by Tia Siren
“No, Joseph. I don’t get it. You weren’t with her. When I kissed her, I felt an electricity I have never felt before and when I looked into her eyes I saw that she felt the same way. She didn’t try to get me into bed or promise me anything if I did. She didn’t expect me to come on to her, nor did she act any different than who she really was.”
“Kind of like you? Wait, who were you again? Oh, yeah a struggling teacher.” He pursed his lips and stared at Edward.
“You’re wrong.”
“Man, I hope so. Listen, I know you are going to go through with this no matter what I say, and I will help you. But when she turns you down flat, don’t come back here and think I’m not going to tell you I told you so.”
“I’ll give you every opportunity.”
“Okay then. So, what’s the plan?”
Chapter 14
By the end of their lunch, Joseph had heard Edward’s entire plan on what he wanted to do, leaving Joseph completely dumbfounded.
“It will work.”
“It’s also illegal.”
“What’s so illegal about it?”
“Let me get this straight, just so I know what I’m dealing with here. You want to create a fake resume, fabricate some bullshit awards to make you look like some hot shot professor and get a job at the same school this chick goes to so you can get her back into your life?”
“Yes. That’s about the jest of it.”
“All for some chick? And you don’t think you are doing anything wrong or illegal?”
“She’s not just some chick. And besides, everyone lies on their resume. Do you think Tom in the sales department really worked next to Zig Ziglar? Anyway, I could teach circles around some of these professors. I know more about business economics than they all do put together. I just don’t have the credentials.”
“Or the license! You need to be certified to teach. You do know that right?”
“Of course, I know that. I don’t have the time to get certified, besides, I won’t really be teaching. I’ll just be there.”
“You’ll just be there.” Joseph nodded his head, looking at him like he had fallen off his rocker. “I think you should really think about this, Edward. You can have any woman you want. And I know there are some out there who would kill to be your girlfriend.”
“Listen, don’t judge me. I’m tired of all the gold diggers. I want something real.”
“This is childish. Just call the school and talk to her.”
“I need to be close to her.” Edward realized he was beginning to sound like a love-sick lunatic but he knew what he felt. “Are you going to help me or what?” he asked, looking down at the table. Frustration was starting to take a toll on him.
“Hey. I got you. As long as you keep my name off everything.”
“Fine.”
“And one other thing.”
“Name it.”
“You are going to help me get this new company off the ground.”
“Absolutely. Thanks, man.”
Edward high fived his skeptical partner and they left the restaurant.
Within a couple of days, they had created quite the believable portfolio including certifications, awards, a beautiful resume and a list of irrefutable references leading to Joseph’s cell phone, Joseph’s email, Edward’s cell phone and the company phone.
“Man, you are going to jail with a rocket strapped to your ass.”
“You’ve got to stay positive. I know what I’m doing. I just need a legitimate reason to be in Oxford. Like I said, I don’t have to actually teach.”
“You okay? Something else is bothering you.”
“She hasn’t called.”
“I thought you said she didn’t have a phone.”
“She doesn’t. But she promised me she’d call when she got back to school.”
Joseph sighed but didn’t try talking him out of it. He knew when Edward was determined to do something, he wasn’t changing his mind.
“Where ya staying when you get there? You can’t be held up in a hotel.”
“I already called and rented a flat close to campus, fully furnished and I have an interview with administration on Monday.”
“Well, good luck man. You’re going to need it.”
“Thanks.”
“Now, about the new company.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon going over the new name, who would be named the officers and how they were going to keep the two companies separate.
“Sounds like we are just about ready to open the doors so to speak.”
“Yes, it does. We can transfer the initial investment into the new account tomorrow morning and Alice will get a reading on how well the advertising is going. We should be up and running by the end of the week.”
“Beautiful.”
“How long are you here for?”
“I leave Saturday.”
“For how long?”
“That, I’m not sure of. But I can help run the company remotely from my flat. I’ll keep in contact with you and report back.”
“Yeah. I’ve heard that before.”
“Will you trust me? Please? I have never steered you wrong, have I? When I went to Paris, I didn’t have any intentions of keeping in contact with you. I wanted you to be able to run things on your own.”
“Now he tells me.”
“Did anything go wrong?” Edward looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, no.”
“Okay then. Listen, I give you my word. I will keep you updated on what I’m doing at least once every couple of days.” He held his hand out toward Joseph for an approved handshake. After a few long moments, Joseph took his hand and squeezed it tight.
“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this shit, but you are right. You have never let me down yet.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
“You help get this business up and running and we’ll be even.”
“You got it.”
“Good luck, Professor.”
Edward chuckled as Joseph shook his head.
Edward had rented a lower-class car and arrived in Oxford about two and a half hours later. His GPS took him to his new address on Old Road close to the campus. Unlocking the door with the key he found in the mail box, he looked around, pleased at the conservative look presented to him. It was perfect, simple and not too elaborate. He left his bags unpacked in the fully furnished flat and locked up before leaving. He still had a lot of time to explore the area before the sun set and he was sure he was going to need it.
The university stood majestic and proud at what it had to offer its students. The academic buildings were scattered throughout the area so it took him a bit of time to find certain key places of interest. He scouted most of the campus to get familiar with it, learning where the popular hang outs were and how the place was laid out. He pin-pointed the administration’s office and walked inside to get some more information. He took some notes on where the history and science majors took to their classes, learned what classes of interest he needed to mention during his interview and was looking over a large map of the campus when he was interrupted.
“It can be quite involving.” A young female stood close to him, her eyes on the same map.
“I’m sorry?”
“The university and its vast campus.”
“Oh, yes. I see that.”
“So, I was right. You are new here.”
“I am.” He turned toward the woman and offered her his hand. When she shook it, her eyes never left his. She was quite attractive, short but curvy. Her auburn hair curled around her face causing her green eyes to almost glow.
“Are you a teacher or a student?”
“Well, hopefully I will be teaching here. I have an interview on Monday.”
“With Professor Statton?” she whispered, leaning toward him.
“How did you know?”
“I’ve been here a few years and I pay attention. The only jobs that are up for
grabs here is in business, history and the art room.” She slid her eyes down Edward’s body and back up to his eyes. “Somehow you don’t strike me as the artsy type and I was hoping I was right about the business type.”
“Well, you are. I’m Eddie Caldwell.”
“Gracie Honor. It’s so nice to meet you.”
He liked her. She was peppy and something about her was familiar and comfortable. Perhaps he could get to know her and poke around a little for more information.
“Would you like to have dinner with me later? I have some things to do but I should be free by, say, seven?”
She looked at him, almost mesmerized and with stars in her eyes. “I’d love to.”
“Wonderful. Do you have any favorites? I don’t know the area yet.”
“There is a nice restaurant on Little Clarendon Street. Pierre Victoire. It’s one of my favorite places to eat.”
“Then Pierre Victorie’s it is. Let’s meet there around seven.”
“I can’t wait.” She pulled her cell phone from her bag and held it up. “What is your number? I’ll call you if my plans change.”
He gave her his number and she punched it into her phone. As soon as she did, his phone went off. “I sent you a random text so you’d have mine too.”
“Thanks. So, I’ll see you later this evening then.”
“Okay.”
He waited for her to walk away thinking their conversation was finished, but she stood there with a child-like look on her face, staring at him awkwardly. He wondered if dinner with her was such a good idea. He smiled awkwardly at her. “Okay then. See you at seven.”
He walked away from her only looking back when he was about to leave the building. She had disappeared from sight, leaving a bit of an uneasy feeling with him as he pulled the door opened and walked out into the sunshine.
He spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the campus, having lunch in the cafeteria and getting to know some of the other staff members.
When he pulled into a small parking area, he walked to the restaurant just before seven, wondering if he should have made this a luncheon with Gracie instead of an evening dinner date. He stopped in front and hesitated.
“Maybe she is just overly eccentric,” he said out loud, trying to convince himself this was a good idea. “Hell, she might not even show up.”
The door popped open, causing Edward to jump back as Gracie’s head popped out from inside.
“Hi!” she said loud and proud. “I thought that was you. I’ve been waiting for you. Got a table toward the back.” She shoved the door open and latched onto his arm, leading him into the restaurant.
They sat at a small table in a back corner and ordered a couple of drinks.
“So, tell me what your plans are,” she said, locking her hands underneath her chin.
“I have been doing some research on the students in the different colleges.”
“You are interested in the students?” she asked, cocking her head.
“Since I travel a lot in my profession, I felt that a book about the life of a student in various realms of the college society would be a good read, especially for the new students just coming into the universities. I’ve been working on it for some time.”
“How fascinating,” she said taking a drink of her brandy.
“Oxford has always been on the top of my list of universities to explore and I was hoping to get an inside peek at some of the student files.”
“Oh! I can help you with that. I love that shirt on you.”
“Uh, thank you,” he said awkwardly, looking down at what he wore. He tried to continue what he was trying to do, but somehow it didn’t seem like it was sinking in. She seemed more in awe with his presence than what was said.
The rest of the way though dinner, he tried to cordially talk to her but she was hyper and continuously changed the subject, interrupting him and babbling on about various things. He tried to calm her down with a couple of drinks but it only seemed to make matters worse. She talked nonstop about everything that entered her mind.
“Gracie,” he interrupted, putting his hand on her arm.
His touch seemed to freeze her in time. She immediately stopped talking and moved only her eyes down to his hand that touched her bare arm.
“I’m sorry,” he said, removing his hand. “You seem to be a little on edge this evening.”
“I’m… sorry,” she said slowly. “I’m just really nervous and I tend to talk a lot when I’m nervous.” She picked up her drink and gulped it down, holding her glass up until the waitress noted she wanted another.
“So, tell me about the students here at Oxford. What sort of group are they?”
“Um,” she had a difficult time choosing her words as if every word she said was crucial in their conversation. “They are a good bunch of kids, for the most part.”
“What do they like to do in their free time?”
The waitress delivered another drink to Gracie and placed another in front of Edward as well. Gracie picked it up immediately and drank half of it down.
“There are a few clubs around that they like to go to.” Gracie calmed down and seemed easier to talk to, until a mental switch flips her libido into overdrive. “Why did you ask me out?” she asked seductively, running her finger along the sleeve of his shirt.
He coughed a couple of time, caught off guard. “I thought you seemed nice and I wanted to get to know some of the other staff members here.”
“I could tell right away we had a connection.” She slid off her seat and walked behind him, sliding her arms around him, kissing the side of his neck.
“Gracie,” he said, leaning forward. “Gracie, what are you doing?”
“You don’t have to play the game with me, Eddie. We both know what we want. The attraction is obvious.” She continued to kiss him with urgency, trying to pull him away from the table.
“I don’t think this is appropriate at all.” He pushed away from the table and tried calming her down, but his hands on her arms only made it worse. She dropped to her knees and snuggled her head into his stomach. His eyes grew wide as he looked around the restaurant. The location of their table was somewhat secluded, so not many averted their attention to her acts of sexual prowess but the few who caught on turned and gave them 100% of their attention. “Gracie,” he whispered loudly. “Get up.”
She sat up, looking longingly up at him and grabbed the belt of his pants. As she pulled on it he jumped up and backed away from her, his hands in the air.
“I don’t think this is going to work.” He pulled his wallet and fished out a few twenty notes, holding it up toward the waitress until she started walking their way. He set it on the table and turned back to Gracie who was still kneeling on the carpet. “I’m sorry, Gracie.” He turned toward the other customers and apologized to them as well before walking out of the restaurant.
Chapter 15
Edward was up early the next morning, regretting the way his date went the night before. He was truly hoping he could befriend Gracie, but he blew it. He threw on his running gear and set out toward a small park he walked by. A good run would help clear his head and get him ready for the week to come. After a few miles of running, he went back to his flat and took a long hot shower. He shut the water off and heard his phone go off.
Joseph.
He knew he had to call him and keep him in the loop. He promised. Wrapping a towel around his waist he walked into his bedroom scooped up his phone and saw a voice mail and six texts. None of them were from Joseph though. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, afraid to read them after he saw Gracie’s name on each one.
He set it back down and went back into the bathroom only to hear it go off again.
“What have I done?” he asked the image in the steamy mirror.
His phone went off again and he slowly walked back into his bedroom. He picked his phone up and sat on the edge of his bed. He hit the voice mail button and listened.
“Hi, Eddie. It’s Gracie. Listen, I want to apologize for my behavior last night.” Her voice sounded shaky and uncertain. “I was so nervous and I don’t drink, so the few I had to calm down made things worse. I’m not usually like that.” He heard a long pause before she continued. “I hope I didn’t hurt my chances of seeing you again. I really…. Um, take care.” Just before she ended the call, he heard her sniffle as if she had been crying. It made him feel bad and second guess his thoughts about her. He opened the texts and read them.
Good morning, Eddie. I had a great time last night. Hope to hear from you soon. Gracie.
He deleted it and went to the next one.
I wanted to apologize for my pushy antics last night. It isn’t like me to act that way. Give me a call. Maybe we can have lunch together.
He quickly went through each of her texts and they were all pretty much the same except for the last one.
Call me when you get a chance. I can help you get what you need for your research.
He wanted to get to those files, to find out more about Eva and where she was staying, but he wasn’t quick to jump back into Gracie’s company. Maybe he could find a different route. She was quick to respond to him, maybe he could find someone else who worked for the university. But what were his chances they would have the same opportunities Gracie seemed to have with the student files?
He took a breath and hit the reply button.
Gracie. I’d like to be friends… despite what happened last night. Years down the road we can look back on our first date together and laugh about it.
He sent the text then followed up as an afterthought.
Let me know how you can help with my research. Anything at all would be a big help.
Within a few moments, her response came through.
Meet me at the administration building in an hour.
Edward tried the door at the administration building, but it was locked. He checked his watch and confirmed the time. The hours of operation posted on the door stated it was closed on Sundays. Maybe Gracie wasn’t aware. He pulled his phone and started texting her when she ran up the stairs toward him.