Shakespeare Under Cover Read online

  Shakespeare Under Cover

  By Erin Wade

  Copyright 2/2019

  Edited by Susan Hughes

  Independently published by

  Erin Wade

  ©2/2019 Erin Wade

  www.erinwade.us

  Shakespeare Under Cover is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright 2019 Erin Wade

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—mechanical, photocopy, electronic, recording, or any other, except for brief quotations in printed reviews—without prior permission of the author.

  DEDICATION

  To the one who has always supported me in everything I have ever undertaken. You have encouraged me and have always been my biggest fan. Life is sweeter with you.

  Erin

  Acknowledgements

  A special “Thank You” to my wonderful and witty “Beta Master,” Julie Versoi. She makes me a better storyteller.

  A heartfelt “Thank You” to Laure Dherbécourt for agreeing to beta read for me. She has added insight and an incredible knack for catching incorrect homophones.

  What I Can Promise You!

  The only stars I can guarantee you

  are the ones in my eyes when I look at you.

  The only love I can promise you forever is mine.

  The only touch I need to complete me is yours.

  Shakespeare Under Cover

  Erin Wade

  Chapter 1

  Professor Regan Shaw watched her class file into the lecture hall. For the tenth time today, she wondered why she had agreed to be the guest professor for a year. Burn out, a tiny voice inside her head reminded her. You’re a has-been and right back where you started.

  A noisy group of students pulled her from her reverie. “Come on, Brandy, you promised.” A six-four hunk in a football jersey pulled at a blonde wearing a matching jersey.

  Must be going steady, Regan thought. They look so much alike. If he wasn’t pawing her, I’d think they were siblings.

  “Keep your hands off me, Joey Sloan.” The blonde yanked her arm from his grasp.

  “That’s not what you said last night,” Joey said, grinning salaciously.

  The blonde shot him a look that would have melted an intelligent man. “I have changed my mind. A woman’s prerogative.”

  “You can’t just yank me around like that,” Joey growled.

  “Why don’t I just cut you loose?” the girl threatened. “Why don’t you go find someone else to—”

  “Aww. Look, Brandy, I’m sorry,” Joey muttered. “I just want you to come to the frat party tonight. I like to show you off, baby.”

  “No, and that’s final.” Brandy spotted an empty chair on the front row between two geeky-looking guys and sat down, leaving Joey no choice but to sit somewhere else.

  Regan stood. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Discovering Shakespeare. I’m Professor Regan Shaw.”

  “Hot damn,” a male voice called out from the back of the lecture hall. “You’re really something, mama.”

  Brandy jumped to her feet. “Who said that?” she demanded. “Joey, was that you?”

  “Miss . . .” Regan quickly scanned the class roster for Brandy’s last name. She had no Brandy on her list. “I am quite capable of controlling my class,” she said loudly.

  Brandy whirled around to face her. “Sorry,” she said as she dropped back into her seat.

  “How many of you studied Shakespeare in high school?” Regan continued. Everyone’s hands went up. “So, you know his plays and prose were written over four hundred years ago?”

  Nods and moans were the response from her class.

  “Shakespeare can sometimes be difficult to understand,” Regan continued.

  “That’s the understatement of the day,” Brandy interrupted. “Shakespeare is ambiguous.”

  Regan flashed her million-dollar smile. The one that always captivated her audiences. “Part of the reason Shakespeare seems so ambiguous is because he made up his own words. If he had no word to express his emotions, he simply created one. We can thank him for such words as addiction, archvillain, and bedazzled.

  “I want you to read A Midsummer Night’s Dream and be prepared to discuss the symbolism Shakespeare uses. I will see you all next week.”

  Regan looked at her class roster again. “Brandy, may I see you after class?”

  The room emptied quickly. Brandy remained seated until Regan spoke to her.

  “Are you supposed to be in my class?” the professor asked. “I don’t have you on my roster.”

  “Brandywine,” the girl said. “Grace Brandywine.”

  Regan smiled slightly. Of course, she thought. Second name on my list.

  “I see,” Regan said. She walked from behind her desk and leaned against it as she studied her student.

  Grace Brandywine was movie-star beautiful. Everything about her screamed “money.” Probably oil money, Regan thought.

  Brandy tossed her head and glorious blonde hair cascaded down one shoulder and settled on her perfect breast. “I loved your last book,” she said, smiling. “You’re a wonderful writer. The movie didn’t do it justice.”

  “Thank you.” A slight smile played on Regan’s lips. You didn’t see my last book, she thought. No one did. It was rejected by my publisher.

  “I can’t wait to read your next work,” Brandy said. “I’ve read all your novels. You’re my favorite author. That’s why I took this class.”

  “Oh,” Regan teased, “I was certain you took the class to study Shakespeare.”

  Brandy made a sound between a giggle and a snort.

  Damn, she’s cute, Regan thought.

  Suddenly, a handsome man in his midforties entered the lecture hall. “There you are! I had a feeling I would find you counseling a student. Did you forget we have a lunch date?”

  “I didn’t forget,” Regan said. “I’m just trying to get my roster in order.”

  “I’ll grab us a table, but hurry. The SUB fills up quickly this time of day.” He squeezed Regan’s arm and then left the room.

  “I’m meeting Joey in the SUB,” Brandy said. “Want to walk over together? You could tell me more about Shakespeare.”

  “I have to drop something off to Professor Fleming,” Regan said. “I’ll see you around.”

  ##

  “Want to go with me to the Delta Tau Delta fraternity party tonight?” Coach Danny Tucker asked hopefully.

  “I don’t think so.” Regan frowned. “You know how I feel about drinking and frat boys.”

  Danny laughed. “Indeed, I do. The powers that be have instructed me to attend their first bash of the year. So, you’re going to throw me to the wolves with no backup?”

  Regan watched as Brandy and Joey strolled into the Student Union Building. Joey had his arm draped around Brandy’s shoulders. His hand sneakily brushed her breast. Brandy slapped his arm away. “Joey Sloan, if that happens again, I swear . . . .”

  Joey grinned mischievously. “Sorry, Babe, it really was an accident. I know how you hate PDA.”

  Brandy nodded and stomped away from him. She raised her head and found herself staring into the deep brown eyes of her English lit professor. A twisted smile passed across her lips.

  “Professor Shaw, Coach Tucker, may we join you?” Brandy pulled out a chair and sat down. Coach Tucker and Joey share the same lack of imagination when it comes to a date, she thought.

  “I am tr
ying to talk Professor Shaw into going with me to the Delta Tau Delta bash tonight,” Tucker said, grinning.

  “You should come,” Joey said, his eyes twinkling with glee. “Brandy and I will be there. It’ll be wild and crazy. It will be hot!” He let his eyes wander down Brandy’s slender body.

  Regan tilted her head and caught Brandy’s eye. The girl shrugged. “You should come,” she said softly.

  “Three great recommendations,” Regan said. “How can I go wrong? What time does it start?”

  “Starts at seven.” Tucker grinned from ear to ear. “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

  “Umm, I’ll meet you there,” Regan said. “I may not stay till the bitter end.”

  Coach Tucker looked at his watch. “We gotta go, big guy. Football practice in ten minutes. You need to suit up.”

  Regan watched as the two men left, mumbling to each other and laughing out loud.

  “Delta Tau Delta. Is that the fraternity that has all the drug charges leveled against them?” Regan said.

  Brandy shrugged. “You can’t believe everything you hear.”

  “I was under the impression you weren’t going,” Regan said between sips of her iced tea.

  “Joey wouldn’t stop hounding me, so I agreed to go to get him to leave me alone.” Brandy cocked her head and surveyed Professor Shaw. “He’s the president of the fraternity. Said I was making him look bad by refusing to attend his first party.”

  “Are fraternity parties all Joey takes you to?” Regan asked. “I mean, what does he do when he plans something special, like dinner and a floor show?”

  Brandy laughed out loud. “Joey’s idea of a floor show is tableside guacamole. What about you and Coach Tucker?” Brandy raised her eyebrows.

  Regan blushed. “Tell me why you date Joey,” she said, desperate to change the subject.

  “Probably the same reason you date Coach Tucker.” Brandy smiled knowingly.

  I doubt that, Regan thought.

  ##

  Brandy paid extra attention to her appearance as she dressed for the party. She was in her I’m-gonna-knock-your-boots-off mood. She briefly wondered if Professor Shaw wore boots. Loud honking in front of her sorority house told her Joey was demanding her presence.

  Dad would kill me if he saw me tolerating Joey’s rudeness, she thought as she skipped down the stairs.

  The party was in full swing when the couple arrived. Joey parked his Porsche convertible along the curb, jumped out without opening his door, and started up the sidewalk.

  Brandy sighed loudly then opened her own door and got out of the car.

  Coach Tucker and Professor Shaw were already at the party. A crowd of male students gathered around Professor Shaw.

  “I’ll get us a couple of brews,” Joey yelled as he headed for the tubs of beer.

  Brandy observed her professor. The woman was classy—hot, but classy. Dressed in a pair of formfitting black jeans and an open-necked, electric-blue blouse, she looked like one of the students. Her long black hair curled around her shoulders, framing a face that dreams were made of. Brandy wondered how anyone applied makeup that perfectly.

  Brandy ran the numbers through her mind, trying to figure the woman’s age. She came up with thirty-six. Regan Shaw was young for one who had accomplished so much.

  “Here ya go, Babe.” Joey held out a dripping bottle of beer to her.

  “Thanks.”

  ##

  As the party grew louder and Joey got handsier, Brandy decided to leave. She had poured the beers Joey kept feeding her into the huge Mexican urn at the foot of the stairs. She was headed there when she saw Professor Shaw sneakily dump the contents of her bottle into the same urn.

  An inebriated Coach Tucker staggered toward Professor Shaw. “Obviously you don’t like beer.” He laughed. “Let me get you a glass of wine.”

  Ignoring Professor Shaw’s protest, he weaved his way to the bar. Pretending to text on her cell phone, Brandy moved closer to him as she saw him put his hand into his pocket. To her surprise, he pulled out something and dropped it into Regan’s drink.

  Is that son of a bitch drugging her? Brandy thought.

  Coach Tucker swirled the wine much longer than seemed necessary and then carried the glass to Professor Shaw.

  “Come on, Babe.” Joey grabbed her around the waist. “Let’s go upstairs to my room.”

  “I want to dance,” Brandy insisted. “You never dance with me.”

  “Okay, okay,” Joey huffed. “One dance then we go upstairs.”

  Brandy nodded. She watched Professor Shaw as the woman moved to the closest sofa and sat down. She finished half the wine and then set it on the coffee table. She leaned her head back and appeared to go to sleep.

  “Joey, I think Professor Shaw is sick,” she said.

  “Nah, she’s fine. Coach will take care of her.” He shot her a malicious grin and jerked his head toward the staircase. “Come on, I’ll take care of you.”

  “You go on up,” Brandy said sweetly. “I need to visit the ladies’ room first.”

  As Joey stumbled away, Loraine Munoz grabbed his arm and clung to him all the way up the stairs.

  Brandy looked around for Coach Tucker and spotted him in the corner making out with a cheerleader. She walked to Regan. The woman was dead to the world. The blonde sat down by the professor and pulled Regan’s arm around her shoulders. She slipped her arm around Regan’s small waist and stood up, pulling the professor with her.

  Regan was dead weight, but Brandy managed to drag her outside. She hoped the crisp night air would revive the woman. She felt in Regan’s pocket for car keys and found a single fob. She pushed the button, praying a car would respond. A car across the street flashed its lights.

  “Bingo,” Brandy said as she dragged the smaller woman toward her car.

  ##

  “Hold your horses,” Kiki Carson yelled as her roommate continued kicking the door. “Didn’t God give you hands? Just turn the knob, for God’s sake. It’s unlocked.

  “Holy crap!” Kiki exclaimed as Brandy carried Regan through the door.

  “She doesn’t look like much,” an out of breath Brandy huffed, “but the further I carried her, the heavier she became.”

  “Isn’t that Professor Shaw?” Kiki whispered as if someone might hear her.

  “Yeah, Coach Tucker roofied her at the frat party,” Brandy growled as she gently placed the professor on her twin bed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Does she look like I’m kidding?” Brandy demanded.

  “Does he know you saw him?” Kiki frowned.

  “No, and I was able to video it with my cell phone.” Brandy pulled the phone from her pocket and showed the recording to Kiki. Then she turned on her laptop and copied the video from her cell phone to the computer.

  Kiki took the professor’s pulse. “She’s fine,” she declared. “Just needs to sleep it off. How did you get rid of Joey?”

  Brandy grinned. “Loraine Munoz was crawling in his pants, last time I saw him.”

  “I bet that really upset you,” Kiki said with a chuckle.

  “Better her than me. He is such an ass.”

  Both women watched silently as Regan stretched out on the bed.

  “She’s truly gorgeous,” Kiki commented. “Should we undress her and put her to bed?”

  “Would you mind doing that while I shower?” Brandy asked. She rummaged through her dresser drawer for a couple of soft T-shirts. She tossed one to Kiki. “This should work for her tonight.”

  ##

  Regan woke with a splitting headache. It hurt to open her eyes. I’m hallucinating, she thought. Where am I?

  The urge to find a bathroom forced her to sit up in the bed. She tried to connect the room to anything in her life and failed. Thanks to her many book tours, she was used to waking up in strange bedrooms. But this didn’t look like a hotel room. This looks like a dorm room.

  A faint light from another room caught her
attention. The bathroom, she thought.

  She placed her feet on the floor and found herself standing on something soft, but firm.

  “What the hell?” A drowsy Brandy rolled away from the professor.

  Regan fell back onto the bed as Brandy turned on a lamp.

  “Professor Shaw, are you okay?”

  The lamplight danced in the blonde’s emerald-green eyes. I have never seen a more beautiful woman, Regan thought.

  “I’m not sure,” Regan said softly. “Where’s your bathroom?”

  Brandy took Regan’s hand to lead her to the bathroom. Regan noticed a woman sleeping in the other bed. A digital clock on the nightstand between the two beds showed seven a.m., Saturday, September 15.

  When Regan returned, she walked to the bed where Brandy sat cross-legged. “How did I get here?” she whispered.

  “Let’s go to Starbucks for coffee, and I’ll tell you all about it,” Brandy whispered back. She handed Regan her neatly folded clothes and put on clean clothes from her closet.

  “I’ll drive,” the student whispered as she picked up her teacher’s key fob.

  ##

  Brandy parked the car and took Regan’s elbow, supporting her as they entered the Starbucks.

  “I didn’t drink at all last night, but I feel like I’ve been drugged.” Regan pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “You were,” Brandy said bluntly. “Your boyfriend roofied you.”

  “Coach Tucker?” Regan gaped at her student. “Surely not.”

  Brandy pulled her iPhone from her pocket and showed her professor the video.

  “I . . . I don’t know what to say.” Regan frowned. “The only reason I went to that party was to protect you. I figured something like this would happen to you, not me.”

  Brandy gasped. “Joey? You think Joey Sloan would rape me?”

  “He is very aggressive with you,” Regan said defensively.

  “He’s no rapist.”

  “Whatever.” Regan shrugged, distressed that the girl would so easily dismiss the danger of being at a drunken frat party with a guy almost three times her size. “If he wanted to, I doubt you could stop him.”