Page 58 of Disciplinary Action
Gideon took his time, playing with Cal, slapping his cock against his face one minute, fucking into his throat the next. He used him until his jaw ached and his eyes swam with tears, but Cal loved it —the pain and the warmth that spread through him each time he thought of how much Gideon wanted him. He didn’t have to think of anything. He only needed to obey, and he was so good at that. Gideon said so.
“That’s it, baby. Just relax. You look so pretty with my cock in your mouth. You were made to submit to me. Just me. My perfect boy.”
Cal whimpered, staring up at Gideon, helpless. If he could have gotten hard again, he would have. Gideon pulled free of Cal’s mouth, jerking himself hard as he locked eyes on Cal, making him shiver. Cal closed his eyes as Gideon’s muscles tensed, his whole body seizing as he came, painting his cum across Cal’s face and lips and tongue before dipping it back into his mouth to let Cal suck him dry.
After a few minutes, Gideon collapsed beside him before rolling over and cupping Cal’s face. “You did so well. Are you okay?”
The tenderness in Gideon’s words caused a lump to form in his throat, and he could only nod. After Gideon cleaned them both up, he leaned over Cal. “Look at me.” Cal’s lids felt heavy, but he did as Gideon asked. “I’m going to fix this. I’ll never let anybody take something from you. Ever. Do you believe me?”
Tears filled Cal’s eyes once more as he nodded. “Yes. I believe you,” he lied.
“Good.”
Cal wanted to believe Gideon could fix this, but his power and reach only extended so far, and the people at Roosevelt seemed like they’d stop at nothing to make sure Cal paid for his father’s sins. Still, he loved Gideon, and he loved that Gideon loved him enough to make these kinds of promises. Cal had to just let go of the idea that he could go to Harvard like his mother or even have a college education. Gideon would never let him fall, would never leave him homeless or stranded.
Maybe Cal could just be Gideon’s boy… Maybe that was enough.
It might have to be enough.
“Are you all satisfied?” Gideon asked, looking across the conference room table at the members of the board. “Have you all satisfied your bloodlust by ruining the life of a nineteen-year-old boy? Or will you not be content until he’s sitting in a prison cell?”
Rosalind, for her part, looked confused. “I just returned from Greece, Leo, so I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“By the smug look on Roger’s face, I’m sure he’d be happy to fill you in,” Gideon said, doing his best to control his fury. “No? Alright. While you were away, these fools accused Callum Whyte of cheating on his SATs and then alerted the College Board of his supposed honor code violation without first informing me or even providing a single bit of evidence to substantiate these allegations.”
Rosalind’s perfectly manicured brows rose, and she looked at him for a long moment before giving the others around the table a disgusted look. Gideon agreed. It was disgusting the way these people treated Cal. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right, and Gideon was going to fix it, even if it meant burning the school to the ground. The antics of these people had gone on for far too long. They thought their money made them bulletproof, immune to the rules the rest of them were forced to live by, but Gideon would ensure that wasn’t the case, not when it came to Callum.
Jerome leaned back in his seat, his expression confused. “What has your knickers in such a twist, Leo?” the man asked, waving a hand dismissively, as if the matter was trivial. “Seriously, what do you care about this boy or his plight? You have less than a week, and then you no longer have to concern yourself with the likes of our little school. Nobody would fault you for simply bowing out now. You’ve done more than your fair share.”
Gideon shook his head, pacing around the table like a panther circling its prey. “I’m not bowing out of anything. I don’t give a single fuck about this school, but watching a bunch of geriatrics tear apart the future of a young man who did nothing to harm any of you turns my stomach.” Gideon knew he was ranting, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. They’d had the audacity to come after somebody he loved, somebody who belonged to him, body and soul, and he wanted them all to pay.
“Gideon, please—” Jerome started, but Gideon cut him off.
“You’re vultures, picking apart an already rotting carcass. Do you think this boy’s life has been easy since his father went to prison? His father’s actions left the boy orphaned and homeless. He almost died out on the streets, and yet, despite all you’ve attempted to do to this young man, he’s managed to maintain the highest grade point in the school, has tested in the ninety-ninth percentile on his SAT scores, and received more academic scholarship offers than anybody else in the last ten years of the school.”
“You, yourself, have had the boy in detention almost daily. You have to admit that doesn’t look good, Leo,” Roger said with a smirk.
“I’ve kept him in detention because he’d been attacked on numerous occasions. Recent events aside, you all have to admit, before his father ruined his life, he was popular, well-liked, good at sports, and friends withyourgrandchildren. Each of you has likely welcomed this boy into your house at least once. He was the poster boy for Roosevelt Prep, yet you’ve now set about ruining the one shot he had at piecing together some semblance of a life for himself going forward.”
“You make a passionate plea,” Roger said, tone bored. “But the fact remains, we didn’t need to discuss this with you. You are the interim headmaster. We spoke with both Evelyn Abernathy and the proctor, who confessed to being coerced into taking the boy’s test for him. I don’t understand what exactly you think we should have done, and, quite frankly, I don’t understand your interest in this boy.”
Gideon needed to calm down. He wasn’t behaving rationally. He was acting like a jealous lover and not an impartial advocate. “My interest is that, once upon a time, I was this boy. I know exactly how quickly you all turn on a person once you realize they are no longer one of yours. I’ve gotten to know Callum over the last few weeks, and he isn’t a cheater. He’d have no reason to cheat on his SATs when his records show that he’s been out-performing other students since sixth grade.”
“You said it yourself,” Rosalind reminded him. “The boy’s world has fallen apart since his father went to prison. Perhaps he didn’t want to take a chance of tanking his test when he had other things on his mind? It wouldn’t be the first time a teenager tried to take a shortcut.”
“Callum isn’t a shortcut kind of kid, but that does lead me to wonder about how Douglas Shea, a grown man, was so easily coerced into taking the boy’s SATs for money? While we’re on the subject, why exactly does a school with one of the most difficult entrance exams in the state need to have a proctor on the payroll? I was doing a bit of research, and we seem to have a staggeringly high number of children on independent learning plans given that this is an International Baccalaureate school. Care to explain that to me?”
Gideon hadn’t had time to research anything, but he trusted that Cal hadn’t been lying to him when he said that several students were on independent learning plans. Gideon had every intention of looking for himself as soon as he left the boardroom.
Jerome scoffed. “Leo, we don’t get involved in the day-to-day activities. You know that. But this was important enough that Evelyn felt we needed to make the final decision. We have a man who was willing to implicate himself by coming forward. What else could we do except tell the College Board? Aren’t we obligated to do the right thing?”
“In that case, I’m assuming that you’ve relieved Mr. Shea of his duties? If you were willing to destroy Mr. Whyte’s already precarious future, presumably Mr. Shea received a similar fate?”
Jerome cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. “Evelyn assured us that Mr. Shea was written up per policy and that he will be closely monitored going forward. She didn’t believe it necessary to fire the man over one slip-up.”
Gideon’s blood boiled. “Oh, yes. We wouldn’t want to ruin his prospects, even if you lot have no problem throwing Mr. Whyte into the fire for one perceived slight. An unsubstantiated slight, I might add, regardless of what you’ve been told by Abernathy.”
Rosalind’s hand went to her chest. If she’d worn pearls, she’d have been clutching them. “Leo, what’s done is done. Move on. You can’t save every orphan and ne’er-do-well. You’ve clearly gotten too close to the situation. You’ll realize we did the right thing when you’re back on the board and out of that office. This will all go back to being somebody else’s problem. Grant wouldn’t have wanted you getting yourself involved in the day-to-day affairs of the school. You have too much history there. You lack the impartiality needed for the job.”
