Professor Tom Ch. 09

Tom Smith stood outside the restaurant waiting for Suzy to show up. He smiled when he saw her pull into the parking lot. He looked at his watch. It was noon.

"Right on time," he thought to himself.

He was glad that their friendship seemed to be back to normal....even though he'd almost fucked it up with the comments he'd made to his colleague and friend John. He'd dodged a bullet and thanked his lucky stars she hadn't overheard his juvenile comments.

It had taken a few months, but things seemed to be on track again. She continued to email him, and send him funny gifts and notes. She had also become bold in her teasing. He could tell she loved to make him blush....

He was brought out of his reverie when he heard her say, "Dearest Professor!"

He smiled and laughed out loud. It was good to see her. He enjoyed her company. She made him laugh. That was the single most appealing quality about her. She got his humor and made him laugh.

"When are you going to understand I'm no longer your professor?"

She smiled and said, "What do you mean?! You'll always be my dearest professor...."

She began peppering him with questions about his latest class of paralegal students as they walked into the restaurant.

'They are a varied bunch....lots of international students in this class. Makes it interesting..."

"But I bet they aren't as good as my class was, right?! I mean, how could you beat that awesome first class?"

He laughed, "Well, you were quite the class, I must admit. However, I learned something from it. I'm nowhere near as open as I was then. I learned I have to be more guarded and not share as much..."

She looked at him quizzically.

"What do you mean? Are you saying you regret you became friends with me? Do you regret sharing stuff with me?"

"No, no...not at all. I just never realized how much of myself I shared in class...I wouldn't have ever known, but as you provided me with instant feedback on the class the following morning via email, well, it let me see how much...uummmm, maybe that I shared a bit too much."

He was surprised she remained quiet. He sometimes was at a loss around Suzy. He often felt as if he were on shaky ground around her, sometimes up, sometimes down, but never boring that was for sure. Just when he thought he understood her, she would throw him for a loop with one of her sexual innuendos wrapped up in a sincere compliment.

He thought to himself, "God almighty...as if it wasn't hard enough to understand one woman in my life, I have to figure out another one..."

He would occasionally go out to lunch with other former students, both men and women, yet he never gave them a second thought. He never took them for more than what they were at face value -- a professor and former student discussing school or a letter of recommendation over lunch.

What he didn't quite understand was why lunch plans with Suzy felt as if they were "dates." He would find himself looking forward to lunch, thinking of how she made him smile and laugh.

"I'm married for Christ's sake. It's just a lunch meeting with a former student............ So why do I wish it were more?," he thought to himself.

************ He literally threw in the towel and said, "Oh jeez, I shouldn't have eaten that chocolate cake."

"You know you wanted it. It was delicious. Anyway, you could use a few extra pounds on that gorgeous ass of yours."

He laughed and said, "My goodness, you have a thing for rear ends, don't you?"

She laughed, "Only yours dearest professor, only yours...So tell me, what have you been up to lately? Any plans for spring break?"

He informed her that he would be traveling with his family to Vienna over spring break.

"Sounds fun and exciting! I've never traveled anywhere exotic like that. Hawaii and Mexico don't count. Why Vienna?"

"I guess you could say because I've never been there before."

"So how are your wife and kids?"

"The boys are great. My wife and the boys are actually on a cruise this week. She and her sisters decided to take my mother in law on a birthday cruise of sorts. They are actually coming into port tomorrow night."

"Your wife has been gone all week?"

"Yes, she has....."

"So what have you been up to?"

"Playing lots of tennis..."

"You haven't gotten lonely?"

"It's a nice break. I get a lot done and get to play tennis as much as I want."

"Oh dearest professor, you're telling me you haven't gotten lonely and cold in that big bed of yours, all alone?"

He laughed. She liked teasing him about anything and everything. She had become bold and constantly told him she liked his "gorgeous ass." She would constantly tease him about being good looking, and would outright tell him she found him attractive. At first he'd assumed she was just giving him a hard time, but lately he wasn't sure. He sometimes got the wiggle of doubt that perhaps she was serious with her comments about liking him, and finding him attractive.

She stared intently at him and asked, "So can we finish this up and go back to your place?"

He was about to laugh and tell her to stop teasing him, when he noticed the serious look in her eyes.

He stammered, "Uuummm, you're joking, right?"

"I don't know.....am I? I guess that would depend on whether or not you would take me up on my offer."

He gulped and stared out the window. He always knew they would get to this point eventually. He knew they couldn't just dance around the issue forever. He just didn't think it would be happening on a cold and crisp Friday afternoon in a crowded restaurant. He said nothing and looked down at his plate.

"I think its best I get back to the office..."

She looked at him with her big brown eyes and he saw that she had been hurt by his answer.

"Oh...okay. I understand. Uuumm...I guess I better get back too." She whispered.

He had to strain to hear her response.

She continued, "This was nice. We should do it again some time."

She got up quickly and picked up her purse and began to walk away from the table. He was startled at how quickly she was leaving.

"Wait, wait....please.....Let me pay and walk out with you....Wait please."

Without turning around, she waved her hand and said, "Its okay. I understand. I'll call you later."

He stammered, "Wait...Suzy....wait."

He waned to follow her out the door, but he hadn't paid the bill yet.

"FUCK. FUCK....I knew I should have kept my mouth shut...." he thought to himself.

He caught up with her in the parking lot.

"Suzy, SUZY....wait..."

She turned and stared at him.

"How about you meet me at my place after work tonight....say around 6 p.m.? I assume you know where I live....You seem to know everything about me..."

She blushed, "I guess you could say that..."

"Well, can I count on seeing you later on tonight?"

"Sure...I'll be there."

He was stunned the words had come out of his mouth. His mantra, his morals, his values, his love for his wife all seemed to have left him, just as the saliva had left his mouth.

Whenever Suzy pushed the envelop by making sexual comments toward him, he would always tell her, "You know I won't ever stray, not for a second. We both know that, we're both married, happily at that..."

So what the fuck was he doing asking her to his house? He didn't know and blamed it on temporary insanity. He knew it was a huge mistake, he knew his life depended on his ability to "keep it in his pants." He hadn't yet been told if he had made partner, but he knew getting mixed up in an extramarital affair sure as fuck wouldn't help him out. Yet here he was taking a step down a path that led to nothing but trouble.

He thought of his wife, his children. Yet standing in front of Suzy, he couldn't...no, he wouldn't take the invitation back. He wanted her. He wanted her something fierce and for a brief moment it was all he could think of.

Was it the right decision? Who knew, he most certainly didn't. However, one thing he was most sure of was that he was about to cross a line he said he never would...