I hope you enjoy this.
Chapter Three:
"Three months ago, I would have never considered you for a clerk position at the DOJ," her advisor Brendan Ayers said. "But now, I hear your teachers raving about your ability to pare down complicated issues into terms the lay person can understand. They say you have a tutor. Care to tell me about him?"
"He's a very private person," Wright said.
"A lot of students would pay good money for his services," he said.
"He does this on the side is all I'll say."
Ayers laughed.
"I bet I'll find out one day he's a supreme court justice."
"Sure," Wright said.
…
"Can I ask you something odd?" Reid asked during one of their last study sessions before the end of the semester.
"Anything," she said as she read his notes on case precedents relating to student dress code.
"Is the term 'pretty boy' a term of affection?"
"Like anything, it depends on the context," she said. "Was it a friendly coworker?"
"Yes," he said. "He sometimes finds my tangents annoying though."
"I bet he does things that annoy you," she said.
"Sometimes I feel lost," he said. "My mentor who also picked me out of Cal Tech to apply for the position, left eight months ago and I still feel like I'm trying to find my place on the team besides the person who can name all of Ted Bundy's victims in the order they were killed."
Wright looked up.
"Where is this feeling of insecurity coming from?" she asked. "You're brilliant. My advisor was close to calling me a dunce to my face and now he's raving about my abilities. You are truly gifted, Spencer."
"Why am I not invited out with the team more after hours?" he asked. "I also once heard men in the bathroom say I dress more like a teaching assistant than a federal agent."
"That's it," Wright said shutting her books. "Let's get out of here."
"And go where?"
"You don't know where the bars are around here?" Wright said.
"I only looked up the closest Indian food places and coffee shops."
"Come on," she said. "You're my Eliza Doolittle."
"What?"
"Didn't anyone force you to read Pygmalion?" she said as she walked to the entrance.
"No," he said following her. "Are we really going to a bar?"
"You afraid?" she asked.
"I've faced down unsubs-serial killers alone," he said. "I'm not afraid of going to a bar."
They walked down a couple blocks to a place called "Sam's"
It was an upscale bar with polished wood and light music playing the background.
"First rule of hanging out, have a drink in mind before you enter," she said
"What can I get you two?" a man with dark brown hair asked.
"I'll have a gin and tonic," she said.
"I'll have um some chardonnay," he said nervously.
"Sure," he said. "Can I see some ID?"
Wright pulled out her license and Reid was so nervous his FBI badge fell on to the bar.
"Is this real?" the bartender asked picking it up. "You're an FBI agent?"
The man started to laugh. Reid took it back and turned red.
"And he is amazing in bed," Wright said boldly. "There aren't many men gifted with his variety of talents."
She then turned him slightly and kissed him on the lips.
"Hold off on the drinks," she said. "We're going some place more intimate."
They left the bar and Reid started laughing.
"I have no idea what just happened," he said.
"I don't either," she said cracking up. "I just wanted to wipe the look off that bartender's face."
He looked at her.
"You're the first girl who's kissed me since college," he said.
"Same here," she said.
"How was I?" he asked.
"Not bad," she said. "Hey, are you doing anything tomorrow?"
"Nothing in particular, no."
"Come to my place at ten tomorrow and bring your credit cards."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
She laughed.
"You'll see."
…
"I feel like I have entered the ninth circle of hell," he said as Wright, Darla and Amy entered the men's clothing section of a department store.
"Gee Chloe, this is how you repay Spencer," Amy said. "By dragging him to hell?"
"Nonsense," Darla said. "We're upgrading your look Dr. Reid. Come on."
"Do you guys know what you're doing?" he asked.
Darla began to pick things of racks. "We're students of anatomy."
"And fashion magazines concealed by medical texts," Amy said.
"They're naturally talented in school unlike yours truly," Wright said.
"Look at the labels of what I'm picking," Darla said. "Only buy these brands otherwise those short sleeve dress shirts will get sweat stains that won't come out."
Amy picked out ties. "Purple doesn't look bad on you."
Reid began to put things away.
"Some of this isn't my style."
"How do you want to dress like a TA or a G-Man?" Darla asked.
"Me," he said picking a few things.
Darla made a face.
"You can drag a horse to water," she said.
"Let's just try a few things on," Amy said. "And you can decide what you like."
"Fine," he said.
Wright couldn't help but smile.
"Do you regret tutoring me now?"
"No," he said. "You're opening my eyes to new things."
…
They decided to meet over the summer so she could get a jumpstart on what to expect in the Fall.
"I owe you," was the first thing he said when he sat down.
"Isn't that usually my line?" Wright said.
"I have a drink I can order casually, and I feel more confident about how I look. I owe you."
"I'm glad I can help," she said. "Maybe you'll catch the eye of a girl."
"You think so?" he said. "There is a girl I like at work, but I'm not sure how she feels about me and there are office fraternization rules."
"And policies for what to do when it is real," she said. "Just ask her out for coffee."
"I'm not ready," he said. "I haven't known her that long."
"When the moment is right, you will know," she said.
"Enough about things I don't understand that well," he said. "Let's discuss jurisprudence."
Wright sighed but smiled. She was happy to do something to make Reid's life better.