Christopher“I think that even with my kickass wife on your side, you’re likely to both lose. Leila, you would likely be terminated. If he can’t legally fire you for that, he’ll find another reason. You could try and sue for wrongful termination, but I don’t know if that would work. I’m sure my wife will know more than I and I will definitely run it all by her. If she thinks there is a chance, I will have her reach out—assuming it gets that far.”“But how can he expel Christopher?” she asked.“That’s an easy one. Sex in the library is definitely an offense that could get him expelled. Again, if it isn’t, it is easy to make something up.”She groaned, rubbing her hand over her face. “I can’t believe this. I’m jobless. I’m unemployed.”The strain on her face and the worry in her eyes pulled at my heartstrings. She didn’t deserve to lose everything. “I’ll take the fall,” I said. “You told me from the very get-go what this could lead to and I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”“No!” she gas
LeilaI looked at Alan and shrugged. “Well, I guess that’s that,” I said.He smiled. “You two make a great couple.”“Thank you. I feel like I’m in a bit of a Romeo and Juliet situation. He’s the forbidden fruit.”“Or you’re the forbidden fruit.”I had to laugh at the thought. “I suppose you’re right. So, how did you know?”“Know about you and Christopher?”I nodded. “Yes.”“I didn’t actually know, but I did have my suspicions. I wasn’t lying when I said the sparks were flying between the two of you. I recognized the sparks. My wife and I are like that.”I smiled. “That’s very sweet. Is she retired?”“She’s retired until she’s not.”I laughed. “Until someone brings her a case she can’t resist.”“You’ve got it. I love to watch her work. She just glows. I think I was hoping your situation would be something she could help with. I’m still going to run it by her. She’s the legal mind, I’m not.”I smiled, but there was something else that was still bothering me. “How did you know that we mi
Leila“The dean called it a donation to the school, but Christopher thinks he was blackmailing him.”She grinned. “He didn’t give up your name, did he?”“No, he didn’t.”“Told you,” she sang the words. “I told you so, I told you so.”“Gloating is not an attractive quality on anyone.”“I don’t care. I was right.”“Fine, you were right,” I mumbled.“Is he going to pay him?”“No. We talked with another guy whose wife is a lawyer, hoping we had some legal ground to fight back, but we don’t. Alan doesn’t think we have a chance to sue to keep my job and Christopher enrolled. He thinks the dean would just find another legal reason to get rid of us. Christopher has decided to take the fall for both of us.”She grimaced. “He is going to pay him?”“No. He’s not going to pay or give up my name, which means he’ll be expelled.”“Is that going to stop the dean from investigating?”“Christopher is going to tell him I’m not a student.”“Do you think that will work?” she asked.I shrugged. “I have no
ChristopherI was being made to wait, which didn’t surprise me all that much. It was a power play. He wanted me to sit and stew. He probably assumed the longer he made me wait, the more inclined I would be to pay him a heftier sum. I considered myself a nice man, but I wasn’t a pushover. People often mistook my kindness for weakness. I wasn’t a weak man.My anger was fueled by Leila’s stress. She was a damn good teacher and the dean had no idea what kind of gem he had. I was still mulling over the idea of paying him not to keep investigating. I would pay him whatever it took to keep Leila’s job safe.I had tabled that idea. It would be showing my cards too soon. If I gave up Leila’s name when there was no possible way he would ever uncover her identity, I would be giving him too much information. I would watch him and try to determine just how much he knew. I felt I had a pretty good poker face. I hoped the dean didn’t.“Mr. Evans, the dean will see you now,” a young woman said from b
ChristopherThe detective left, leaving me and Alan alone in the office. I stared at Alan, absolutely dumbfounded. “What the hell?”Alan laughed. “Sorry I had to keep you in the dark, but we needed this all to play out just right.”“We? Who is we?”“The cops. My wife. Me.”I studied him carefully. “Who are you?”“I am who I say I am, but I did not sign up for more classes because I’m interested in pursuing any more education. The last thing I want to do in my golden years is study and take tests while hanging out with a bunch of kids. My wife made me do it.”“Made you do what?” I asked feeling like I had skipped several chapters in a book and was missing the bulk of the story.“Go undercover,” he said with a grin.“As an old guy in college?”“I’ve been talking to students and trying to get information on the dean. Almost a year ago, a young man from an affluent family came to my wife and asked for help. As it turns out, the dean had been extorting him for months. He pulled the same sh
LeilaI tossed another file folder into the box. I was taking everything that was my personal property. My lesson plans and my research were mine. I wasn’t about to leave them behind for someone else to poach. I had put in the time and energy into creating my lectures and tests. They were my personal property and if the dean tried to stop me, I’d give him hell.I threw in the answer sheet to the multiple-choice test as well. My replacement would have to grade the tests sitting on my desks without the answer sheet. It was my way of thumbing my nose at the institution. I found myself angry. I wasn’t even sad. I was pissed.I had come back to campus thinking I could just pick up where I had left off. I couldn’t. I realized I would never feel secure in my job. I would always be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the dean to surprise me with an accusation or an insinuation.I thought about how he had tried to blackmail Christopher and realized he was not the kind of man I wanted to work
LeilaChristopher nodded. “Yes. He never wanted to get another degree. His wife made him go undercover. There is a camera in the dean’s office. He knew it was there, so all the video they’ve obtained will be legal to use against him.”“Why would he commit a felony on camera?”He grinned. “Because he thought it didn’t work. I have a feeling he purposely broke it. It was fixed and the police have been monitoring him. Today when I went in there, he asked me again for money.”I let out a breath. “Holy shit. I don’t even know what to say. This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”He laughed. “I know. I was in shock. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get arrested.”“I can’t believe Alan never told us!” I said a little irritated.“He couldn’t. He didn’t want to risk me acting different or saying the wrong thing. They had to let it play out.”I shook my head. “I almost quit. If they hadn’t busted him when they did, I would have quit for nothing. Wait, the police know it was me?”“Alan knows
ChristopherI grabbed Leila’s hand and pulled her towards the mini Ferris wheel. She was giggling, resisting at first but eventually following along. We climbed in the seat and were quickly buckled in before the car started to move forward while the next couple boarded.“I don’t know if I like heights,” she told me.“I guess we’re about to find out,” I answered.She was smiling big. “This is nuts.”“This is fun. Look, there’s Olin!”“Olin!” she shouted his name, waving her arms.Olin looked up at us and grinned, waving back as the car went up a little higher. It wasn’t long before the ride began to move, taking us high above the fair. We had done dinner and happened to see the rides and tents set up. It was irresistible. Even Olin had been on board to come along.Once the ride was over, we made our way over to the bumper cars where we were supposed to meet Olin. “He looks like he is having a good time,” Leila commented.I watched Olin laughing as he rammed a young woman in another car