should
- make a righteous stand tonight, and explain to her that trying to get
- by in school by sleeping with her professors is wrong. Corny, but the
- right thing to do. Yet, when I thought of her, I couldn't bring myself
- to believe that she had done this before. If I sensed her leading me
- on, and I wasn't sure that I did, I also sensed humiliation and pain,
- certainly not what you'd expect from a girl to whom this was old hat.
-
- I was going to have to find out, for my own peace of mind, just
- what Amy wanted. Probably she was just naive, and had no clue what
- her visit was doing to my imagination. If on the other hand she is
- already just another slut, then so be it, I don't have to get involved.
-
- My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. I looked at the clock.
- Ten minutes before eight. Heart pounding, I opened the door, and was greeted
- by a young girl who asked if I'd like to buy some candy for her school's
- fundraiser. Sure, kid, just don't come inside the apartment or you'll get
- molested by the pervert with the dirty thoughts. I gave her the two dollars,
- shut the door and returned to the couch.
-
- I realized that I was disappointed that it hadn't been Amy yet.
- I was really looking forward to seeing her, prepared to find out
- that she was really and truly coming over just to study, hoping for
- it to be something more, dreading that the "something more" was her
- usual M.O. for passing a course.
-
- About the time I found my place in the magazine again, there was another
- knock at my door. It was Amy.
-
- (continued)
- --