Page 9 of Forbidden Professor
Nodding slowly, I answer. “Yes.”
She sits back, considering me. “Dr. Finch taught first year biology here at the Medical School. His position has recently become available.”
My brows go up. “Really?”
“Yes, really. “ Her mouth flattens. “He had relations with a student. It seems like he slept with a number of students. Which is sort of unbelievable because he was 67.” She stares at me. “Your name has been brought up as a replacement for Dr. Finch. Repeatedly.”
I’m tongue tied for a moment. How? Who even knows that I work here?
But I quickly recover. “That’s very flattering.”
I start calculating. The difference in pay between teaching as an adjunct in an undergrad class and teaching at the med school full time… it’s undoubtedly substantial.
Dr. Mooney sits back, steepling her fingers. “I want you to realize that we take these allegations by students very seriously. Whoever we hire has to be impervious to the students. Unaware. Above it all. Unimpeachable.”
“I understand, Dr. Mooney.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “The problem is that you are… well… you arehandsome, to begin with. And young. You will undoubtedly have students throwing themselves at you. So, I’d like to know how you plan to handle that.”
My mind is whirling. I blow out a breath. “I’m not married, but I assure you. I have a healthy dating life that has nothing to do with twenty year olds. It’s not even in my thoughts.”
Well… there is one particular twenty-something that I fantasize about regularly, but Dr. Mooney doesn’t need that much info. She just needs to be reassured that I won’t dip my pen in the company ink.
She rolls her eyes. “That’s not what I am saying. I am saying you might need to consider what you will do if a student proposes something indecent. What will you say? How will you act?”
It only takes the work of a second to respond. “I’m not their friend. I’m a professor at a prestigious school. I’ll act offended, because I will be.”
Her lips lift a fraction. “That’s more like it. I just don’t want to be the one who hires the school’s next #metoo issue.” She pauses. “There is one more thing.”
I lean forward. “What would that be?”
Her eyes glint. “You would have to start next week.”
For a second, I am speechless. “Next week? Like Monday?”
“Yes. Dr. Finch was only fired a few days ago… and his first class of the fall semester begins Monday. Short notice I know, but we would have that issue with any potential professor.”
“I mean, I guess I could work it out,” I say, wrinkling my brow. “The first class is basically just trying to pronounce everyone’s names right and… you know, going through the syllabus.”
“My thoughts precisely,” Dr. Mooney says. She stands up, knocking a stack of file folders over. She doesn’t seem to notice. “Well, Dr. Morgan. I’d like to start you in the position temporarily. You’ll receive a substantial pay raise, of course. After the end of this semester, I will meet with you and decide if you’re suited for the role in a more permanent capacity.”
I stand up, extending my hand to her. “Thank you, Dr. Mooney. You won’t regret it.”
She takes my hand briefly, shaking her head.
“I had better not, Dr. Morgan.” She gives me a cool smile. “I’ll email you the information about the class right now. Everything from the classroom location to the syllabus and class roster. You’ll need to take over Dr. Finch’s office too… I actually think I have some ancient notes from when I used to teach the class, a million years ago. If I can manage to dig them out of wherever they’re buried, I’ll scan them and email them to you.”
“I would appreciate that,” I say. I give her a little bow and then see myself out of her office, my heart pounding in my ears.
Wow. That was not at all what I expected. My workload has suddenly doubled or tripled in only the space of a few minutes time. But the most important thing is that I will be able to more than afford my life now, which is great.
My worries about money, however briefly I had them, seem like a distant note on the horizon. Now I just have a huge amount of responsibility… Dr. Finch had a huge job.
Jogging down the stairs, I listen as my phone chirps a dozen times. A dozen new emails from Dr. Mooney, each about something vital.
Fuck. I don’t even have the textbooks that this course teaches. I guess the campus bookstore should be my first stop, then. Followed by finding the classroom and my new office… and figuring out what the hell I’m supposed to teach tomorrow.
ChapterFive