Chapter 6

6

GRACE

G abriel sits on the couch while I pace back and forth, running my fingers through my hair, distraught about what to do. I'm angry at Maise for taking the video and sharing it, but I'm even more angry that she tried seducing Gabriel.

On top of that, I realize that Gabriel could very likely lose his job over what we did, and I can't help but feel guilty about it. Both of us knew before we began anything that there might be risks involved, but I was too hopeful we could avoid them.

"What are we going to do?" I ask, calming down enough to take a seat next to him.

Gabriel drapes an arm over my shoulder, and I lean into him, sinking into his warmth as he tries to comfort me. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it."

"You can't lose your job because of me," I continue, wincing away the stress forming between my eyes. "There has to be something we can do to help you before the investigation."

As I sit there, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and my heart sinks at the idea of it being the Dean. Of course, when I pull it out to look at the phone number, I see that it is the university calling.

"He said he was going to interview you," Gabriel sighs, leaning forward to watch me as I answer the phone.

I slide the call button and press the phone to my ear, pretending like I don't know anything about what's really happening.

"Grace Simmons," I say with a faux cheery tone.

"Miss Simmons, this is Dean Ian Carlton, and I'd like to schedule a time within the next day or so to have a meeting," he says, his voice heavy on the other end.

"Can I ask what this is about?"

"I think it's best we discussed that in person," he says before reading off the available times he has.

After scheduling a meeting with him for the following day, I end the call and lean forward on Gabriel once again. Even though he's facing serious consequences for our relationship, he is still calm and doing everything in his power to comfort me. Truthfully, I don't think anything will happen to me because he's the one employed by the university. I'll more than likely be able to attend, but I don't know if I would want to if he's fired.

The feelings I have for him are strong, and the idea of hurting him in some way kills me. I know that I might only have one chance to express that to the Dean and change his mind about possibly firing Gabriel.

"You need to relax," Gabriel whispers in my ear, kissing it gently. "The meeting tomorrow might be stressful, so you need to do everything you can to calm down tonight."

"I can't help it," I sigh, leaning back and shaking my head. "I just feel terrible. You wouldn't be in the situation if it weren't for me, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Gabriel kneels on the floor in front of me, grabbing my hands and squeezing them in his while staring up at me with a calming smile. "I don't care that I'm in this situation. If I had to choose between you and my job, I would choose you every time. Grace, I love you."

He kisses the back of my hands, and I hold his face, gently stroking his five o'clock shadow with a smile. "I love you too."

I lean down and kiss him, feeling the stress of the situation melt away. When I pull away from him, he grips the waistband of my shorts and starts pulling them down. I laugh while I lift my hips to let him.

"Now, just relax and enjoy this," he says, pressing his face between my legs.

I close my eyes and drape my legs over his shoulders, moaning as his tongue slides between the lips of my pussy and swirls around my clit. Gabriel gently sucks on it while flicking it back and forth with his tongue, sending shock waves through my body as my fingers twirl in his hair. I pull his face closer to me, and he moans against me. His finger slides inside of me, gently moving in and out.

"Dr. Griffin!" I cry out, knowing that even in the midst of everything we're going through, Gabriel would like it. In fact, by how he growls against me, it seems he likes it even more than normal.

He pulls his mouth away from me when my body stills, staring up at me with a smile. I slide off the couch and wrap my legs around his waist while he pulls his cock from his pants. He wastes no time at all, shoving it inside of me and thrusting below me.

My eyes roll back, and I whimper in his ear while he fills me up, feeling overwhelmed by the pleasure. He grabs my waist and pulls me down as close to him as possible, burying his cock inside me all the way. It doesn't take long for me to cry out once again, leaning my head back while he licks my nipples.

Gabriel twitches and throbs inside of me. He explodes and groans while warmth pools between my legs.

I wrap my legs tighter around his waist, holding him inside of me a few moments longer to savor the feeling before we part. I lie on the floor next to him, tracing circles on his chest.

"No matter what, Grace, this isn't going to change anything between us," Gabriel says, confidently looking at me. "I'm gonna make sure of that."

The next day, I go to school and make my way to the Dean's office, trying to prepare myself for whatever might happen while I'm there. I know he's going to have a lot of questions for me, and considering Gabriel saw videos, I know there's no point in lying. I just have to be convincing enough to tell them that I wasn't taken advantage of. If Gabriel can keep his job and I can continue going to school here, then all our problems will be solved.

"Thank you for coming in on such short notice," Dean Carlton says as I take a seat behind his desk. "Do you have any idea why you're here?"

I shake my head nervously, purposefully looking as uncomfortable as possible.

"It's come to our attention that Dr. Griffin has been engaging in inappropriate relations with you, and it's something we have to take action against as it violates our code of conduct," he carefully begins, making sure he doesn't overstep with his words. "Dr. Griffin has been put on temporary leave while we begin investigating. I wanted to start with you before anything else to hear your side of the story if you're comfortable sharing."

My heart pounds in my chest, and I can feel myself blushing. "We have been seeing each other," I cautiously admit. "He never seduced me or took advantage of me. In fact, it was … it was me who made the first move."

"My concern, as an administrator of the university, is that Dr. Griffin is in a position of power over you." He leans forward and stares deep into my eyes. "When this relationship began, did he mention anything about it affecting your grades or scholarships? Anything like that?"

I quickly shake my head and straighten myself in my seat. "Of course not! He's never indicated once that our relationship would have an impact on my grade. We just realized we had a lot in common when we were discussing the reading list, and things went from there. He's never done anything to make me feel like I've been taken advantage of."

He nods and writes something down in front of me. "I'm glad to hear that, Miss Simmons. I'm not gonna lie; that doesn't change much as far as the investigation is concerned, but if you feel this was wholly consensual, that takes some stress off the situation."

"What's going to happen to him?" I ask, nervously biting my lip.

"That's to be determined right now," he answers, shrugging his shoulders gently. "It's difficult to say because he's a valuable part of the team here, but it's our duty to hire faculty and staff that are conducive to the environment we're trying to create. On top of that, knowing that he's engaged in illicit relations with one student, it brings up questions about if this was the first time or not."

"What should I expect for the rest of the investigation?"

Dean Carlton takes a deep breath and stares at me with a nervous look. "While the investigation is ongoing, we think it would be best to put you on temporary academic probation."

"What?" I lean forward, with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. "If I'm on academic probation, I'll lose all of my scholarships. I can't afford to go here if I don't have them."

He takes a deep breath and slowly nods again, making it seem like he knew that before he made the decision. "I'm really sorry, Miss Simmons. I don't think there's anything I can do about it at this point."

I can feel the tears stinging the corners of my eyes, so I stand up and rush out of the office before he can say anything else. I don't stop to talk to anyone along the way and go right back to Gabriel's house to speak to him. As soon as I walk in the door, he takes me in his arms and holds me while I cry about the news. I don't know how I'm going to tell my parents that I won't be attending school anymore because I'm on probation. I know they won't understand, and part of me feels like I failed them.

"I won't let him do this to you," Gabriel whispers with a determined tone, grabbing his car keys and leading me out of the house.

I calm down enough on the drive back to campus to hold back some of the tears. Dean Carlton is sitting in his office, on the phone, talking to someone when Gabriel and I walk back in. Gabriel holds my hand tightly on his own, and we sit down in the chairs across from the desk, watching as the Dean's face changes to one of disapproval.

"Gabriel, I told you we would keep this quiet, but you were walking around holding hands with her in public—" Dean Carlton begins, his face turning red.

"I quit," Gabriel says, interrupting him.

"What?" I ask, turning to him with a shocked face.

"If I quit, will that make this go away? Will Grace still be able to stay enrolled without going on academic probation?" He looks at me while he waits for a response.

"I suppose if you do, then the investigation could be called off, and Miss Simmons could stay enrolled," the Dean replies, shaking his head. "But if you quit, you'll lose all of your benefits and your pension. There's going to be repercussions for quitting this position."

"I don't care about any of that," Gabriel says, shrugging his shoulders. "I care about her, and I know this means a lot. Besides, I can think of a much better use of my time right now."

I sit next to Gabriel in stunned silence, thinking about the decision he made. Part of me is amazed and excited that he would do something like this for me, but another part feels guilty.

We leave the Dean's office knowing that the investigation is going to be over, and then I'm still a student, but there are a lot of other things Gabriel needs to work out with the university before he can officially quit.

"You didn't have to do that," I say when we get in the car.

"You being here means more to you than teaching does to me." He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles. "Besides, I've been writing again anyway."

I smile at him before leaning in to kiss him. Gabriel drops me off at his house, telling me that there's one thing he has to do before all of this can be put behind us. I sit in the living room, reflecting on everything that had just happened that day, thinking about how thankful I am to have someone like Gabriel in my life. He sacrificed a lot for me. For that, I'll always be grateful.

A few hours later, he comes back with a dozen roses in his hands and a bottle of champagne. Gabriel excitedly sets everything down in front of me, grabbing my hands and staring at me with a crazy smile.

"What is all this?" I ask, smiling back at him.

He stares at me for a moment without saying a word before dropping to one knee in front of me. He pulls a small box out of the pocket of his pants, and I gasp, reaching my hand to my mouth to cover it in shock. We've only been together for a couple of weeks, and in any other situation, a proposal would be insane. With Gabriel, though, it isn't.

"I know it's early, but you and I both know that what we have is special," he begins, grabbing my hand and holding it tightly. "You're the most incredible woman I've ever met, and I've known since the moment I laid eyes on you that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Since we've been together, you've inspired me. What I feel for you goes far past desire, I need you in my life."

"Gabriel," I whisper, tears forming in my eyes. "I love you so much."

"And I love you more than I could ever describe. Grace Simmons, would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

I nod quickly, dropping to the floor in front of him and throwing my arms around his neck. "Yes! I'll marry you!"