Page 19 of Damaged Professor

The last thing that I want to do is run into Abby or her friend Nichole there. Instead, I drive a little bit further away than I normally do, and I swing into the Twisted Lynx. The names of bars out here…Ridiculous. But the bar itself is a nice, quaint thing. It’s not nearly as big as the Howling Monkey, and it’s a little bit more on the smoky side.

But there’s a pretty redhead drinking alone at the front counter, and I’m quick to head over there, sliding in next to her. Striking up a conversation is easy. She lets me buy her a drink. I give her compliments. We start talking—but the conversation is all surface level.

We don’t talk about the things we do. It’s meant to be the start of a one-night stand, and nothing more. But... I can’t get into it.

Abby keeps coming to mind instead.

The woman, Maxine, plants her hand on top of my own. She has a single ring on her pointer finger, with a dainty little rose on it. “So, does this mean that you’re going to ask me to come back to your place with you?”

I’m supposed to say yes. That was the entire point in coming out here—saying yes and getting laid. Having a quick fling that would get Abby off my mind. But now that I’m presented with the chance to do exactly that, I realize that there’s no way I can go home with this woman.

Maxine is lovely. Big breasts, long curly hair, and a sweet smile.

But she’s not what I want.

What I want, I realize, is Abby. Only Abby.

I’m quiet for too long. Maxine pulls her hand back, a blush curling across her cheeks instead. “I’m going to take that as a strong no. Sorry. I’m normally… Better at reading into things.”

“No, no, it’s not—I was going to.”

“But you’ve changed your mind?” Maxine gives a heavy sigh, planting one hand against her cheek. “Oh, great. Let me guess. You came here to nurse a broken heart, and you just aren’t ready to get over her. That figures.”

“Not quite,” I laugh.

Maxine glances over at me. “Well, you’re the only other guy in here that’s worth anything. I might as well let you buy me another drink to make up for the disappointment.”

I wave another drink over for both of us. “It’s not a broken heart. It’s more like… I’m just realizing that I might not be looking for someone new to take home.”

“So you realized that you don’t need a distraction. Well, I guess that’s better than being the rebound.” She takes a sip from her long island iced tea. “You know, it gets harder and harder to find someone in this city. It’s that damn college, you know?”

“Is it?”

“Nothing but frat boys and—” She squints at me. “I should have guessed from the start that you wouldn't be taking me home. You’re clearly a scholar. I never have any luck with the scholars.”

“I’ll make it up to you by covering your tab tonight.” I’ve decided that while I have no intention of going home with anyone but Abby, I also don’t want to sit here and drink on my own all night.

Maxine looks like she doesn’t want that, either. Her smile speaks a thousand words. “Alright. That sounds like a plan. See? That’s why I never go with the frat boys. They don’t have any manners.” A pause. “But you look like you have too many manners.”

“Are manners a bad thing now?” I question, more amused by the way that this encounter has turned out than anything else.

I had been expecting Maxine to take it personally and leave, but she seems content enough to sit here and talk. “When they’re keeping me at the bar and not in someone’s bed, yes.”

“That’s fair,” I concede.

Maxine smiles at me. “Yeah. I know it is.”

“Do you really want to just sit here with me all night? Might be somewhere else with better people,” I suggested.

Maxine said, “No, no, you already told me that you are going to be covering my drinks all night. You might as well tell me what, or should I say who, changed your mind. I want to know all about this other girl.”

“I just thought coming out here might help get her off my mind.”

Maxine looks me over, pursing her full, bright red lips together. “It sounds to me like you’ve got yourself a taken woman.”

“God no,” I say, aghast. “I’ve got no interest in taken women. I just… I shouldn’t be seeing her.”

“Forbidden love. Someone in the family disapproves? I’ve got to say, I think that you’re a little old to be caring about what daddy has to say.”

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