by Tia Siren
Chapter 25
Ben
I was nervous. No, more than nervous. I was on my way to the main building of the campus to meet with the president. She was a nice woman but very stern and always about business. She had a lot on her plate running the entire university, and I knew this revelation was not going to be something that came easily. I had to see her, though, and we decided I would be the best person because I’d had meetings with her before about other things. She knew my face and was familiar with my time at the college. She didn’t really pay any attention to the professors unless there was an issue or she was giving them tenure. I had been part of a new student reorganization the year before, which was the only way I had gotten her audience then. This time, it was a little bit different.
I was on my way to tell her that the two people who ran her school on a daily basis were running a sexual assault ring right under her nose. People like the president of an Ivy League school didn’t really like to be told that something that big has been going on right under their noses. I had to tell her, though. It was imperative that we stopped this from happening before more lives were ruined. I had been granted a thirty-minute emergency meeting with her in her office, which was a huge deal. It usually took at least six months to meet with her, and that was if she even allowed the meeting to be scheduled in the first place. I was highly uneasy about going alone, but I knew with everything that had been happening with Grant and me lately that it would be a distraction to have us both at the meeting.
It wasn’t easy to get this meeting. I had pulled a whole lot of strings and called in a favor. One of the tenured professors had to start by putting the bug in her ear that I was trying to set up an interview. Once that was done, I’d spent two hours on the phone throughout the afternoon the day before, trying to get an immediate audience with her. In the end, I had to tell the secretary the gist of what was going on. As soon as the words came out of my lips, she put me on hold and went to talk to the president. When she had come back, she’d had an emergency appointment ready for me but warned me that I’d better be coming with some good evidence or I could lose more than just the president’s respect. I understood that and would have never thought of going to her with the information if I didn’t have that to begin with.
“President Dyson will see you now,” the secretary said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Thank you,” I replied, standing and walking into the office.
“Professor,” the president said, shaking my hand. “Please have a seat. We don’t have long, so let’s just get down to the details.”
“I agree.” I nodded my head.
“These are statements from over twenty young women under your care who are explaining the relationship they have with the dean and provost,” I said, handing her a file. “I won’t read them aloud as they contain graphic and personal information.”
I sat there and watched as she read through each of the letters, her eyes growing big but the rest of her expression staying steady. When she was done, she took in a deep breath and closed the file. She looked at me for a moment before speaking.
“How did you find out this was happening?”
“Well, besides seeing these girls coming and going from the dean’s business building office, Miss Kylie Cook came to me after being propositioned,” I said. “She was told that all of the investigation of her relationship with me and Grant would be dropped if she would sleep with them every week until graduation. The allegations were false, of course, but when she came to me, she was frightened. Her statement is in that folder as well.”
“This evidence is disturbing,” she said leaning back in her chair.
“I also have a recording of Miss Cook’s last meeting with the two of them,” I said, setting my phone on the desk and pressing play. “I have also emailed you two different copies of this recording.”
She sat and listened as the dean and provost propositioned her, talked about sleeping with other students in a vulgar manner, and set up a time and date with her. I could see the despair move across the president’s face, and I knew this did more than just anger her. She stopped the recording and picked up her phone, instructing her secretary to clear her schedule for the day.
“I have to admit, professor, I was reluctant to take this meeting,” she said. “With all the drama centered around you, Professor Ross, and Miss Cook, I felt this might be a ploy to get out of whatever trouble you thought you might be in.”
“I understand that,” I said shaking my head. “I want you to understand, not only are those allegations false, but also this situation was too dire of one to ignore, regardless of the accusations against us. I fear for the students of this school being run by two men who have not only abandoned their morals and principles but have turned our student body into nothing more than a pool for them to pick from. I have seen the faces of these girls, the tears, the depression, and the fear. Beyond my career, both Professor Ross and I along with all the young women in that folder felt it was important to come forward.”
“I am blown away by the evidence you have presented me,” she said, shaking her head. “I have known the dean and provost my entire career, and I can’t help but feel responsible. I put them both in those positions, never thinking they would do something like this. Normally, the college would want to handle a situation like this discreetly, but I am not sure that will be possible. The crimes that have been committed are beyond reprehensible, and I must see justice is done. Do you know if this is the extent?”
“I don’t have definitive proof, no,” I said. “But after talking with the girls, I’m almost positive there are other victims. Some still students, some alumni, and some students who quit before they graduated. I also believe there are a couple of students who may have been pushed out when they refused to agree to the terms the dean and provost had laid out for them. It will take an outreach program, therapy program, and public statement to find all of the victims involved in this case, unfortunately.”
“That’s what I figured,” she said with a sigh. “I will tell you this much. I will be firing them both immediately. I have to take a moment and decide what other actions and in which order to do them in. I can’t sit with this information. It incriminates me and this college. I want to thank you for taking the chance and collecting all this information. You, Professor Ross, and Kylie won’t be hearing from us again about that photo unless something else occurs. I do urge you, if even a small part of those allegations were true, to make sure they aren’t any longer.”
“I understand,” I said, nodding and standing.
“You will hear from me soon.” She shook my hand and walked me out of her office.
I nodded at the secretary as I left the main building, my heart still beating wildly in my chest. I couldn’t believe she took that as well as she did. I was terrified it was going to come back and bite me in the ass. I looked down at my watch and headed over to the campus café to grab a sandwich before heading back for office hours. I had been so pent-up that morning, I hadn’t even drunk my normal cup of coffee. When I arrived back at the business building an hour later, there were police and a bunch of reporters everywhere. The president was standing at the top of the staircase talking with some officials of the school, waiting to speak. She had wasted no time jumping on this and had taken my advice to make a public statement. I waited, wanting to hear what she had to say. She looked out into the crowd, catching my eye and nodding.
“Ladies and gentleman of the press,” the president said into the mics. “I would like to start out by thanking you all for joining us on such short notice. In a matter of minutes, you will be witnessing our now former dean, Jeffrey Morris and Provost Arthur Hopkins leaving the building in police custody. It has come to our attention that these two men have allegedly been running an illegal and repulsive sex abuse ring from inside their offices. We have much evidence to sort through in the coming days, and we will keep you updated as to the status of the case. In the meantime, I am calling
out to any young ladies who may have ever been propositioned for sexual favors with these two men. Any student who has a connection to this event will be kept safe and anonymous within our ranks. The number you can use to contact us will be posted on the front page of our website, or you can come to my office at any time during normal operating hours, even without an appointment. That is all the information I have for you at this time.”
She stepped down from the podium, and the sheriff stepped up, fielding the million questions the press had. Flashes started to pop out of the crowd as the doors to the business building opened, and the dean and provost were led down the stairs and into police cars. As Jeffrey stood, waiting to get into the car, he looked over at me, his eyes narrow. I smirked, nodding my head at him before turning my eyes back to the sheriff. These bastards were going to get exactly what they deserved. As I listened, Kylie popped up next to me, staring up at the podium.
“We did it,” she whispered, touching my arm.
I took a step to the side, remembering exactly what the president had warned me. As much as I wanted to figure out the baby situation, I knew being seen with Kylie in public was a really bad idea. I looked over at her and nodded.
“Yeah, I know,” I said before turning and walking away from her.
I climbed the steps of the building and disappeared inside, not able to look back at Kylie’s face. The baby was more than I could handle, but I’d never wanted to hurt her like I was doing. It was unintentional, but I didn’t know what else to do at that point. I was lost for words every time I was around her, and whether she understood it or not, part of what I was doing was protecting her as well. With her being pregnant, it was even more important than ever that she stay in school and finish. I did not want to be the hand that sent her to expulsion. I knew I looked like the bad guy, and I may very well have been the bad guy, but I had to do what I thought was right. I had to keep going until I could figure out everything without the president breathing down my neck.
Chapter 26
Kylie
I stood there in the sea of people, looking around at all the horrified faces. Ben had disappeared into the business building, and I was left, unable to understand what had just happened. For the first time since everything started to happen, I felt completely lost and alone. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn, and I could feel myself starting to panic. My eyes filled with tears, and I tried to brush them away before someone noticed. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes before walking down to the other entrance and making my way to Grant’s office. I knew I shouldn’t be there, but I needed some comfort. I needed to talk to someone I knew was on my side. Grant and Piper were the only ones left, and Piper was busy at the shop. I knocked on Grant’s door and stood there waiting for him to answer. He opened the door and looked down at me, his smile turning to a frown.
“Come in,” he said, stepping to the side and looking down the hallway. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I sniffled watching him close the door. “I just got overwhelmed with everything. I needed to see someone I could trust. You’re the only one left now.”
“Hey, hey, calm down.” He hugged me tightly. “You should be happy. We got those bastards, and you never have to worry about being used for sex again. You also don’t have to worry about getting in trouble and being expelled. It’s all a good thing, right?”
“Yeah,” I sobbed into his shoulder. “It’s really great. I’m shocked the president worked so fast with everything. I thought it would take a long time for them to be removed.”
“Nah, they can’t have this continue like that,” he said, rubbing the hair out of my face. “But you’re still crying.”
“I can’t stop.” If anything, I sobbed even harder. “Stupid hormones.”
“Aw,” he said, squeezing me tightly.
I had to admit, being in Grant’s arms did make me feel a lot better, but I would have felt even calmer if Ben were there too. I never thought it was possible to care about two men so deeply at the same time, but that was where my heart was. Ben, however, had seemed to have a change of heart, and it was killing me.
“You have to think about the women,” Grant said. “You’re a hero. You saved so many women from either being abused or continuing to be abused. Think about the future and how many people you kept from falling victim to those two and just by standing up and saying you wouldn’t take it. I am so damn proud of you on so many levels. It took a lot of courage to go into that office with your phone running.”
“I know,” I said, sighing. “I just wish Ben felt the same way. He has completely pulled away from me and will barely even look at me.”
“Did something happen?”
“I walked up to him in the crowd when the president was talking,” I explained. “He shuddered at my touch and barely said anything to me before walking off and into the building. He is making me feel like a villain, like I purposely got pregnant or something. I don’t understand why he’s so angry with me.”
“He isn’t angry with you,” Grant said.
“Then why does he act that way?”
“He’s angry with himself for how he feels,” he said. “I’ve known Ben a very long time, and he really is a good guy. I think he feels guilty for not knowing what he wants to do. He’s fighting the plan he’s had in motion since he graduated, and now faced with this, he doesn’t know what to do. It’s scary for him. And I completely understand what you’re saying. He won’t really talk to me either.”
“How do we get him to come around?”
“I don’t know,” he said putting his head down. “To be honest, I don’t know if either of us has control over that. We may eventually have to come to terms with the fact he isn’t going to be part of our group anymore. I’ve been trying to talk to him, get him to come around, see the reality of everything, but he’s shutting me out. I really think if we give him some time, he will start to see everything the way we do. I know he’ll miss you. I know he does miss you, but he’s stubborn, and he needs to work through this on his own.”
“I want to scream at him, I’m so angry,” I said, balling my fists. “I am the one who’s pregnant. I don’t get to take a time-out, to decide whether my job is more important or not. He is being selfish, and it makes me so mad.”
“I know.” He leaned in and hugged me again.
“I want to be with both of you,” I said. “That’s what I want, the three of us together.”
“And I want that too,” he replied. “But the reality of it is, we might not have any control over that. I’m trying my hardest to keep us all together, but in the end, he has to make that decision on his own. There are so many things floating around in his head that we don’t know about or understand, and those thoughts are what he’s fighting with. I don’t want you to think he doesn’t care, but in fight or flight situations, he’s flight all of the way. You may have to start to come to terms with the idea of it being you, me, and the baby, at least at the beginning.”
I sat there thinking about what he was saying, knowing he was right, that I couldn’t control what Ben did or thought. I knew pushing him was going to do nothing but make him push back even harder. It was so damn frustrating. Why couldn’t Ben be as caring and supportive through this as Grant was being? I knew it was in him. I had seen it a million times, but the news of this baby had completely sent him over the deep end. I had racked my brain the last couple of days trying to come up with ways to let him see that what we all needed was to be together, but he was blind to it. Every attempt I’d made had been futile, and every attempt Grant had made seemed to push him further away. I wanted both of them, not just one of them in my life. No matter how much I tried to change my mind about it, I couldn’t.
“This is much bigger than our relationship,” I said. “There’s a baby involved now, and I have to think about that child’s future. I am not the only one who needs this. The child does too. I want the three of us to raise the baby together. We all have so much to offe
r this child, and so many different lessons we can each provide. Ben is a very important factor in this equation.”
“I completely agree with you,” Grant said. “There is not a doubt in my mind that Ben would make an amazing father, but unfortunately, it is not up to either one of us.”
I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear that one of the men I had fallen for, given the most private parts of my life to, was stuck in this self-serving place. It wasn’t Ben, and Grant and I both knew that. He was struggling with his moral compass, knowing that where he should be was with us, but it seemed that we weren’t winning that fight. Just the thought of moving on into the future without Ben by our sides broke my heart in half. I cared so much for him and wanted him in my life so badly. I didn’t know if it was the hormones or the pure emotion of it all, but I felt like I had been broken up with. Grant’s love and caring were comforting but not enough, and I couldn’t seem to bring myself to the understanding that this may be over.
“I feel my heart breaking,” I said, starting to cry again. “All of this is such a mess.”
“No, it’s beautiful,” Grant said taking my face into his hands. “You need to start focusing on the positives of all of this. Get excited about the baby, plan for the baby, take steps toward your future. Don’t let Ben take you to a place that is hurtful and unhealthy.”
“I’m so sorry, Grant,” I sobbed. “I never planned to get pregnant.”
“I know,” he said with a kind smile. “But it is what it is, and I want to take a positive outlook on it.”
“I had so many plans for my future just like you and Ben, and this changes everything,” I said. “I’m not angry with the baby, but I’m angry with myself for getting into this situation. I should have been more careful with everything.”