Page 20

A New Mentor

F ollowing the pictures of her in her dress, he and Victoria started communicating regularly. Furthermore, by the end of that week, he owed her twenty-three points. However, he wanted to keep things a little more dramatic—for the others, not for her. So, he brought up waiting to spend them until the last possible second. And to his mild surprise, she’d agreed to it. So, he didn’t spend any points on the final true week of February. That meant that his sixty remaining points remained Victoria’s to earn.

She didn’t need to, though. She was sixteen points away from all but guaranteeing that they visited Fiji. That number, unfortunately, dropped on the Sunday that he didn’t spend any points. With what she had left, in support of her friend, Tess tossed her final five points to Fiji. So, sixteen became just eleven—and one possible wrinkle, Tess unexpectedly throwing her points toward another location, was gone.

That didn’t appear to be on the mind of a woman who was far too intelligent to be unaware of all this.

On Monday morning, he awoke to another enviable gift from Victoria’s beach-laden past. Eleven became eight. That afternoon, she sent him another, and he’d felt compelled by how revealing it was to give it four points, even if it did potentially become the second or third final picture that she’d send him. Eight became four.

You look utterly stunning, he’d texted her after the first.

For the second, a black bikini with shimmering crystals that linked together the straps around her waist and to her shoulders, he’d asked if she’d be willing to bring that one to this year’s trip. The ample amount of her breasts’ sides that it displayed certainly helped thrust it toward becoming one of his favorites.

I could, Victoria replied. It’s not the most comfortable to wear, but it does look nice, doesn’t it?

So nice, he agreed.

The next day, he starved. While he and Victoria chatted a fair bit, no additional pictures graced his screen. There’d been two days the previous week when she hadn’t sent him anything, so it wasn’t quite like clockwork. That said, he still fretted a little bit. Especially when, the next day, on what would have usually been the final day of February, if not for it being the leap year, she didn’t send anything either.

Will I sound like I’m begging if I bring it up? Liam wondered, tapping his pen against his chin while sitting in class. Because of his secretive goal for the fall, he’d been relatively good about staying focused in class this semester, but right now, thoughts of the most voluptuous woman he knew crowded out his attention toward Narrative and Narrative Theory, one of his two chosen English classes for the semester. Usually, it was a class he didn’t need to work hard to pay attention to, thanks to the professor’s enthusiasm.

Today, nothing could have drawn him out of his contemplation.

He let the rest of the day pass by, only chatting intermittently with Victoria. At the day’s end, he decided to bring it up tomorrow, assuming he didn’t wake up to another wonderful picture of the past.

He didn’t. So, in between classes on February 29 th , as he had with Tess and the threesome not long ago, he brought it up.

You haven’t reached the end of your albums, have you? he asked, munching on a sub he’d gotten from an on-campus food truck. Apparently, the city believed that March had already arrived, as a sudden influx of warm weather had swept in overnight. Liam wasn’t complaining. A hundred miles away, he knew that Avril wouldn’t be, either.

Assuming mid-fifties isn’t still too cold for her, he thought, chuckling as he imagined her still swaddling herself in winterwear but surrounded by people in far lighter outfits.

He was about halfway done with his sandwich when Victoria responded.

I spent far too much time on too many beaches to have run out, she assured him. It’s only been two days since I sent you two, one of which you quite liked.

Shifting his mouth from side to side, Liam considered how best to reply. He didn’t yet feel like he knew Victoria well enough to discern the tone in her response, and texting obviously added an additional layer of difficulty to wade through. But remembering how this had all come to be, he chose the bolder route again.

Two whole days, he sent. It’ll be three soon. That’s a long time to go without. In just three days, people can die from dehydration.

Victoria’s reply, which came in a couple of minutes later, thrust Liam’s brain into overdrive. It gave him some pause, some curiosity, and a wish that Victoria could be only a tiny bit easier to read.

Yes, you do sound rather thirsty right now.

Was it a rebuke, revealing she believed he was pressing too far, or had Victoria’s lips ever so slightly curled upward when she’d seen his message? If this had been Tess or Avril, he would have been confident they were flirting back. With Victoria, he could only hope that was the case. Maybe things were a little in his favor, and even if the idea of betting on such odds left him a little queasy, Liam didn’t intend to retreat.

Like I said, it’s been almost three days. That’s a long time.

And then he waited, trying but failing to swallow his anxiousness entirely. He’d forgotten to keep working on his sub, so it sat on his thigh, sullen about that fact.

I’m currently administering an exam, Victoria replied a minute later. You’ll have to go “without” for a little longer.

Liam had never been so thrilled in his life to be told he needed to be patient. Relief poured itself over him like warm honey, soothing the tension that had locked up his muscles. It’d have been easy to accept Victoria’s promise of later, then wait cheerily until that time arrived. Yet, optimism pressed him forward.

Could I see? he asked.

My exam hall and students? Victoria soon asked. There’ll be a lot of bowed heads to look at.

Maybe Bellmore was a little more elite than Perrymont, but he doubted their professors were doing anything different when pencils were bubbling in answers on an exam sheet. They were sitting at their desk, more often than not. Able to text much younger men at their leisure.

I was thinking of what was on the other side of your phone, actually, he said. How does Professor Moreno look when she’s teaching?

I’m not doing very much teaching right now, she replied. But it wasn’t a no.

Which makes it a good time to snap a picture or two, Liam pressed, remaining hopeful that Victoria was more amused than bothered by his insistences.

Still, he could practically hear her sighing on the other end of her phone. He probably would have backed off if she’d pushed back in this reply. Thankfully, that wasn’t an issue he needed to worry about. A short time later, he got his first look at Victoria in a professional setting. He very much hoped that it wouldn’t be the last.

The selfie showed him another up-close reminder of how vividly blue Victoria’s eyes were. Taken from a slightly low angle, the gorgeous professor stared into her phone’s camera, almost making him feel as if she knew exactly where he was—like she could see him through the image. He commiserated with any troublemakers in her classroom; her severe gaze would be enough to freeze them solid. She’d propped an elbow on her desk, tilting her head to lean it against her hand. From that powerful stare to her soft, luscious mouth, everything about her was positively stunning.

He couldn’t see too much below her face, though she was wearing an off-white turtleneck with a somewhat unique collar, the fabric folding over itself in a diagonal fashion around her throat. Even if he couldn’t see anything below that point, like everything else she wore, he imagined it clung tightly to her alluring figure.

Wow, he soon responded. Have to give it four points.

That receives four points? Victoria replied.

How couldn’t it? If I had a professor who looked like you, I don’t think I’d ever miss a single class.

You had better not be missing classes, not with what you want to do, Victoria texted back. Another message followed in its wake. But thank you for the compliment. I’ll see what I can send once my classroom is empty.

With that simple remark, Liam’s heart skyrocketed into his throat. Breaking out into the stupidest grin of his life, he didn’t even notice as a couple of students passing by threw him odd looks. He was as far from caring about that as an Eskimo caring about a hurricane. And so he grinned. Like an idiot. One extraordinarily happy idiot.

Not for one second did he think that Victoria had slipped up, unaware of what those four points he’d given to her selfie meant. That she didn’t need to send a single picture more, that they were all but officially Fiji-bound. He knew she knew, and so he knew she wanted to keep sending him pictures. He also now figured it was the right time to ask for a different kind of favor, one he’d been mulling over asking for a few days now.

Okay, he sent. By the way, would you happen to be any good at chess?

Chess? I’m competent. Why?

Last weekend, I learned that Tess is really good at chess, and pretty competitive about it. I got smoked. She said I was free to challenge her again anytime, but I know I need a lot of help if I’m going to make things close.

After sending the message, he settled back on the bench. Excluding the date that he’d given her, everything else was truthful—and if Victoria knew Tess nearly half as well as he believed she did, nothing about what he’d just typed out should raise any red flags. She knew the two of them were close; that was it. She’d also probably know how competitive Tess could get.

That sounds like her, Victoria eventually responded. She becomes a hawk among baby birds when it comes to chess—a little like you do when it comes to cards.

Guilty as charged. But you all can get lucky against me. I know there’s not much luck in chess. So, I’m looking for a teacher.

I could help you, yes, Victoria said, and Liam’s elation spiked yet again. How new to the game are you?

I know the pieces and how they move, and that’s about it. I’m no expert. Probably far from being considered competent.

Alright. Tess is very good, so don’t expect a rapid turnaround. You’d need to be very serious about improving to have a chance of beating her.

I’ll study under you diligently, Professor, Liam texted, having already decided that March, even if it wasn’t even here yet, was off to a spectacular start. Can I come over this weekend, for my first session?

He needed to wait a little longer before Victoria’s next reply. Finally remembering his half-eaten sub, he scooped it up and ravenously finished it. After balling up the wrapper and disposing of it, he received his much-anticipated response.

Sure, this Saturday works for me. You should also download the official chess app too. We can practice through that as well. Learn your openings. For white, consider the London System. When playing black, watch a few videos on either the Caro-Kann or the King’s Indian Defense. They’re all beginner-friendly openings.

I’ll start downloading it right now, he responded.

For a little longer, before Liam finally needed to get a move on to his next class and Victoria needed to call the end of her students’ exam, they chatted about how much he knew about chess. Based on her questions, Victoria was probably telling the truth about being an experienced player. Based on his answers, or lack thereof, he’d obviously been truthful about his lack of experience.

Once he’d downloaded the app, she also tasked him with some beginner puzzles and lessons in his free time. When those proved pretty easy, she recommended he keep climbing through them. And he did.

But before that, while in his next class, he decided to text the other professor at Bellmore he knew. Because he realized, finally, that he’d very rarely flirted with Tess during the afternoon. He’d never asked for a picture of her while she was on campus, either. And deep down, it felt wrong for him to have obtained one from Victoria before Tess. Unfortunately, he couldn’t rectify that, but he could finally fix his screwup.

Hey, are you in class ?

I’m teaching a class, yes, soon came the beautiful professor’s mirthful reply. Because of this, he needed to wait a little longer in between each reply. Are you?

No, they won’t let me teach. I asked, but they said I can’t.

And what class has stymied your wishes?

A psych class. Self-Theories.

A shame. Perhaps the professor will change their mind the next time you request control of their classroom. I’ve had a few days where I’d happily let a student take over so I could go do something else.

Chuckling, Liam gave said professor a little bit of his attention, jotting down some notes before sending Tess his follow-up.

Just a little bit ago, I had something of an epiphany, he said.

Oh? About?

About the fact that I’ve never asked for a picture of you while you were at Bellmore. My phone doesn’t have any official photos of Professor Williams.

I suppose you haven’t, and I suppose you don’t. And for someone who clearly has a professor fixation, that’s rather shocking.

Harsh! he replied. Now that he was surrounded by peers in a classroom setting, he tried a little harder to keep his facial expressions under control.

But unfortunately accurate, Tess teased. Once my class lets out, I can let you see what your Professor Williams looks like when at work.

His Professor Williams. There was no preventing the impending jubilant smile, so he hastily ducked down and hid it in the crook of his elbow.

Also, I’ve nabbed myself a chess teacher. Your fellow professor, someone I bet you’ve played against a ton.

I have played against Victoria a lot, Tess said. I’ve won against her a lot too. Far, far more than she’s won against me.

But she has won against you, Liam pointed out. And she probably knows your style of play really well.

True, but I think we both know that sheer competency isn’t the only reason you’ve gone and asked “Professor Williams” to teach you. How have her recent pictures been?

Blushing slightly, Liam admitted that they’d been very nice, as always.

As I said, a fixation. Though, maybe it’s just a Bellmore fixation, given your relationships with Avril and Anna.

His blush increased. Don’t worry, with my disdain toward a few people on that campus, it probably averages out in the end. Well, maybe not. I really, really like you.

And I really, really like you too, Liam. Good luck with your new lessons; I hope they’ll eventually pay off so you can earn your “anything.”

There was just about nothing in this world that Liam wanted more.