Chapter Thirty-Four
BETHANY
I started working at Gavin’s office the day after I was fired from Morris Elementary. I was nervous before I showed up, but as the day went on, things turned out to be much easier than I thought. It didn’t take much to keep up with Gavin’s day-to-day routines, and on top of that, I got to see his gorgeous face on a daily basis. I hoped that he didn’t get tired of me because of it, so I tried not to smother him while we were both at the office. I kept things professional and treated him as if he were my boss and nothing more, but as the days went on, it became increasingly difficult. “Hello, Mr. Wallace,” I said as he walked through the door. He wore a tailored suit that fit tight to his body. His hair was cropped, and his cologne met me before he said a word. He smiled and leaned on my desk.
“Well, Ms. Pope, this is the third day of your employment. How are things going?”
“Well, so far, things are okay. My boss is kind of sexy, but I am trying to keep things professional between us. I don’t want to, um, cross any lines. You know?”
“Yeah, I understand that. But, between us, I see the way he looks at you. It seems like he wouldn’t mind if you cross that line. If it were my guess, I’d say that in his mind, he crossed it a long time ago.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah, I am pretty sure of it. I know the guy well.”
“Well, if that’s the case, you should tell him that we should hang out. I mean, that is, if he is interested.”
He looked at his watch. It was almost nine am. “Come on,” he said, reaching for my hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Ssshhhh. Just come on. I think he wants to meet you personally.”
Moments later, I was inside his office, bent over his couch while he fucked me from behind. I stifled my screams of ecstasy while I dug my nails into his cushions. He grabbed my waist and thrust himself inside me. I smacked the cushion with my hand, doing all I could to keep my screams silent. I didn’t know who was lurking around, but that thought alone increased the pleasure from our quickie. Once we finished, I dropped my dress below my waist and looked at him with a smile. His dick was still erect, and a part of me wanted to kneel before him and wrap my lips around it. Just as I went for him, there was a knock at his door. “Mr. Wallace,” a male voice said on the other end, “this is Larry Strizenski. I just need a moment.”
“Sure thing, Larry. Just one second.”
I quickly got up and fixed my dress while he straightened his pants. I was worried that the guy on the other end would think something was going on in here but Gavin calmed my apprehension. “It’s okay. Come here and stand by my desk as if you are pointing something out to me on the screen.” I did what he asked, and seconds later, he spoke for Larry to come in.
“Yes, Mr. Wallace, that right there is what I wanted you to see. It was just a small error on my end, so I had to straighten it out before you got confused.”
“Thank you, Ms. Pope.”
I smiled as Larry walked to the couch. I looked behind him as he sat right beside the spot that we had just occupied. “Well, I’ll let you get to your business. If there is any more confusion, just give me a ring. Sorry about that.”
“No problem, Ms. Pope. Thank you.”
I smiled at Larry, then exited the room and closed the door behind me. My heart thumped inside my chest like a bass drum, but the thrill of almost getting caught was enough to make me want to do the very same thing again. I knew I was going to enjoy working here the moment I told him that I would take the job. As the week went on, business did as well. Gavin asked me to come by Saturday so we could hang out with Vinny, so when the day arrived, I showed up in front of his home. Just as I got out of the car, Vinny opened the front door and ran towards me, “Bethany!” he yelled, rushing full speed.
I stepped onto the curb so that he didn’t run out into the street, and he nearly knocked me backward when he threw his arms around me. “I missed you at school! It is not the same without you! Why did you leave?”
I sighed. “What did you hear?”
“Well, I heard some bad things, but I didn’t believe them. Some of the kids said that you were a bad woman, but I told them that you weren’t. I told them that you were the nicest woman at the school, and I started to get mad. I even almost got into a fight.”
“A fight?” I asked with my eyebrows raised. “Why?”
He released me. “Because they were talking bad about you, and I didn’t like it. Ms. Harrison broke us up though. It was between me and David. I was so angry at him because he kept telling me that you did all these bad things.”
“Listen,” I said, kneeling to him, “I thank you for sticking up for me, but I don’t ever want you to get in trouble because of it. They are just rumors, okay? Just words. As long as you know the truth, there is no reason to get upset. People are going to say things that aren’t true, and nobody can stop them. It is up to you what you do with that though. So, just let them talk and try not to get mad. But most importantly, do not get in trouble. Okay?”
He sighed. “Okay, Bethany.”
I gave him another hug. It pained me to see that he had to go through that, and it hurt even more to hear some of the kids fall victim to lies. It only confirmed that kids regurgitate what they’ve heard from adults. Behavior is taught, and sometimes, adults can be even more immature than the children they are supposed to teach. Just then, Gavin stepped outside. I stood up as he walked down his pathway. “Hey, sweetie.” He kissed me on the lips as Vinny climbed into the car. “How are you?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Vinny was having a hard time at school because of me?”
“What? He is having a hard time? What happened?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“No, he didn’t tell me a thing.”
He opened Vinny’s door, but I pushed it closed. “Wait a minute. Then forget it. I guess he didn’t want to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“Well,” I looked through the window at Vinny. He sat quietly with his eyes buried into a book that he’d retrieved from the back seat. “The kids at the school started spreading the rumor to the other kids, and the word finally got back to Vinny. He said that they were saying bad things about me, and instead of believing them, he got mad at one of the kids and almost had a fight.”
“A fight? Vinny?”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect that either, but I guess we all have a little fight in us if the wrong buttons are pushed. Anyways, after he told me, I let him know not to get in trouble because of something that someone else says. As long as we know the truth, that is all that matters. I guess he was just scared to tell you. Maybe he thought you would punish him or something.”
“Punish him for that? Hell, I would’ve taken him out for ice cream. That is something that I would’ve been proud of him for. Up until now, I didn’t think anything would be able to push him into wanting to fight someone, but as long as it is for a good cause, then I am for it.”
I shook my head, “Really, Gavin? You think fighting over a rumor is a good thing to do?”
“Well, maybe not a rumor, but more so just fighting for what is right. A lot of kids may have just went along with what the other kids were saying, but it says a lot when my little guy is willing to go against the grain in a situation like that. Yeah,” he said, smiling admirably at his son, “yeah, I am proud of him. Anyways,” he faced me, “we should get going. I told him that we were going to the dinosaur museum today, so he is all for it.”
He opened my car door. “Dinosaurs? Sounds interesting.”
“Yeah. Maybe we will find some of your ancestor’s bones in there.”
“Ha ha ha, very funny. Or possibly, we will find out a good place to bury a dead body.” His smile faded as mine spread. “Yeah, so you should just keep that in mind.”
I winked at him as he closed the door behind me. I watched him walk to his side of the car as I leaned across the seat and propped his door open for him. As I extended my hand, I caught a glimpse of my ring finger, and suddenly, I was filled with excitement as I wondered what life would be like if I had his ring on my finger and his last name attached to my first.