The Education of Buffy Summers

“Have you worked here long?” Buffy asked the handyman—Riley—
she’d met a couple of days before. She walked around the cottage he lived in,
the main campus barely visible in the moonlight, and turned to give him a
flirty smile. Finding out where he stayed on-campus hadn’t been a problem, and
it had been child’s play to get him to invite her in when she’d come knocking
on his door.

 

He was perfect for what she had in mind.

 

He was big and beefy, and that was how she liked men. Not
lean and tight, with sharp hipbones that pushed into the soft flesh of her
buttocks when he pressed himself against her in his office. Yeah, she liked her
men dark and handsome and open-faced, not blond and dangerous with cheekbones
like a knife. And dumb! Yeah, she liked ‘em dumb. Easier to jerk around that
way—jerk around in ways that were good for her, not them. Not too smart for his
own good. And definitely not with pouty lips and long
fingers. Long, long fingers. Really long—gah, stop it!

 

“A while,” answered Riley with a smile. He looks so
guileless, she thought.

 

But as innocent as he acted, he knew why she was there. He’d
sported wood from the moment he answered the door. He didn’t even ask why she’d
dropped by in the middle of the night, just licked his lips a little and invited
her in.

 

Which really was kind of creepy.

 

Her roommate was fast asleep. Buffy had waited until
Cordelia, eyes hidden beneath her sleep mask, had begun her regular rhythmic
snore before slipping out in her little schoolgirl outfit. Even the most vanilla
guy got all hot and bothered when he saw a girl in a plaid skirt and knee
socks, even if he saw them dressed like that every day. Hell, even that
headmaster had to—

 

Forget about him,
she berated herself. That was why she was there, right? To forget about him and
his hands and his eyes and the way she thought about him when she touched
herself. Yeah, she was there to get herself a good ride and get it out of her
system, and then she wouldn’t give another thought to Mr. Gorgeous and his nice
big ruler.

 

God, was the guy STILL talking? Buffy briefly tuned into to
Riley for a second and immediately wished she hadn’t.

 

“—apply fertilizer and then cover it with sod, but you have to be careful not to step on it for a few weeks,
otherwise—”

 

“That’s fascinating,” Buffy interrupted. “Has anyone ever
told you that you have beautiful eyes?”

 

“Well, thank you,” replied Jethro—RILEY, she reminded
herself, Riley—“I can’t say that they have, even when—”

 

“Do girls visit you in your rooms often?” asked Buffy,
wincing as she listened to herself. It wouldn’t have required this kind of effort
if she was dealing with a guy her age—hell, it barely required words—but she
was having difficulty time coming up with pre-sex chitchat with this guy. Man,
he was dull as oatmeal.

 

Miraculously, he was quiet for a moment. “Sometimes,” he
admitted softly.

 

Buffy repressed a small start. She sure wouldn’t have suspected
Joe the Wonder Bore was tagging the students regularly, but appearances could
be deceg.
g.

 

Suddenly the wisdom of her little get-a-man-plan seemed
questionable to her. “Uhh, that’s uhh, nice,” Buffy mumbled, starting to make
her way towards the door in the most inconspicuous manner possible. No need to
make it obvious she was heading out, even if he did seem easygoing. But since
when did she have good luck?

 

“Hey, where are you going?” he asked protestingly.

 

“Time to get back to the dorm,” she said brightly. “Classes start early around here.”

 

“Well, yeah, but…if you do it that way, nobody goes to sleep
happy,” he responded, swiftly moving past her to block the door. “This will
only take a few minutes, and I know *I’ll* sleep better afterwards.”

 

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Buffy felt
fear curl around her heart. “My roommate’s expecting me back by twelve,” she
improvised hastily. “I have to leave now.”

 

Riley smiled at her, raising a hand to touch her face. “Now,
that I doubt. She’s probably sleeping away right now—won’t notice how late
you’re gone,” he said, threading his hand through her hair and beginning to
apply pressure. Trying to force her head down.

 

Bastard! “Let go of me,” Buffy grated, fighting to keep
herself calm.

 

“In a few minutes, baby,” he told her, undoing his pants
with his free hand.

 

“Let go, let go, LET GO!” Buffy screamed furiously, struggling
against him.

 

A moment later she was free, and Riley was crumpled against
the wall of his living room.
The headmaster stood over him, startlingly informal in a black T-shirt and
jeans. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled at Riley.

 

“I—I found her in my rooms,” Riley lied. “I was trying to
get rid of her.”

 

William didn’t move from above Riley, clenching his fists
furiously as he studied the cowering man. Finally hened ned to Buffy, took her
arm, and said simply, “Let’s go.”

 

They left Riley behind without a backwards glance.

 

~*~*~*~

 

“You’re all right?” William asked, walked briskly beside
her. She nodded wordlessly, and they kept walking. Finally they were in front
of the dorm and they both stopped and turned to face each other. “I want you to
go straight up to bed, no excuses,” he told her. She nodded again and turned to
leave, but his hand closed ar her her elbow. “You’ll have to come to my office
tomorrow morning after breakfast,” he said.

 

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. “I know
you went to his cottage willingly,” he said, shaking his head as if
disappointed. “I can’t even tell you how many rules you’ve broken tonight. I know
why you went there,” he added, his gaze lingering on her mouth. “And I think
I can ensure that the punishment fit the crime.”