The Ivy League

by Parker, Ruby

  When he unceremoniously plopped her test in front of her, without even so much as a glance, her heart sank. She could feel the bile rising in her throat when her eyes fell on the low number that was written in red at the top of the page. Not only had she failed, but she had done so quite miserably. She flipped through the pages of the test, her eyes skimming all the red marks. She didn’t understand how this could be possible. It took everything she had to sit through the rest of the class.

  “I don’t’ understand this grade,” she said, approaching him after the class was dismissed.

  “Well maybe if you spent more time studying,” he said, “and less time dating, you would do better on the test.”

  He wanted to slap himself as soon as the words left his mouth. The words came out a lot more jealous sounding than he wanted them to. But the hurt that shone in Sara’s eyes made him really regret not choosing his words more carefully.

  “That is none of your business,” Sara snapped, barely able to keep her jaw from hitting the floor, “and I spent a lot of time studying.”

  “You should study the end of chapter questions,” he said, his voice softening.

  “I did that,” Sara said, looking up at him helplessly, “and I studied my notes, and the text.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

  He wanted to help her. He really, really did. But just looking down into her deep blue eyes as she asked him for help made his blood burn and his hands itch to touch her.

  “Aren’t you supposed to teach me?” Sara said. “To help me if I’m having a problem with the material?”

  Banks used his body to pin her to the table. The breath caught in her throat, she couldn’t do anything but freeze under the weight of him. His hands rested on the table on either side of her as he pushed her backward with his body. He pushed his hips into hers, and she could feel a hard lump pressing into her. The thought of what it could be made her cheeks fire up. His lips came to rest just beside her ear.

  “Sara,” he whispered, his own pulse rising as her small hands rested on his shoulders for balance, “I can’t risk being around you.”

  Sara had to struggle to swallow the lump in her throat. Her mind was so clouded with the desire that she couldn’t think of a thing to say. She just stared, wide-eyed, back at him, like a doe in the headlights, with her mouth open slightly. She was trying to form words. Her mouth was ready to speak them. But her mind couldn’t put two syllables together. He was absolutely intoxicating.

  He could feel her entire body tensing. He was well aware of the effect he had on her, and he couldn’t help but take advantage of it.

  “I don’t think this is appropriate for a professor,” Sara said in a whisper, finally collecting her thoughts.

  “I want to be more than that,” he said, his voice husky, but his need came through. His hand cupped her cheek, pulling her face close to his. A year passed as he hovered over her, his lips just a breath from hers. He wanted to kiss her so badly. To pull her close to him and explore every curve and dip of her soft, supple body. But the electricity that sparked between them needed to be stamped out. He was her teacher. He wasn’t sure if he could live with himself if he violated his integrity as an educator.

  Just as his lips were about to touch hers, the door swung open. Banks had just enough time to put an appropriate distance between himself and his student before the Dean poked his head in the room.

  “Hey, Banks,” he said, his eyes darting from him to Sara, “everything ok in here?”

  “Fine,” Banks said, trying to ignore the rush of desire that was running through him, “I was just telling Ms. Weiss that she is in serious danger of failing my class.”

  “He’s a tough one,” the Dean said pointing a finger at Banks with a knowing wink to Sara. “You’re going to have to study hard if you want to pass his class. Banks, come speak with me when you finish.”

  “Of course,” Banks said, as the Dean ducked back out of the classroom. “Excuse me, Ms. Weiss”

  Chapter Twenty One

  “It’s official,” Krista said, coming up beside her friend in the bookstore. Sara turned around, a book in hand, to find a silly grin plastered on her friend’s face.

  “What’s official?” Sara asked, giving a quick one over of her friend. There was definitely something different about her. But Krista often got over exited about the simplest things, and it was best for Sara to take a skeptical approach to anything with Krista.

  “I’m in love,” Krista said, her eyes glazing over with the haze of new love. Sara wanted to roll her eyes. That was something she never thought would come out of Krista’s mouth, and she couldn’t even see how that was even possible.

  “In love? With who?” Sara said, faking more concern than she really felt.

  “He’s unlike anything I have ever experienced,” Krista said, entirely ignoring Sara’s question.

  “Please,” Sara said, holding a hand up to her friend, “I don’t want to know any details.”

  “What’s with you this morning?” Krista said, finally noticing her friend’s down trodden demeanor.

  “I’m having trouble in a class,” Sara said with a sigh. “I’m trying to find some supplemental readings to help me on the next test.”

  “I don’t know how the whole school thing works,” Krista said with a scowl, “but can’t you just ask the teacher for help? Isn’t that what he’s there for?”

  “Yeah,” Sara said. She hadn’t told Krista, or anyone, about her first and only client also turning out to be her most difficult professor. “I just…don’t feel comfortable asking him for help.”

  “Oh,” Krista said, a smirk developing on her lips as she noticed the blush on her friends cheeks, “do you have a little school girl crush?”

  “No,” Sara said, a little too quickly with a firm shake of her head. She realized as soon as she said it that it pretty much confirmed Krista’s accusation. It was strange. She had never thought of it before, but she realized in that very moment that it was true. It wasn’t until right then that she realized why it was so hard for her to concentrate in his clas. She had a massive crush on him. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

  “Tell me about him?” Krista said, looping her arm around Sara’s and pulling her away from the bookshelf. “And let’s get out of this bookstore.”

  #

  “I want to see Sara again,” Dan said, making himself comfortable in the seat opposite Madame Gwen.

  “I keep hearing that,” she said, ignoring the glare that she was receiving as she picked a card from the pile in front of her. She was playing a game of solitaire, like she always did, to pass the lull of afternoon boredom. She made a little frown when the card didn’t match any of the ones she needed.

  “Sara is no longer an employee of mine,” Madame Gwen said, placing the card back on the stack and finally looking up at Dan with a forced smile. The nature of her business meant she often had to deal with some unsavory character. Dan had always been cordial, but something about him made her uncomfortable.

  “Get her back,” he said, as he flicked a piece of lent off his suit pants.

  He stood from the table, stopping her response, and pulled a thick envelope from his blazer pocket. He plopped it on the table in front of Madame Gwen. His blue eyes bore into on her as she peaked into the cash stuffed envelope.

  “That should be enough to get the ball rolling,” he said, before taking his leave from the Madame.

  #

  “No way,” Krista said, barely able to contain her excitement as Sara told her about everything. Sara could see her regret hanging in the air as soon as she had told Krista about Banks. It had taken a lot of prying, but her friend had finally gotten the truth out of her.

  “Keep your voice down,” Sara said, looking around to make sure no one overheard their conversation. She was absolutely positive that Banks would be lurking just around the corner, waiting to hear all the details of how Sara dreamed about hi
m every night.

  “Sara,” Krista said, her face suddenly dropping into seriousness, “you have to tell Madame Gwen about this.”

  “No,” Sara said, shaking her head as she leaned away from Krista, “I’m just going to ignore the situation until I’m out of his class.”

  “You really have to tell her,” Krista said, “If word got out, things could go very badly for you.”

  “What’s the worst that could happen?” Sara said, stirring at the cup of coffee she had been nursing.

  “Madame Gwen depends on discretion,” Krista said, “and trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  It was taking everything Sara had to keep her heart in her chest where it belonged. Now that she knew how she felt about him, it was even harder to concentrate around him. She would have to talk to him when class was over. She was getting nowhere reading her textbook and reviewing the few notes she managed to get down on paper. She was going to need some serious tutoring to pass Mr. Banks’ class. It had taken her an entire hour and multiple outfit changes to find something she felt looked good.

  She anxiously approached him when the other students began to file out of the room. Her fingers fidgeted with a low hanging curl as she opened her mouth to speak to him.

  “Ms. Weiss,” he said, stopping her words short without even glancing up at her, “if you need something, you can seek me out at office hours.”

  “I have classes during your office hours,” Sara said, swallowing her anxiety. She could feel his presence weighing on her. She tried to shrug it off, but it fell even heavier on her as their eyes locked. Staring so helplessly up at his intense grey eyes brought back memories of their night together and her stomach turned.

  “You can email me,” he said, picking up his briefcase and preparing to leave. He couldn’t bear to be in the room alone with her. Having to lecture in front of her for an hour was bad enough. All he wanted to do was bend her over his desk.

  “Please,” Sara said, grabbing at his elbow to stop him from leaving, “I need help.”

  “Sara,” he said, his voice dipping low. He pulled his arm back from her. “I can’t…”

  “Look,” she said, “I need to pass this class…”

  Her words trailed off, but he saw the fear in her eyes. She was on the brink of tears, fearful of loosing the most important thing in her life.

  “I can’t give you any preferential treatment…”

  “I know,” Sara said, hope rising in her voice. “I just want you to tutor me. Help me get some of the concepts I’m missing. I need to do good on this next test.”

  He knew this was going to be a very bad idea, bit he had a duty as a teacher to help her. He couldn’t let his personal hang ups get in the way of being a good teacher. This was his passion in life, and he simply didn’t have it in him to turn away a student asking for help.

  “Come to my office this evening,” he said, “I can make some time to see you. Have a list of questions prepared. I take most of my questions from the end of the chapters.”

  “I can’t tonight,” Sara said sheepishly. She felt bad being such an inconvenience to him. He was clearly far busier than her, and if he was willing to schedule some time for her, she should be able to take it. But she had already made a commitment, and she couldn’t break it.

  “A night class?” he asked, his brow arched in curiosity.

  “No,” Sara said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s um…well, I have a date.”

  The words hit him in the chest like a jackhammer. The thought never would have crossed his mind, but she was a very beautiful woman and he shouldn’t be surprised that she would have guys after her.

  “A date,” he said, trying his hardest to sound nonchalant. He knew he shouldn’t say anything, should just drop it, but he just couldn’t help himself. “With who?”

  “Yes, a date,” she said. She hoped that he wouldn’t notice the red hot stain that was stuck on her cheeks. “I don’t believe it is any of your business with who. I can come tomorrow evening if that will be ok.”

  “Of course,” he said, “I didn’t mean…tomorrow night will be fine.”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Sara fumed with herself as she dug her knife into the thick steak on her plate. Against her better judgment, she had spoken to Madame Gwen. She wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, but the woman had talked her into taking another job. This was not the road she wanted to go down. But what could she do? She needed the money, and it was so hard to decline it when it came so easy.

  “I think it’s only fair,” Sara said, looking up at Dan only briefly, “that you know, I won’t ever be doing this again. So don’t ask for me anymore.”

  “Oh?” Dan said, an arch in his perfectly groomed eyebrow. He so enjoyed a good challenge. Madame Gwen told him she wasn’t very interested. In fact, it was one of the things that made Sara so irresistible to him. She gave him a chase, something that other girls never did. Given enough time, and Dan was sure he could win her over. She would be his newest trophy in a line of conquests between him and Banks.

  “Why?” Sara asked, setting her fork and knife down. She rested her hands in her lap as she stared back at him. “I’m sure you could have any woman you want. So, why do you want to pay to see me?”

  “Why not?” he said, with a smile. He was very handsome, and terribly charming. Sara found it hard not to fall for him.

  “Are you going to give me a real answer?” Sara said with a smirk.

  “I will,” Dan said. He wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin before setting it on the table next to his plate. “I will be very blunt with you. There comes a point when a man of my means must settle down.”

  He had been planning this for the end of dinner, but since she had brought it up, he may as well just do it now. He stood from his seat, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He knelt down before Sara, opening the box and looking up at her. Sara nearly choked on her own saliva when she saw the massive blue diamond staring back at her.

  “I picked this out to match your eyes,” he said. “I know we have only had one date, and I realize how unconventional this is. But I want you to marry me Sara. Accept my proposal, and I promise you will want for nothing.”

  Sara simply had no words to answer him. She couldn’t really believe this was happening. But as she stared down at the dime-sized diamond, sparkling against the black velvet of the ring box, Dan’s words began to sink in. She would never want for anything. Perhaps she was overwhelmed by everything that had happened recently, or perhaps she was swayed by his argument. Whatever the reason, she found her mouth saying yes before she had enough time to really think about it.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Sara stared at the ring on her finger as she rode the elevator up to Mr. Banks’ top floor office. She had never seen a diamond so big in all her life, and there it was on her finger. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach, knowing that Mr. Banks would see the ring. She had gone back and forth on whether to wear it or not. She decided it was best to wear it and hope it would dispel some of the feelings that had developed.

  The elevator came to a stop and opened with a cheerful ding that made it somehow even harder for Sara to step out. Her legs were heavy, rooting her to the marble floor just outside the door to his office. She raised her balled fist to knock on the door when it suddenly swung open, Banks standing there.

  “Ms. Weiss,” he said, gesturing with his hand for her to enter, “come in. Have a seat.”

  As soon as Sara entered the room a flood of memories hit her, and she knew coming here was a mistake. If she had trouble concentrating in class, she was never going to be able to concentrate alone in this room with him.

  Banks had spent the entire day distracted with thoughts of Sara. He hadn’t gotten a single piece of work done. He tried to tell himself that it would be alright, that he could control himself, but as he followed her over to the
seating area of his office, the only thing he could concentrate on was the swell of her perfectly round bottom as it bounced gently while she walked. His fingers twitched as he recalled the way it felt in his hands, soft, yet still pliable. He suppressed a groan, and the growing pressure in his pants.

  “I don’t have much time for you, I’m afraid,” he said, trying to be as professional as possible, “I hope you have some questions prepared.”

  “I understand,” Sara said, as she took a seat on the leather couch that she was all too familiar with. She plopped the backpack she was carrying on the floor in front of her. Her fingers reached for the zipper to grab out her notebook with the questions she had prepared. “I’m having trouble understanding…”

  “What is that?” Banks interrupted her. She followed the line of his gaze to her hand. Sara was expecting him to ask about it, but she wasn’t expecting the rage that she heard in his voice when he did. His eyes were even colder than normal.

  “It’s…” Sara looked down at the ring. The words she wanted to speak were stuck in her throat.

  “I’m engaged,” she said finally, glancing up at him. She went back to taking out her notebook, hoping that would be the end of the discussion. She knew that was a fantasy though.

  “Engaged?” he asked, his eyebrows pulling over his eyes, turning them darker. He grabbed her wrist, twisting it roughly so he could inspect the ring. It was massive, and Banks knew there were few people that could afford such a thing. A sick feeling washed over him, quickly followed by anger.