Yeah, that’s an understatement. Grandmother would be all high and mighty and call her—well, I don’t know what she’d call her—but it wouldn’t be nice.
“I’ll come, and set out a place for Jeff. He’s staying with me so we can study for finals. We won’t be able to stay long though.”
“Oh, Dora. Thanks, sweetie. I don’t know what I would do without you. Henry says to tell Liam to go for it, whatever that means, and you need to help Drew. Henry has never been this vague before. Maybe it’s on purpose. Have you fallen for them? Maybe that’s it.”
I really don’t think she’s talking to me, but I’m used to that. “No, Mom, I haven’t fallen for anyone. Besides, I’m not really into threesomes, but now that you brought it up, I might rethink the whole idea.”
“What did you say? Your dad’s calling on the other line and I don’t know how to put this new smartphone on hold. I need a manual for dummies. Anyway, see you and Jeff on Sunday. Love you.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God. The last thing I need right now is my mom getting my lust signals. Because that’s what it is. Just a case of a plain girl lusting after a totally hot guy. I have to stop thinking about him or I’ll need another shower and I don’t have time.
Yikes, Jeff has already left. I grab my bag and keys and hightail it out the door.
I’m so late—thanks, Mom—my heart is pounding in my chest as I run through the empty corridors. I pull open the door to the art room and…
What the fuck?
Yes, I said it. Sitting on a stool at the front of the classroom is Drew STARK NAKED. Yep, everything is hanging out, or should I say down? He turns and sees me standing in the doorway and grins.
“Hey, Dora. Overslept, did ya?” Drew’s voice sounds so loud, and of course everyone turns to look at me.
“Dora, come on in and take a seat. I was just telling the class that we have been blessed with a live male model to draw for your final exam. You can imagine my shock when he called me up and offered his services for free. Drew makes a great deal of money modeling, and yet he’s gracing our school to further the study of art. Let’s give Drew a hand, everyone, shall we?”
Mortified, and, yes, blushing from my toes to the top of my head, I hurry to my seat, avoiding the looks from my fellow classmates. I put up my sketchpad to block my view of a grinning Drew and the questioning eyes in front of me.
“Sweet Mother of the Universe,” Karen, a New Ager I consider a friend, whispers to me. “You really do know the models, and you moved in with them. I’m right? Right?”
I shake my head and lean toward her. “Shush. I’ll talk to you later,” I say, avoiding looking to the front. Sweet unripe bananas and rotten tomatoes, what am I going to do? I can’t possibly look at him, never mind draw him for two hours.
Karen smiles knowingly and picks up her charcoal. “He’s staring at you. Are you sleeping with him? I’d do him in an instant. How could you have kept this from me? I heard the rumors that three famous hotties came looking for you at the beginning of school and wanted your body, but I thought it wasn’t real. You definitely have a lot of explaining to do.”
Maybe I can copy off of her without actually looking at Drew at all. I hear whispering all around me, but I’m trying to ignore it. I peek around my canvas and Drew waves at me, making me duck back behind my shield. Fuck—yes, I said it again—fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh, it feels so good to yell it in my mind. How am I going to draw him with his one-eyed Willy watching me?
Did I just think that? I mean his penis, of course, and it’s a nice big one from what I saw while peeking around the corner of my blank canvas. He’s definitely a shower.
Karen has started, and her sketch is good, like, really good. Of course she’s started with the penis and is definitely doing it justice. She has a wide grin stretched across her mouth, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts drooling soon.
“Ms. Phillips, is there a problem?” my professor asks over my shoulder, making my head swivel. I’m utterly embarrassed I’ve been caught staring at Drew’s penis on Karen’s canvas.
“Um no,” I mumble and pick up my charcoal from the little shelf on the easel in front of me.
Damn Drew and his grinning penis. I peek again and see Drew has a serious face on and is all business. Maybe without his mischievous grin this might actually be doable.
Time flies, and I’m drawing like a madwoman wanting this torture to end. It’s not as doable as I thought, because Drew has a habit of turning his head and winking at me from time to time.
“Hey, Dora, you better hurry. Not much time left to draw that piece you’re still missing.” Karen giggles as she points to the spot where Drew’s penis should be hanging. I quickly fix the problem and will probably get a bad grade for drawing a loincloth over that area. But as much as I’ve tried, I can’t do it.
“Time’s up. Let’s give Drew a hand for coming in and posing for us.” Everyone claps vigorously, even the guys, which surprises me as I’m sure more than half are not as well-endowed as him. “Leave your canvases on your easels. Everyone, I hope you enjoy your holidays.”
I grab my messenger bag and quickly move toward the exit, glad that the professor has Drew’s attention. The last thing I need is to have Drew walk out with me through the campus. I’m humiliated enough by all the stares and whispers I’m already getting. Thank goodness I have only a few more days of exams, and then maybe by January everyone will have forgotten about this.
Yeah right, and hell will freeze over. I see Jeff ahead and quickly run up and slide my arm around his.
“Hey, what’s up?” he says as I drag him toward our next class.”
“Just keep moving and I’ll explain later.” He moves faster to keep up with me, which is a first since my short legs are usually trying to keep up with his long ones.
Have I told you math is not my best subject, and Jeff has done all he can to help me? I only hope all his hard work will pay off. Nobody looks happy as we file into Calculus, and when we see the thick test packet sitting on our desks, we let out a groan. Our professor is a sadist. Jeff squeezes my hand reassuringly and moves to the other side of the room to take his seat. I know you’re wondering why we don’t sit together. Mr. Cramer feels that seat assignment is a necessity in college. He should teach high school. We’re adults, aren’t we?
“So, how do you think you did?” Jeff asks when we’re back out in the stark courtyard. The temperature has dropped at least twenty degrees since we started the test. I shiver, not from the cold but from what my grade will probably be.
“I don’t know. I had problems with the second half, but I think I aced the first. I can’t believe that SOB gave us a freaking booklet to finish in under an hour, not to mention we still have to take the second part of the final that he says most of our grade will be based on. Who has their students take a two-part final … in math? Sadist much?”
“I’m sure you did great. Let’s go get some lunch. My treat.” Jeff puts his arm around me and pulls me close, kissing the top of my head. I love Jeff, and even if I bombed the test, it won’t be because of his tutoring.
“Is he as hot as what I imagine?” Jeff’s grin is contagious as we wait for our lunch.