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Jessi
It was another of those texts from Gary that made my heart sink. Come to my office. Now.
I didn't dare to disobey him. I knew that he could have me out of Knightsbridge in a moment if he wanted to.
The thing was, I was trying so hard. I was acing all of my classes. I was putting together some really solid design projects, and everything was coming together at the shop as well. Although Dad had initially had his misgivings about my design for J.T.'s bike, he seemed to be on board with it now, and we were making good headway on it, although there was still a lot to be done over the next month.
But this whole thing with Gary... it seemed like the more things started to come to the surface, the worse things looked for me. I was aware now that everyone in my classes was giving me sidelong looks. Even professors I ran into in the hallway were giving me those looks, and I could tell that they all thought that I was sleeping with the man. I couldn't believe I had been so oblivious for so long.
There wasn't really anything that I could do about it, though. I needed this degree to prove something to Dad, and to prove something to myself, too, if I was being honest. I was learning a lot. And I wasn't going to drop out just because of him.
The hallways were mostly empty as I made my way towards Gary's office. It was a Friday afternoon, so most of the classes had ended a while ago already, and most people were well on their way home, or out to their favorite bars or clubs. There was no one there to happen upon me as I walked slowly, full of dread, down the hallways.
I paused outside Gary's office and knocked hesitantly on the door. The place had once been such a sanctuary for me, but that wasn't the case anymore. I had started avoiding the place as much as I could, but of course, if he ordered me there, there wasn't much that I could do.
I spared a thought for Rip. He had said that he would do something to keep Gary from coming after me, but it didn't seem like he had followed through with his promises. That upset me, but it wasn't like I could call the man out. I should never have trusted Rip to begin with, just like I should never have trusted Gary. Every guy just wanted the same thing, it seemed. I had been naïve to think otherwise.
When I entered Gary's office, he eyed me hungrily, standing up from behind his desk. “There you are,” he said, smirking at me. “I haven't seen you in days.”
“I've been busy,” I told him shortly. Somehow I didn't think that that answer was going to cut it, though.
Ellsmith tsked and shook his head. “What sort of gratitude is that, given the grades that I've been getting you?” he asked.
I paused, momentarily taken aback. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I've been making sure that you pass all your classes with flying colors,” Gary told me. “Making sure that you didn't have to devote so much time to all your coursework, so that you could spend more time in your father's little shop. And yet, you act as though that's-”
“My grades have had nothing to do with you,” I interrupted, appalled by what he was saying. “I've been getting those grades based on my own merits. I've been working hard.”
Gary laughed cruelly. “Is that what you think?” he asked. “Oh, dear.”
I scowled at him, folding my arms over my chest. “Why did you ask me to come by, anyway?” I asked. “I have to get home. We have lots of work to get done this weekend.”
“Get over here,” Gary said, gesturing toward where he was leaning against the front of his desk. And I could tell based on his posture and everything else that he was planning for me to ...
I swallowed hard and shook my head. “No,” I said, feeling tears prick the corners of my eyes. But I knew that I was powerless to stop him if he really wanted to force himself on me.
Gary scowled at me. “I'm making sure that you have everything that you could ever want,” he reminded me. “I've made sure that your grades are the best that this university has ever seen. I'm making sure that you have internship opportunities for the fall. But if that means nothing to you ...”
“I can do this without your help,” I interrupted, even though I wasn't fully sure that it was true. But I had gotten into the school without Gary's help, and I had to hope that I could get passing grades without his help. I definitely wasn't about to buy into the bargain that he was setting out.
Gary snorted. “What are you, some fucking virgin?” he asked, a sneer on his face.
I ducked my head a little, feeling silly. “No, of course not,” I muttered. And maybe this all shouldn't have mattered so much. It wasn't like he was asking me to devote the rest of my life to him; he just wanted to use me, and I had no doubt that then he would toss me aside and move on to whatever next young thing caught his eye. Maybe if I just let him have his way, it would get him off my back but ensure my continued place here in the department.
I felt sick. I couldn't believe that I was even considering this.
“Come here,” Gary growled again, and this time, I could tell that he wasn't playing any games. God, how could I have been so stupid as to come here again, even though I'd known what he wanted. I wasn't going to be lucky that time. We weren't going to be interrupted by the janitor or anyone else. Gary was smarter than that.
I was crying, I realized, but I could hardly spare any attention for the tears streaming down my face. “I didn't ask for your help with any of that,” I argued. “I could have gotten decent grades on my own.”
“And the internship in Cleveland?” Gary asked. “You think you could have pulled that off too?”
“I don't want the internship in Cleveland,” I told him. It was a lie. I wanted it, but even if it didn't come with these strings attached, I knew that there was no way Dad was going to let me go. And when it came down to things like having to ... I shook my head, avoiding looking at Gary as much as I could. “Just stay out of my life, please,” I whispered, my voice sounding raw. “My grades, and everything else. Just let me ...”
“Just let you what?” Gary snapped. “I'll have you out of the program by the end of next week, I swear. If that's not what you want, then come here.”
I thought again about Rip, and I tried to summon some sort of courage. “You can't do that to me,” I told him. “Or you're going to be ...” I trailed off, because I didn't really know what Rip would do to the man.
“Or I'll be what?” Gary sneered.
I trembled a little but squared my shoulders. “I'm sure you've heard of the Hounds of Hades,” I told him. And I could see from the look in his eyes that he had. Good. “I have a lot of good friends who are part of that club,” I told him. It was a bit of a lie, but I only hoped that Rip would be able to back what I was about to say. “And if you do anything to me ...” Again, I let him use his imagination to finish the threat.
Gary shook his head, looking amused. “Darling, you clearly haven't been around bikers for long enough if you think they're just going to come to your aid for free,” he said to me. “But then again, that's what you thought I was doing, isn't it? Maybe you are just that dumb.”
“It's not for free,” I snapped. I paused, wondering if I should say it, but I knew that I had to. I tossed my head a little. “I'm sleeping with Rip Harris,” I informed Gary. “He just so happens to be J.T.'s right-hand man.”
Gary stared at me for a long moment, as though wondering what to say. I was sure that he didn't believe me—that he wouldn't believe me until Rip was in there in person, making the same claim. But it didn't seem that Rip was too keen on getting involved in any of this. I had to wonder if he'd even come by to see Gary. But I doubted it, based on Gary's apparent surprise that I might have anything to do with the Hounds.
I swallowed hard, hoping that this declaration would at least buy me a bit of time with Gary.
“Fine,” Gary said finally, disgust evident in his voice. “If that's the way that you want to play, then fine.” He shook his head. “But I hope you've thought long and hard about this, because I won't extend the offer to you again. And when you manage to scrape by in this program with the bare minimum of passing grades and find it impossible to get an internship—well, I hope that when you find yourself unemployable in this field, maybe you'll give things a second thought. But by then, it'll be too late.”
There was nothing that I could say in response to that, but I wasn't about to do whatever he wanted me to do so that I could ensure my future in the program. Instead, I groped blindly behind me for the doorknob. I tumbled out into the hallway and ran, hardly able to think.
I finally reached the parking lot and my car, and I tried to get my keys out to unlock it. My hands were shaking hard enough that I kept dropping my keys even after I'd located them in my pockets. But no one came after me, and eventually, I was able to get into my car, take a few deep breaths, and start off for home.