couldn't
find the place, but meeting them in the library or the student
union allowed him to work around that issue.
While Ashton looked forward to teaching
something beyond how to write a persuasive essay, he most
anticipated getting out from under Dennis's thumb. His ex-lover had
made teaching a trial ever since they broke up six years earlier.
Ashton had no doubt that if he stayed at the college with Dennis as
department head, he'd never teach anything but freshman comp unless
he agreed to resume the affair that should never have been more
than the drunken one-night stand that had started the whole thing.
He'd been leery of departmental Christmas parties ever since that
night.
Footsteps in the hallway and a tap on the
door speeded his movements. "Come on in," he called, expecting
Bailey to enter. His boyfriend had worked that day on a
construction site for his father's company. Today was his last job
on the crew. When the two of them returned from their week off,
after Bailey moved into the cottage, Bailey would be assuming a job
as foreman for small projects and taking over two days a week for
his dad in the main office.
The door swung inward and his smile faded
abruptly. Brows drawing together in a frown, he stared at Dennis
Romgarten. "Dennis. What can I do for you?"
Sweat beaded on the older man's brow. "You
didn't return my calls yesterday."
"Yesterday was Sunday. I spent the day with
my boyfriend." He ignored the way Dennis's lips twisted in a sneer.
Even dealing with the unpleasant man wouldn't dim his pleasure in
the prospect of another night spent with Bailey, cooking together,
watching baffling British mysteries on Netflix, making love. "Did
you need something? He's on his way to pick me up now."
"You haven't turned in your grades."
"They aren't due until Friday. I have
another exam to administer tomorrow morning, and then I'll turn my
grades in Wednesday. By Friday," he continued, watching Dennis out
the corner of his eye, "I'll have my office cleared and vacated so
you can move in the next poor sucker who'll be stuck teaching kids
what they should have learned in high school."
"You said you enjoyed teaching this
class."
"I said that because I knew you assigned me
these classes as a petty little revenge."
Dennis stepped into the room, looming tall
and bulky in the cramped space of Ashton's office. "Ash, there's no
call for you to leave. You can teach some of the literature classes
next fall. Old Dominic is retiring. I'll give you his classes and
we can go back to the way things used to be."
What unbelievable gall the man had.
Disbelieving, Ashton rose from his chair and leaned forward,
squaring his jaw. "No, we can't. As I said before, I'm with someone
that I care about very deeply. And I will never work for you
again."
"That kid? I saw him drop you off this
morning. He has a student parking sticker on his car. He's too
young for you. He'll meet someone one day and leave you behind just
as you left me."
The expression on Dennis's face was ugly,
but the idea that Bailey would leave him one day struck too close
to the doubts Ashton had harbored. Hearing his own fears from his
ex made him realize just how dumb those doubts had been. "No, he
won't. He's not like you. He loves me."
"Is that what you think? He's just using
you." Watery blue eyes squinted at Ashton. "He's that student I saw
you with before, isn't he? What do you think your new department
head will think of that, you preying on students?"
"Preying? Hardly." And then and there Ashton
felt all his doubts melt away. "Bailey and I have a loving
committed relationship. There is no abuse of power, no
student-teacher dynamic to consider."
"It's just the same, only you wanted the
dominant role." He leaned forward menacingly. "I'll take the whole
story to the board here and the board at UCLA."
Ashton scoffed. "On what grounds? I don't
work here anymore, and he isn't a student here. Even if he
were—"
"Even if I were, there's nothing in
find the place, but meeting them in the library or the student
union allowed him to work around that issue.
While Ashton looked forward to teaching
something beyond how to write a persuasive essay, he most
anticipated getting out from under Dennis's thumb. His ex-lover had
made teaching a trial ever since they broke up six years earlier.
Ashton had no doubt that if he stayed at the college with Dennis as
department head, he'd never teach anything but freshman comp unless
he agreed to resume the affair that should never have been more
than the drunken one-night stand that had started the whole thing.
He'd been leery of departmental Christmas parties ever since that
night.
Footsteps in the hallway and a tap on the
door speeded his movements. "Come on in," he called, expecting
Bailey to enter. His boyfriend had worked that day on a
construction site for his father's company. Today was his last job
on the crew. When the two of them returned from their week off,
after Bailey moved into the cottage, Bailey would be assuming a job
as foreman for small projects and taking over two days a week for
his dad in the main office.
The door swung inward and his smile faded
abruptly. Brows drawing together in a frown, he stared at Dennis
Romgarten. "Dennis. What can I do for you?"
Sweat beaded on the older man's brow. "You
didn't return my calls yesterday."
"Yesterday was Sunday. I spent the day with
my boyfriend." He ignored the way Dennis's lips twisted in a sneer.
Even dealing with the unpleasant man wouldn't dim his pleasure in
the prospect of another night spent with Bailey, cooking together,
watching baffling British mysteries on Netflix, making love. "Did
you need something? He's on his way to pick me up now."
"You haven't turned in your grades."
"They aren't due until Friday. I have
another exam to administer tomorrow morning, and then I'll turn my
grades in Wednesday. By Friday," he continued, watching Dennis out
the corner of his eye, "I'll have my office cleared and vacated so
you can move in the next poor sucker who'll be stuck teaching kids
what they should have learned in high school."
"You said you enjoyed teaching this
class."
"I said that because I knew you assigned me
these classes as a petty little revenge."
Dennis stepped into the room, looming tall
and bulky in the cramped space of Ashton's office. "Ash, there's no
call for you to leave. You can teach some of the literature classes
next fall. Old Dominic is retiring. I'll give you his classes and
we can go back to the way things used to be."
What unbelievable gall the man had.
Disbelieving, Ashton rose from his chair and leaned forward,
squaring his jaw. "No, we can't. As I said before, I'm with someone
that I care about very deeply. And I will never work for you
again."
"That kid? I saw him drop you off this
morning. He has a student parking sticker on his car. He's too
young for you. He'll meet someone one day and leave you behind just
as you left me."
The expression on Dennis's face was ugly,
but the idea that Bailey would leave him one day struck too close
to the doubts Ashton had harbored. Hearing his own fears from his
ex made him realize just how dumb those doubts had been. "No, he
won't. He's not like you. He loves me."
"Is that what you think? He's just using
you." Watery blue eyes squinted at Ashton. "He's that student I saw
you with before, isn't he? What do you think your new department
head will think of that, you preying on students?"
"Preying? Hardly." And then and there Ashton
felt all his doubts melt away. "Bailey and I have a loving
committed relationship. There is no abuse of power, no
student-teacher dynamic to consider."
"It's just the same, only you wanted the
dominant role." He leaned forward menacingly. "I'll take the whole
story to the board here and the board at UCLA."
Ashton scoffed. "On what grounds? I don't
work here anymore, and he isn't a student here. Even if he
were—"
"Even if I were, there's nothing in
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