Page 12 of Tutor Daddy
6
ADDISON
There's barely a second for me to drop the mischievous grin from my face after leaving Aidan's class when I run right into Professor Tamson. She's a tall woman who looks like she rides a broom to campus every day. Not just any broom, but one of sleek elegance, but a broom nevertheless.
Wispy gray hairs fight to stay in her face, but her thick black glasses hold them at bay. There's a way she looks down her narrow nose that makes me squirm, but I've been fingered and tongue fucked by the hottest professor on this campus. There's absolutely nothing she can say or do to bring my mood down.
"I need to speak to you about the group project, Miss Shaw," Professor Tamson says.
I should have known better. That's more than enough to sour my day.
"Group project?" I ask.
"Is that a question, Miss Shaw?"
I shake my head gently from side to side. "My apologies. I wasn't aware of a group project due for your class. I probably need the updated syllabus."
"No, no." She pauses and steps to the side so people can squeeze by as they pass us in the hallway. "This project is for the students who need an extra boost to help them pass the course."
"I'm already getting tutored by Professor Sheridan," I tell her, with the hope that's enough to stop this train wreck of a semester from getting any worse.
"That's wonderful. That means he'll be able to help you and your partner with the project I've dropped into your student dashboard of assignments. You'll be working with Marcus Henry. Every file, the instructions and rubric are there for your perusing. You'll have these last few weeks to work on it together."
"Group projects are the worst," I mumble to myself. "I always end up doing all of the work."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Miss Shaw. The truth of the matter is that, as an accountant, especially one pursuing forensic auditing, youwillhave to work with others. Your communication and ability to perform the duties necessary for a successful audit impact your job and your company's bottom line."
"I understand, Professor, but?—"
She cuts me off with a soft hand raised to silence me. "However, I'm more than aware of the collegiate standards when it comes to academic teamwork. You two don't have to work together, but you're receiving the same assignment. I'm allowing you topartner, but if it doesn't work, feel free to tackle the work on your own."
A deep sigh of relief escapes me as I release the breath I'd been holding. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet, Miss Shaw. The scope of the work, on top of your current courseload, isn't going to be easy. That's why it's best to at least try to work on the project with Mr. Henry. You're all adults and can do as you please. I can only lead you to water; I cannot make you drink," she says aptly and walks away.
I hate that it's coming to this. Group projects are diabolical at this level. There are no real-world consequences if my partner decides not to pull his weight on this. But, I won't give up without trying. Perhaps he's the kind of student who's so super controlling, he won't allow me to do anything. Maybe he'll just let me bat my eyelashes and occasionally affirm his answers.
Instead of hoping and wishing for another outcome, I pull out my phone to log into my classroom dashboard. Sure enough, there are several bold red notifications in my pending assignments with a link to message my partner through the message board.
Me: Hey, Marcus. This is Addison. I just spoke to Professor Tamson about this project. When would you like to meet up to discuss?
Marcus: I'll be in the library Wednesday afternoon from 4 - 6; finance section.
Me: That works. I'll see you there.
He doesn't reply, just taps the thumbs up response emoji.
I don't know why that annoys me, but it doesn't give me hope for our meet-up. When I'm back in my room, I have the time to actually take a look at the project, and Professor Tamson wasn't lying.
It's daunting at best, impossible at worst. There are twelve months of financial documents for a corporation where we have to perform a forensic audit. This entails tackling the original accountant's documents, the original auditor's findings, and delving deeper into the financial history of the company to ensure accuracy.
My face burns, and my eyes water at the amount of work staring at me. In the real world, this level of auditing takes months to sift through and verify. I'm fucked. Even if I despise group work, there's no way I can do this assignment without Marcus' help.
After a long shower, I eat dinner and listen to some music to calm my nerves. My mind needs a reset before I look back at the assignment. When I'm ready, I pull it back up along with my assignments due for the rest of this week and make a game plan. I spend the next few hours breaking the project up into sizable tasks while squeezing in the current coursework due.
By the time Wednesday rolls around, I'm confident that I can split the work equally with Marcus, and hopefully, he's up to the challenge.
When I enter the library, there's an elevator that takes me straight up to the fourth floor, where every financial textbook and reference guide can be found. There's a study group taking place in one of the conference rooms. This school has a thing for glass walls and doors.
