Chapter II: Anna's Request
At the university where I teach, some students will do anything to get a great letter of recommendation.
Anna was one of my best students.
A pretty brunette with a killer body and a sweet smile, Anna needed a strong letter of recommendation to get into the University of Michigan Law School, one of the best in the country. She'd had me in three classes, and I was definitely in position to write a good letter for her. Without my letter, she'd never get into Michigan.
Anna was the kind of student who deserved to go to law school and would make an excellent law student—smart, dedicated, punctual, met every deadline, student body president, and captain of the team. She had worked hard in college. Her 3.92 GPA and very high test scores would have gotten her into many excellent law schools, but Michigan was so incredibly competitive.
To seal the deal she needed a great recommendation from a professor who knew her well.
And that professor was me.
It's unethical for a professor to write a great letter of recommendation for a student who isn't first rate.
It's also unethical, of course, for a professor to ask a student for something in exchange for a letter of recommendation. I knew professors who wanted cash, or, more subtly, would accept a 500 dollar gift card for a letter praising a student's qualities. I had never done anything like that. But Anna......Anna was special. Anna made me crazy.
And ethics was never my strong suit.
What would a professor risk to get involved with a student?
What would a student give to get into an elite American law school? To pay for law school, students would often have to go 150,000 dollars into debt. Law schools don't give scholarships.
Except....
Except to the very best students. A great letter could be worth a $25,000 a year scholarship for three years. Anna knew this perfectly well.
So when she knocked on my door that Thursday afternoon, Anna understood that the answer to the question she was about to ask me could be very valuable indeed.
Anna looked so great that day. She dressed up to come and see me. She had a wonderful blouse that highlighted her small but sexy breasts, and a short black skirt. Her legs were fantastic, muscular and smooth.
So when I asked her in the office, she was bright and perky, putting on her best face. And she was so smart and pretty. She really did brighten my day every time I saw her, in class or out.
She walked past the chair across from me, choosing to sit on the couch instead. I sat at my desk, smiling. She looked fantastic, a beautiful senior, with clear blue eyes, a quick smile, high cheekbones, full lips, and a relaxed, inviting pose.
After a little chit chat, she finally took a deep breath, flashed a big, awkward smile, and leaned forward, giving me a little glimpse down the front of her top. This was no accident, I thought, hopefully. She was getting ready to ask me for something important.
"Professor," she said, "I really want to go to law school."
"Well, that's great Anna. I knew that, actually. You told me last year that you were thinking about applying. With your grades, you shouldn't have any trouble getting in to a really good school."
She casually uncrossed her legs, and leaned forward.
"But Professor, honestly, the school I really want to go to is.... the University of Michigan."
"Wow, Michigan?"
"Yes, Sir." I loved it when she called me "Sir."
"You know how hard it is to get into Michigan, right? I think they only accept about four percent of all applicants. That's one acceptance for every twenty-five applications. One in twenty five!"
"Yes Professor, I know. But with my leadership positions on campus, my grades, my internship at the law firm, my great test scores, my double major......I was thinking I'd give it a shot. Some of my other professors think I have a really good chance." She looked at me hopefully.
I leaned forward and placed a hand lightly on her knee. "Listen, Anna, if you really want it, then you should give it a try." I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, but you really have to want to go to Michigan. They won't take anyone who isn't really dedicated. And can prove it." I smiled my slightly encouraging, slightly aggressive smile.
If you took an MRI of my brain right there and then, a certain primitive sector would have been flashing orange.
Was I really going to give in to this instinctive, animalistic feeling? Me, a highly regarded, internationally famous scholar and professor? Was I going to trade on my power over this sexy girl to satisfy my most perverse impulses?
Well...
Probably...
Anna straightened up and smiled. "Yes, sir! I really, really want to go! It's been a dream of mine! My grandfather went there! I've wanted to go to Michigan Law since I was a little kid!
Hmmmm, I thought to myself. How badly does she really want to go? I couldn't help but get aroused imagining just how badly she wanted this...this ...little scrap of paper that I'd sign. My "highest, most enthusiastic recommendation."
"Anna, I'm sure you know that to get into Michigan, you need it all. Great grades, leadership roles in university organizations, top-notch test scores and......" I gave her a meaningful look. "And absolutely fantastic letters of recommendation."
She blushed. "Yes, sir. That's why I'm here. I was wondering..." She hesitated. She looked away.
She squirmed. I loved seeing her in this awkward position. I treasured her nervous movements, her flushed cheeks, the way she moved from side to side, the way she absent- mindedly brushed the bangs from her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck as she got up the courage to ask.
"I was wondering if you..... if you could, like, you know, write me a.....you know...."
"A letter of recommendation?" I finished her sentence for her, coolly.
A wave of relief came over her face. She allowed herself a little laugh. "Yes, a letter of recommendation. I mean after all I took three of your courses and I got two A's and an A minus... It was you who really has encouraged me to go to law school. And you've always been my favorite professor, the one I did the most work for, who I really wanted to show how good I could be!"
"Yes, you had an almost perfect record in my courses... Yes, you have been a very good student," I told her in my slightly condescending professorial tone.
I smiled, but my eyes were dead serious.
"Not great, but certainly very good," I said, like the manipulative jerk I could be. You see, I had to keep some bit of leverage over her; I had to keep her willing to work for it. To please me...
Anna's face dropped. "Not great? But professor, you always wrote such positive comments on my papers and my exams...." Her voice trailed off.
"And I always loved your courses. I learned so much...." Her cheeks reddened again. Tears came into her eyes. "You, you ...inspired me to do my best, to go to law school, to excel." Her voice trailed off.
I watched all this with a mixture of sadness at how hurt she must be, and a kind of cold pleasure that she was responding exactly how I'd wanted. I really was a Professor of Two Minds: both professional and perverted at the same time.
"Oh, thank you Anna. That's very kind of you. I really have tried to mentor you as best as I could. But still...."
