Chapter Eleven
Noah
I locked the door to my office after double checking my e-mails. The warm sunshine was too hard to resist. I didn’t want to be cooped up all day in my stifling office while the rest of the world enjoyed the melting snow and warm sunshine.
A warming trend had hit Utah, the first hopeful sign of spring. The cold and snowy weather didn’t bother me much after being in New Zealand, but I did miss walking outside without freezing my ass off.
I stopped in front of Kale’s office to find him sitting at his desk with a red pen in hand. I grinned at the dirty look he gave me.
“Stuck grading for the afternoon?” I asked, leaning on the doorframe with one shoulder.
Kale grimaced as he looked down at the impressive stack of papers. “Unfortunately,” he said, twirling the red pen between his fingers. “Going out to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll enjoy it for the both of us. Can you tell students if they come looking for me that I’ll be in the office early tomorrow if they need me?”
“Sure. No problem. Go enjoy the afternoon, you son-of-a-bitch.”
The sidewalks were drenched with melting snow when I stepped outside. Students lingered about in patches of sunshine throughout campus, and everyone’s spirits, including mine, were lifting at the warm weather.
I spotted a familiar face stepping out of the library before I reached the professors’ parking lot. Nose literally buried in a book, Iris continued down the sidewalk without sparing a glance around her. My gaze landed on her ass as it always did whenever I had the opportunity to check it out – and today, she wore tight, bright-blue yoga pants that hugged her in all the right ways.
“Damn,” I whispered, shaking the feeling off. “If only…”
We had made some process yesterday with our tutoring session. I still didn’t know what to think of her reasons for being so distracted, though. I had a feeling it was something deeper than what she spoke of, but I wasn’t about to push the limits after I finally earned a little bit of trust.
I watched her disappear around the corner back in the direction of the dining hall. For a moment, I debated going after her, but I settled on seeing her tomorrow morning for class and tutoring. The last thing I needed was a rumor going about the campus that I bought a student coffee.
I had to stay clear of Iris, even if my body longed to be close to her. I had no idea why she had an intoxicating effect on me, but I had to resist the temptation before something happened.
I continued down the path and stopped short when I recognized the rugby team on the field also taking advantage of the warm sunshine for practice. Nostalgia filled me instantly, and against my better judgment, I walked to the edge of the parking lot that overlooked the field. They were good, I decided after watching them for a few minutes of practicing. I’d give them that. They were championship material.
My right knee ached watching them jump around. I wouldn’t be able to coach. I loved that damn sport too much to be on the sidelines. I’d still be playing it if my ACL hadn’t torn twice in back-to-back seasons. If that other shit hadn’t happened, I’d still be out on that field, traveling around the world, and enjoying a fine-ass woman’s company at night.
Those had been the days I had lived for, instead of the days I lived now in front of a classroom of students. I was lucky, though. I turned away from the field to head back to my car. I could walk around, even if it was painful. It could’ve been a lot worse.
My phone buzzed in the front pocket of my blazer. I groaned inwardly when I read the name on the phone’s screen. I debated for a few seconds about letting it go straight to voicemail, but it was useless. He’d just call again and again until I finally got annoyed and answered.
“I don’t have time to talk, Dad,” I said, pulling out my car keys from my pocket. “Can we talk later about whatever it is that you are calling me about?”
“You won’t answer the phone later. You avoid my calls and have been for months. So, I need to borrow you for a few minutes now.”
Even at thirty, my father had a way of commanding me around. I hated it. He micro-managed everyone around him, and I blamed it on his position as CEO of a large bank. He paid too much attention to little things. Overbearing was what my mother called it.
I couldn’t agree more since I had announced retirement from rugby. I never heard the end of it. Wealth and power made my father invincible in his own mind. He still held firm that his fancy lawyers could do something for me.
“What is it?” I asked, even though I had a suspicion of what it was about. It was the same reason why my mother had called two days ago.
“Your mother told me that you have accepted a teaching gig at PHU all the way in Utah.” I grimaced slightly at the disdain dripping off his words. “My son, a nationally famous rugby player, has taken a job teaching freshman students at some strictly religious university. Do you catch my drift on this, Noah?”
“Caught it,” I said, coldly. “We’ve been over this before, Dad. I’m done playing rugby. I can’t do it anymore.”
“You can keep doing it, though,” he countered, firmly. “You’re wasting your God-given talent down there hiding behind your books. I still think your mother is to blame for all this.”
“She had nothing to do with it,” I said, defensively.
“Then I’m asking you to consider calling that lawyer I mentioned to you before you moved. He can help you get more money if you need it.”
“I don’t need the money,” I replied, flatly. “I’m doing fine with my books and teaching job.”
“Just consider what I’m saying, Noah. Think about what we’ve talked about before.”
He hung up without waiting for my reply. I stuffed my phone back into my pocket with an aggravated sigh. The cherry on top of an interesting day.
I drove thirty minutes with the windows cracked to let the warm air in. The parking lot of Hunter’s Small Engine Repair was empty when I pulled up. Ignoring the closed sign on the door, I stepped into the small shop that smelled of gas and oil.
“I’m closed!” Hunter yelled out from the back. “Come back tomorrow morning.”
The irritation in his voice would’ve been enough for any person to turn around and walk back out. He had a way of talking to people, but I slipped into the back of the building where it was uncomfortably warm to find Hunter bent over a lawnmower. He looked up from the engine, a scowl tugging at his lips.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
I arched an eyebrow at the irritation. “Someone piss in your Cheerios this morning?”
The scowl remained in place. Hunter looked back down at the engine with the type of intense concentration I wished my students had. His hands moved about the engine, twisting on bolts here and there.
I waited patiently for it. After eleven years of friendship, I knew well how Hunter worked when it came to him being pissed. He finally dropped a wrench down to the ground with a weary sigh.
“It never seems to end. Always being short on money, man,” he said. “My wife doesn’t know how far behind this place is on bills and paying on advertising. It’s just not a good season for me.”
“How much do you need?” I asked, sympathetically.
“At least $4,000 to catch up on everything.”
“Fuck,” I exclaimed, shaking my head at him. “The price of your dream is really costing you.”
His scowl returned. “You think this is my dream?” He flourished an angry hand at the cluttered shop around him. “My dream was to keep playing rugby, but what a bust that turned out to be. I had no other choice but to go into business for myself. You know how hard it is to get a job without a good degree?”
“It was a bust for the both of us,” I added, rubbing at my knee with a sigh. I found a small chair with wheels on it and scooted along the floor to sit in front Hunter as he picked up the wrench again. “Why did you drop out of college in the first place? I told you not to do that.”
“Shit. I was failing four classes that we needed to graduate. It was the last semester of our senior year, too,” he said. “My pride got in the way when I realized there was no way in hell I could get all my grades up in time. I just wanted to get out on that field and be a star like you. I didn’t care about anything else.”
“If it makes you feel better, I still think we both got the shitty end of luck. Torn ACL, twice, and I was dropped like a rusted penny.”
“And, they were getting tired of doing damage control over all those headlines about women sleeping with you,” Hunter said, chuckling lightly. He resumed work on the engine. “Speaking of that, please tell me you haven’t tapped into any of those college girls at PHU.”
“Well, I’m still intact below the belt,” I said slyly. “According to you, they’d chop my appendage off if I touched a student.”
“I said losing your job is a given. The other part, I have no idea – and don’t want to know, either.”
“Apparently it’s happened quite a bit there,” I said, leaning back in my chair to fold my hands behind my head. I stared up at the ceiling as images of Iris danced in my mind. “That’s why I’m in the position I’m in. The previous professor went for it.”
“That dean is all business about something like that. They don’t ask questions when it comes to their reputation being threatened.”
A long silence stretched between us. I felt Hunter’s eyes studying me before he finally spoke up again. “Whatever you’re thinking about doing, don’t do it. You don’t want your name slandered here in this state.”
“I’m not doing anything,” I said, defensively. “There’s just one student of mine. She’s a graduating senior, and she’s a walking temptation.”
“Noah.” I looked down at Hunter’s tone to meet his warning gaze. “Don’t go for it, dude. It’s not worth ruining your reputation over.”
“I know that,” I grumbled out, massaging the back of my neck to work out the tension there. “I’m just saying she’s fine is all. I only play in my fantasies at this point.”
“Good. Stay there or find someone else who isn’t a student.”
That was the thing, though: I didn’t look at Iris as a student. I looked at her as a grown woman with a backbone and ever-revolving personality. There were layers to her, and I liked that immensely. Not to mention how many times I imagined those long legs wrapped about my waist, and her squirming beneath me in pleasure.
My mouth went dry. I needed to release some tension. That much Hunter was right about.
“I’ll let you get back to work,” I said, standing from the chair. “Just thought I’d drop in. Hit me up this weekend. We’ll go blow steam off somewhere.”
Hunter gave a nod before focusing back on the engine. “Sounds good,” he said. “Hang tight, bro. I know you. You’ll find someone who will strike your interest.”
The house was cold when I finally made it back. The warmth of the day had faded away the second the sun had set. I clicked the furnace on before sliding in a frozen pizza into the oven. I let out an exhausted sigh when I plopped down onto the couch, grabbing my computer in the process to check emails.
“Great,” I groaned out, catching sight of an unread email from Miles. “I wonder what this could be about now.”
Noah,
I stopped by your office this afternoon, but Kale kindly informed me you had left early today. Hope you are well.
The boys saw you today watching them practice. I told them that I would ask if you’d like to help out twice a week with practice since I had yet to hear from you on the subject.
Sincerely,
Miles
My fingers itched to type out a less than happy reply. What part didn’t he get that I was no longer interested in rugby? I rubbed at my face in frustration before channeling a professional response from deep down inside of me.
While I am tempted to take on practices, I typed away furiously, I am afraid that I have committed myself fully to the English Department. I have several students who are in need of tutoring after classes are done for the day. I regret not being able to help the boys out, but I appreciate the opportunity again. Now, fuck off and leave me alone.
I deleted the last sentence with a sigh, even though it was tempting to keep it there. How much clearer was that response? I needed this job, and telling Miles to fuck off was not a good way to keep it.
I hit the send button, but I knew this email would do little to sway him off my case. I needed to focus on something as a commitment, and tutoring after classes was the perfect guise to keep him away. Tutoring Iris was a good deflection.
I grinned at the thought. I’d take on tutoring Iris any day over standing on the sidelines feeling miserable about my knee and reliving the glory days that would never happen again.