Page 37 of Disciplinary Action
“Don’t call him that. He’s almost twenty,” Gideon said. “What do you mean, what’s the deal?”
“I mean you clearly aren’t fostering that kid. This is another one of these dom/sub relationships, only this time—what?—you’re going to play Grant’s part?”
Anger flared, sending Gideon’s heart rate through the roof. “That’s not what this is about.”
Des didn’t look directly at him, just cut his eyes in his direction. “You’re not having sex with that boy?”
“He’s an adult,” Gideon said through gritted teeth.
Des rubbed a hand over his face, scratching at the scruff on his chin like he’d forgotten it was there. “Why are you doing this, man? After everything that happened with Grant…why would you then try to become him?”
“I said, it’s not like that,” Gideon growled. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s bullshit, man. I’ve been there for all of it. We both did what we had to do to survive our parents and get the fuck out of the projects, and now, you want to risk it all to become the thing you came to hate?”
Gideon gripped his beer with white knuckles. “That’s not what this is. I’m nothing like Grant was. You’re just making assumptions. I didn’t even know Cal went to my school when we met.”
Des rocketed forward. “Wait? He’s a student? Christ, is he one of your undergrad students? This is exactly like Grant. He was your professor and now, you’re Cal’s?”
“No. He’s a student…at the other school,” Gideon said, staring out at the city skyline.
Des frowned. “The other… The high school?” he shouted.
“Keep your voice down,” Gideon snapped, gazing towards the sliding glass doors. “Yes, he’s one of my Roosevelt students, which means in four weeks neither of us will be affiliated with that school.”
“Bullshit. You’ll still have Grant’s seat on the board, and if the college finds out you slept with a high school student, you could be terminated.”
Gideon scoffed. “I’m a tenured professor. I could kill somebody and they couldn’t fire me.”
“Look, I’m your friend, but do you get the line you’re crossing? This isn’t like you.”
Gideon grunted. “We were involved before either of us knew about the school. Besides, I am not the aggressor here. When he realized who I was, he tried to blackmail me into keeping our arrangement. It didn’t work, not really. I wanted him too.”
Des shook his head. “So, blackmail is the basis of your arrangement? That’s what you’re going with?”
Gideon’s patience was wearing thin. He had no idea what was happening between them. He wasn’t pretending he did. But he wasn’t willing to let Cal go. He wasn’t. No matter what that meant. No matter how broken they both became from it. “I don’t know how many different ways I can say this. It’s nothing like what happened between Grant and I. I can’t explain it, but what we have is mutually beneficial to us both. It’s not a permanent thing. We agreed to a six week arrangement.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. They had agreed to that initially.
Des took a swig of his beer. “And then it’s over?”
Something twisted behind Gideon’s ribcage. “And then we’ll…re-evaluate.”
“Has it occurred to you that this kid is hustling you?” Des asked.
Gideon’s nostrils flared. “Is that what you think I did to Grant? Hustled him? Why can’t two adults find an arrangement that benefits them both? He needs discipline and structure. He needs rules. He needs money. I need to be able to give those things to somebody. It’s the only way I can…connect. What’s wrong with that?”
“You’re trying to tell me that this is just you being this boy’s sugar daddy? It’s just an exchange of money for sex? You are fooling yourself, bro.”
“That’s not—” Gideon cut himself off. “Look, you are my oldest and only friend. I get that you’re trying to help me here, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. I…I care about Cal. He needs me right now, and I need somebody to need me.”
Des stared at him for a long while. “You spent fifteen years with Grant. In the end, you were miserable.”
“I’m nothing like Grant,” Gideon snapped.
Des didn’t understand. He couldn’t. Gideon had never truly been submissive. He’d forced himself to become submissive because it’s what Grant needed, and Gideon would have ripped himself to pieces to give Grant what he wanted because he loved him. Because he wanted to be him. He wasn’t trying to steal Cal’s free will. Grant believed that a submissive could only truly show love by giving their lives over to their dominant partner, to submit to their will in all things. And Gideon had done just that. He’d made himself small, again and again, so that Grant could feel big, but that was not what he was trying to do with Callum.
“I wasn’t trying to upset you, but I come here and I see you living with a nineteen-year-old and allowing a dog into your house. A dog. You hate dogs.”
“Grant hated dogs.”
