Kelly had come into the spare room the night before after getting a call from Arnold, and she expressed her concern over Arnold's blatant overt behaviour. Annie had reassured her that nothing would come of it, then reminded her that she had warned Kelly about needing to keep an eye on Arnold's lack of body sensitivity. The two of them had stayed up half the night talking and then had fallen asleep.

Annie woke up in an unfamiliar bed and sighed. She turned her head and saw Kelly's dishevelled hair and smiled. You miss him already and you just started living together. She thought and reached out to straighten the hair a little. I miss him, too.

Kelly let out a sigh and opened her eyes. “I'm sorry for bothering you like this.”

Annie chuckled. “I should be saying that, considering I really didn't want to spend another night in a new place all alone.”

“At least you didn't need a shower curtain on the bed to stay clean.” Kelly said and Annie laughed.

“It was all I could think of, okay?” Annie said in her defense. “But, you're right. Sleeping in a bed that hasn't had a thousand people on it is such a relief.”

“You mean a thousand people doing god-knows-what besides sleeping.” Kelly joked and Annie groaned.

“Don't remind me.” Annie said and sat up and looked at the time. “It's pretty early still. We can sit here and wait for your parents to get up or we can go grab breakfast for ourselves.”

“Definitely getting it for ourselves.” Kelly said and sat up, too. “Then again, we don't have to do anything today and we're not going anywhere.”

“Everything is all mixed up and turned around now.” Annie said and sighed.

“Come on. I need to practice making breakfast. A real breakfast.” Kelly corrected and Annie nodded. They both stood up and left the spare room and went to the kitchen. Annie gave her tips as Kelly made breakfast.

Kenneth smelled something good being cooked and climbed out of bed, rubbed his face to wake up, then left his bedroom and went to the kitchen. He was shocked when he didn't see his wife and stopped dead when he saw two barely dressed attractive women walking around his kitchen in little boy shorts and tiny t-shirts making breakfast.

He quickly turned around and went right back to bed.

*

The biology class worked for the entire hour, and Arnold had to step in and give a hand to a few of the students when they had trouble. He didn't know that they were only having trouble just so he would help them, though. It was a bit sneaky of them; but, no harm was done to either Arnold or the specimen.

When the hour was over, Amy spoke. “If you haven't completed your specimen dissections, or believe that you haven't, you'll need to make an appointment with me to complete it on your own time.”

“Are you kidding?” One of the guys asked.

“The lab won't count against your course completion unless you finish it.” Amy reminded him. “You also can't move on to the next subject in class without it.”

“Well, damn.” He said. “I need an appointment.”

Amy smiled. “Meet me at the professor's desk and we'll set things up.”

“Who will be doing the assists?” One of the girls from Arnold's dorm asked.

“It depends on the time of day you make the appointment.” Amy said. “I have classes in the afternoons, so it'll be mornings and possibly the weekend for me.”

“Then it's afternoons and evenings for Arnold?” She asked and Amy nodded. “I have fifth class off, so I want an appointment for then, please.”

“Desk.” Amy said and walked over to it, and she was surrounded by ten students that needed to finish their specimens.

Professor Crenslav walked over to Arnold and whispered. “We need to clean and prep the desks again. I'll put the students' names on the specimens and the lab workers will help me put them away while you replace their tools.”

“Sir.” Arnold said and they got to work. By the end of the ten minute break, Arnold had cleaned the tables and had replaced everything with fresh tools, then he put out the next series of specimens. He took the dirty tools to the back of the lab and set them all inside the sterilizer and turned it on. He would need them after the next class.

Amy finished making the appointments just as the next class came into the lab and she was surprised that everything was already done. She looked over at Arnold, who was already back at the front of the lab, and his suit still looked fine and wasn't rumpled at all.

The next class proceeded just like the last one and everything had to be reset for the third and final class that morning. More appointments were made as well, and Amy felt a little guilty that most of them wanted afternoon and evening appointments.

Arnold is definitely earning his paycheck this week. Amy thought as the next class proceeded and Arnold did the same thing she was doing and walked around to offer advice and help to those that needed it. It wasn't strictly necessary for them to do that since the lab workers could handle it normally; but, having an extra person or two around to ease the pressure was a big help for both the lab workers and the students.

The class ended and only three appointments needed to be made for that afternoon. The lab was quickly cleaned up and all the specimens were marked with names of the students and stored away, then Arnold sterilized the tools and put them away.

“Holy shit! We're done before lunch!” Cissily exclaimed and the other lab workers laughed.

“Yes, Miss Thomas. You and the others can go.” Hamil said and waved at the door.

“Fucking A!” Cissily said and walked over to Amy and grabbed her hand. “Let's go! Chow time!”

“Hey!” Amy exclaimed as Cissily dragged her out of the lab.

“This morning went great.” Dianne commented as she and the others walked over to the door. “I don't think we've ever had things go this smoothly.”

Hamil nodded and turned to look at Arnold. “You can go eat, too. You have a few appointments this afternoon and this evening.”

“Yes, sir.” Arnold said and left the lab to go to the cafeteria. It was busy again and he waited in line, then the slightly overweight woman behind the counter saw him and smiled.

“Hey, hun.” She said. “What can I get for you today?”

“The same.” Arnold said and pointed.

“Really?” She asked, shrugged, and gave him the same chicken breast pieces and a plate of french fries. It was green jello this time and she gave him that, too. He moved down the line to the register and the young woman gave him a big smile. She didn't ask if he wanted pop and just got it for him and took his money and gave him his change.

“Are you busy tonight?” She asked.

“I have several appointments to help students work on their biology assignments.”

“Aww, okay.” She said. “See you later.”

Arnold nodded and he walked towards the table where he had sat the day before.

“ARNOLD! We're over HERE today!” Cissily said loudly and waved as she stood to get his attention. Her table was tucked into an alcove and Arnold walked over to her. “You can sit right here beside me.”

“Geez, Cissily.” The redhead across the table said. “Just because he's technically your boss, doesn't mean you should be sucking up to him all the time.”

“HA!” Cissily barked a laugh. “Believe me, he would know it if I was gonna suck on anything of his.”

Amy groaned on her other side and Cissily laughed.

“Don't worry, Fareena. I won't even ask him if he'll let me jerk him off.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake.” Amy sighed.

“Jerk me off?” Arnold asked.

“Rub your magic lamp? Tug on your silly string? Tease your snake until it spits?” Cissily asked and had everyone at the table and the next two tables laughing.

Arnold just gave her a confused look.

“Hey, you really are an ignorant fuck.” Cissily said in a soft voice and took his hand. “It all means the same thing. Using my hand to play with your dick until you came.”

“Oh.” Arnold said. “Does that count as sex?”

“I think that depends on who you ask.” Cissily said and looked around the table. “Bitches? What's the verdict?”

“If you lick it or suck at all, definitely sex.” The redhead said. “Just the hand to get him off? It's just masturbation with assistance.”

“Same.” The blonde beside her said.

“It depends on what the purpose is.” A black woman with dreadlocks said. “If it's just for fun, then I'll go with masturbation, even if a mouth is involved. If you're intending it to be more than that, either right after or later, then you're trying for sex and it counts.”

“That's a little more existential reasoning than the question needs.” Cissily said eloquently and the woman laughed. “Next.”

“Masturbation.”

“Sex.”

Cissily looked at Amy. “...and what's your opinion?”

“I abstain, since I'm his boss.” Amy said and kept eating.

“Oh, don't be all prudish now!” Cissily said. “We all said what we think of having a dick in our hands.”

“You didn't.” Amy said.

“I was saving the best for last.” Cissily grinned. “So, spill it. What do you think?”

Amy looked around and they were all staring at her. “Okay, fine.” She said. “It's just jerking him off and doesn't count, even if you lick and suck on it, because it's all for him and we don't really get anything out of it.” She said. “Your turn.”

“I think it depends on whose hand it is.” Cissily said and they all looked at her with surprise on their faces. “If it's just some girl, it shouldn't count. Like Fareena said, it's just jerking off. If it's the hand of someone you care about, like a girlfriend or a lover, any contact like that counts as sex.”

“Wow.” The redhead across the table said. “Who knew you were that deep emotionally?”

“Fuck you, too.” Cissily said and everyone laughed, then Arnold took out his cell phone.

“Arnold, what are you doing?” Amy asked.

“Asking my girlfriend what she thinks.” Arnold said and started texting. His phone beeped several times in a row and he typed back.

“Jesus Christ, he's crazy.” The black woman with dreadlocks said. “He's actually asking his girlfriend about it.”

“You've got huge brass balls, Arnold.” Cissily said and read the texts and smiled. “Huge brass balls.”

“What's she saying?” The redhead asked and leaned over to read them upside down. “Okay, wow.” She said and looked at Arnold. “Either she trusts you beyond all reason or she's the best girlfriend in the world.”

“Kelly hasn't given me oral sex yet.” Arnold said, which he understood was the qualifier for the best girlfriend, since both Heather and Claire had done that for him and qualified for it. Every single woman at the table gasped. They all looked at each other and exchanged various sad faces at Arnold having a girlfriend that wouldn't do that for him.

Cissily was closest, so she put a hand on his arm. “I'm sure she'll do that for you eventually.”

“Only if she asks me for sex.” Arnold said and put his cell phone away. “I'll wait until then.”

“You're waiting for your girlfriend... to ask you... for sex.” Cissily said and he nodded. “Where is she?”

“She had to move back home and she won't be back until the fall.” Arnold said and finished eating in complete silence. Everyone at the table watched him take his tray back to the counter and disperse its contents. When he walked out of the cafeteria, they all let out sad sighs.

“The poor guy.” The redhead said. “Three months without sex would kill me.”

Everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement, including Amy and Cissily.

*

Arnold went back to the lab after eating and prepped for the appointments he had to help the students with finishing their class specimens. Amy had been industrious and booked several students, so Arnold had to prep one table and three place settings, checked the appointment, then retrieved their assigned specimens.

The first three students showed up and he spent the next twenty minutes assisting them. He gave them hints and showed them what they should be doing and how to do it, and the three young women appreciated his instruction. Word had spread a little about his casual dress when in the dorm and that made them more tolerant of his seemingly cold attitude, because they assumed he was like that only when working.

They finished and he put their specimens away, put out three new place settings, and waited for the next appointment. When they showed up, he helped them, too. The rest of the afternoon went like this, with sometimes single and double appointments, and then the school day ended. The appointments didn't, however. He had more of them after supper, so he made a quick trip to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

“Back again.” The woman behind the counter said and chuckled. “The usual?”

Arnold nodded and she gave him chicken and fries, then he went to the register.

“You really are working tonight, right?” The young woman asked and gave him his plastic cup of soda.

“My next appointment is in twenty minutes.” Arnold said and paid for the meal, sat down at the table in the alcove, then brought the tray and plates back to the counter.

“See you tomorrow!” Both the woman behind the counter and the girl at the register said.

Arnold kept working for several more hours and all of the students managed to finish their specimens. He had fought his own instincts to take over from them and do it right all day. When the last student left, Arnold cleaned up and put the specimens away, checked off the appointments from the sheet on the professor's desk, then left the building to go back to the dorm.

“They really worked you hard today.” Doris said when he came through the door, as if she knew exactly what he had been doing and when he would be back. “Come here for your reward.”

Arnold walked over and she came around the desk to take him into a hug, then she kissed his cheek.

“You did a great job today.” Doris said and ran her hand over the top of his head before she let him go. “You keep that up and you'll be running the department someday.”

Arnold wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Doris saw the odd expression on his face and nodded. “Yes, that task is a bit too daunting for someone so young to think about, so don't worry about it for now. You just do your work, learn everything that you can, and be the best Arnold you can be.”

“The best Arnold I can be?” Arnold asked.

“There's only one of you, so only you can be the best you.” Doris smiled. “Get better at your job. Learn new skills. Have fun.”

“I can't have fun. Kelly's not here.” Arnold said and Doris nodded understanding.

“Well, I'm sure we can figure out something while she's gone.” Doris said. “I bet she'll want to hear from you after you go upstairs to your room.”

“Okay.” Arnold said and walked over to the elevator. He didn't notice that the lobby was empty, which meant nearly everyone was already upstairs and in their rooms. When he left the elevator on his floor, all of the doors were shut, except for the one near his own. When he used his key to open his door, he saw a brunette come out into the hallway.

“Hi, Arnold.” Emily said.

“Hello.”

“Long day, huh?”

Arnold nodded and went into his room, then shut his door.

“Dammit.” Emily whispered and stepped back into her room and shut her door, too.