“How would you support such a statement?” I asked, happy that she was able to analyze the novel so well.
“Ray drinks heavily, plus the whole novel is very fragmented so we lose a sense of time and space. Suddenly, he’s in an office where the rude tax lady ignores him, and what happens? He decides that he’s sick of her ignoring him, walks up behind her, and ends up having sex with her then and there. If that isn’t a typical fantasy, I don’t know what is,” she said, grinning.
I took a breath to calm myself down. Hearing her talk about sexual fantasies was not exactly helping my resolve to keep our interactions professional in the classroom. I noticed that all the boys were watching her intently as she played with one of her braids while smiling at me.
“I mean, isn’t that a common male fantasy?” she asked. “Dominating a woman and taking control?”
She’s trying to kill me.
“I suppose so,” I managed to say in a fairly steady voice. “Do you think that this reflects the author’s view on men, then? That they like to dominate women?”
“Perhaps. But it could also be his view on women,” she said. “After all, there are two people in the fantasy.” She smiled again and leaned back in her seat. “I don’t think that most men and women are strictly like that, but it is fun to play once in a while. Wouldn’t you agree, Stephen?”
“You will address me as Professor Worthington or leave my classroom immediately! I will not stand for that insolent behavior, Ms. Wilde! Do you understand?”
Whoa! Where did that come from?
I looked at her shocked expression and felt a rush of fear, suddenly sick to my stomach with worry that she’d be angry. I couldn’t believe that I’d chastised her so harshly.
I’ve ruined everything. She’ll never let me touch her again after this.
Much to my surprise, Julia’s lips curved up into a small smile she quickly hid away. She lowered her eyes. “Yes, I understand. I’m very sorry, Professor,” she said quietly.
She’s apologizing?
“Just don’t let it happen again,” I said, drawing a calming breath. “You did make some excellent points, Ms. Wilde.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
I looked out over the rest of the classroom, seeing stunned expressions on several faces. I never raised my voice in class. Even the jocks in the back had stopped tapping at their phones. I had everyone’s attention now, and I had to admit that it felt good.
“Any comments on Ms. Wilde’s assessment that Ray is actually fantasizing about a lot of the things that take place in the novel?” I asked, smiling to myself as several hands shot into the air.
For the rest of the lesson, Julia dutifully took notes, but didn’t say another word. Class ended and I watched her packing up her things. She lingered as the rest of the students left. The room was dead silent as she walked over to stand in front of my desk, looking down at her feet.
She’s ending it. I can’t believe I let my temper get the best of me.
“My place in thirty minutes?” she asked, so quietly that I barely heard.
What?!
“W-what?” I echoed my thought.
“I apologize for being such a bad girl,” she said in a breathless whisper, a grin tugging at her mouth. “Let me show you how sorry I am, Professor.”
“Bad girl”?!
“OK,” I said, confused.
“See you soon, Professor,” she said and walked out, leaving me flustered and incredibly aroused at the same time.
What the hell just happened? She didn’t end it…and she wants to see me now?
Perplexed, I packed my things and headed out to my car. What exactly would she expect of me when I got over there? This was highly unorthodox. We never met in the afternoon, and had never once discussed our arrangement while on campus grounds. I’d finally gotten comfortable visiting her at night. We’d established a set pattern and I knew what to expect.
Now I was being thrown back into the unexpected.
Chapter 11
No less nervous than when I drove my car off the faculty lot thirty minutes earlier, I found myself knocking at Julia’s front door—a now-familiar position for me to be in, it seemed.
“Come in, Professor,” she said demurely as she opened the door and stepped aside, her eyes fixed on the floor.
I walked in and looked around nervously when she shut the door behind me. I had no idea what I was supposed to do now.
“Julia.” I realized that I didn’t know what I was going to say next.
“Call me Ms. Wilde,” she said softly, looking up at me while fiddling with one of her long braids.
Clearly, Julia was playing some sort of game and wanted me to participate. And, God help me, I wanted to be a part of it, but I didn’t know the rules.