Kimberly Gardner

Available from MLR Press in both print and ebook

Print ISBNs:

• ISBN-10: 193453109X
• ISBN-13: 978-1934531099

©2008 Kimberly Gardner, all rights reserved

“The classical cannon of Greek and Latin literature does not treat Eros with particular reverence.” Professor Anton MacDonnough stepped out from behind his podium. He paced across the front of the classroom, his eyes alighting first on one student, then another. “In fact, any sensible reader will come away from a careful reading of the ancient texts with the clear impression that rather than a god to be adored, we would do better to treat Eros as….” Here he paused for effect. “Frankly, a psychopath.”

Laughter rippled through the room. MacDonnough smiled. Val sighed.

Of course he’d heard this line before in others of Mac’s lectures over the last four years. Mac had been his faculty advisor since his freshman year and was now advising on the writing of Val’s senior thesis. Mac always delivered the psychopath line in that exact cadence, always paused at that exact place and always smiled when the students laughed.

Just like he was smiling now.

Val sketched a stickman in the margin of his notebook, a sleeping stickman.

What the hell was he doing here anyway? He should have taken a class where he might have actually learned something to make up the three literature credits he needed to graduate. Instead he’d let Mac talk him into this class, an intro course made up mostly of freshman and sophomores, on the role of gods and monsters in ancient literature.

A total snoozer, but three easy credits for his final semester.

Val slid his gaze to the left and eyed the little hottie sitting at the next desk over. Dark hair pulled back in a stubby tail, skin so smooth it looked like he couldn’t grow a beard, and a face prettier than three quarters of the girls in the class. Not that Val was into girls. He hadn’t even thought about girls that way since that day in junior high when Rickie Garcia had given him his very first blowjob behind the bleachers after gym class.

The little hottie slumped in his chair and yawned hugely without even covering his mouth.

Val smiled. He sketched a bed for his stickman, then he drew a yawning mouth as Mac droned on.

“Let’s talk about the Iliad for a moment, and the coming together of those legendary lovers, Helen and Paris.” He paused and lifted a hand to his ear. “Ah yes, I can hear the dreamy sighs even now.”

A few of the students laughed.

“But set aside, if you will, our modern view of a magical and romantic Eros. Instead try seeing him as a destructive force that feeds off the lust and weakness of the lovers.”

Val glanced up from his doodling, his gaze locking with the hottie in the next desk. The greenest eyes Val had ever seen watched him intently. A tongue slipped out to wet full lips.

Val’s prick stirred. He dropped his gaze back to his notebook. With a few strokes of his pen he gave his stickman a raging hard?on, then a hand to wrap around it.

Oh, he was so going to fuck, or be fucked by, Green Eyes before this semester, and maybe even this day, was over.

From the corner of his eye he saw a slender hand. It reached across the space between the desks, dropped something on Val’s notebook, then retreated. A scrap of paper. Val picked it up, unfolded it, and read.
What are you doing after class?

Hopefully getting your cock up my ass, or down my throat, Val thought. Whatever you want, baby.

He was supposed to be going to a wine and cheese reception in the classics department, had promised Mac he would go. But…

Picking up his pen, Val scribbled his reply.

Wait for me outside.

Refolding the paper, Val flipped it across the narrow space between the desks. It skidded across the surface and was caught just before drifting to the floor.

Val watched as the note was unfolded and read. Green eyes lifted to meet his and the kid gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Oh yeah!

The stickman began jacking as Val wove a little fantasy starring slim hands and big green eyes and a long, thick cock. Of course, by the look of him, the guy was probably a bottom. No big deal. Even though he would rather get fucked than do the fucking, he could be flexible.

To his cartoon he added a balloon coming out of Sticky’s mouth. In it he wrote, uh, uh, uh, aaaaaahhhh!

Oh yeah, for this he could be as flexible as need be.