Mortified, and, yes, blushing from my toes to the top of my head, I hurry to my seat, avoiding the looks from my fellow classmates. I put up my sketchpad to block my view of a grinning Drew and the questioning eyes in front of me.

“Sweet Mother of the Universe,” Karen, a New Ager I consider a friend, whispers to me. “You really do know the models, and you moved in with them. I’m right? Right?”

I shake my head and lean toward her. “Shush. I’ll talk to you later,” I say, avoiding looking to the front. Sweet unripe bananas and rotten tomatoes, what am I going to do? I can’t possibly look at him, never mind draw him for two hours.

Karen smiles knowingly and picks up her charcoal. “He’s staring at you. Are you sleeping with him? I’d do him in an instant. How could you have kept this from me? I heard the rumors that three famous hotties came looking for you at the beginning of school and wanted your body, but I thought it wasn’t real. You definitely have a lot of explaining to do.”

Maybe I can copy off of her without actually looking at Drew at all. I hear whispering all around me, but I’m trying to ignore it. I peek around my canvas and Drew waves at me, making me duck back behind my shield. Fuck—yes, I said it again—fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh, it feels so good to yell it in my mind. How am I going to draw him with his one-eyed Willy watching me?

Did I just think that? I mean his penis, of course, and it’s a nice big one from what I saw while peeking around the corner of my blank canvas. He’s definitely a shower.

Karen has started, and her sketch is good, like, really good. Of course she’s started with the penis and is definitely doing it justice. She has a wide grin stretched across her mouth, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts drooling soon.

“Ms. Phillips, is there a problem?” my professor asks over my shoulder, making my head swivel. I’m utterly embarrassed I’ve been caught staring at Drew’s penis on Karen’s canvas.

“Um no,” I mumble and pick up my charcoal from the little shelf on the easel in front of me.

Damn Drew and his grinning penis. I peek again and see Drew has a serious face on and is all business. Maybe without his mischievous grin this might actually be doable.

Time flies, and I’m drawing like a madwoman wanting this torture to end. It’s not as doable as I thought, because Drew has a habit of turning his head and winking at me from time to time.

“Hey, Dora, you better hurry. Not much time left to draw that piece you’re still missing.” Karen giggles as she points to the spot where Drew’s penis should be hanging. I quickly fix the problem and will probably get a bad grade for drawing a loincloth over that area. But as much as I’ve tried, I can’t do it.

“Time’s up. Let’s give Drew a hand for coming in and posing for us.” Everyone claps vigorously, even the guys, which surprises me as I’m sure more than half are not as well-endowed as him. “Leave your canvases on your easels. Everyone, I hope you enjoy your holidays.”

I grab my messenger bag and quickly move toward the exit, glad that the professor has Drew’s attention. The last thing I need is to have Drew walk out with me through the campus. I’m humiliated enough by all the stares and whispers I’m already getting. Thank goodness I have only a few more days of exams, and then maybe by January everyone will have forgotten about this.

Yeah right, and hell will freeze over. I see Jeff ahead and quickly run up and slide my arm around his.

“Hey, what’s up?” he says as I drag him toward our next class.”

“Just keep moving and I’ll explain later.” He moves faster to keep up with me, which is a first since my short legs are usually trying to keep up with his long ones.

Have I told you math is not my best subject, and Jeff has done all he can to help me? I only hope all his hard work will pay off. Nobody looks happy as we file into Calculus, and when we see the thick test packet sitting on our desks, we let out a groan. Our professor is a sadist. Jeff squeezes my hand reassuringly and moves to the other side of the room to take his seat. I know you’re wondering why we don’t sit together. Mr. Cramer feels that seat assignment is a necessity in college. He should teach high school. We’re adults, aren’t we?

“So, how do you think you did?” Jeff asks when we’re back out in the stark courtyard. The temperature has dropped at least twenty degrees since we started the test. I shiver, not from the cold but from what my grade will probably be.

“I don’t know. I had problems with the second half, but I think I aced the first. I can’t believe that SOB gave us a freaking booklet to finish in under an hour, not to mention we still have to take the second part of the final that he says most of our grade will be based on. Who has their students take a two-part final … in math? Sadist much?”

“I’m sure you did great. Let’s go get some lunch. My treat.” Jeff puts his arm around me and pulls me close, kissing the top of my head. I love Jeff, and even if I bombed the test, it won’t be because of his tutoring.

“Is he as hot as what I imagine?” Jeff’s grin is contagious as we wait for our lunch.

“I swear he has a twelve pack, and there isn’t an ounce of fat on that body. It’s sickening. Nobody should be that perfect.”

“Twelve pack, huh? So let’s get down to the real grit of the subject: his dick. Well?”

“Nothing special,” I say with a straight face, and I love Jeff’s shocked expression.

“No way. The boy has to be hung. I would bet my daddy’s fortune on that,” Jeff argues.

“I’ve seen worms bigger.” I love that he’s torn between believing me and not.

“Worms? Are you guys going fishing?” A familiar voice makes me freeze, hoping he hasn’t heard more.

“Hey, Drew,” Jeff says. “Take a seat. I was just reminiscing about the last time I went fishing. Dora just told me she hates worms. Despises them, in fact. It’s a girl thing.”

I kick Jeff under the table, hoping he won’t say more. Drew moves in next to me in our booth, his thigh nestled next to mine.

“So, Dora told me about your little volunteer session this morning.” Jeff smiles. “She thoroughly enjoyed having a live model to draw instead of that boring old bowl of fruit.”

I grit my teeth, wanting so badly to smack him upside his goofy grinning head.

“Yeah, it was really fun. When I approached Tim with the idea, he was so excited. I guess this is the first time he’s had a real model come to his class, especially with all the university’s budget cuts.” While gesturing as he talks, Drew brushes his arm up against mine which cause him to grin at me.

So, it probably seems odd that I’m not reacting to him in a positive way. Mostly it’s because I know he’s not really into me, but I also don’t get those funny feelings in my stomach that I get around Colin.

“What’s it like, being naked in front of a class of artists?” Jeff’s question makes me want strangle him. Yes, my blushing mechanism is going full blast, and I quickly grab my cold drink, hoping it helps some.

“It’s something I’m used to, I guess. If you’re shy about nudity in the modeling biz, you don’t last too long. We constantly change in front of a crowd of photographers, makeup artists, directors, agents, and other models. So, modesty is quickly forgotten.”

That wouldn’t work for me. I’ve been naked in front of a select few, but a crowd? No way.

“Dora, how would you feel being naked in front of a group?” Jeff asks, raising one eyebrow, looking all innocent.