As he told her what he wanted her to do, she went to work on the other side of his desk from where he was sitting. She was looking at the papers, and one by one, she was reading through them and then placed a post-it note on each with her notes, which, when she passed the papers over to him, he looked over and glanced at the documents and then graded each. As he entered the grades into the computer that was on his desk and waited for the next paper, she handed him he was finding that this system was better for him. They might finish the major stack of documents in a matter of hours instead of his three to four days.
He was smiling to himself as they worked. He was watching everything Deanna did close to the clicking of her pencil to the thoughtful notes she was writing on the notes. He was thinking of class she was in and her as a student. She had changed. She had matured quite a bit in the past few years. She had been one of his younger students in his first year teaching. She was cute if he remembered correctly, but she was too young to even look at. He had tried to ignore her and move on. She was not one of the females who came to him to try and get a better grade or even for help when it was plain to see she wanted to do well in his class though she was grasping for the concepts. As he looked at her now, he was impressed with the four years worth of change in her. Coming to him could not have been easy to do. He had garnered a reputation of being difficult, and he didn’t mind that.
“If we are to work together, don’t you think that I should know your major?” he asked with a smile as he looked at her. She looked up from the paper.
“Laboratory criminalistics.” She said as she went back to the paper. He could see her in a lab working behind the scenes. The thought was shocking though she didn’t seem to care about the high stakes of the field. It wasn’t a good fit for the girl she had been.
“And why exactly is being a TA part of the requirements for this?” he asked, remembering why she was there sitting in front of him. Most of his students he never saw after his class.
“Apparently, I have to have some public speaking experience as well as office skills.” She replied as she looked up to meet his eyes. She wasn’t afraid to speak like she once was. He wondered if she had become comfortable in her skin as she got older or if it was that she was just more comfortable in her life.
“I guess I could see that.” He said as he looked at her.
“Professor, is something wrong?” Deanna asked.
“We will be working together; I think you should call me by my first name when students aren’t around.” He said without thinking. “Call me, Max.”
“Deanna.” She said as she went back to the papers in front of her.
“I will need a copy of your class schedule to make your schedule for here.” He said rather casually as he entered another grade into the computer.
“I only have two classes. Both are on Wednesdays in the afternoon.” She replied. “One to six.”
“Well, that makes this rather easy for us then.” He grinned. He watched as she handed over the last paper in the stack he had given her. He looked at her notes and then submitted the grades into the system on the computer. “That is the fastest I have ever got through a class assignment.”
“Anything else?” Deanna asked as she looked around.
“That was just one class. I am afraid I have six more to get through.” He said as he looked at her with that grin growing.
“Well, then I guess we should get back to work,” Deanna said as she waited for him to hand her another stack of papers in a file. She started reading, and as she went on, she would pick out the critical points and jot them down. She could remember this assignment and how much she hated it, herself.
They managed to work in silence for most of the time. Every once in a while, the pair stole a glance at the other or as a paper was passed between the two. Deanna was comfortable with the silence. She spent most of her time working on her papers for her post-graduate degree. Deanna was already writing and researching her dissertation. Though she needed a few years in the field with some experience under her belt to ever be taken seriously.
When they were finally done with the seven stacks, she looked around to find that he seemed more relaxed. He was watching the computer as it shut down and then he placed it in his bag. He then looked up at her as she was waiting for something to do. “It is five o’clock. I am surprised we got done before tomorrow. I think this might work out well, Miss Watson. Deanna, I mean.”
“Well, Profes… Max,” she said as she saw his eyes flash, “I can do this anytime, but I will have to read over my notes for each assignment for the stuff later on in your class if it hasn’t changed too much.”
“I rewrote the course two years ago, so I will have you sit in on the class lectures so you can help with the assignments. When I did, I, unfortunately, wasn’t thinking about the amount of paperwork the more homework and papers I would be assigning. I have to wait to redo the course again if I am picked up for next year.” Max said as he sat back in his chair again.
“Why wouldn’t you be picked up?” Deanna asked.
“Well, teaching was something I never planned on doing. I was asked to help develop a new course for those going into the crime scene fields. I thought it would be a good idea because what they had been teaching wasn't relevant to what we actually did when going over a scene. I watched too many people burn out because they didn’t know what they were walking into.” He said as he moved his hands to his desk and then steepled his fingers, “The problem was I had no idea what it was like to be a professor. So the school offered me this position for five years while I work on the new major requirements and courses. My five years are up at the end of this year.”
“But you didn’t give up your career in law enforcement either?” she asked as she stared at him.
“No, I didn’t.” he said with a half-grin, “So I have been working as a consultant for the different departments in the area as their second pair of eyes for the detectives while I did all of this. The real problem is the course is no further along than it was five years ago. I did build the entire course and have everything laid out for them to look at, but like with you, they keep changing everything all the time.”
“So, you understand my frustration with that,” Deanna said as she crossed her legs and leaned back as well.
“Better than most here, I do.” He chuckled. “Deanna, I will be straight with you. I would go ahead and sign the papers for you because I know how the school is. However, I think I could work out a better system if you chose to help out here that would not take up all your time.”
“Thank you for being honest about that. I was slammed this morning with this news and then the runaround with the administration saying
that they emailed me, but I know I didn’t get any email from the school.” Deanna said with a grimace now on her face, “I was dreading having to tell my parents I wouldn’t be graduating in May, and it would take one more semester.”“I see.” Max said as he thought about what she was saying, “It does happen.”
“I am sure it does,” Deanna said. “My parents, however, want it over with. They didn’t exactly understand why I chose this program over the others out there or this major. It isn’t like they are paying for it, but they will hold it over my head like a sword if I don’t finish this semester.”
“Those type of parents.” Max chuckled. “I know a few of those.”
“I do thank you for the job, and I will continue on. It isn’t like I have that much to do during the week, so now I can fill my time.” Deanna stated, and he looked her over again.
“Well, I have three requirements if you want the job for good,” Max said as he stood up and rounded the desk and then leaned back on it as he was now in front of her. He towered over her as he leaned down.
“Those are?” Deanna asked hesitantly. She thought she had the position already.
“One, I want you to be here when I have office hours and lectures so you can help with grading the papers. Two, on Fridays, I will order dinner, and we will go over each student and their progress or decline so I can send messages to them on what they need to work on. Three, that if something is bothering you about this job, you have to tell me first, and we will try to work it out. I am a hard boss to work for, but I do try to be fair.” Max said as he looked down into her eyes to try and read them. When she let out the air she had been holding and smiled, he knew he was moving in the right direction.
“I can do all those things,” Deanna said with a smile.
“Also, I really don’t want anyone else hanging around when you are at work,” Max said as he stood to his full height in front of her as she stood up.
“That won’t be a problem,” Deanna said as she bent down to pick up her bag and place her glasses and pencils in there.
“That won’t be a problem? Why?” he asked, slightly surprised by that phrase to the statement.
“It isn’t like I have anyone to want to come and hang out as you said.” Deanna smiled.
“No boyfriend?” he asked.
“No,” Deanna said as she looked up to see the look in his eyes change for a second. “I haven’t had much time to have the normal college experiences. I was focused on my school work.”
“I’m sorry.” He softly said, “I just would have thought.”
“Thought?” Deanna asked as she looked at him, and she thought she could see a faint blush in his cheeks.
Nothing. It’s nothing.” He said as he moved away from her for a moment as she looked at him, confused. “I will see you tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow.” She said as she looked at her watch and knew that if she hurried, she could get to the bus stop before the next one came. She smiled and turned to walk out of his office. “Good night.”
Max Anderson looked at the doorway that she had just walked out of. He wondered how she had matured so much in the four years since he had seen her. She had gone from a young girl to a full woman in that time. She was small. A little shorter than he usually was attracted too. The curves, though that she had were exactly the correct ones to get any man’s attention. She had his the moment she knocked on his door. He sat in the chair and groaned. He had dug his grave by agreeing to have her as his TA. He looked down and had to adjust himself in the seat. This was going to be a painful semester for him.
Max walked out of the building and to the parking lot that was near the building. He was trying to clear his mind from the day and what he had done to himself with the idea that he could have the tiny woman work for him. He should have just signed the papers for her and never thought twice about her again, but the look in her eyes as she stood there in the doorway. It had been part fear and part something else. It was the something else that had called out to him and made him forget everything else.The youngest detective on the force and then as case after case was solved by using some basic common sense and the ability to turn the interviews around, he was named one of the best in the state. Within a year after that, he had other states calling for help, as if he didn’t have enough to do in his own job. His ego, though, would not let him say no, and soon enough, he was one of the top in the country. O
Max was surprised with himself. This was not like him. As she didn’t struggle against him, he deepened the kiss slowly. It was like time was standing still. He knew it had been way too long since he had a woman in his life. As his lips moved to cover hers gently and with a need he didn’t quite understand his brain was screaming at him that she was a student, she was younger than him, she was out of his league, anything, and everything to try to pry himself off of her. However, the rest of him wasn’t listening to his brain, one iota.Deanna was surprised by the closeness of him at first. It was one thing for him to be a gentleman but another to set every nerve off she had in her body because he was so close to her. When his lips touched hers, she went blank. He was kissing her. Her dream man was kissing her. The was trying to think or to hold on to any thought, but she could only feel his lip
Max let the silence fall between them as he let the question hang in the air. He didn’t even understand it himself. He was so driven before that he didn’t understand the growing need he had to see her more. She was a former student and now someone he had chosen to be his assistant. He couldn’t help but be drawn to her like he was four years prior except this time he wouldn’t have that conflict because of everything was different now. She was older. Deanna really looked confused about the conversation.“Come, princess, I think we have a few things to talk about.” Max said as he picked up the receipt for the meal. He stood up and then went over to Deanna and helped her out of her chair. A hand at her back as they walked out to see the sunset playout in the sky. He looked down at the tiny woman by his side. As he saw people looking at the two of them and smiled at the pair he
The next morning Max knew that he was in trouble. The sight of her in one of his dress shirts when she woke up and came out of his bedroom made him feel slightly feverish. Her hair somewhat wild and displaced was beyond sexy to him. When she looked at him and then came back out with her pants on, but his shirt tied around her to make it fit better, he couldn’t breathe.“Do you want to go to your place or the office?” he asked when he could find his voice. He had to swallow a few times before words would come out of his mouth. He couldn’t believe that after all his time working to build himself into what he was now, this little woman was just standing before him, and he couldn’t even speak.Max had grown up with an older brother that was the best at everything. His brother never had to try with people, he never had a lack of words, he also got the best of
Two hours in being in the office, she had two of the stacks moved and reorganized. The file boxes she had found in the nearly empty room three doors down had helped. She was going to put the papers he had that had no place on the floor in those boxes. As she was sorting them into sections to help his classes and his homework schedule to make everything easier for him later on. Deanna could hear the two voices in the hall as they were getting closer. One started to trail off, and another was getting louder. Max looked up and sighed.“Ready?” he asked softly. Deanna turned to him and asked him with a look. “It is one of those students.”“Wonderful,” Deanna said softly as she rolled her eyes. She went back to restacking the books on the bookshelf in a different way to be able to place more of them up there. When the girl breezed into the room and looke
Deanna was thinking as she sorted out the different files of papers Max had lying around in his office. She began to wonder what exactly he really wanted out of this possible relationship. He didn’t seem the type to mess around with a person without having a reason and plan behind it. Though he had basically eluded to the fact, he had not had any relationships in the past few years and zero ones with any students. He wanted something from her. It was there every time he looked at her. Every stolen kiss. He wanted something, and she didn’t know what.Deanna had no practical experience when it came to dealing with men. She had dated before, but after a few dates, they lost interest in her. She had started to believe she was just too boring to really date. Being driven to want to do good things to prepare for life after college had given her a label of being prudish. She really hadn’t found any
As the day progress, he finished his paperwork for the week with the detective job. Unless something major came up, he was left with giving his three lectures on Thursday and the last three on Friday, which he was planning on Deanna sitting in the classes to introduce herself to the class and also so she could learn the class over again. He was looking forward to hearing her analyze the new class from the old one. As a scientist, she would be on the one to compare the two and find though the assignments from the newer class were more detailed, and there was a paper required every week the class she took was more in-depth and more detailed.He had been thinking that there should be a follow up to this class and thought maybe he could work it in at some point, but again he was at a loss when it came to getting anything done with the school. If he was going to continue being a professor, he knew he had to make s
“Don’t you think that might be a tad too much?” Deanna asked as she looked up at him. “I mean, we have to work together, now I will be living in your house, and.”“And it is our house currently with you living here as well.” He cut her off. “No, I want you out of that place, and I will be helping you get out of there as quickly as possible.”“You know you are rushing things, right?” she laughed. “Most people don’t ask someone to move into to their house buy trying to cut the rent in half that they are paying.”“You can do other things around the house to make up for the lack of money. Hell, I really don’t want your money, but I figured you would be stubborn and require to pay something to make it fair.”