Dr. Miranda Carpenter, Ph.D.
Science Department
University of Southern Florida
Tampa, Florida 33620
Dear Dr. Carpenter,
The Campus Institute for Safe Sex (C.I.S.S.) is proud to announce your nomination for the Most Virtuous Woman on Campus award. You have always been a strong supporter of our group and our goal to disseminate accurate information about sex to the student body. We could think of no better way to honor your commitment, both personal and professional, to virtuous and wholesome living.
Ms. Teri Carpenter of the Drama Department submitted the initial nomination, which was seconded by Dr. Noah Yeager, your colleague in the Department of Psychology. You are competing with five other nominees, one from each academic class including the graduate program.
The contest, a precursor to Sexual Awareness Week, will entail the "supervision" of a date with the man of your choice. A reporter from the campus newspaper will be the observer and will then publish a summary so students may judge which candidate conducted herself in the most virtuous manner.
If, for some reason, you can't think of anyone you'd like to take on this date, we've already heard from several volunteers. The winner will be announced at our C.I.S.S. Week kick-off rally.
Sincerely, C.I.S.S.
Cc: Ms. Teri Carpenter
Dr. Noah Yeager
UH-OH.
Noah Yeager skimmed the letter on his desk again, then glanced back at the newspaper lying alongside. The article - on the front page, no less - with the headline PRACTICALLY A VIRGIN, stood out in bold, block type just above Miranda's picture.
Talk about getting scooped.
His stomach turned as he realized how badly his good intentions had gone awry. Tossing the newspaper in his out box, Noah groaned. No one told him The Bull Report was going to run a special precontest exposi on the nominees. No one told him they'd use his nomination letter for quotes, or that Miranda's sister, Teri, would reveal the contents of Miranda's diary to the twenty thousand students who attended the Tampa campus.
Maybe she'll be flattered, having her personal life held up to her students as a prime example of smart choices and clean living. A reward for putting her career, her students and her family before her own personal needs.
Yeah, right.
Noah stuffed the letter in his shirt pocket beside the Snickers bar he'd intended to eat for breakfast and the cigar he was saving for after lunch. He didn't have much of a choice but to seek out Dr. Carpenter before her next class and do some serious explaining.
And some damage control.
He'd tell her the truth, of course. He'd seconded Miranda's nomination as the Most Virtuous Woman on Campus with a letter of recommendation and the best of intentions. He knew Miranda supported the C.I.S.S. group. Their goal to bring morality and virtue into the limelight of the new millennium was admirable - courageous even.
Besides, Miranda's sister, Teri, could be very convincing.
"I just want to show my sister what a role model she is to her students," Teri had argued. "Not like me. But we can't all be party animals like I am. Or you. Right?"
Party animal? Served him right to be saddled with such a ridiculous reputation. Fact was, after two failed relationships - one that involved a divorce decree and the other requiring several restraining orders - he had taken to hitting the nightlife rather hard. A different woman on his arm every night followed by quick goodbyes before anyone got the wrong impression. He'd been upfront and clear with each and every woman - he had no intention of seeing them again. No hurt feelings. No broken hearts. No boiled bunnies in his Crock-Pot - or in his case, no prized set of autographed baseballs served crisp and fresh from the fireplace.
After that experience, the only thing Noah Yeager committed to was a reputation as a man with no commitments. Even the elusive allure of fellow faculty member Miranda Carpenter hadn't deterred him. The fact that she showed no interest in him beyond friendship wasn't the point.
Noah ripped the wrapper off his candy bar and took a bite, then another. When his jaw ached from munching caramel, peanuts and nougat, he admitted to himself that he was a gullible fool in believing Teri Carpenter capable of goodwill. Though Miranda had used her considerable clout to place her younger sister as artist-in-residence, Teri reciprocated by spilling Miranda's secrets to a student reporter who obviously missed the class on ethics in journalism.
The world now knew that Miranda hadn't had a date since 1996 - when she'd attended a family wedding with the bride's gay brother. The public could also read, in excruciating detail, about Miranda's awkward adolescence, her heartrending crush on her high-school biology teacher and her first and, from all accounts, last sexual encounter with a teenage boyfriend as adept in pleasuring a woman as Noah was in making a relationship last.
Crass as it was, the headline fit. PRACTICALLY A VIRGIN described Miranda's experiences to a T.
His gaze drifted back to the picture beside the article. At least the reporter had the decency to use a flattering photo, though Noah doubted the hack could have found a snapshot that didn't do the woman justice. Beauty like Miranda's didn't come from the nearest makeup counter, nor was such charisma glorified on television or in fashion magazines. Her features were too delicate, too ethereal, her lavender eyes too wide with unmatched intellect to be appreciated by the general public.
But in private ... Noah's appreciation ran deeper than he'd ever admit.
Thankfully, she didn't share Noah's secret admiration. A single hint of desire on her part and he'd be lost for sure.
Continues...
Excerpted from Good Girls Do! by Julie Elizabeth Leto Copyright © 2000 by Julie Elizabeth Leto. Excerpted by permission.
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