Millie leaned against the desk’s edge, and for a second, I glimpsed her cleavage and the trimmings of lace around her bra. I swallowed heavily. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of one single objection. How could anyone be disagreeable when a woman batted her eyelashes like that?
My desire to be free to do my own work, and my love of teaching aside, there was no reason to reject this beautiful young woman. Whether she knew what she was doing to me or not, she had me in her web. I cleared my throat, determined not to give up the chase that easily.
“I’ve never worked with an assistant before,” I explained. “Most of what I do is star charts.”
“But you need to write an article,” she remarked in turn.
“Yes, I have some notes. I’m considering publishing some findings by the end of the year.”
“Great. I can organize your notes and help you write. It will make your life so much easier, trust me. It will be painless as possible, and the department heads won’t be breathing down your neck. Won’t that be nice?”
“Actually… yes.”
As she spoke, Millie popped up from her seat to slip around the desk. I found myself smiling, staring at her figure in profile. She didn’t hesitate to grab my keyboard and begin a cloud file system for us to share. Her fingers tapped with a fervent fury, and I knew then and there she was going to be a handful.
In five minutes flat, she’d eased her way into my life. She was like a black cat finding her spot in the sun: never asking, only taking, and looking pretty while doing it. I stood up, grabbing her bag from the floor.
“You know, you can have this desk for now,” I told her. “You can use the other one long-term, but I’ve got to head over to a lecture pretty soon. Feel free to look my preliminary work and organize it as you like. Let me just move these things.”
“Oh, um,” Millie chimed, “That would be great.”
Setting the keyboard down, she moved her oversized purse to the second spare chair before grabbing a tablet and water bottle. She moved like a whirlwind, and I did my best to move around her, never getting too close. I picked up several rolled-up charts and a cup of pencils, transferring them over to my bookshelf. The space was as I called “tidy enough” in one quick minute, and Millie was free to settle herself down in the rolling desk chair.
“Thank you,” she told me. “I promise you’ll be glad to have me.”
“I have no doubt,” I replied. “I’m going to go get some, um, something else to drink. Would you like anything? I can bring it back before heading to my class.”
Though I didn’t need another drop of caffeine, I had to get out of the room for a moment. The thought of working side by side with Millie Jackson for even a moment had me hot and bothered.
All her words felt like double entendres or baited traps laid out before me. I didn’t know how I was going to last for days or even weeks around this young woman, likely far too young for a man like me. I didn’t want to overstep in any way, and the only thing I could think of was to just get out of the office.
“I’m good with my water,” she promised with a smile. “Thanks, Caleb.”
“Sure, anytime.”
I broke free and back out into the fresh city air. I didn’t need anything, but I knew it was safer for me to buy some decaf coffee than loiter around with Millie. Walking swiftly toward the kiosk parked near my first class, I ran into a group of my students. They were focused on one phone, passing it around to read whatever was on the screen. I stood behind them, assuming that they were all in line.
“Professor C!” one of the students said, recognizing me.
“Hello, Mike,” I replied.
“What do you think of this?” he asked.
Mike passed over the phone. Taking it, I looked down to find an article about a black hole that formed the center of a distant galaxy. These were all senior students, all interested in the field of astrophysics, so I wasn’t surprised to see them chatting about the subject. According to studies, stars and solar systems were in orbit around the singularity, which formed the center of its own little universe. I skimmed it quickly, recognizing the names at the bottom of the page.
“This is Tobin and Allerman,” I said, handing back the device.
“But what about the black hole?” Mike persisted.
“Theoretically, they do generate enough gravity to be the glue that holds galaxies together. We’ve just never seen such a configuration before.”
“Is there a black hole in the center of the Milky Way?” another student asked.
Shifting around them, I shook my head. “Not that we’re aware of.”
I could have spent all day discussing the intricacies of black holes and where they might be found, but I had my own classes to teach. Although, the article did offer a silver lining as I ordered my cup of coffee.
Maybe the university was right. Maybe Millie could help me get organized and polish my research to a point where it would be a candidate for publication in a journal. I could imagine all my students standing around the metal benches like this, talking about my work and getting energized about their studies. I might even win over some new hearts and minds to the field.
Though I had my reservations, perhaps Millie Jackson would offer me more benefits than she, or I, even knew. The sun passed out from behind a cloud, and my morning was filled with new possibility.