Chapter 6

Professor Salinger unlocked the door to his office while Allison attempted to pull herself together. She drew in a deep breath to relax a bit. Put it behind you, Allison, she coached herself silently. Easier said than done...

With a sigh, she followed Professor Salinger into his office. It wasn't at all what she expected. The typical college-issued clunker of a metal desk and torn vinyl office chair were nowhere to be found. In their place were a grand oak roll top desk and a high-backed burgundy leather swivel chair. And the walls were literally lined from floor to ceiling with bookcases. Allison longed to browse the enormous collection of books, but that would have to wait.

Colin Salinger shrugged out of his suede blazer and settled in his chair. "Have a seat, Allison," he invited, gesturing to the burgundy leather couch next to his desk.

Allison complied, sitting her backpack on the floor at her feet. She nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"So tell me more about 'Passion in the Park'..." Professor Salinger prompted as he folded his hands in his lap.

Blushing slightly, Allison looked down at her feet. "Can we please just forget about that?"

"Why?"

"God, let it go already!" she wanted to scream. Instead, she managed a lame, "Aren't we supposed to be talking about my writing assignment? I don't want to waste your time..."

The hunk of a man in front of her smiled warmly. "Trust me, it's not a waste of time." He leaned back in his chair, unwilling to let the subject drop. "Come on, I really want to hear what you think," he almost begged.

Wondering why a college professor was so captivated by a trashy romance novel, Allison shifted uneasily in her seat. What exactly did he want her to say about it? Did he want her to mention the author's effective use of punctuation, her vivid descriptions and chatty dialog, or was he fishing for something a bit more personal? Like the fact that the sexual tension made it virtually impossible for her to put the book down, or that while she read it, she fantasized about her roommate's boyfriend.

Allison would have given anything to come up with an intelligent sounding response, but apparently it wasn't in the cards. She shrugged and mumbled a noncommittal, "Well I kinda liked it." Oh and that says a lot, she thought to herself with an embarrassed grin.

"I got that," Professor Salinger chuckled. "I mean you didn't even hear me walk down the hall while you were reading, which means the story obviously drew you in."

She nodded. There was no denying that. Nervous, she fiddled with the zipper pull on her backpack.

Seeing her discomfort, Professor Salinger mercifully changed the subject. "Tell me what you were thinking of writing about for the first assignment," he prompted, leaning back in his chair.

Allison bit her lower lip as she gathered her thoughts. "The character I outlined in class last night was a lot like my current roommate," she explained. "I was thinking of writing a story about the trials and tribulations of her being a competitive drama major."

Salinger held up his hand in a silent command to stop. "Where's the excitement in that?" he asked, wrinkling his nose ever so slightly. "I mean in order to be good, it really needs to go beyond so-and-so beat so-and-so out of the lead role in the fall musical." He stood up and began pacing the room as if energized by his thoughts. "It needs to have some..." He paused, searching for the right word. "... passion. Passion and conflict are the key ingredients to a good plot." He took a moment to stare out the window at the students milling about the walkways below, and then turned back toward Allison. "So tell me... what did you feel as you read 'Passion in the Park'?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't gotten very far into the story yet."

"May I?" he asked, holding out his hand for the book. Allison complied with his unspoken request. She unzipped her backpack, pulled out the book, and placed it in his hand. The professor flipped through the pages, slowing down somewhere near the center of the book. Clearing his throat, he began to read an excerpt of the story aloud.

Allison gulped. She hadn't gotten to that part yet, and to hear it read by the handsome, sexy professor... Oh how she wished she could think of him as anything but 'Professor Salinger'... 'Professor' seemed like a title better suited to older, distinguished looking men, not the glorious vision standing before her.

"Adam tilted Maddy's face up to him," he continued, "rubbing the backs of his fingers against her delicate cheek. She sighed into his mouth, pressing her body closer to his, feeling him grow harder with each swirl of the tongue."

Without realizing it, Allison leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes, taking in the scene that he painted.

"Her lips traveled down Adam's neck as her fingers teased his nipples through the fabric of his shirt. 'So beautiful, Maddy... so beautiful... ' he sighed as she moved down his body. Maddy knelt down before him and took the zipper of his jeans between her teeth. With a zzzip that echoed in the scantily decorated room, his jeans fell into a puddle at his feet."

A smile appeared on Allison's face at the image, but Professor Salinger was the only one to notice it.

"Maddy grinned at the challenge ahead of her as she fingered the white cotton of his briefs to free his bulging manhood. She gasped at the sight of him, licking her lips in anticipation. Tentatively, Maddy kissed the head of his penis, smiling in satisfaction when it jumped to her touch."

The professor looked up from the book just long enough to see Allison's smile widen, her eyes still closed hard at work he was sure recreating the scene as he read it.

"Adam ran his fingers through Maddy's flowing hair, pulling her closer to him. She flicked her tongue over his tip before slowly pulling him into her hungry mouth."

Allison's eyes popped open. "Wait a minute, they don't do that in those kinds of books," she protested as if she had read thousands during her short lifetime.

"Hush, darling," he commanded, rolling his eyes. "You're ruining the mood!"

She giggled in response, shaking her head. For a moment she actually forgot to feel uptight... Allison closed her eyes once more, awaiting the next words.

"Maddy swirled her tongue around Adam's hardening shaft. After a few moments of pure ecstasy, he pulled out of her mouth, reached for her hands, and helped her to her feet. 'My turn, ' he muttered into her lips between kisses. His thumbs teased her hardening nipples as she squirmed against him, moaning with pleasure."

He looked up from the book once more to see if Allison had gotten back into the story. From the look of utter contentment on her face, Professor Salinger guessed that she had. He smiled as his eyes returned to the book.

"Adam slid his hands under Maddy's sweater, seeking contact with her velvety skin. She trembled at his touch. He sunk to the ground, leaving a trail of feathery kisses down her flat stomach."

Allison shifted uneasily, certain a book for sale at the campus bookstore would not be quite that explicit. But she was enjoying it, so she sure as heck wasn't going to say anything now to spoil the mood.

"Maddy sucked in a sharp breath as Adam's fingers slipped under the edges of her waistband. He eased down her pants and pulled them along with her panties down in one gentle tug. The musky scent of her juices drew him closer." For the sheer sport of it, the professor glanced over at Allison, saw she was still entranced by his words, and added, "Colin nuzzled her moist pussy, breathing in the scent of her." Grinning at the fact that his young student hadn't caught the substitution of his name for Adam's, he went on. "With a moan of ecstasy, Colin licked Allison's ready slit, eventually capturing her bundle of nerves in his taught lips."

At last, Allison's eyes popped open. "Hey!" she protested.

Professor Salinger grinned mischievously and handed the book back to her. "So what did you think? Surely the story made you feel something..."

Duh, you'd have to be dead not to feel anything after hearing that, especially coming from such incredible lips, Allison thought. But how much dare she admit without looking like a fool? It hardly seemed appropriate discussing sex with a teacher. But then again... Her lips formed a tight straight line as she contemplated her response.

"Well?" the professor prodded.

"Well..." Allison repeated. "I don't see how a person could be human and not respond to writing like that." Feeling somewhat braver, she added, "But I seriously doubt you read what was in the book anyway. When you changed Adam's name into yours and Maddy's name to mine, I was certain of it."

The professor shrugged. "Okay, if you say so..." He turned to his file cabinet on the opposite wall and pulled open a drawer as if searching for something.

Seeing her instructor was temporarily occupied, she opened the book, frantically scanning its pages for the excerpt he had just read to her. Without warning, Professor Salinger spun around. "Caught ya!" he said, flashing a Cheshire grin. Allison felt the familiar warmth spread across her face.

Even so, she was going to say anything to regain the little self-respect she had left. "You didn't catch me doing anything," she said, a belligerent edge to her voice.

"Okay... whatever you say, but what were you doing rifling through the book the instant I turned my back?"

Allison thought a moment. "I was simply trying to check your story. As for my timing, it would have been rude to do that while we were talking, so..."

"So you couldn't have waited until you left my office?" he badgered.

"Of course I could have," she retorted. The professor could almost hear the silent snort that punctuated her little white lie, and he could definitely tell she rolled her eyes as she spoke. "I just didn't want to," she explained with a nonchalant shrug.

He smiled at that. "You haven't told me what you felt while I was reading yet," he persisted.

Surely Kaija would have been ready to attack the poor guy for a passionate sexual interlude, but Allison felt threatened merely by being in the same room with him, much less talking about such "inappropriate" subjects. Not that he scared her or thought she would be physically harmed by the well-meaning instructor, but...