color that hung loose from her
skinny body. A pop of Cherry. The nickname seared through Delaney’s
head. A short denim skirt with a frayed bottom barely reached her mid-thighs.
Her long red nails swayed like animal claws, clutching a black purse, as scraggly,
blonde hair jerked back and forth. Then she was gone. The click of high heels
registered down the hall until the sound slowly faded, the echo nothing more
than a mere tap. Definitely not Mrs. Givens or the assistant. Cherry the
prostitute?
Delaney slinked
forward to the door, just steps from the hallway, when her ringtone sounded. No. Her hand pressed frantically for the silencing button. The ringing
continued before her finger finally connected to the right button. Silence.
Delaney felt another drop of sweat hit the back of her pants as she held her
breath, waiting. Footsteps pounded closer, becoming faster and louder. President
Givens.
She yanked her chair
out from her desk and slid in, opening her laptop just as the footsteps stopped
behind her. President Givens cleared his throat.
“Dr. Jones, I’m
surprised to see you here tonight.”
“Oh, President Givens.”
She turned to see him standing in the doorway, his tie hung loosely from his
neck. His gray hair sprouted wildly from his scalp. He held his jacket in his
hand. Pig. “ I was just finishing up some paperwork for my next display.
I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t think anyone was in the building anymore.”
“Quiet, isn’t it? The
summer months are something to loathe,” he said.
“It’s different
without the student, but it’s easy to get absorbed in work when it’s so still.
I get quite a bit accomplished,” she replied. As do you. Delaney felt
his eyes penetrate her, looking first at her face and then following it down to
her sweat soaked t-shirt. She crossed her arms and smiled. President Givens’s
sloppiness became suddenly apparent. He needed his nose hairs trimmed, his
eyebrows shaped. The wiry, silver hair she had once thought as sophisticated
suddenly appeared unclean. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair,
fixing the gray mop to hang in its usual spot.
“Good, good. Leighton
is glad to have you. My friend Mr. Parker was right about you,” he said.
“Oh, yeah?” Delaney
swallowed hard. How much does President Givens know?
“Absolutely. I know
your first display had some mediocre reviews, but the transition here takes a
bit of an adjustment. I’m sure your next will be critically acclaimed. I’ve
heard good things about your classroom, and Dean VanHandel seems to like you.”
“Good.” Her chair
squeaked as she swiveled the chair to the right. He needed to go. Now.
“I’d like to get some
of your pieces in Parker Tower. I’m sure Mr. Parker or Mark won’t mind.”
President Givens put on his best-in-show smile. “I’m surprised you already
don’t have work there. Mr. Parker is quite the fan of yours.”
Delaney’s eyes
shifted to the painted barn on the other side of the room before she let her
head fall into a small nod of agreement. “That would be great. I would be
honored,” she lied.
“I’ll see what I can
do.” He threw his jacket over his shoulder. Confident. Relaxed. He stood
like a man that had exhausted himself after a long day of closing his next big
business deal. Disgusting . Delaney caught his empty finger, his wedding
band removed from his hand.
“The Jones family is
quite talented. Your brother was excellent to deal with as the project manager.
He successfully brought Mr. Parker’s vision to light. The Parker Tower is an inspiration
for our campus. Our community.” He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his
foot in front of the other. Just leave . She nodded again in agreement
before he added, “Are you attending the Gala tomorrow evening?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
Delaney forced a smile. She envisioned his hand wrapped around the woman’s
mouth, holding her tight against his body, maybe even pulling her
skinny body. A pop of Cherry. The nickname seared through Delaney’s
head. A short denim skirt with a frayed bottom barely reached her mid-thighs.
Her long red nails swayed like animal claws, clutching a black purse, as scraggly,
blonde hair jerked back and forth. Then she was gone. The click of high heels
registered down the hall until the sound slowly faded, the echo nothing more
than a mere tap. Definitely not Mrs. Givens or the assistant. Cherry the
prostitute?
Delaney slinked
forward to the door, just steps from the hallway, when her ringtone sounded. No. Her hand pressed frantically for the silencing button. The ringing
continued before her finger finally connected to the right button. Silence.
Delaney felt another drop of sweat hit the back of her pants as she held her
breath, waiting. Footsteps pounded closer, becoming faster and louder. President
Givens.
She yanked her chair
out from her desk and slid in, opening her laptop just as the footsteps stopped
behind her. President Givens cleared his throat.
“Dr. Jones, I’m
surprised to see you here tonight.”
“Oh, President Givens.”
She turned to see him standing in the doorway, his tie hung loosely from his
neck. His gray hair sprouted wildly from his scalp. He held his jacket in his
hand. Pig. “ I was just finishing up some paperwork for my next display.
I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t think anyone was in the building anymore.”
“Quiet, isn’t it? The
summer months are something to loathe,” he said.
“It’s different
without the student, but it’s easy to get absorbed in work when it’s so still.
I get quite a bit accomplished,” she replied. As do you. Delaney felt
his eyes penetrate her, looking first at her face and then following it down to
her sweat soaked t-shirt. She crossed her arms and smiled. President Givens’s
sloppiness became suddenly apparent. He needed his nose hairs trimmed, his
eyebrows shaped. The wiry, silver hair she had once thought as sophisticated
suddenly appeared unclean. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair,
fixing the gray mop to hang in its usual spot.
“Good, good. Leighton
is glad to have you. My friend Mr. Parker was right about you,” he said.
“Oh, yeah?” Delaney
swallowed hard. How much does President Givens know?
“Absolutely. I know
your first display had some mediocre reviews, but the transition here takes a
bit of an adjustment. I’m sure your next will be critically acclaimed. I’ve
heard good things about your classroom, and Dean VanHandel seems to like you.”
“Good.” Her chair
squeaked as she swiveled the chair to the right. He needed to go. Now.
“I’d like to get some
of your pieces in Parker Tower. I’m sure Mr. Parker or Mark won’t mind.”
President Givens put on his best-in-show smile. “I’m surprised you already
don’t have work there. Mr. Parker is quite the fan of yours.”
Delaney’s eyes
shifted to the painted barn on the other side of the room before she let her
head fall into a small nod of agreement. “That would be great. I would be
honored,” she lied.
“I’ll see what I can
do.” He threw his jacket over his shoulder. Confident. Relaxed. He stood
like a man that had exhausted himself after a long day of closing his next big
business deal. Disgusting . Delaney caught his empty finger, his wedding
band removed from his hand.
“The Jones family is
quite talented. Your brother was excellent to deal with as the project manager.
He successfully brought Mr. Parker’s vision to light. The Parker Tower is an inspiration
for our campus. Our community.” He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his
foot in front of the other. Just leave . She nodded again in agreement
before he added, “Are you attending the Gala tomorrow evening?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
Delaney forced a smile. She envisioned his hand wrapped around the woman’s
mouth, holding her tight against his body, maybe even pulling her
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