Those boys were well versed in romance languages, but
knew nothing about romance. The only thing they offered
her was a basic introduction to sex. The professor did the
rest. He taught her how to kiss right and how to make love.
And all of them taught her one very important lesson: men
could be dishonest and manipulative. They could actually
be comfortably married and still carry on an affair with a
student thirty years younger than themselves. Rebecca
thought at the time that the professor was deeply in love
with his top student. But the opposite was true. She was the
only one who had fallen in love. He simply had a mistress
for a year and a half.
O.E. is not the professor. Well, he certainly didn't look
much like the professor and seemed much more honest.
But he did have the professor's smooth talk. She squinted at
him. "Excuse me? I didn't know we were ready to make out.
I am impressed. You're pretty sure of yourself."
"Yes, I am. Completely sure. Of both of us." His smile
warmed. "Look, Rebecca. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm
attracted to you. You have a pretty face and a nice body. And
I know you're attracted to me, too. I can see it in your smile.
"Forgive me for being direct, but I can't stand the whole
'dating' routine. So I figured I'd release some of the usual
tension by bringing up that rarely mentioned thing: the
question of the kiss at the end of the evening. Will I make
the first move? Will you? Will we stand there in awkward
silence as our faces draw closer, wondering who will finally
dive in for that kiss? And then, of course, the big question
-will the kiss be any good?" He shook his head and
frowned. "So many questions, so much uncertainty." His
eyes bored into hers again, and she slid away from him on
the wall, trying to make sure he wouldn't take the kiss too
soon. At least he was honest-the professor would never
have been this direct.
O.E. pressed his case. "You're a businesswoman, so let's
get down to business. Let's have that kiss, right now. I'll give
you the best kiss you've ever had in your life. If you don't
agree, I'll leave you alone. But if you do agree that it's a kiss
like no other, you have to go out to dinner with me on
Monday. How's that?"
Sounds wonderful. But she couldn't seem too eager, so
she laughed lightly. "Oscar Ezzo!" She said his name
didactically like a scolding parent, but her head swam as