by Chloe Carpenter
Sophie drew many admiring male glances as she settled down with a cup of coffee in the bustling university refectory. With her waist-length blonde hair worn in two long pig-tails, she looked cute as a button. She was pretty, with a dainty nose covered by a light smattering of freckles, and an expressive doe-eyed gaze complemented by a sensual mouth, rose-hued lips curving into a smile. At only 5 ft 1 she was of diminutive stature, but she had curves in all the right places, accentuated by her figure-hugging blue jeans and a clingy cap-sleeved top in sugar pink.
At this hour of the morning, the refectory was busy. Students came and went, chattering and laughing with friends. Chairs scraped on the polished wooden floor, and the clatter of cups and plates and cutlery added to the hubbub. Sophie ignored it all. She zoned out, her head filled with the image of Him. Her feelings for him were more than attraction, deeper than infatuation. He was devilishly good-looking in an understated way, and that was part of the allure - but what really appealed was his intelligence and his sheer physical presence. He was a man very much in control, confident without being arrogant. And when he looked at her with those smouldering green eyes and smiled that intoxicating smile of his, she felt her bones melt and there was not a darn thing she could do about it. At 24, she'd had several satisfying and fun relationships, but they all paled into insignificance when compared to her feelings for this man. And the worst thing was that he didn't know how she felt, and most likely never would. She sighed and sipped her coffee, deliberately pushing away the intrusive thoughts as her friends approached her table - four boys and three girls, working together for the past three weeks on a group project.
After the initial greetings, conversation focused on coffee and jam-filled doughnuts, which were being consumed at a rapid rate, but it wasn't long before someone changed the subject and they began to talk about Him.
"I used to hate Monday morning's," said Hannah, chewing happily. "But not any more! Not now we have the professor to look at for two whole hours. Bring it on!"
"That man is sex on legs," agreed Charlotte. She grinned at the prospect of his lecture. She was often late for lectures, but was never late for a class taught by the handsome Professor Jack Drummond.
"I wonder if he knows we've all got the hots for him?" mused Hannah.
"Of course he knows - given that all you lot do is stare and simper and flutter your eyelashes at him," said Mike accusingly.
"Jealous are you, Mikey?" Charlotte poked him playfully in the ribs.
"Jealous? Of that old fart? No way!"
"He's not old. I bribed Glenda in Admin to look up his date of birth. He's forty-three."
"Ancient." Mike rolled his eyes. "He's probably got false teeth and an artificial hip."
"Why all this interest in an old man when you have young studs like us to cater for your every need?" Rupert grinned lasciviously at the girls.
Charlotte gave the lanky sandy-haired Rupert a withering look. "There's something about an older man ... a sexy, clever, drop-dead-gorgeous older man, that I find irresistible."
"Agreed," said Hannah. "I'd be in his bed in the blink of an eye if he'd only give me a hint of encouragement."
"It isn't going to happen," said Nazreen. "The university has a strict policy of no fraternization between staff and students."
"Stuff that. Love will find a way," grinned Hannah. "What about you, Sophie? Don't you want to get between the sheets with the professor?"
"No," lied Sophie. "I'm only interested in his intellect." This remark set off a series of guffaws from the rest of the group. Sophie blushed. "Anyway, he's way too tall for me. I'm only little."
"A disparity in height makes no difference when you're in the sack," said Charlotte. "I'm only a couple of inches taller than you, Sophie, and I bedded a basketball player last semester and he was 6ft 6. And let me tell you, he was all in proportion."
"Is that so?" Mike cast an enquiring glance at Charlotte. "And just how big is his tackle, huh? Pray tell."
"Massive," said Charlotte airily. "Not that I got my ruler out and measured him ... but, hell, yeah - massive." She began to giggle. "Made my eyes water."
"Aw shucks," sighed Rupert. "Guess I'd better sign up for one of those penis enlargement kits."
"Don't bother, mate. They don't work," said Brad. "Well, this is a good topic of conversation for a Monday morning."
"How do you know they don't work? Have you tried them?" asked Rupert.
"Nah - not me. I don't need to. Would you like to see for yourselves, ladies?" Brad grinned provocatively at the girls, his fingers moving teasingly to his belt.
"Oh, please!" Nazreen rolled her eyes dismissively. "Somebody pass me a magnifying glass."
"You cheeky mare," said Brad good-naturedly. Nazreen grinned and stuck out her tongue.
Tony polished his glasses and set them back on his nose. "Since we're debating the merits of penis enlargement devices, is anyone going to admit they've tried any?"
"Hell no." Brad laughed. "I just give my todger a good workout at every available opportunity."
"Wanker." Rupert flicked a doughnut crumb at Brad. "Are you still after that barmaid at The Plaza?"
"Yeah, working on it. I think she likes me."
"She won't like you if you get fat and spotty with all those doughnuts," said Nazreen.
"That's a good point." Brad stared at the last doughnut.
"I'd better do you a favour and eat this then." Nazreen grinned as she grabbed the doughnut and took a bite. "Come on, folks. Time to go. Can't keep the great man waiting."
Laughing, they left the refectory and piled into the seminar room and took their seats around the oblong table in the centre of the room. The room was light and airy, ideal for smaller groups, less impersonal and intimidating than some of the university's larger lecture theatres. Bags were opened and notebooks and pens soon cluttered the surface of the table.
"Ah. Here we are again," said a familiar voice. Heads turned as the professor entered the room and sat in one of the vacant chairs. "Good morning."
"Good morning," they chorused.
Jack's eyes swept the room. They were all present. He swiftly checked off their names against his typed list of attendees: Nazreen Khan; Charlotte Ingram; Hannah Jones; Rupert Moore; Mike Simmons; Tony Cooper; Brad O'Connor; Sophie Benson. He passed the list to Nazreen on his right. "Sign against your name please Nazreen, and pass this round."
The preliminaries over, Jack launched into the task at hand. "Ok, I want a review of your group progress to date. Who is the spokesperson?" He was met by a succession of blank looks.
"Spokesperson?"
"Um. Er ..."
"We haven't got one."
"We didn't know we had to give an oral presentation."
Jack's green eyes flashed. "Let me remind you why you're here. This course aims to create the next generation of technical and business leaders who can drive strategic innovation and collaboration by effective management of organisational knowledge within their specialist domains. Therefore it develops leadership skills, team working skills, creativity and knowledge, to enable individuals to implement management practice to aid the development of business. A key factor is that each and every one of you needs to be capable of giving an oral presentation at a moment's notice." He scanned the row of faces. "Any volunteers? Come on now, I'm not asking the impossible. There are only eight of you. It's not as though you have to present to a large audience - that's something for the next semester." He grinned at their expressions and raised his right eyebrow.
Sophie found herself staring. When he did that quirky thing with his eyebrow it made her feel all squirmy. She recalled Hannah's earlier question about getting between the sheets with the professor. Would I? Oh hell, yes, she thought. His eyebrow forgotten, Sophie created a sizzling scene in her mind. She was standing before the professor, stark naked, feeling his eyes ravage every inch of her body. Then those wonderfully large hands of his reached forward to cup her pert little breasts, his fingers teasing and pinching her nipples, before moving slowly and seductively down over her belly to dip between her legs and ...
"Sophie?"
... and stroke her sex, teasing the lips apart, dipping his finger into her honeyed sweetness, using her juices to lubricate her clit that was screaming for attention ...
"Miss Benson, are you with us?"
Startled out of her reverie, Sophie practically jumped out of her chair. "Uh? Wh-what? Sorry. I, er ... what did you say?" As his cool green gaze appraised her, she felt the colour rise as her cheeks flamed.
"I said I nominate you, young lady, to give the presentation." He glanced at his watch. "You have exactly five minutes. Starting now."
Sophie gulped. Her friends cast sympathetic looks in her direction, each one of them relieved they weren't in her unenviable position. "Oh. Right." She paused, her mind suddenly blank in a moment of panic.
"You can do this, Sophie." The professor looked intently at her, conscious of his growing erection and glad he was seated so no one else would be aware of it. For a moment, he imagined her standing before him, naked and willing. It was a most pleasant thought. The corners of his mouth curved into a knowing smile and in that brief moment, Sophie knew he was attracted to her.
Their eyes locked in mutual understanding. Though the exchange lasted only a fraction of a second, it seemed like an eternity. It was one of those rare moments that she knew would remain with her forever. Drawing strength from the unspoken promise, Sophie began to speak, slowly ... hesitantly at first, but eloquently.
"Information overload isn't a recent phenomenon. As far back as the first century AD, Roman philosopher Seneca reportedly said..." She searched her mind for the Latin phrase. "Distringit librorum multitude - 'the abundance of books is distraction'. The massive growth of information moves in tandem with advances in technology. Some earlier technologies such as the printing press and the photocopier, have made an enormous impact, but it's the twin developments of digitization and the internet that are continuing to exacerbate the problem of information overload - which has now reached epic proportions. Yet even as we are drowning in huge quantities of data, the human thirst for knowledge persists. This poses the question of how do we find insights and inspiration in a world of too much information?"
"Hell, yeah," muttered Rupert, in awe of her words.
As her confidence increased, Sophie found herself summarising the key points of their objectives and strategy, highlighting the positive outcomes of their research and the next steps. She looked round the table. Her peers were staring slack-jawed at her, but the professor smiled approvingly and nodded, his green eyes gleaming.
"That was excellent, Sophie. Well done."
"Thanks." Sophie exhaled, surprised at the sudden realization that she had enjoyed giving her little impromptu speech, and delighted that the professor was pleased with her efforts. But most of all, she was acutely aware of the frisson between the two of them, and a simmering excitement began to build. She gave him a demure and captivating smile, then studiously avoided making eye contact again until she had her emotions under control. It wouldn't do for the others to latch on to the fact that something was brewing. No. This was her secret - hers and his.
The rest of the session passed quickly, ending with a lively discussion and a pile of handouts distributed in preparation for the study programme next semester.
Not to be reposted, reproduced or distributed, in part or whole.