Undercover Professor

by December Gephart

  Becca’s calm response was a surprise. She expected much worse. She studied her friend close. “I guess so, I wouldn’t say he was in love with me, but we’ve been spending time together.”

  “You were right.”

  “About what?” She opened the door to the pub and ushered Becca in first. Becca tilted her head away, but Lucy saw her swipe subtly at her eyes as she took off her scarf.

  She turned to face Lucy, nose pink, eyes shiny with tears, but a brave smile on her face. “You were right that if he wanted to spend time with someone special, he’d find the time.”

  Lucy considered that as the slid into a booth and ordered drinks before dinner.

  “So are we okay, Becca?”

  “Yeah, we’re okay. You can buy me dinner tonight to make up for it, but we’re okay.” She smirked and ordered the steak.

  * * *

  “This is what I’m wearing?” He missed his sweatpants. It had been a few weeks since he had a suit, dress shoes and a tie on. Not to mention hair gel and, unfortunately, makeup for the cameras. At least the suit fit. He hadn’t fattened up too much in his time off, drinking lattes and sharing dozens of donuts with his mom.

  Plus, Lucy had insisted they go for a few walks, she said it cleared her head from being in the store all day. And the adventurous, athletic sex she was so partial to. He missed his sweatpants, but he missed Lucy more. A lot more.

  His face felt funny without his beard. Chilly and naked. He never liked wearing a beard before, but now he sort of missed it. He’d talked his publicist into letting him do the scruffy two-day beard. She agreed that he looked a little “rascally.”

  “Yep, you look fabulous. Of course, a six-thousand-dollar suit will do that to just about anyone.” His publicist smirked.

  “Wiseass.”

  She shrugged, messing with his hair some more.

  “Drew, my main man.” Todd bounded into the dressing room, clicking off his cell phone. “How was the flight in? We all set? Your last notes looked great, I can’t wait to see what you have prepped for the presentation! But just tease with it today. Don’t blow your wad.”

  “Right.” He watched himself in the mirror being fussed over and fawned upon. Funny, it looked like him. But it didn’t feel like him.

  “Excellent, ladies, here you are!” Todd ushered in two stacked blondes wearing robes. The volume level in the room ramped up exponentially with their chatter.

  “Todd, what are they here for?” He tried to catch his agent’s eye, but Todd was too busy chattering into his cell phone again.

  Jessica Dunn stuck her head in the room and he could have sworn everyone did a huge intake of breath. “Drew, great to see you again. How was your flight?”

  “Just fine, Jessica. How are you? I saw that article on the World of Warcraft Wives website. Great job, I think you really hit on an interesting point of view.”

  All eyes swiveled to him in various stages of shock or surprise.

  Jessica nodded, eyeing him suspiciously. “Thanks. Coming from you, that’s supposed to be a compliment, right?”

  Drew stood to face the stunning brunette in the doorway. “Of course. Hey, listen. No hard feelings, right, Dunn? I apologize for my part in any embarrassment or pain that I caused you.”

  “Are you serious? You spread rumors that we broke up because I had crabs.”

  “I don’t think I ever said that.” He had been surprised when the topic had come up at a party. “But you’re right, I didn’t actively try to stop it or correct it.” He glanced at Todd, who had a hand over his mouth and looked like he might be laughing. The source of the rumor was from his camp, and he hadn’t even known.

  She eyed him suspiciously. “Rii-iight. Yeah, I don’t know what this new game of yours is, but whatever. I’m not letting you mess with my head again. I have to get back to work. Try not to trip over your huge ego on the way out to the set, okay?”

  She strode off. He would have liked to take her seriously. Except her dress was so short, if she lifted her arms, she’d flash everyone. Truth was, though, she was a great journalist.

  He turned back to the room and they quickly tried to look like they weren’t just staring at him.

  “Okay, let’s get you out to the stage.” Todd leaped up to lead the way out.

  They waited patiently for their intro. Jessica and her on-air coanchor, a handsome guy who was a nice foil to Jessica’s sarcasm, did a brief intro. The two blondes dropped their robes, exposing miniscule matching bikinis.

  “What the—Todd, what’s this?” He hissed at his manager. Dammit, he should have expected this. He should have thought to ask what was under the robes.

  Todd pressed them silently under each arm.

  “Yikes,” he stage whispered as one of the gals winked and pinched his behind. Before Drew could protest further, he got his cue and they all pranced out in front of the cameras.

  Was this really the direction Todd though he was going with his article? He tried to ignore the huge knot in his conscience. The bright stage lights blinded him momentarily, and he felt his normal swagger falter. The girls managed to bolster him back up without anyone tripping. Normally he’d probably take them both out for drinks and see if they were game to join him in bed. And normally he’d be successful. Now he had his hands, and his head, full of Lucy. And damn that thumping of his heart every time he thought about her. There was no way he could look credible with these ladies hanging on him, barely dressed.

  Glancing at Jessica, he saw the disgust in her eyes. This would be a nasty slap in her face.

  Reality hit him as the bright stage lights scorched into his skin. Reality. Lucy.

  His world shifted on its axis.

  This wasn’t what he wanted his readers to think was the point of his article. It wasn’t. Sure, maybe at first he was just trying to help a bunch of geeks get laid, but there was so much more for guys to learn. And he could help. Not with the huge false advertisements bouncing along next to him.

  The cameraman cued them in, and the lights grew warmer and brighter. He blinked to refocus his eyes.

  “Dr. Drew Sullivan, PhD. Thank you for joining us.” Jessica’s voice was sharp. “I read your synopsis, and I think it’s despicable. As usual. I look forward to you trying to defend it, and I’m appalled you are molding the minds of our youth.” Jessica plowed into him with no hint of a sarcastic grin on her face.

  He flinched, turning his head and squinting. The two models posed seductively next to him. This looked bad. Real bad.

  The silence from the audience was deafening as they all waited for his sharp retort. “Wow. Um, so, I deserved that.” His eyes started to adjust and the smug look on Jessica’s face forced him to try to rally. “Actually, I am trying to help my demographic.”

  “Help them get laid. Very noble,” she shot back.

  He glanced over at his agent and his publicist. They grinned at him, encouraging his bad behavior. Is this what they thought when they saw him? A womanizing gigolo who used women and objectified them?

  “That’s more for the catchiness of the title. I’m just trying to help.” He tried to shrug, but it just ended up jouncing the wonder boob twins into him. They giggled, not helping his cause at all.

  Jessica read off her note card. “The title is ‘The Gamer Guy’s Guide to Women: Love, Getting Laid and Beating Level Seventeen of Lords’ Lair.’ You’re really helping all of humanity here.”

  The audience hooted and hollered and Drew closed his eyes in pain. Shit, he knew that would come back to haunt him. His editor had approved that?

  The lights burned through his lids and he felt his stomach churn. Thank God Lucy wouldn’t see this interview. His heart twisted for a nanosecond as he realized how fast she’d dump his ass if she knew this was why he was in town. The thought of betraying her almost made him want to puke.

  Taking a deep breath, he snapped his eyes back open. This was why he was in town. To promote his article and his workshop. Even if it was off the mark,
he had to hook the audience and make a swell of interest for the press. But now that his research was done and the thesis was out there, he could be honest with Lucy. Finally. It was the first thing he’d do when he got off stage. But it wouldn’t be just words, an empty apology. He’d rewrite the article, he’d fix this. Make it right. Be better, for Lucy. He promised himself. But for now, sell it. Sell it for all you’re worth.

  Puffing his chest up and squeezing the Barbie twins closer, he drawled, “Oh, come on, Dunn. I think every guy out there, no matter how advanced his, um, skills might be—” he raised his eyebrows, “—every guy could use some tips on how to beat level seventeen.”

  The response of the crowd was crystal clear. They loved his title, even though Jessica was trying to skewer him. She knew as well as he did that their audience’s demographic wanted exactly what his article advertised.

  They went to a commercial break with the crowd screaming, the twins jumping up and down in excitement and him smack-dab in the middle of the chaos.

  He was here to do a job. Drum up interest for the article. And if he had to sell sex to get them to listen, that’s what he’d do. Except this time he had a great message. Something real to base it on. The old bait and switch. He’d rope them in with the sex and pop them with a one-two punch of reality before they saw it coming.

  * * *

  Jessica stalked off the set for the break and her sidekick hurried over for introductions to Ali and Kristy, the twins.

  The lights came back on and Drew had time to regroup. He’d sell the shit out of this article and this presentation. And the second his foot hit the sidewalk, he would dial Lucy and explain he was everything she wanted. With a side bonus that he was head over heels in love with her.

  She would, no doubt, be ecstatic.

  He pasted on a grin and prepared to brazen his way through the rest of the interview while mentally rewriting his article. The resources were right in front of his nose, he just had to use them for the right purpose.

  * * *

  Lucy sat at the Dirty Goat, missing Andy more then she realized. His flowers had started to wilt and she had trimmed down the stems, hoping to savor a little of the feeling she got from them.

  He was perfect. Thoughtful. Loved his mother. Brought her flowers. Rocked her pants off with dirty talk. His bedside skills made her quiver. Plus, he made her laugh, he made her think and, fact was, he just made her happy.

  Of course, there was the small matter of her list. But waking up the morning after he left, she realized it didn’t matter. Not anymore. So what if he didn’t have a job, or he lived with his mom? Both of those were temporary. He was getting phone calls all the time about job offers.

  And he was up-front about most everything, except his job situation. He asked for her trust. She willingly gave it. The rest of the list was mostly superficial anyway.

  Socks with sandals, pishaw. Who really cared?

  She was going off the list, and she was happy as could be, falling in love. She’d take him as he was, and maybe try to nudge him into a job that paid the bills.

  She sighed. The freefall of love was irresistible and she understood Becca even more than ever. She glanced at her phone, checking if there was a missed call. Nope, just a photo she’d taken of him down at the lakefront as they watched a storm roll in. His hair tousled, a cocky smile on his lips softened by the look in his eyes as he watched her line up the shot in her cell phone camera.

  He was cocky and he smirked too much, and he was totally fixated on these unhealthy games. Even though every outdoors suggestion she made he was up for. He actually seemed to love getting out of the apartment. Maybe she should put that on her next list of items. Loves sports. Kind to children and the elderly. Kind to nutty Becca. And most of all, kind to Lucy.

  Andy could check off all those qualities. Maybe she could get rid of the list and just build her life with Andy.

  The thought took her breath away. This was everything she had dreamed of. It was so simple.

  “Hey, Lucy.” Bartender Craig hurried down the long bar, looking nervous. “Remember I told you some guy was in here asking about you?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  He turned the volume up on a TV and changed the channel to match a TV down at the end of the bar. “This is the guy.”

  There stood Andy, with two blondes in teensy bikinis bouncing against him, grinning like a cocky bastard.

  The banner at the bottom of the screen read “Dr Drew Sullivan, PhD, professor at Portland, Oregon—Online gaming sociologist.”

  Lucy pressed her fingers to her mouth in horror.

  The hostess of the show looked pissed. “So, you really think helping geeks and gamers get laid is a noble cause?”

  “Is there anything more noble? The female brain is so complex and intricate. You ladies have these whip-smart changes and diversions. The average guy needs a guidebook to keep up. The geeky guy, who spends his time studying online gaming? His brain just doesn’t work that way.” His words weren’t horrible, Lucy gave him that. But sandwiched between the two sets of bouncing boobs as he was, nobody really heard what he was saying. The crowd hooted and the hostess rolled her eyes.

  “You like to think that you’re going to shatter these myths?”

  “Shadoobie,” Lucy murmured, echoing the Rolling Stone song. She watched Andy’s lips mouth it at the same time. Her heart in her throat, she strained to listen over the chatter of the bar.

  “Are you the man to crack the froufrou female brain and trick her into giving up the goods?” Jessica continued.

  “I didn’t exactly say that.”

  The television audience hooted.

  “But there are certain things all women have in common.” The camera zoomed in close to his face, the shaggy beard gone, a dangerous, sexy-looking scruff in its place. His jawline seemed so strong, his hair had gel in it, his eyes sparkled, he was all fired up from the argument.

  Or maybe they twinkled as he thought about banging both the chicks hanging on his every word at the next commercial break. He winked at the camera. The bastard actually winked.

  The male host broke in to ask the next question. “So this is what your three part series in Wired magazine will be on, as well as your presentation at Comic-Con?”

  “Exactly. Breaking it down and giving guys a glimpse into the female gamer mind. And hey, if that gives him a little leg up to getting into her panties? Well, if I just help one gamer get laid, then I’ve done my job.”

  “You’re despicable.” The female host broke in, nearly spitting venom. “And my heart breaks for any woman who falls for your steaming pile of shi—” Jessica’s cohost slapped his hand over her mouth at the last second. The hatred shooting from her eyes at Andy was clear. Correction, Doctor Drew Sullivan. The crowd screamed as they cut to break.

  “Dr. Drew Sullivan.” She tried the words out loud, choking a little.

  No wonder he’d laughed at her when she suggested community college. Her fingers itched to Google him now that she knew his real identity. It was like he was a superhero, except his cause was getting dudes laid, instead of saving the earth. How fucking noble.

  “That’s the guy, huh,” she muttered. “Dr. Drew Sullivan.” She tried it again. She didn’t choke on it this time. Just left a bitter taste of burned heart muscles and a pain in her liver that only tequila could fix.

  “Yeah, that’s him,” Bartender Craig said. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him when he was in here. I loved his series last year on how gaming translates to a new social society. It was a fascinating read.”

  “Wow.”

  “Hey, do you know him or something? I think I still have my Wired magazine, I’d love to get his autograph.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I don’t know him at all. Not at all. Hey, let’s do some shots.”

  * * *

  Back in her apartment, Lucy immediately Googled him using the job title from the broadcast. The shots hadn’t had the right effect on her. She
was wobbly on her feet and her vision was bleary, but her anger pulsed through her veins like a snake, choking all the air off. She had been made a fool of. He had lied. And it was over.

  She clicked angrily on the link for Dr. Drew Sullivan. Pages upon pages of photos and tabloid articles and magazine articles rolled down her screen.

  Sure enough, there were all the dirty details.

  Much-lauded professor, department head, hundreds of quotes and tons of articles in assorted gamer or techie magazines. So he had been the professor she’d found the first time she Googled. She continued the torture, digging through tons of photos of him at various fundraising functions for the university.

  Plus charity functions. Each photo had him in a fancy suit. Some had him sipping champagne, caught in conversation with another professor or an author, or even a semifamous person.

  She scrolled over one with him and the author of her favorite series at a book signing. Each had a hand clapped on the other’s back, laughing. Drew was so handsome, tan and happy, it took her breath away.

  “Well. There you have it, then.”

  Lucy calmly turned off her computer, dried her eyes and made her way unsteadily to the bathroom to throw up.

  Chapter Twelve

  The multiple voicemail messages he’d left were promptly deleted. Hearing his voice just ripped open the wound in her heart again and again, and she found herself snarling as she killed the messages. She didn’t even want to hear the lies he had cooked up now. His flight returned on Friday afternoon, and she would not be there to pick him up. He hadn’t planned on it anyway, since she was at work.

  However, she didn’t expect to see him show up at her door with a pizza, a flat gift wrapped in brown craft paper, tied with a big red bow, and a bottle of wine that evening. She had hoped he would figure out that it was over and they wouldn’t have to have this conversation face-to-face. Sure, it was the wimpy way out. But no dice. Apparently having a PhD didn’t make the man any smarter.

  She opened the door, mentally bracing herself. After three days of kicking her own ass for being so stupid, she wasn’t about to go down this path again. He looked so good, so big and strong. Just like in the press photos, she reminded herself. Except his eyes twinkled with laughter as he stood there, a sexy grin on his face. His beard shaved off, leaving just the two-day scruff, he looked even more handsome then on TV.