writing on the board with every pair of male eyeballs (and a few of the female ones, Mark noted) glued to her ass as she stretched up on her toes to reach the upper part of the white board. “These are my regular hours if you need to come see me for anything, but if you really need me you can just leave a note with the secretary and I’ll get in touch with you. Or just drop me an email any time.” Done with writing her contact information, she set down the marker and turned around to face the class. “Does anybody have any questions before we get started?”
“Are you married?” one of the boys in the back row asked.
She laughed and held up her left hand, which was bereft of an engagement or wedding ring. “No, but if you think you can find a ring with a big fat diamond, let me know.”
Everyone laughed, and a few of the girls threw paper wads at the inquisitor.
“Okay, don’t kill him,” Nikki scolded, again with a smile. “That leads to way too much paperwork, and I’ve got enough to deal with already.” After making sure she had everyone’s attention, she said, “Okay, we’ve got a lot to do this semester, and I’m sure all of you are ready and eager to dive in!”
She laughed as the class let out a collective groan, and Nikki got down to business.
CHAPTER TWO
Nikki was used to being stared at, and she politely ignored the dreamy gazes of the boys as she stood in front of the class delivering her first lecture. This was her second time teaching at the high school level, but her first time with seniors, and the difference in the testosterone level was readily apparent. A number of the boys made a big show of puffing out their chests and trying to look like real men. If they’d been peacocks, their immature tail feathers would have been erect and quivering in an earnest, if threadbare, mating display as they competed for her attention. Their antics earned lots of eye rolls from the girls, along with a few angry looks between girlfriends and boyfriends. Nikki had to turn away to the board a few times, her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter at a few of the more outrageous quips they exchanged between themselves and with her. She was careful to rein them in so they didn’t go too far or get the wrong idea. She knew some teachers would either have been upset or dropped the hammer on the boys, but in truth Nikki didn’t mind as long as it was just in good fun.
A notable exception was Mark Tillman, who was allegedly Mr. O’Neil’s pet. He sat quietly, his green eyes meeting hers when he happened to look up from taking notes. He didn’t raise his hand when she called for volunteers to answer her questions, but when she began to call on students who hadn’t yet contributed and came around to him, he gave her a thoughtful reply that impressed her.
“That’s good, Mark,” she told him with a nod.
“You’re such a nerd,” Jerry Kennedy muttered, and more than a few in the class sniggered. Nikki had already pegged Jerry as the classic stereotypical jock. While one of his two friends was bigger in terms of overall mass, Jerry was clearly more muscular, and made a big show of flexing his impressive biceps and periodically twitching his pecs under his tight fitting t-shirt. He was handsome enough to be on the cover of a magazine, but her first impression, after observing how he looked at her and the others around him, was that his beauty was only skin deep. He did, however, have a brain: in addition to being a champion athlete, he was also a straight A student, which had landed him in her class.
Ignoring Jerry, still looking at her, Mark shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”
Before anyone could say anything else, the bell rang.
Over the sudden uproar of everyone scooping up their books and rushing to the door, Nikki half-shouted, “Remember, be ready to discuss the first three chapters tomorrow, and don’t wait until Friday to have your outline finished!”
She smiled and waved as
“Are you married?” one of the boys in the back row asked.
She laughed and held up her left hand, which was bereft of an engagement or wedding ring. “No, but if you think you can find a ring with a big fat diamond, let me know.”
Everyone laughed, and a few of the girls threw paper wads at the inquisitor.
“Okay, don’t kill him,” Nikki scolded, again with a smile. “That leads to way too much paperwork, and I’ve got enough to deal with already.” After making sure she had everyone’s attention, she said, “Okay, we’ve got a lot to do this semester, and I’m sure all of you are ready and eager to dive in!”
She laughed as the class let out a collective groan, and Nikki got down to business.
CHAPTER TWO
Nikki was used to being stared at, and she politely ignored the dreamy gazes of the boys as she stood in front of the class delivering her first lecture. This was her second time teaching at the high school level, but her first time with seniors, and the difference in the testosterone level was readily apparent. A number of the boys made a big show of puffing out their chests and trying to look like real men. If they’d been peacocks, their immature tail feathers would have been erect and quivering in an earnest, if threadbare, mating display as they competed for her attention. Their antics earned lots of eye rolls from the girls, along with a few angry looks between girlfriends and boyfriends. Nikki had to turn away to the board a few times, her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter at a few of the more outrageous quips they exchanged between themselves and with her. She was careful to rein them in so they didn’t go too far or get the wrong idea. She knew some teachers would either have been upset or dropped the hammer on the boys, but in truth Nikki didn’t mind as long as it was just in good fun.
A notable exception was Mark Tillman, who was allegedly Mr. O’Neil’s pet. He sat quietly, his green eyes meeting hers when he happened to look up from taking notes. He didn’t raise his hand when she called for volunteers to answer her questions, but when she began to call on students who hadn’t yet contributed and came around to him, he gave her a thoughtful reply that impressed her.
“That’s good, Mark,” she told him with a nod.
“You’re such a nerd,” Jerry Kennedy muttered, and more than a few in the class sniggered. Nikki had already pegged Jerry as the classic stereotypical jock. While one of his two friends was bigger in terms of overall mass, Jerry was clearly more muscular, and made a big show of flexing his impressive biceps and periodically twitching his pecs under his tight fitting t-shirt. He was handsome enough to be on the cover of a magazine, but her first impression, after observing how he looked at her and the others around him, was that his beauty was only skin deep. He did, however, have a brain: in addition to being a champion athlete, he was also a straight A student, which had landed him in her class.
Ignoring Jerry, still looking at her, Mark shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”
Before anyone could say anything else, the bell rang.
Over the sudden uproar of everyone scooping up their books and rushing to the door, Nikki half-shouted, “Remember, be ready to discuss the first three chapters tomorrow, and don’t wait until Friday to have your outline finished!”
She smiled and waved as
Similar Books
