Page 67 of Disciplinary Action
“Well, I don’t suppose I could convince you to just pack your bags and leave.”
Cal blinked at her. “What?”
“You’re ruining his life. You get that, right? He’s risking everything, his reputation, his career, and for what? A barely legal teen who’s going to be off like a shot the minute he meets a boy his own age.”
“You don’t even know me,” Cal said, even as his heart shredded in his chest.
“Of course, I do. You’re the child prostitute who weaseled his way into Leo’s bed and then fed him a sob story so he’d fall in love with you. This isn’t like in the movies. You’re not Cinderella, and he’s not going to make you the queen of his castle. Once he loses everything, his job, his friends, his credibility within the academic community, he’ll grow to resent you, and even if you don’t get sick of being with somebody over twice your age, he’ll get tired of you being an embarrassment. Do you think you can keep up with him academically? Do you think you won’t look ridiculous standing next to a crowd of scholars his age?”
“Why do you care?” Cal asked, doing his best to not let the woman see that she’d landed every barb and he was bleeding on the inside.
“Because Grant was my best friend, and he’d be rolling over in his urn if he knew that the love of his life had been swindled by some rent boy. Grant didn’t work his fingers to the bone, day in and day out, for Leo to be showering some hooker in diamonds.”
Cal’s heart hammered in his chest, and he had to remind himself to breathe. How did this woman know so much and so little at the same time? “Diamonds?” Cal laughed. “Diamonds? Does it look like I’m stashing a tiara somewhere?”
“Do you want a tiara, darling? Because I have gobs of them. If it’s money you’re after, just name your price and I’ll write the check and we can be done with this foolishness before the board pushes this matter any further.”
Cal laughed as he fought back tears. “Oh, my God. Are you actually trying to bribe me? This really feels like I’m trapped in a bad romantic comedy right now. I don’t want your fucking money. I don’t even know who you are, but I imagine if Gideon cared about you at all, he’d have at least mentioned your name. Since he’s already introduced me to his real friends, I think you should probably just go. Gideon’s very protective of me, so you probably won’t want to be here when he gets home.”
She smirked at him. “I didn’t imagine you’d do the right thing, but my conscience wouldn’t allow me to blow up Leo’s life without me at least attempting to reason with the two of you. In a few days, when your relationship goes public and Gideon is branded a pedophile, just remember I gave you the opportunity.”
Cal stormed to the door and flung it open. “I’m almost twenty years old, and you’re grasping at straws. But I’ll let him know you stopped by.”
Rosalind glided past him like she was on roller skates, giving him one last haughty look over her shoulder before she disappeared down the hallway. He didn’t breathe again until he heard the elevator ding. He closed the door and slid down it, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Alexa slid from the bed and stuck her face in his, licking his cheek and whining. “It’s okay, girl. She’s gone. The mean old lady is gone.”
Her body was gone, but her words bounced around in Cal’s skull. Was he ruining Gideon’s life? His career? Would his peers make fun of him or take his research less seriously because he was in a relationship with Cal? Would he need to hide Callum away? Would Gideon resent him?
He looked to the closet and then to the bathroom where his meds and test kit were. He could leave. He could pack everything and be out of there in minutes. But just that morning, Gideon had made Cal promise he’d never just disappear on him. Besides, he didn’t want to disappear. He didn’t want to leave Gideon and Alexa. This loft might not feel like their home, but Gideon felt like Cal’s home. Maybe he was selfish because he couldn’t allow himself to leave, to stand up and pack up and go before Gideon returned home.
He didn’t know how long he sat there on the floor, arms around Alexa, just staring off into space and feeling sorry for himself, but he didn’t move again until somebody attempted to swing open the door and hit the back of his head. “Ow,” he muttered.
He moved to allow Gideon to enter. He stepped inside and closed the door with his foot. Both of his hands were full. He had Korean food in one hand and his raincoat and umbrella in the other. He glanced down at Cal with amusement. “Any particular reason you’re sitting on the floor?”
“I ordered Korean food,” Cal said, staring at the containers in the cardboard box.
“Yes, I know. I ran into Adam in the lobby, so I snatched it from him so he didn’t have to make the extra trip upstairs. It’s pouring outside, so I imagine it’s a busy night for him.” Gideon set down the food on the counter and hung up his coat and umbrella before tugging Cal to his feet and kissing him in a way that made his toes curl. “That still doesn’t explain to me why you’re on the floor like you’re hiding from an intruder.”
“I was… Sort of.”
“Pardon?” Gideon said, his face falling, all hint of amusement gone.
“Your friend Rosalind stopped by.”
Gideon froze. “What? Why? What did she want?”
“She told me she’d give me money to leave you. Any amount I wanted. She said if I stayed I’d be ruining your life and you’d resent me.”
Cal waited for Gideon to explode, but, instead, he laughed. Cal’s face must have revealed his confusion because Gideon hugged him close. “Don’t listen to a word that old bat says. I can’t tell you anything, but just know that her coming here is great news. It couldn’t be better for us, actually.”
“Did you hit your head or something? That woman has a vendetta against us. She said she’s going to have you branded a pedophile, that she’ll ruin your reputation and make the world discredit you.”
Gideon’s lips moved against the top of Cal’s head as he spoke. “Even if all that were true, I would still choose you. But I promise you, everything is going to be okay.”
“You keep saying that,” Cal murmured, praying it was true.
“That’s because I know what I’m doing,” Gideon chided. “I’m glad you didn’t leave.”
“I thought about it. I don’t want to be the reason your life falls apart.”
