The relentless summer sun clung to Cordelia's shoulders like a wool sweater. Swiping a bead of sweat from her brow, she marched through the shaded square, maneuvering around loitering tourists and students soaking up the sun between classes. She kept her eyes down and ahead, a young woman on a mission. Her last class had run late thanks to Dr. Mulkey's ramblings about the practicality of geometry and now she was going to be late to her meeting with Dean Heida.
"Fuck," she hissed as her calves began to ache in protest.
Of course her meeting was five blocks from the science hall. She wore her nice flats today to look professional but now she was pissed she didn't have her comfy sneakers.
Cordelia barely glanced at the narrow city street while stepping out into the road. She heard a car honk before she saw the flash of spotless ivory cut in front of her. Halting, she barely missed getting ran over by a passing car. A white Bentley flew by with windows tinted so dark she could see her astonished reflection.
"Asshole!" she snapped, flashing the driver a poised middle finger.
She checked the road more thoroughly this time before making her way across the asphalt to the colonial building where the Deans' offices were. Without anything else in her way, Cordelia rushed through the antique doors, across the gleaming tile floors, and directly to Dean Heida's office. The office door was already open. Her heart leapt into her throat as she poked her head into the office.
"Hi," she chirped nervously.
The woman seated behind the desk turned away from her monitor to greet Cordelia with a smile. "Good afternoon, Delia," she said. "Come in and take a seat."
"Thank you for meeting with me," Cordelia said as she stepped into the small office, shed her backpack, and sank into one of the empty leather chairs. "And I'm so sorry for my tardiness. My class went late."
The dean smiled assuringly. "It gave me an extra moment to check my emails, so don't even worry about it."
Cordelia relaxed slightly but her body still felt like a rigid board.
"So," Dean Heida continued, "you wanted to discuss internship opportunities, yes?"
Nodding, Cordelia fiddled with her hands in her lap.
"I reviewed your resume and was pleasantly surprised," the dean remarked. "You were a math tutor throughout high school and you've been Dr. Dayton's TA for three semesters now?"
"Yes, ma'am," Cordelia replied politely.
The dean smiled widely. "I have a wonderful opportunity that I think you'd be a great fit for. It doesn't necessarily align with your plans to be a math teacher, but I think you could gain some very important experience."
"Oh—" Cordelia began before she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Dean Heida's deep blue eyes slid over her head as she greeted the visitor at the door. "Dr. Rochester," she said, "so glad you're here. Cordelia and I were talking about your generous internship opportunity."
Cordelia's stomach plummeted as she resisted the urge to fidget with her hair or straighten her clothes. Had she known she was meeting a potential employer today, she would've worn a skirt instead of jeans! She twisted around in her seat to glimpse this Dr. Rochester.
Her gaze collided with a pair of icy cobalt irises. Dr. Rochester leaned against the threshold with his hands tucked into the pockets of his black slacks. He wore a matching suit jacket with a pressed white button-up and black tie. His face was clean-shaved and full of sharp, angular features. Carefully gelled black hair covered his head. He was . . . hot?
Cordelia stiffened while she hastened to her feet, her eyes glued to the floor. Swallowing, she lifted them and said, "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Rochester."
He extended a hand towards her. "Pleasure to meet you as well—Cordelia, was it?" he asked, his voice a throaty rumble that made her press her thighs together.
His palm was warm and firm around her small hand. She bit the inside of her cheek to numb the heat blanketing her face.
"Yes, sir," she answered him softly.
The corner of his pink lips twitched but it was nowhere near a smile. He released her and moved back against the threshold.
"Dr. Rochester is a data scientist," Dean Heida spoke. Cordelia gladly sat back down in her seat to look at the faculty member, relieved she no longer had to look into those piercing eyes. "He owns Syntex Labs. Have you heard of them?"
Wetting her papery mouth, Cordelia nodded and cleared her throat. "I have. My roommate is a lab tech there."
Dr. Rochester entered the room fully now and slid gracefully into the seat beside her. Her pulse hammered against her temples. Jesus, why was she so nervous? She obviously didn't want to fuck this meeting up but it wasn't like she was having tea with the pope or something.
"What's your roommate's name?" asked Dr. Rochester.
"Lily," she said before hastily adding, "Lillian Hardin."
He nodded slowly. "Sounds familiar."
Dean Heida cleared her throat. "The internship you're applying for will have different requirements from your roommate's position, naturally. For one, you'll be working closely with Dr. Rochester on running calculations for a new software he's experimenting with."
Running calculations? Cordelia tried not to frown. She wasn't an economist. She was a math education major.
"What's your major?" asked Dr. Rochester.
"Math education," she told him. "I don't mean any offense, Dean Heida, but I'm not sure I'm qualified for this position."
She felt Dr. Rochester's eyes sharpen on her face.
"I wouldn't be so hasty to turn it down," he said, earning a hesitant glance from her. "I'll teach you everything you need to know, anyway. I just need an extra pair of hands while I perform other tasks."
Cordelia opened her mouth to protest but was silenced by Dean Heida.
"You should keep an open-mind, Cordelia," she sharply told the girl.
Cordelia pursed her lips. This meeting was not going at all how she'd anticipated. She thought she'd have a civil discussion with the Dean, not get ambushed into what sounded like an unsuitable internship.
"It's paid."
Her head snapped towards Dr. Rochester. He drummed his fingers along the arms of the chair.
"I'll pay you fifteen an hour," he added.
Cordelia tried not to show her surprise but her mouth parted and her brows rose. Many other internships she'd applied to weren't offering any compensation and some of them required intense teaching or child care. She could certainly use the money.
Composing herself, she straightened and swallowed back the ball of apprehension in her throat. "That is very generous of you. When are you looking for your intern to begin?" she asked.
Dr. Rochester lifted his face to flash her a small, devilish smile. "Tomorrow."
She gulped.
In the interim silence, Dr. Rochester stood from the chair and straightened his jacket. "I'm offering you a very decent opportunity considering you don't have your degree and very little experience with data, it sounds like."
So why me? she wanted to demand. Her heart started to race again.
Pushing herself out of the chair, Cordelia nodded at both of them. "Alright. I would like to apply."
Dr. Rochester smirked. "Consider yourself hired," he told her. "The Dean here will forward me your contact information. I'll be in touch, Cordelia."
With that, he nodded at the Dean and strode out of her office. Cordelia stared after him for a moment.
"He's a lot to handle," Dean Heida remarked, "but this will be good for you."
Something about the way she said it made Cordelia shift uncomfortably between her feet.
"Thank you," she said anyway. "I didn't foresee this happening so soon, but I won't complain. Thank you, Dean Heida."
The dean smiled at her. "I'll send you the facility information and you can expect Dr. Rochester will be in touch soon."
They shook hands and Cordelia let herself out of the cramped office. She paused in the lobby to catch her breath and calm her chaotic heart beat before heading outside again. The white Bentley from earlier crossed her path again, more slowly this time, and the passenger seat window rolled down. Cordelia wouldn't have noticed but the vehicle stopped directly in front of her. She frowned, her mind slipping into stranger danger alert, until she heard a familiar voice come through the window.
"Next time, don't flick off your new boss," Dr. Rochester said, leaning across the console so his brilliant blue orbs met her eyes from the darkness inside his vehicle. He smirked at the shaken look on her face and peeled off.
Her stunned deer-in-the-headlights look hardened into a glare after his taillights. "Next time, break for pedestrians!" she growled.