“As I explained earlier, the very first thing I did after my faculty meetings yesterday afternoon was ask my TA to grade Charlotte’s exam. The same way he’s graded all of her tests and papers this semester because I knew I was developing feelings for her and didn’t want there to be a conflict of interest.”
“You’re the only two people who know exactly what happened and when. The only proof included in the complaint which was made by a fellow student was a photo of the two of you which I can only assume was taken today since you’re both wearing the same clothes you currently have on.” Someone had taken a photo of us? “Considering that Miss Young has an exemplary record during her time here and you’re a valued member of the faculty, I’m prone to accepting your version of the facts.”
I heaved an enormous sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Dr. Whitehall.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
I reached out for Gabe’s hand, clenching my fingers tightly when they slid around his palm.
“Assuming you pass all your courses this semester, I’ll allow you to graduate as planned, Charlotte. However, you’ll need to think long and hard about your next step from here because the fall semester is only eight months away and if you want to be a graduate student here, you’ll have a hard decision to make. You can’t be in a relationship with Professor Aldric while you’re a student in his department.”
Chapter 10
Gabe
The ride back to our apartment building was quiet, the silence between us heavy. I’d hoped to have more time to come up with a strategy, one that would convince her to stay. The only option for her to do that, other than going to a school without a decent program in her field, meant forfeiting her goals for higher education.
There was one solution that seemed obvious. I was going to do it sooner rather than later. Why wait if it will do the job now?
Once parked, I helped Charlotte from the car, grabbing our bags and heading inside, my hand at the small of her back. Her shoulders were slumped and she had a dejected look on her face. We walked to the elevator and stepped inside. I pressed the button for the penthouse, but to my surprise, Charlotte pressed the button for her floor.
She kept her head down and shuffled her feet as an awkward silence descended. “Sweetheart?”
“I just need some time, Gabe,” she whispered.
I sighed, “Charlotte, please look at me when you’re talking to me.” My voice was firm. “I don’t want to tell you again,” I reprimanded.
She lifted her head and I saw a small spark of defiance in her eyes. It was so much better than the overwhelming anxiety and sadness I’d seen when we left campus.
“Good girl. Now, why don’t you come home and we’ll talk about it.”
“I need time to process this, Gabe,” she objected. “I have big decisions to make and I can’t think clearly when you’re near.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but it occurred to me that she was giving me the perfect opportunity to set up my plan. I wasn’t happy about giving her time to mull things over, possibly deciding that leaving was best. It would be harder to persuade her to my way of thinking, but not impossible. I’d make sure of it.
I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head as she snuggled up to me, “Ok, sweetheart. I’ll give you some time, but I want you up at our place at eight.”
My hand ventured down to palm one round globe of her spectacular ass. I squeezed it and brought our bodies flush, front to front. Her eyes heated, reflecting the burn I was feeling, the desire to have her naked and writhing underneath me. I feathered a kiss across her rosebud lips, then moved to her ear. “Don’t be late or there will be handcuffs waiting in the bedroom with your name on them.”
She giggled and I shook my head, she’d find out soon enough. The elevator dinged on her floor and I stepped off to carry her bag for her. She unlocked the door and I set it down just inside her apartment before pressing a key to my place into her hand. Before I left, I drew her into my arms and kissed the fuck out of her until I was satisfied that I’d be clouding her “thinking” time without even being there.
I’d cooked for Charlotte the night before and it had seemed to delight her. So, I went out and picked up groceries to do so again. I made an extra stop before returning home to get started on dinner.
When the food was mostly done, I went into the bedroom and set things up for the night. Charlotte would be making a very big decision about her future and I knew that meant it was time to be clear about my preferences in the bedroom. If, for some reason, she couldn’t take it or simply didn’t like it, I would put it all behind me. I would do anything for her and there was no way I was willing to let her go.