The Piano Teacher

Christopher skimmed through the schedule for the day. He had six lessons planned, four in his studio, two at the students' homes. He sighed and slouched on the arm chair next to the grand piano. The instrument reigned over the whole room, its dark smooth wood reflecting the morning light from the window, which annoyingly settled in a shiny rectangle on his eyes. Reluctant to move, Christopher Holden rested a few more moments on the arm chair. At 35 years old, after a well started but ended too early musical career, he had resorted to teach. He would raise young students to do what he couldn't, a good idea, it seemed, but he didn't think teenagers and little kids would be so annoying. There were good moments, but he mostly had to shatter the youth's dreams, raised and built by their parents' honest, but worthless praises.

Resigned to see what the first day of the year brought him, he opened the door to the first student of his work day.

Priscilla Summers had always been one of the brightest students in her high school. A hard-working, obedient, pretty little girl, who spent her days either at school, at home, or at her piano lessons. And she was a talented player. Her family didn't believe in complimenting much. She had been raised by a hard and strict father, who had passed away a couple of years earlier, leaving a mourning wife with all intentions of keeping up his rules in the house and their daughter out of troubles. But one thing was never kept from Priscilla. The grand piano in her room was her best friend, her confident, the way she expressed her feelings and the place where she retired when sad or angry. On her senior year, Priscilla's music could grant her a scholarship, and she wanted it desperately, to finally get away from home and start her own life. So she had found the best teacher in town, and started an intense course of three lessons a week.

At four in the afternoon, Priscilla stood ready behind the door of her teacher's study, waiting for the previous student to exit. When the door finally opened, and a frightened little boy exited running, barely looking at her face, she walked in, showing off her best smile. She had always been told to smile when scared or nervous, it helped to hide it.

Something Christopher didn't expect from hi second lesson was... well her. The girl who stood in the doorway, wrapped tightly in her school uniform, was in every way beautiful. Under the plaid grey skirt, her long legs failed to be hidden from any stare, and it was clear she had started to fill out the uniform in places it hadn't been fitted for. Her breasts, even if fairly small strained against the fabric of her white blouse, perfectly fit around her slim waist and little shoulders. But what really caught his eyes were the little pearls of pale blue on her face, shiny and curious, with a hint of embarrassment probably caused by his stare. Her eyes lit up her face, framed by her wavy black hair, long to her waist.

"Mr. Holden?" her tiny little voice was a whisper. An intriguing whisper.

"Yes. Hum... Miss Summers, am I right?" he had to stop staring. He couldn't.

"Priscilla Summers, yes. Just Priscilla is fine." She entered and set her bag on the piano bench.

"I would feel more comfortable calling you Miss. Summers, if you don't mind." He gestured her to sit. He had to keep some distance from this angel.

"That's.... ok." She shrugged. "Shall we start Mr. Holden?" she took out her music and handed it to him. Christopher forced himself to concentrate and focused on the sheets. For the whole hour, he kept his eyes away from her figure.

The lessons with Mr. Holden turned out to take away most of Priscilla's free time. He was a demanding teacher, and since she expressed her ambition get into to the Juilliard, he started making her learn more and more songs. She was talented, but he kept correcting her, never satisfied. Priscilla started thinking he was purposefully trying to make her give up.

But that wasn't in Christopher mind at all. He was actually marveled by her passion for the keys in front of her, and, once he could finally take his eyes off her, he started seeing the future he could have had in her. He really believe she could do it, and he was determined to make of her the best piano player of the country.

And while she played, his stare lingered on every little bit of her. He started noticing her little movements. Her trembling her fidgeting hands that became steady and secure once on the black and white keys, her feet normally scraping one another nervously, suddenly perfectly still and coordinated on the pedals, her concentrated stare on the hard parts, or her peaceful and full of passion cute face when she played something that inspired her. Christopher tried to detach himself from her, but he was growing an obsession.

More than once he woke up sweating from a dream not appropriate at all, the feeling of her skin on his still more real than ever.

One day, he had a great opportunity for her to begin to make her name known, and without thinking twice, he showed up at her house.

"Mr. Holden!" her mother welcomed him in at the door. "We weren't expecting you! Priscilla! Come down, your piano teacher is here!"

Christopher sat on the couch and held the cup of tea magically appeared in front of him. "Mrs. Summers, I have some good news for your daughter."

Priscilla sat right in front of him at that moment. Christopher almost choked on the tea seeing her. For the first time he saw her in casual clothes, and she wasn't any less beautiful. She wore a pair of thin black legging and a jean shirt buttoned up only high enough to be decent. The color of her creamy skin distracted him enough that he wasn't sure why he was there anymore, until...

"What is it Mr. Holden?" she said cheerfully, taking a cookie from the tray, only to put it back down where her mother shot her an icy glare.

"Well, Miss Summers, I was asked to advice one of my students for the inauguration of the new theatre downtown. The ceremony consists in the student playing for the audience to start the opening season of the theatre. I suggested my best student." He set down the cup and looked proudly at her. "You, Miss Summers."

There was a gleeful screech, while Priscilla covered her mouth with both her hands, then she looked pleadingly at her mother. "Please mom?"

The woman didn't even look at her daughter. "When is it?"

"It's on Friday night. There will be a dinner party, and her exhibition afterwards. It might not end too early, but it should all be over around ten or eleven pm."

"She's too young to go to such an event by herself." The woman started to get up, and Christopher watched astonished the young girl not raising a single protest.

"She could... bring a date, and I could drive them both, I am bound to attend anyway."

"Priscilla is not allowed to date. There will be no smooching and groping while she leaves at my expenses." Mrs. Summers was walking briskly out of the room, and it would have all ended there. then he saw the carpet between Priscilla's feet slowly filling of wet drops. She was crying, silently.

"Mrs. Summers, how about I take her with me? I could be her escort, as her teacher." That stopped the woman on her tracks.

"As her teacher you say? Sounds appropriate. What do you say Priscilla? Would you like to go?"

"Of course, mother!" her face shot up, smiling, under her teary eyes.

"Ok, then. I want your promise you won't take your eyes off her, Mr. Holden."

"I won't." he pressed a hand over his heart, thinking he could hardly ever do that at all, anyway.

"Perfect then. I imagine it's a formal night?"

"It is ma'am."

"I have a dress for you Priscilla, you can try it on tonight. Now, Mr. Holden would you like to stay for dinner?"

"No thank you, I have a night class to teach." He shook her hand. "Have a good night Mrs. Summers."

"You too Mr. Holden. Priscilla show him the door, I need to watch the stew that's cooking."

As soon as they reached the entrance, Priscilla hugged her teacher briefly. It was still enough to take his breath away, feeling her chest pressed on his body.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Holden. I would have never forgiven her to make miss this opportunity. Thanks for making this possible."

He lightly smiled. "It was my pleasure, Miss. Summers, such a young and talented player needs to be known."

She giggled, and her was reminded how much younger she was, how much of a pervert he was to even think of her that way.

"I swear I can dress up nicely, Mr. Holden. I know this is not the best way you've seen me, but I can do better." She gestured at her shirt, only to realize he had been staring, and not at her shirt, but at the only part left bare by it.

Caught, Christopher met her gaze in pure panic, his jaw dropping open, not able to say a single word, his eyes expressing all of his embarrassment.

But she smiled, shyly and looked away briefly, then kept talking as if nothing had happened. "I will have to find another dress though, I doubt you will like what my mother has for me."

"I... Miss Summers, it really isn't my business, I will be there as you teacher." He stammered.

"I know." She had that smile again. "Good night Mr. Holden."

"Good night, Miss Summers."

Once dinner was over and Priscilla was allowed to finally take a look at her dress, she was mortified. The pink crinoline gown was nothing like an evening dress.

"Where... did you get this mom?"

"It was my Prom dress when I was your age dear. I'm so glad you can wear it again! Of course I was a bit plumper then you, it will be a bit loose on your hips, but all the better, it won't be too revealing." She smiled and left her alone with the horror.

Priscilla wasn't exactly a stylish girl, but that dress was going nowhere near her night out. It was important for her to make a good impression on Mr. Holden. A man of his status would surely want a beautiful woman by his side... and even he she was just a child to him., she had a feeling he had looked at her more than once.

Giggling, she laid on her bed thinking of all the times she noticed his stare lingering, on her legs, her waist, her breasts more than once. He never knew she noticed, before the episode at the door, and Priscilla couldn't believe she just said nothing and barely babbled about dresses! That her chance.

Sighing, the girl settled on her computer to look at some good dress online, not that she could ever have one sent at home, but it was nice to dream. Another impossible one.

That same night she started picking a piece to play, and the next day she had it ready in her briefcase at the lesson. The Nocturne, of Chopin, wasn't the most difficult piece she'd played, but it had a special feeling about it. It made her whole body glow and her head swim. It gave her energy and hope. She wanted it to be the first piece she played for a real audience.

Mr. Holden had nothing against it.

Christopher loved the way she played it, and he loved to see her playing it, so immersed in the music, and with so much passion and... he had to shake those thoughts away, he was beginning to sound, even to himself, like a stupid, horny teenager.

As she wrapped up her music on Thursday night, after the last lesson, someone knocked at the door of the studio.

"Come on in." Christopher called.

A boy, older than Priscilla, came in dragging his feet. Who was that?

"Hey Pris, you ready?"

"Yes Mark, I'm coming." She smiled to Christopher. "Bye Mr. Holden, see you tomorrow night. Pick me up at...?"

"Is six ok? Dinner is at seven." He eyed the boy suspiciously, but said nothing.

"Perfect, I'm just going to buy a dress right now. See you tomorrow, Mr. Holden."

She fled out of the door, apparently excited, and the boy followed with a nod of salute to Christopher.

After they had left, Christopher scolded himself for being so stupid. It wasn't his business if she went out with a guy. Well, her mother did say she wasn't allowed to date but...

He needed to stop. He poured himself a strong drink and painfully waited for the next student.

"Tell me again what you need this dress for, Pris?" her cousin asked while he drove.

"It's just a formal night in a theatre, where I am supposed to play. But you know how my mother is, she has a pink dress ready for me, in which I look like a grandmother. I won't go near it."

Mark laughed. "Right, Aunty Paula can be quite the date killer." He smirked. "So who's your date?"

"What? No date! Didn't you hear? My teacher is bringing me." She blushed.

"Wasn't listening. Your teacher huh? So you want him to like you?" he grinned.

"Mark!" she hit his harm while ha finally parked at the mall. "Don't be an idiot!" she hoped to have disguised her nervousness well. Mark wasn't a snitch, he was the black sheep of the family actually, never in contact with anyone, except the youngsters. She wasn't even allowed to see him alone. But it was still best no one knew what was taking form in her mind, also because, if she didn't say it, it would seem less real and scary.

She tried on a myriad of dresses, never satisfied. They all looked too girlish, nothing good to impress a man like him.

Finally she resolved to ask for Mark's help. His opinion, as an older guy, could help.

Mark had that annoying grin on his face when she did ask, but said nothing.

They ended up choosing a dress that exceeded Priscilla's budget, and Mark paid the rest.

"Mark you didn't need to do that."

"Shut up, it was for a good cause." He grinned while he took her home. "You deserve a nice date, Pris."

"I do not...!" she started.

"Okay, okay, no date. Keep the dress anyway, and wear it for Prom too. I know you girls don't like wearing the same dress twice but..." he was interrupted by her happy hug.

"Thank you Mark." They were in front of her house, and she dropped off gleefully. Hiding the dress in her backpack. She went into the house and started waiting for the next night.

Christopher received a text from Priscilla saying her mother wasn't to be home until seven, so he could pick her up at six and she would all be dressed and ready in the dress her mother knew nothing about. Of course the other dress was carefully hidden in the back of her car.

Even reading that, Christopher had to smile at the innocence of that girl. Though, frowning, he thought of the guy who picked her up, obviously four maybe five years older, with a leather jacket and a pair of ripped jeans. He didn't look like an innocent guy. Why would she go out with him?

He shook his head while driving to her house. Not his business.

He parked on the driveway and got off to ring the doorbell and get Priscilla in the car, but who came out of that door was an entirely different person, yet never so like herself.

The girl, no, the woman in the doorframe was standing higher than usual from the ground, a pair of black stiletto heels at her feet, and her body was wrapped in a long, glittery, dark blue dress that hugged every curve of hers, but too tightly to seem slutty. It was elegant and perfect, tied around her neck in a tight collar, leaving her shoulders bare.

"You like it?" she twirled, obviously encouraged by his expression. Her back was completely bare too, the dress drawing a line on the small of her back, up her sides, covering her chest and ending at her neck. "Don't worry I tried playing with the heels, I can do it perfectly."

"You are beautiful Pris... ehm. Miss Summers. I have no doubt you will play fantastically." He cleared his throat and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Priscilla happily draped her arm around his and walked with him to the car. Being at the side of this outstanding, suited man, in a beautiful dress, made her feel like she never did before. Beautiful and a woman. She had had tastes of what it felt like every time he looked at her with that stare, but this felt better.

In Christopher's head, a voice was telling him to stop behaving like he was her date or something, while he made excuses for himself saying he was just acting like a gentleman and being kind to this girl that was usually so secluded. Also, right now, no one would have thought of her a little girl going from school to home and back only. She was a beautiful stunning woman that night, and his discomfort eased.

As she hopped in the car he remembered what she said when she went to buy the dress. Who she was with, more specifically. Suddenly he felt more inappropriate than ever, accompanying this young girl for the night when it was obvious she had other interests.

He kept silent for the whole drive, not without noticing he smile slowly falter and finally disappear into a confused frown.

At the theatre, they were introduced the crowd of funders and opera lovers, millionaires and their bored wives who attended the dinner.

"This place looks beautiful." Priscilla smiled, standing in corner with Mr. Holden at her side, not leaving her alone for a moment, as promised to her mother.

He barely nodded.

Priscilla lowered her gaze and whispered. "Mr. Holden why are you angry at me?" she looked so little in that moment. Little and defenseless.

"I am not, Miss. Summers, why should I be?"

She simply shrugged and didn't look at him.

Christopher sighed and tried pushing away his bad mood. Why was he so preoccupied who she hung out with anyway?

"This a great opportunity for you, you should keep concentrated and think of playing at your best. Do not preoccupy yourself with the moods of an old man." He tried a smile.

"Who would this old man be? I do not know any?" she reclined her head to the side, smiling shyly, her kind eyes lighting up a little. But before he could say anything in response, an old lady, whose grandson apparently played the piano too, reclaimed their attention.

Christopher wanted to get rid of her quickly, not in the mood to listen an old woman's stories, but Priscilla took on the conversation, shooting him a weird look.

"Tell me more about your grandson, Mrs. Shelby, when did he start playing?" she smiled through the whole tail, as boring as it was. For a moment Christopher was annoyed, then he started seeing the blush in the woman's cheeks, her hold on Priscilla's wrist as she led her to a seat next to her at the table, and the smile of the girl's face.

That impressed him. She looked genuinely happy, content with listening to this woman babbling about her family, far from the piano topic by now. It drew a smile on his face to see her smile while she made someone else happy. She really was a gentle girl.

He didn't notice she had raised her eyes to look at him while he smiled watching her. As his gaze focused again, he saw her gesturing for him to sit next to her.

As he sat, she leaned close to whisper in his ear. He inhaled sharply smelling her sweet perfume. A light fragrance that had nothing sophisticated about it. Simple and young like her.

"Please talk to me so I can stop listening to her without being rude." She said half joking.

He had to chuckle at that. "Let's see if I can do something about it." he turned to her slightly. "I meant to ask you something Miss..."

"You really insist in calling me Miss. Summers, Mr. Holden?"

"I don't think it's appropriate, with a young woman like you, to take the liberty of addressing you by your first name." he said rigidly. He wasn't going to call her by her first name, it would bring him dangerously close to her.

She frowned, confused by his firmness "Oh...okay...You were saying?"

"Yes... Miss Summers. I meant to ask you about that boy who picked you up last night. I know your mother doesn't want you to date and..." he sighed. "I feel like I should tell her what I saw but I wanted to talk to you first because..."

Her gaze turned deadly at that. "Why do you care anyway? You sound like my father Mr. Holden, but I don't need another father to keep me locked up." she whispered angrily, turning to face the food on her place.