Page 59 of Disciplinary Action
“With all due respect, Rosalind, I don’t give a fuck what Grant would have wanted. Grant’s gone, and he left me to make my own decisions, including who I give his money to. If we can’t come to some kind of agreeable resolution to this situation, I have no problem pulling his donation. If this is the kind of behavior you’re comfortable with, I no longer wish to be associated with this school. See how well you survive without that ten million a year.”
Roger lurched forward, pointing one crooked finger in Gideon’s direction. “Listen here, you little shit, we’ve tolerated your impertinence for far too long. I have no idea what Grant saw in you, but I suspect it lies beneath your belt buckle. Don’t think you can walk in here and threaten us with money. You think we can’t replace your funds? You aren’t the only one with money. Hell, getting rid of Whyte’s brat will probably net us millions in alumni donations. Take your money and your bleeding heart and go. I am done being lectured by the likes of you.”
Roger stood on wobbly legs, barking an order at his nurse who sat quietly reading a book in the corner. She stood, leading him to the walker he’d left beside the door. The others soon followed, throwing looks back over their shoulders, until only Gideon and Rosalind were left. She placed a hand on Gideon’s arm, gripping him with surprising force given her age. “I know you think you’re doing the right thing. I do. But you don’t want to make enemies of the people in this room. You have more to lose than you think.”
There was no missing the threat in her words. Gideon stared her down, his voice icy. “Excuse me?”
She released him, petting her hand over the sleeve of his blazer in an almost motherly gesture. “Don’t misunderstand me, Leo. I’m trying to help you. Grant was my dearest friend. We had no secrets between us. You’re more alike than I imagined. Part of me is glad he didn’t live long enough for you to break his heart, but another part, a vengeful, wicked part who always wanted something more with him wishes just the opposite. I always told him you weren’t worthy of him, but maybe it was him who wasn’t worthy. He clearly didn’t see the real you.”
Gideon had no idea what the woman was talking about, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention anyway. This cryptic conversation was some kind of warning, but he didn’t have time for her riddles or innuendo. These people had too much time on their hands. They lived for the drama and scandal. Gideon didn’t have that kind of time. “Speak plainly, Rosalind.”
She laughed delicately. “That’s not really my nature. I will say this. Your boy should have never set his sights on Harvard. Had he aimed just a smidge lower, he probably would have walked away from this with only minimal damage. You know how protective Roger is of his grandson.”
Roger’s grandson? Matteo… That little shit who’d spit on Callum. Of course. But what did it matter if Callum got into Harvard? It wasn’t as if they only accepted one person a year…
Before he could fall any further down the rabbit hole, Rosalind’s words penetrated past Gideon’s concerns for Cal.“Your boy.”She’d called Callum his boy. He did his best to control his facial expression, even as his pulse stuttered. Did she know something, or was she fishing?
“I don’t know what you’re implying about my student—” he began only to be cut off.
Her smile was as dazzling as it was cruel. “Oh, now, let’s not play games, dear. You’ll lose. Let this go, and maybe I’ll see what I can do about fixing this mess. I know a few people at Yale and Dartmouth. I don’t know if I can get his scholarships back, but we both know he doesn’t really need the help financially anymore, right?”
Gideon clenched his teeth until his jaw muscle ticked. “Careful, Rosalind.”
She scoffed. “No, Leo.Yoube careful. You think you’re removing the target from your boy’s back, but all you’re doing is widening the scope. Don’t put yourself on our radar, or you might find we have enough ammunition to take you both out.”
Gideon’s nostrils flared. “I’d watch what you say about me. Unlike Callum, I’ve got the funds to spend several lifetimes suing each and every one of you for slander.”
Her expression was full of mock pity. “We both know you won’t do that. Do you really want to ruin this boy’s life anymore than you already have by getting him caught up in a much filthier type of scandal than paying for grades?”
Gideon didn’t say anything else. He didn’t want to be arrested for strangling an old lady. He turned on his heel and left, making his way to his office before slamming the door and locking it. He went to his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer where his predecessor kept his booze stash. He opened the lid and took a swig, letting the whiskey burn its way down his esophagus to his stomach.
This whole thing had to do with Cal getting into Harvard? It seemed so stupid. It couldn’t be about the scholarship. Matteo’s family had been inheriting money for so long, the last person who’d worked in their family had probably died a century before Roger was born and he was Methuselah old. But Rosalind hadn’t said paying for tests. She said paying for grades. Were the teachers on the take here as well? What the hell was really going on at this school?
He pulled up Matteo’s records, studying his file. He had lower grades than Cal—though not by much—but he had an independent learning plan filed, giving him extra time on tests as well as one on one consideration for tests. His SAT scores were also lower than Cal’s by forty points. Gideon texted Cal that he’d be home late and to order dinner for himself, then pulled up a blank spreadsheet and started entering the data into the columns.
Once finished with Matteo’s file, he started pulling the records from the other forty-nine kids in the senior class. When Gideon finished with the seniors, he moved onto the junior class, a clear pattern forming in the numbers. By the time he flipped his office light off, it was dark outside, but he had sufficient evidence to cause the board to change its mind. He just needed Shea to recant his bullshit confession, and they could all move on with their lives once and for all.
As soon as Gideon texted Callum that he was on his way home, Cal shot into motion. It was a twenty-five minute drive from the school, especially at this time of night. He went to the box in the closet, flinging it open before he stopped short, blinking at the box of toys. There were so many. Dildos, vibrators, plugs, restraints, paddles, something that looked suspiciously like a sex swing…a whip. Cal’s cock stood at attention at the sight of the curled braided leather.
Holy shit.
Would he ever be brave enough to let Gideon use that on him? He shook the thought away, looking for his baby boy collar. But then his eyes caught on something else. With his fingers trembling, he pulled a collar free, but not the one he’d been looking for. This one was a thick leather collar with a long chain attached to a steel loop.
Cal removed the chained collar and a few other items, tossing them on the bed, before stripping and putting on the collar. He dropped to his knees in front of the bed, placing his hands behind his back, then lowered his head and waited. He hoped this is what Gideon wanted, what he liked. He needed him to like it. Gideon was all he had.
As soon as he heard Gideon’s key in the lock, his heart rate shot up and his hands started to shake like his blood sugar was low. Except, he’d checked just moments before, and his sugars were in an acceptable range. It was just nerves…or excitement. Would he always be this excited to see Gideon? Would he be mad Cal dipped into the toy chest without permission? Fuck. Maybe he’d already made a mistake.
Gideon’s footsteps paused just inside the doorway, his keys stuttering across the entrance table. Cal could feel the heavy weight of Gideon’s stare, could see him kick his shoes off at the door and hear him hang up his jacket. If Gideon didn’t do something soon, Cal might actually have a heart attack and die.
Gideon disappeared into the bathroom and then went to the kitchen, opening the fridge and removing something. What was he doing? Had Cal gotten it all wrong? Was Gideon simply carb loading before he punished him for his disobedience, or was he drinking water to properly scold him? Finally, Gideon crossed the floor to where Cal knelt. He crouched before him, making a vague noise as he wrapped Cal’s chain around his fist.
“What’s this, little bird? You’ve been playing in the toy box, I see.”
The low timbre of Gideon’s voice sent goosebumps along Cal’s whole body. He gave Gideon a wide-eyed look. “I just wanted to have things ready for when you got home.”
Gideon looked at the paddle, the lube, and the blue silicone plug on the bed before glancing down at Cal. “How could I refuse such a tempting offer?” he asked, slanting his lips over Cal’s, his tongue probing his mouth until Cal moaned. “I don’t know if I want to use this paddle, though. It’s more than you’re used to.”
Gideon slapped the wooden paddle against his hand, and Cal’s cock twitched at the sound of wood meeting skin. It was heavier than anything Gideon had used on him in the past. That’s why Cal wanted it. Gideon usually used his hand, but he’d spanked him once with a belt and another time with a flogger. The paddle had heft. It would leave a mark, and Cal needed Gideon’s mark.
