Sweet Smell of Jasmine
Keywords: Smell, Sweet, Jasmine, of,
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"Disclaimer: This short story is intended for mature audiences. It contains sexually explicit content including oral, anal, bdsm and smoking fetish. If you are under the legal age it is recommended by the author that you proceed no further. The characters and locations in this story are complete fiction. "
*Chapter One*
Professor Donald Ludwig looked out over the calm lake water. Sitting on his dock during his favorite season he reflected back over the summer and jotted down the occasional note on a blue line writing pad. So much to remember. The past four months had gone by quickly. His foremost thoughts were of what a special time in his life he was about to enter.
Dons career in academia had matured. During his actual teaching years he had mentored thousands of students. His research grants had became fundamental to the University. Several years ago a large pharmaceutical company granted the University and Dons college of chemical engineering a large sum of money to research and test new products. Over the years, Dons research and laboratory work had gained several new grants along with even larger sums of money. Through the royalties system both Don personally and the University had benefited financially. Don used some of his gains to purchase the lake property and build his ultimate retirement home. A modest but spacious log home on his own private lake. Every consideration was taken to accommodate Dons desire for solitude. Being a long time bachelor and childless by choice the lake and cabin were extensions of his being. The only down side to the property was that it was located fours by car from the campus. The total seclusion of being miles from civilization did however appeal to Don. Being a life time student of nature himself, the setting offered him everything of interest along with the great hunting and fishing opportunities of unspoiled Canada.
For the last several years Professor Dons focus was not of teaching or research, but the supervision of graduate students. This last summer, under an agreement with Dean Joseph Robards, Don worked at his remote location by computer. He could access and track the student work and communicate with his peers. Towards the end of summer, Dean Robards accepted Dons idea of becoming faculty emeritus thereby allowing Don to try out retirement. Joe respected Don for his work and was a close friend. The two had gained tenure together twenty years ago. Although Don was probably the better of the two as researchers, Joe played the politics much better, and was selected for the Deans position ahead of Don. There were no hard feelings at all between them, after all it was Don getting the added financial benefit from the royalties.
Don jotted a few more notes. He needed to remember the extra set of keys to the Universities car that he was assigned. Becoming staff emeritus also meant giving back the company car. Hopefully he could persuade one of his graduate students to drive him back up to the lake. He also needed to pay the utilities on his off campus apartment and make sure that it was cleaned. His personal belongings were moved at the end of last term and he thought that aside from the final utility bills the apartment was ready for the next tenant. His office was another story. There were files that needed boxing and mementos that needed to get packed. At least a day there he speculated. Don made another notation on the pad. Student final evaluations. Don could not finish that process until they made their presentations. Four students had yet to present. The others were completed and filed. Don was able to file those through the University computer system and emails to Dean Robards. Lets see....Karen Clark......Lynda Wyatt.......Mark Rackor and last but not least.....Paul Bottrell.
*Chapter Two*
The long drive south went faster than expected. Same four hours, but the autumn leaves were a sight to behold. Although pleasant, he wouldn't miss the drive. A myriad of things went through Don's mind as the miles past. His ever present blue line pad now had fifteen pages of notes. Don was making notes on graduate student Karen Clark. Karen was a year or two older than the others. She took most of her undergraduate classes a few at a time because of financial reasons which resulted in her taking two years longer. When Karen entered the graduate studies program she was already 25 years old. Once in the program for a semester, Don got her a paid position which allowed her to focus her full attention on her PHD. She had several assignments as his grad student. In May she had finished her research on a compound to help people stop smoking. Although University regulations prevented testing on actual human subjects, the feed back Don received from Apex Pharmaceuticals was that the compound would be in production later in the year. Normally drug testing took much longer than that. Curious. Note to follow up on that. Attendance. Hmmm Karen was out sick for five days just after the end of spring term. Upon returning from the sick days, Karen started working with Lynda Wyatt on cosmetics. That was unusual. Karen never wore any makeup at all. She didn't even seem to have any interest in men in general. Don couldn't even remember Karen being dressed up. Loose kaki pants and a sweat shirt. Hair tied back. Glasses. She looked the part of a grad student. However, she was very intelligent and dedicated. Of all his students in the last few years, Karen most deserved her PHD. Another note, check to see if job placement had found something for Karen. In a recent e-mail from Karen, she didn't express any interest in staying at University for another term in a paid position. Another note, talk with Joe about Lynda's sexual harassment complaint against Paul.
Lynda Wyatt had been working with Apex's off shoot company that was in development of cosmetics. Longer lasting, brighter colors. Lynda had a biology background and not chemistry. At the time Apex made the submission for testing, Don couldn't see the relationship between cosmetics and chemical analysis and his laboratory. Since Lynda had the background in biology, Don felt that she was the better qualified. Paul had the experience in double blind testing so Don put Paul in the position of overseeing Lynda's research. Shortly after they teamed Lynda made a complaint against Paul with Dean Robards office. That was six months ago. Joe hadn't mentioned anything more about it to Don but he was pretty sure it was a sexual harassment complaint. After the Deans investigation, Paul was put on probation until his graduation. Don's feeling was that Paul probably was guilty of the indiscretion. After all, Paul was a bit of a renegade. Curiously, Lynda also had taken sick leave around the same time as Karen.
Paul Bottrell was intelligent, no doubt about that. Paul worked hard, but had a reputation of cutting corners with his research. In several of Paul's proposals over the years, Don turned down his testing requests. Just outside of "our territory" was Don's answer, but Paul couldn't see the same liability issues that Don saw. Human testing was just not to happen at that University. Paul was frustrated and often implied that Don was stifling his research. Paul was arrogant. He didn't have the mindset of working with a team. Paul had also opened his own dialog with Apex. It would be an understatement to say Paul played a small part in Don's decision to become faculty emeritus.
On the positive side, Paul had spent months enthusiastically working on Apex's anti-depressant prototype. The medication that Apex had developed was very effective at relieving stress and clinical depression, however it needed a method of "introduction" to the human body. In Paul's latest progress report, he indicated that he was working on gradual absorption. During the spring semester, while Karen was finishing her research on her anti smoking medication there had been some kind of altercation between her and Paul. Paul was a smoker, and made no apology for it. Karen was anti smoking to say the least. Don was never privy to what caused the altercation, however, Karen had made statements that she would never work alongside Paul again. But that seemed to evaporate with the beginning of summer session.
Mark Rackor was everything Paul was not. Team player extraordinaire. Very out going and quick witted. Mark would handle any project given and worked tirelessly towards its fruition. Don was waiting to view Marks project on hormone supplements, but he was rather confident that Mark was the candidate to take over his supervisor position, at least as an interim, until another qualified person could be found.
*Chapter Three*
Professor Don's last day was hectic to say the least. A breakfast meeting with Joe followed by several of his peers dropping by his office as he packed his boxes. Most all of his friends and associates regretted his departure and their claims of his being too young (early fifties) to retire were not unexpected. But Don felt good about his decision and his mind drifted back and forth between his summer home and his notes on the blue lined pad. One by one each of his four remaining graduate students dropped by his office with their cumulative work neatly boxed for his review in the next few weeks. Don's last stop of the afternoon was by the administrations office to modify his health care package and change his status to "emeritus". Karen Clark had volunteered to make the long drive both ways with Don's load of boxes. After his apartment was cleaned and he'd turned the keys over to the property manager, Don walked the two blocks to a Super 8 motel after loading the last of the boxes in Karen's mini van. Don settled in to watch a little TV before hitting the sack for his and Karen's 8 am departure.
The next morning the sun was shining and it was a glorious beginning to Don's new life. Don took advantage of the continental breakfast at the Super 8 and Karen was there promptly at 8 am.
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Keywords: Smell, Sweet, Jasmine, of,