“You know what you have to do to make all this disappear Kathy,” he repeated, as my mind raced to come up with another solution. I could see his cock bulging through his pants at the mere thought of what he expected of me. He reached for my right hand and placed it right on his crotch. I knew that what I would do next would seal my fate.

Thinking back about the events leading to his blackmailing me, I always knew that the Dean of Fine Arts had the hots for me. He used to look at me every chance he had. As an associate professor at Ryers University, it was hard to avoid Dean Jackson. He held departmental meetings on a regular basis. He was nothing much to look at. Mid 50s I would estimate, salt and pepper hair that was quickly receding and his face was not ugly but not far off from that. Whenever he stared at me, I cringed inside. There was something sleazy in his demeanor. I could tell sick thoughts ran through his mind but I always chose not to think about it.

I enjoyed teaching theatre at Ryers. The university was well respected for the caliber of their plays and this year we would be putting on Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s classic tale of star-crossed lovers. Casting was a grueling process. The 2 leads had to be talented performers able to capture the audience’s hearts. It was crucial that when they would watch the performance, they would feel the depth of Romeo and Juliet’s pain.

Auditions were held a few nights a week. It came to the point that if I had heard another poor recital of “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” uttered, I would have screamed. Thankfully I chose the two leads and they were both captivating. Playing Romeo would be Ted. He was a freshman with charisma and I knew the audience would love him. Chloe was beautiful and I knew it wouldn’t be difficult to believe that Romeo would die without her.

Rehearsals began but it was off to a slow start. As the weeks progressed, I got to know Chloe and Ted much better. Chloe’s looks were definitely her greatest asset. She had trouble learning her lines and would need lots of practice to be ready for opening night.

Ted was a natural. He delivered his lines with ease and his memory was sharp. There were other rehearsals done with the entire cast present but the leads needed extra readings. On numerous occasions, Ted and I waited for Chloe to arrive at the auditorium so they could run through their lines together. Besides having trouble remembering the words, Chloe had a problem with punctuality. I prayed she would be on time during the run of the show.

Ted and I talked quite a bit while waiting for Chloe to show up for rehearsals. He was 18 and an eager freshman. When he talked about his career plans, his youthful exuberance was contagious. He had his life all mapped out. His father died young due to a congenital heart condition and Ted’s dream was to become a heart surgeon. His mother and 2 sisters were close. He intended to marry by age 35 and have two kids and a house with a picket fence all by that time. Given I was 31 and unwed, unlike my plan to marry by age 25, I knew dreams don’t always become reality. I hoped for his sake that his aspirations would come true.

Ted was handsome, witty, easygoing and intelligent. The time flew by waiting for Chloe’s grand entrances. By opening night, Chloe finally knew her lines well. The show must go on and it did, perfectly. The audience gave a standing ovation. The production was a hit.

There was a party for the cast after the show. I arranged for quite a spread on the stage after the audience all left. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and I congratulated the actors, all except Ted. He was busy getting compliments and hugs all night so I didn’t get the chance to congratulate him. I decided to wait until the crowd left. The next day was a school night so the students started leaving early. Finally, Ted and I were the only ones that remained. I went over to where he stood. “You were wonderful Ted,” I gushed. “That was a great performance.”

Ted’s face was flushed from all the excitement. I was on an emotional high from the success of the show. I could feel the sexual tension in the air. Without thinking, we hungrily reached out to each other and kissed. When his lips touched mine and our tongues swirled in each other’s mouth, in my heart it felt like that is where I belonged. Right or wrong, teacher and student, it didn’t matter. What counted was how much I yearned to be touched by him.

Our lust took over and Ted reached out and started clumsily fiddling with the buttons on my blouse.