The Professor - Ch. 17.2

“Thanks for reviewing that video I emailed you,” Bambi told Aurelia now that it was just them and Claude in the classroom. “I really appreciate you helping my girls out like this.”

With her sorority’s regular choreographer pregnant and going through morning, noon, and night sickness, Bambi’s sorors were struggling with their dance routine for an upcoming Christmas talent show. At the rate they were going, they might not even place; much less win the grand prize.

If winning was just about the prize money, Bambi would have donated the extra cash the sorority needed to buy more Christmas presents for local needy kids. But since this was also about winning the privilege to compete in a national dance competition, she volunteered to recruit a new choreographer for them instead.

“You’re welcome, Bambi,” Aurelia replied, stretching out her arms. “I don’t mind doing whatever I can to help the needy. However, I do regret ever telling you that I took formal dance lessons. Especially after my additions to your routine worked muscles I haven’t used in months.” She chuckled.

“Sure they did even though we haven’t seen you wince one time since you started stretching,” Claude countered with a playful grin, taking a seat beside Bambi, who also sat in a regular desk. Her wheelchair was long gone. She now walked with a cane.

“So true,” Bambi seconded, laughing as well. “Even so, will lunch at your favorite restaurant today make your little boo-boes all better?” she asked, speaking in a playful mothering tone. Her ebony eyes twinkled with mirth.

“Yes, Mommy,” Aurelia replied in a babyish tone, sticking out her tongue mischievously at the end. “Or shall I say Lil Mama since you’re so short and petite?” She chuckled again.

“Lil Mama will do just fine.” Bambi grinned, making her beautiful slanted eyes even more pronounced.

“Lil Mama it is then,” Aurelia said, reaching over to playfully tug on her friend’s long silky black locks. “Now if we can just get Claude to make himself useful by moving some chairs back instead of sitting there like a bump on a log, I’ll show you how I tweaked your routine,” she continued, returning her arms out to her sides for more stretching.

“Get busy, homeboy,” Bambi playfully ordered, snapping her fingers impatiently at him.

Claude rose to his feet. “You’re lucky I like bossy women.” He moved to pick up four chairs nearby, two in each large hand.

Bambi blushed with stars in her eyes. “Thank you, Claude,” she practically purred out.

“You’re welcome.” He gave her a flirtatious wink.

At the realization that Claude actually liked petite Asian women enough to flirt back, Bambi blushed even more. She was so relieved. For a while there she thought he only liked voluptuous black women since they were all he’d dated before.

Although Bambi had been exposed to African-American females all of her life via her family’s stores and thus had adopted a lot of their mannerisms, dance moves, and musical tastes through association, she knew that she could never actually be a black woman. Plus, no matter how much she ate, her super fast metabolism simply would not allow too much weight to stick to her.

There was the option of surgical enhancements, but Bambi wasn’t that desperate to get any man. Not even Claude. Now it appeared that she no longer had to try to be anything or anyone but herself to get his attention. How refreshing!

Aurelia noted the flirtatious exchange between Claude and Bambi and smiled. Claude was finally starting to come around. Good. About time!

Aurelia wanted to help him come around faster by just telling him about her friend’s crush. But after the heart-to-heart talk she recently had with Bambi, she agreed to just let nature take its course.

Bambi wanted it to be Claude’s idea to be with her. She didn’t want to be his second choice girl, the woman he settled for simply because he couldn’t have Aurelia. That was the main reason Bambi decided to postpone her aggressive pursuit of Claude. She wanted to make sure his infatuation with Aurelia was long gone first.

While her classmates continued to interact flirtatiously, Aurelia continued to stretch out her limbs. She paused briefly to remove her bulky sweatshirt in order to have more agility and freedom of movement. Thankfully, there was enough heat in the room for her to wear her black tank shirt that looked more like a long sports bra.

Claude’s brows rose at that sudden appearance of brown feminine flesh. He instantly became distracted, completely forgetting all about Bambi for the moment.

“Did you remember to bring your camera, Bambi? As you know my work schedule prevents me from showing your whole sorority the routine in person,” Aurelia said, oblivious to Claude’s attention as she stretched some more. This time with her eyes closed.

“Yes, and the music, too,” Bambi replied, very much aware of Claude’s redirected attention. Fighting a frown of disappointment, she searched through her book bag for her camera and iPod.

When the music was cued up, Aurelia went to work demonstrating a revised routine that was sure to make Bambi’s sorority a winner in the talent show. So preoccupied with her performance, Aurelia failed to see Baron reenter the room for the briefcase that he’d left behind in his earlier haste.

Bambi didn’t notice the additional person in the room either as she focused on keeping the camera steady.

Claude noticed. He’d seen the other man’s red shirt out of the corner of his eye. It was through his peripheral vision that he saw Baron licking his lips at Aurelia’s dancing frame.

Claude also saw that longing look in the professor’s eyes before he blinked it away. That deep breath Baron took in order to quickly get himself back in check before he was really noticed.

Claude didn’t blame the man for looking at or longing after Aurelia. She had the kind of body that appealed to men of all ages. A wrinkled old man in a wheelchair would probably still lust after her.

“Bravo, girlfriend.” Bambi stopped the camera and clapped after the end of Aurelia’s performance. “I think you might have just put my girls over the top with that routine.” She pressed stop on the iPod, causing Flo Rida’s Low to instantly cease playing.

“I would vote for you, sweetheart,” Claude said encouragingly. “What about you, Professor?” he prompted, addressing the quiet man with the briefcase. “Would you vote for Aurelia’s routine in a talent show?”

Aurelia gasped and snapped around to face the front of the room. When did Baron return? And how much of her routine did he see?

“Yes, definitely,” Baron replied, shoving his eyes away from Aurelia’s sexy frame, trying not to be insanely jealous over that endearment Claude uttered to her. “See you guys in class tomorrow.” Then he left without another word.

As for Aurelia, she quickly redressed and got out of there, too. Her lunch with Bambi had been postponed, moved to another more convenient time.

Right now Aurelia needed some time alone to think about a few things. Things like which category did Baron actually belong in – cheater, greedy-guy, or easily-excitable? How else could she explain him lusting over her when he was probably still dating Jordin?

Maybe they broke up, Aurelia thought with hope dancing in her soul. After all, this was the first time Baron had ever let any of his other students see his attraction to her. Maybe he was starting to loosen up, because he knew the semester was almost over, bringing him that much closer to freedom.

Freedom to do what though? Aurelia mused, hoping that the semester’s end would finally bring them the freedom to be together. But only if Baron was truly done with Jordin.

© 2009 by Mi’Chelle Dodson/Suprina Frazier

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Cute dance routine sample representing Aurelia’s classroom performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eYi6OGka0Y&feature=related