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The only seat left was at the front, just to the right of Helen’s desk. Helen watched Annie collapse into the chair and said, “I was starting to wonder.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said. “I’m here.”

Annie glanced at the woman on her left. It was the same one who had stared at them the other week, and she was staring at them now.

“Hey, do you two know each other?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Annie said tersely. “I’m taking this class. How we know each other is happening right now.”

The woman rolled her eyes and looked away.

“Okay,” Helen said, standing up, a stack of tests in her hand. “Put everything away. It’s time.”

Annie wasn’t worried about taking this test. Helen’s syllabus was very structured, and the reading wasn’t difficult as long as you kept up.

Helen handed her a few tests and touched her lightly on the shoulder before moving on to the next row. Annie took one and passed the rest behind her.

The test was twenty-five multiple-choice questions and an essay. She blew through the multiple-choice, then read the essay question. She glanced up to see Helen looking at her with a Mona Lisa smile.

Annie looked down and fidgeted, trying to ignore the heat between her legs.

She just had to put pen to paper, that was all. She knew exactly the reading Helen was looking for with this question, had the answer already half written in her head. She started writing, doing her best to push away thoughts of what they could do on Helen’s desk if they were alone.

She crossed out what she had written and rewrote it, willing herself to focus.

Helen cleared her throat, and Annie looked up at her. She was writing something, her hair falling down in front of her face. She reached up and tucked the hair behind her ear.

Annie pictured putting Helen’s earlobe between her teeth.

She uncrossed and recrossed her legs. Redoubled her efforts to focus.

“Fifteen minutes remaining,” Helen announced to the class. Someone behind her sighed raggedly. The girl next to her started writing faster, her pen scratching loudly against the paper.

Annie wrote four more sentences and, rereading them, nodded. A conclusion and she could go.

Maybe they were going about this all wrong. Not having sex was supposed to keep things more professional between them, except for the fact that they weren’t great at it. Sure, they hadn’t done it since the class started, but that didn’t stop Annie from thinking about it all the time, especially when she was in class. They weren’t even doing a good job of pretending they didn’t know each other, judging by the reactions of the young woman next to her. Annie didn’t know why they were bothering to feign indifference. She’d found Helen from a list provided by the university. It was basically like the school was sanctioning their friendship. That was one argument, anyway.

She scribbled out a few more sentences and set her pen down. Some of the students had already dropped their tests on Helen’s desk and left. Annie gathered her things and stood. Helen winked at her when she set her test face down on the desk.

“See you later, Professor,” she said softly.

“See you later, Miss Weaver,” Helen replied.

Cheeky.

She should leave. She should get in her car and go find that last house. She didn’t want to show up at work on Monday and have to tell Buck Baker that she hadn’t completed her assignment. She didn’t want this gig, but if she was going to do it, she’d be the best.

But instead of walking out of the building, she found herself climbing the stairs, passing the empty receptionist desk, and waiting outside of Helen’s office.

Helen appeared fifteen minutes later, her tote bag with the exams on her shoulder, her keys in her hand. She slowed when she saw Annie.

“I thought you’d gone!”

“Not yet.”

“I’m glad.” Helen slid the key into the lock and opening the office door. “I feel like I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

“Yeah, I’ve been working a lot.”