A Taste of Temptation (Love Spectrum Romance) (4 page)

Eric heard the exchange. “Did I interrupt something?”

“No, you didn’t. We all need to get out of here.”

Ignoring Tim, Eric walked over to Brandi. “Are you okay?”

She walked over to the door, Eric on her heels. “Yes, I’m fine. Dr. Polaris, thanks again for the water.”

Tim followed behind her. “Are you sure you’re okay to be leaving now?”

“Yes, the water helped. I think I was just really tired.”

“I’m sorry about all of this, Miss Miles, but we can reschedule for tomorrow, same time.”

“Could we?”

“Sure. What’s another day? But you should go home and lie down. This heat is bad right now; you could get really sick. Have you had anything to eat?”

“Lunch earlier.”

“You need more than that. It’s almost five.”

“He’s right. I can walk you to your car, Brandi.”

“I can do it alone, Eric. Thank you just the same.”

“Maybe it’s a good idea to let him walk you; if he doesn’t, I will.”

“I can do it, Dr. Polaris, thanks.”

He watched Brandi walk out with Eric still on her heels. He sensed tension between them, but didn’t know what it was all about. He grabbed his briefcase as Monica Shang came in.

“Tim, do you have time today to look over the book request form? We really need those for the writers retreat this spring.”

“I know.” He walked towards her. “I can look over it as we walk.”

“Was…was that Brandi Miles I just saw?”

He answered without looking at her. “Yes. Why?”

“How’s she doing with the Seymour?”

“Fine, as far as I can tell.”

“I wasn’t aware that she had this class.”

He looked up from the paper he was scanning. “She doesn’t. She’s in trouble in my writers comp and asked for some suggestions.”

“I could tutor her, since I oversee the tutorial lab. I would hate to see her fail.”

“She’s too smart to let that happen.” He and Monica were walking down the corridor leading to the parking lot when they heard bickering. Normally the halls were filled with student chatter, but it was past four o’clock and he knew just about everyone was gone. He stopped dead in his tracks, thinking he had heard Brandi’s voice.

“What’s wrong, Tim?”

“Shhh…Something’s going on. I had better see about it.”

He and Monica turned the corner to see Brandi pressed against the wall; Eric was blocking her way. Tim cleared his voice.

They turned and saw Tim and Monica staring at them.

Tim eyed Brandi suspiciously. “Is everything okay, Miss Miles?”

At that, Eric dropped his hands and let her pass.

“Thank you. I’m fine now.” She gave Eric a smug look and walked off.

He kept his eye on Brandi as she passed and headed for the parking lot. He glanced at Eric, who was giving Tim a hateful stare. Then he walked off.

Tim walked on with Monica at his side. “I should make sure she gets to her car. She was sick just moments ago.”

“Good idea. Not many men would do that.”

“I only want to make sure she doesn’t have a relapse. Can I sign the papers in the morning?”

“Sure, we have a few more days, but I do want to get those in as soon as possible.” Tim followed Brandi into the student parking lot, and saw her get into her car. He tapped on the window. “Brandi, I think I should follow you home.”

“I’m not sick anymore. I can make it.”

“Okay, if you’re sure you can.”

“I think I can.”

“You think so? That’s not good enough. Let me get in on the other side. You can take me to my truck in the faculty parking lot.”

“That’s really not necessary.” She didn’t want Timothy Polaris in her car, in a closed-up place, a tight-fitting place. It would be too tempting, but she could see he wasn’t taking no for an answer and she reluctantly pulled the lock up on the other side.

He got in, fastened his seat belt. “I know this is highly irregular for a student to be driving a teacher around, but I’m concerned about you. Suppose you pass out while driving?”

“It won’t happen.”

“It could, and that’s why I’m going to trail you home.”

There was no bucking him. She did as told, and waited until he started his truck and pulled up behind her.

Brandi turned into her driveway and got out; he parked and walked her to the door. “I feel better now that you’re home safely. You need to go in and rest. Take the rest of the evening off.”

“What about going over my paper?”

“You can do that with me tomorrow. Now, will you go in and take it easy?”

This is not fair! He cares for me; he’s polite, sensitive and gorgeous. Why can’t I have him?
She forced a smile for his benefit. “Sure, I’ll go in and take it easy, but it’ll be hard. I’m used to working on something, not lying in bed waiting for my parents or my brother to cater to me.”

“I’m sure in this case you can manage.” He looked at his watch. “I have to go.”

Brandi watched him leave, holding back tears for as long as possible before running to her bedroom.

Tim realized he was getting in way too deep for his own good. He had never followed a student home. He hated the idea of falling for another woman, because it could only spell trouble. Frustrated, Tim couldn’t wait to get back to the safety of his home in Queens Jamaica Estates district, far away from Brandi Elaine Miles.

* * *

Brandi couldn’t even remember if she had turned the ignition off in her car. All she did after leaving Tim was collapse on her bed. Almost falling into his arms had made her examine her real reason for staying at Madison. Surely, the scholarship could be transferred to another school. Then there was Eric. She knew him, and he would stop at nothing to make her life hell. As she rubbed her tired eyes, her mother tapped on her bedroom door. “Brandi?”

“Yes, Mom?”

“Can I come in for a minute?”

All she had wanted to do was sleep, not answer any questions about her day. She dried her eyes, trying to look as normal as possible. “Sure, Mom.”

Mrs. Miles immediately saw the pain on her child’s face at once. “Brandi, have you been crying?”

“No. I don’t feel well. I think it’s the heat.”

“The heat’s never gotten to you before.”

“Always a first time.”

Mrs. Miles sat on the bed next to Brandi. “Okay, now tell me what’s really wrong.”

“Everything.”

“Like what?”

“Eric finally showed up in class, and he’s been a pain in my butt ever since then.” Say anything to hide the real truth behind her tears.

“Maybe you’re reading too much into this because of the problems you two have.”

“He’s a cad, and wants to further his education about as much as a drunken fool does. He’s following me, keeping track of me, even though I broke it off with him over two months ago.”

“With him sleeping around, I was glad you got rid of him. You deserve better.”

“I know I do. We don’t want the same things. I want a career and someone who doesn’t cheat.”

“That man is out there. Don’t you want a career and a family?”

“Yes, but when the time is right. I don’t want to run around with a baby in each arm, and chasing behind another. That’s all he wants—someone to be a slave to him.”

“I would hope your father and I raised you better than to settle for that.”

“You did, and that’s one of the main reasons I broke it off with him. There’s too much that would drive us apart. I want someone who’s going to be good to me, someone I can be good to and make a life with. I want someone who wants me the way I am, not the way he wants me to be.”
I want Tim!

“That’s the thing I want you to strive for, Brandi. You don’t have to take things from a man just for the sake of having one. You’re worth more to yourself than that, aren’t you?”

“You and Dad have always made me think that.”

“That’s what we want for you, and Brian also.”

“I can take care of myself. I don’t need a man to do that for me. But when the time is right, well, I would like to give my all.” She wanted to give her all to Tim, but wasn’t about to start that train of thought again and become depressed.

Mrs. Miles walked to the window. “Men are funny people. They don’t see things the way women do. Just know that your father and I are on the same page as you on this Eric thing.”

“I’m not going back to him, but Dad wants me to be civil to him to save he and Mr. Fontaine’s relationship.”

“Jeff doesn’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to do, but he and Peter have been friends forever. They’re always in one another’s face, either on the golf course or at the games. Nothing will break them up, not even Eric.”

“I want to date other people, and Dad dislikes other races. I couldn’t bring anyone here who is not black.”

Mrs. Miles stared questioningly at her daughter. “Is there someone you’re not telling me about?”

“I thought so, but now I’m not so sure.”

Mrs. Miles moved closer to Brandi. “Who is he?”

“No one, Mom. Can we drop it?”

“No, apparently he’s someone you want to be with, but aren’t, for some reason.”

“I didn’t want to talk about him, but I suppose you can see him on my face. His name is Tim and he’s…white, Mom. How could I have brought him around here with Dad being a racist and all?”

“Brandi, your Dad is not a racist.”

“Really now? Then what would you call not tolerating your daughter dating a white man?”

“He had a hard time growing up around white people. He was the only black student in school until Theresa and I got there. Times were different for blacks back then.”

“Not all white people are bad.”

“No one race is all bad, Brandi. Your father’s a hard nut to crack. Don’t ask me why.”

She eyed Brandi. “What’s going on with this man you’re interested in?”

“Nothing, and that’s the problem. He didn’t want to further the relationship. He had his reasons.”

“Married?”

“No, just not into relationships, so he says. The thing is, he and I are not together either, and Eric and I are definitely through.” She looked at the clock on her dresser. “It’s getting late and I have studying to do.”

“Are you sure you and this Tim guy are over?”

“As sure as I’m breathing. Take my word for it.” She switched gears but ultimately left the conversation about Tim, one way or another. “Anyway, Dr. Polaris is going to help me redo my paper since he’s a published author. I can get a better perspective from him.”

“Good. Concentrate, do what he says, and you’ll be fine. Dinner will be on shortly. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“If you’d like to talk, you know where I am.”

“I will. Thanks, Mom.”

She watched her mother leave the room and then lay back on the bed. The last thing she wanted to do was concentrate on English Comp. That would bring her straight back to Timothy Edward Polaris. She was doing everything possible to free her mind of him.

CHAPTER 4

Eric gets everyone’s attention by arriving forty minutes late. And he got every female’s attention with his incredible good looks. He knew his dark brown eyes were lady-killers. As for Tim, he just checked his watch and continued his lecture.

As fine as Eric was, Brandi didn’t understand why she would be so attracted to Tim. But he was not your typical ‘pretty boy.’ He was sexy, fine, sensitive and intelligent, a combination she had not seen in anyone. This attraction bothered her and caused her all kinds of problems.

Eric found a seat in the row directly behind her, the better to watch her like a mother hen would. However, to Brandi, he was a jackal on the hunt. There was nothing protective about him.

It was not long before the females in class were drawn back to the magnetism exuded by Tim.

Eric had said not a word during the lecture, but tried getting to her afterwards. She was surprisingly civil to him, having thought about what she and her father had discussed. Had it not been for the Stacey Neal thing, she may have been still dating him, but for how long, she did not know.

He caught up with her leaving the lecture hall. “Brandi, wait up.”

“What is it, Eric?”

He lowered his voice. “Look, I know you’re pissed at me, but can I just talk to you for a few minutes?”

“I don’t know. There have been a lot of bad words exchanged.”

“I know and I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I’m not any good without you. Why do you think I enrolled in this class?”

“You shouldn’t have done it for my benefit, but yours, to further your program.”

“I’m here for that, too, but I can’t help missing you. Yes, I screwed up, I admit that. I want to make it right with you this time. You’re my girl, and I want what our parents have with each other—a lifetime.”

“That’s a lot to hand to me right now, and quite frankly, I’m too busy to even fathom another relationship, especially with you.”

“We can start slow. Anything you want, Brandi, I will do it to get back with you.”

She looked at her watch, then back at him. “Look, I can’t talk right now because I have to meet with Dr. Polaris about something. Maybe we can talk later. I’m not promising anything, though. I will at least hear you out—again.”

“When?”

“I don’t know; take your chances.”

Without adding anything, she walked towards Tim’s office. Eric watched for a minute then walked on.

By 2:30 that afternoon, Brandi was standing in Tim’s office, holding her C paper and looking around the spacious room. Only PhD’s get the big offices, she thought to herself.

He rushed in, “Sorry I’m late; someone stuck a knife in one of my tires.”

“Really? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s my baby I’m concerned about.”

“Do you know who did it?”

“I have some ideas, but that’s another story. I’m glad you came so we can get started on your paper. You want anything to drink, coffee maybe?”

“No thanks, I just want to get this paper over with.”

“You sure you’re up to it? After yesterday…”

“I don’t know what was wrong yesterday, but thank God it’s over.”

“Fine. Let me see the thesis.” He removed the lid from the Starbucks foam cup and began sipping his coffee. “Glad you like Defoe as much as I do.”

“I don’t, not really, but I did enjoy
Moll Flanders
.”

He surveyed the text briefly. “The thesis is general. Maybe you can concentrate more on what aspects you liked about the book and character. You centered more on the book itself—like a synopsis of it. That’s not what I wanted.”

“I really didn’t understand what you wanted. I thought I did when I sat down to write the paper.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You know I would have gone over anything you were having problems with.”

“I know, but I just didn’t want to impose.”
Or be close to a man who would have nothing to do with me.

Brandi picked up the paper, sighing. “I don’t know what to do with this, Tim.”

“I think it would be good if you decide what you want to focus on, character or plot.”

“I like characterization.”

“Male dominated. Let’s go with that. What do you really know about
Moll Flanders
?”

“Well, the book is generally about a woman’s survival in late-17th century England. It was mostly a capitalistic society. Because of that she took to drastic measures just to survive.”

“Right. So center on the person. Moll herself was way ahead of her time. She had to be exceptional; think of the measures she took. She was a complex character who adored having all the things women yearn for.”

“You really love this period, don’t you?”

“It really gets me going. I like it, studied it a great deal. Same can be true for you. You’re smart and you know a lot about literature, Brandi. You simply need to fashion your papers to meet your professors’ expectations.”

“I’ve never been fond of 16th and 17th century fiction. Can you skip me to 18th century?”

“You’re extremely smart; I know you can do this. If I let you skip ahead, others will want to, and they may not be as ready as you are. You don’t want me doing extra work, do you?”

”No, I don’t.”
Only for me, with me.

“Think about your point of view for the paper.”

As she thought, Tim’s mind wandered. He thought about what they did after dancing the night away at The Entrapment. He hated thinking about her, but couldn’t help himself. Brandi’s body was off-limits to him, and the sooner he got that through his head, the better off he knew he would be.

Her voice intruded, bringing him back to reality, a
Moll Flanders
reality. “There were struggles; she was complex, as you said.”

“You seem to like her complex aspects as much as I do. As you know, Moll was orphaned, forced to fend for herself at a very young age.” Moll’s life made him think about his own young life, and what he had to do to survive in foster homes. Thinking of what happened in one of those homes caused him to go off track.

“Are you okay, Tim?”

“Sure. Why?”

“You zoned out for a minute; like you went somewhere else.”

He straightened in his chair, disgusted that his past still haunted him. “No, I was trying to get a better feel for the character.”

“Are you sure? We can reschedule?”

“Really, I’m fine.”

Naturally you are.
Tim represented a whole different side of her brain that she still wanted to explore, but didn’t feel comfortable doing so. He was that large gray area that she had no control over.

As she listened to him rattle off the complexities of Moll’s life, her mind wandered, too. He was so incredibly knowledgeable to be as young as he was. He would be hard to get over, and constantly reliving that evening with him didn’t help. His sexual gifts were way beyond anything she could have imagined. “You are so incredible to me, Tim.”
Oops!

His eyes met hers and he put his pen down.
Why am I here with her? Both of us are falling apart.
“Brandi, don’t do this. We are here to concentrate on your paper—only that.”

“I’m sorry. It just slipped out.”

He massaged his left temple. “Maybe this was a bad idea. You know we can’t be together, and continuing this will only make it worse.” His mind hadn’t been on Moll Flanders, either. Brandi was a real struggle for him, but for the sake of her schooling and his career, he could not falter. “Can we do this, or do I need to refer you to Miss Shang’s tutorial?”

“No! I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anything to come out. I’ll be okay; please don’t stop tutoring me, Dr. Polaris, I really need to pass your course.”

“Don’t get upset. I didn’t mean to get on you, but I don’t want us to get into trouble. You will pass my class, Brandi, but it’s going to take a lot of work, not only with the books but being professional as well. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes, but it’ll be hard trying to keep my mind off you. Tell me that you also understand.”

“You know I do. Now, is it going to be me or Miss Shang, plain and simple, Brandi?”

Her voice dropped. “I want you.”

That hit him hard. Her answer had more than one meaning—for them both. His voice softened: “I’m sorry if I scared you. Are you okay now?”

“I guess so.”

“Good, then let’s explore Moll Flanders in more detail. Moll also had sexual issues, Brandi. There were instances of incest, homosexuality, prostitution, and multiple lovers. That could be one aspect of Moll you could address. What do you think?”

“That might be a good angle, because there’s a lot of that throughout the book.”

“Right. You could explore how her personality fit into all of that and what made her explore those issues. You’ll have to dig into Moll’s personality to make this work. Do you have any resources?”

“Just the book, but I could go on line…”

“I’ve done that for you; got some things that might be helpful. I also found some of my old notes. You can use them if you like.”

“You did all of that for me?”

“Sure. I pulled them out last night. I said I would help, and I am.”

He handed her the package. “You should start on this as soon as you can, and if you need me again, you could call me. Here’s my cell and the office numbers.”

That wasn’t what she wanted, easy access to him. Her mind would go a mile a minute until she dialed him. Restraint would be the key, and from what he said he had to help her use it. He seemed different from Jacob, perhaps because she was getting to know him in a different light.

“Another paper is due in three weeks. Can I call on you again for that one if I need help?”

“Yes, but you won’t need me; everything you need is already inside you. Just use it.”

“When do you want the paper?”

“The sooner the better; couple of days, maybe. I’ll edit it for you if you like—give you extra input before it’s due.”

Silence. They were okay as long as they were talking business, but the minute it stopped, the awkwardness set in. Brandi grabbed her backpack from the floor. “I heard you’re thinking about that assistant coach position for the Madcats this year.”

“Maybe, but I think I have too much on my plate for that. They knew I did some coaching at the high school level.”

“Cool. I’m on reserve cheerleader squad since I was late for try-outs last spring.”

“I didn’t know. I haven’t checked the rosters. I’m sure you’ll get your chance to show Madison what you have.”

“Sure hope so.” She checked the clock on the wall. “Better get over to Thorndyke. He’s a killer on people coming late to his lab. Thanks for the info.” She looked at him strangely. “Are you okay with me calling you Tim?”

“I guess, but not around other students.”

“Good I’ll make the paper a good one…Tim.”

“I know you will. You’re incredibly talented.”

She smiled. “Are you trying to say you like my mind?”

“Definitely.”

* * *

“So, how’s
Moll Flanders
coming along, Brandi?”

“Good, actually. I have the paper right here.”

“Didn’t take you too long.”

“That information you gave me was so helpful. Thank you so much for that.”

“Anytime. Now, let’s see the paper.” She watched him while he read, smiling at times, agreeing at times on her comments about Moll’s strong and willful personality. “This is nice. You really captured Moll’s persona from what I’ve read so far. She was rough, uncouth, but basically a victim of the times. I think your paper is going to be excellent. You have put in more in about her personality, and how that way of life affected her.”

“You know all of that already?”

“I read quickly. From the first two pages, I knew you were on the right track. I’ll read it later, then record it.”

“You think I may have gotten my A?”

He smiled at her. “Brandi, I haven’t read the rest of it. I’m sure your A is on its way.”

“I just hope you’ll say that at the end of the paper.” He watched as she grabbed her backpack. “Are you in a hurry to leave?”

“Not really. Why?”

“There are some things I would like to discuss with you.”

That rattled her, thinking he still had issues about her blurting out her inner thoughts to him the other day. “What’s going on?”

“There’s a lecture being held in White Plains weekend after next. There will be discussions on William Bradford, Defoe, all the writers from that era. I was wondering if you’d like to join me? You can take your own car and follow me if you like.”

“White Plains? That’s a distance. I’ll let you know. Besides working with the adult literacy program on Fridays, I also work at the bookstore every third Saturday.”

“Maybe you can get out of it that day. I really think this will help since my class is centering on the romance and renaissance eras. Certainly, your papers in the near future will center on some of those authors. Might be good for you.”

Being up there with the renowned Timothy Edward Polaris and fighting to keep her distance would be hard. Tim brought on a lot of drama that she was not in the mood for.

“Let me know what you want to do. By the way, you’ll be at this weekend’s Special Olympics fund-raiser, won’t you?”

“I wouldn’t miss it, and we’ll beat out Rutgers for top donations.”

“We always do. Good luck with your paper, Brandi. I’m sure you did everything I wanted you to.”

He exhaled once he was alone. Why did he feel so out of sorts in her presence? The only answer was that she was incredible in every thinkable way, and she learned so fast. He knew her paper was good just from reading one section. Everything was good about Brandi, but she was still that awful taboo in his life. The way his life was, he would only make her miserable, and she would end up leaving him anyway after learning about of his past. No, he couldn’t let anyone into that ever again. It was his to deal with and his alone. He walked into the oppressive heat with her still on his mind.

* * *

When Tim reached the multi purpose area of Miller Hall, Monica was already there, counting the minutes. He rushed in. “Sorry I’m late, truck issues. What’s up with the supplies?”