Page 72 of Toy for the Teachers (Forbidden Fantasies)

VLAD

Heading north into the city, I decided the weather called for somewhere warm for Millie. We found ourselves at a modern dim sum spot I often enjoyed. It wasn’t too crowded, and Millie could wrap her cold fingers around a porcelain mug of green tea. Though I wanted to wrap myself around her, I satisfied with the vision set across from me in the booth. I admired the damp ends of her brown tendrils and the strawberry milk flush of her cheeks.

“You seem happy,” I remarked.

“I am,” she agreed with a smile.

“Did your meeting go well this morning?”

I knew Millie had been called into human resources. I knew she and Caleb had been seen tangled together too. We had been out having lunch together when she got the email but recalling the meeting didn’t seem to faze her.

“Yes and no,” she answered, her content smile not faltering. “I kind of had to throw myself under the bus.”

“How so?”

I had to wait for my reply as our food arrived. Little plates of steaming buns, vegetable dumplings, and stuffed eggplant were being laid out before us. The fragrant steam plumed between me and Millie over the cloth-covered table, and her eyes glimmered with excitement over the food. Like a child on Christmas morning, Millie pushed up the sleeves of her green cardigan and reached for a fluffy pork bun.

“I told them I was trying to seduce Caleb,” she finally told me, not missing a beat. “All this food looks so good. We should come back here again sometime.”

“Of course, but, Millie, that seems like a big deal. Won’t it affect your job?”

“That’s the beauty of it,” she explained eagerly. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you, but you know that nonfiction editor job? I got it. They called me on Wednesday, and I’ve agreed to take it. I’m getting a full-time with better pay and benefits. I’m going to finish Caleb’s project with him over winter break. It doesn’t matter if some grad student caught me kissing Caleb.”

“Wait, that was all?”

Taking a bite of her bun, Millie laughed. “Yeah, that’s all they knew about. You know how worried I was when I got the email. It seems I made a big deal out of nothing.”

“I’m glad it worked out for you in the end. Congratulations on the job.”

“Thank you.”

“That reminds me…”

Her eyebrows perked up. “Yeah?”

“I think I might take a step back from teaching.”

I had been thinking a lot about it over the last few weeks. After my trip to New York, the crowdfunding business was growing. There were other investors wanting to explore its applications and get in on the ground floor. While the venture didn’t need to occupy all my time, I was starting to realize it was exciting me more than the undergraduate electives I often taught. They were pleasant enough. I enjoyed working with students, but with Millie in my life, the need to never settle for less had grown stronger. I needed to do what was right for myself.

“I want to continue working with graduate students, but I have other ventures I’d like to pursue,” I continued. “I have thought it through. I could teach two days a week and still maintain my position in the department. It would only give me more time to follow my other interests.”

Millie offered a teasing smile, propping her head against her fist.

“I hope you consider me one of those interests.”

“How could I not, beautiful?”

Taking the first bites of food, I couldn’t deny how good it was, but I had a feeling the company made the moment better. There was so much promise in the dark. The warm, shadowed restaurant made it easy to let my shoulders relax and enjoy every sensation, especially how Millie let her foot brush against me under the table. Everything was a delight to the senses.

“In all seriousness,” she remarked while adding some eggplant to her plate, “I’m happy you’re following your ambitions. I know a lot of people who would play it safe and go with what they know. You might not be giving your mother grandchildren just yet, but I hope she’s proud of you. I know I certainly am.”

Her words brought about a swell of deep affection, luring me closer. I could feel my voice lowering into something darker as the restaurant melted out of view.

“You’re making it very hard for me to finish this meal,” I insisted. “You can’t say things like that and expect me to sit still, to not kiss you as I like.”

With a knowing look, Millie stretched out her hand, letting me take it and press my lips against the inside of her wrist. Her dreamy eyes never left mine, and as I kissed her skin, I breathed in the faintest hint of vanilla. I was suddenly warmed from within. I didn’t need the Chinese food to feel satisfied. All I really needed was Millie, but I couldn’t satisfy her later if I was starving.

“Tell me about your Thanksgiving plans,” she suggested. “What does your family do for the holiday?”

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