Professor Cline Revealed (The Professor #1)

by J. M. La Rocca

  I took a deep breath, savoring the smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods, letting her words sink in. I knew what she said was right, but I couldn’t help but think maybe it was me who was driving him away. I’d been putting school first for so long I didn’t know how to break the habit. It had always worked with us before, so I didn’t know what might have happened or if anything was happening at all.

  “Okay, can we change the subject now? I really don’t want to talk about my sex life, or lack thereof.”

  Victoria reached her arm out and laid her hand on top of mine. “I know I suck, okay? But I have one more thing to say.” I raised an eyebrow. “You need to surprise him at work one night when he says he’s working late.” I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised her hand to stop me. “I know you aren’t that kind of confrontational person, but you need to be. This is your life. Be spontaneous. If there is any thought at all in your mind that he’s being unfaithful then you need to do something. Don’t let a man walk all over you like that.” She leaned back in her chair and looked at Becky before looking back at me. “We care about you and don’t want you to get hurt, but something needs to be done. And there is no better way than to surprise him at work. He’d never expect you to do it.”

  I sat there in silence, biting the inside of my cheek as I mulled over what she had suggested. It really wasn’t a bad idea, but did I want to catch him in the act? Part of me felt like I was overreacting and didn’t believe their proclamation, but there was another part that believed it.

  “I’ll think about it,” I responded finally with a small smile.

  “Okay, on to the next topic. What are you doing tonight?” Becky asked with enthusiasm. “Please tell me nothing.”

  I shook my head knowing what she was going to ask. “I can’t. I have to work.”

  Becky pouted. “Come on. Seriously. You just worked last night. You need a night off to come out with us.”

  “I need the money. Plus, you know when school starts I’ll have every other weekend off.” Once I started NYU Law, I’d only be able to work up to twenty hours a week. And even then, I probably wouldn’t work that many hours. Law school was hard and I knew I’d need the time to study, but I still needed money, too. My parents wouldn’t pay for everything.

  “Okay, well, we’re going out on your first weekend off. It’s been way too long,” Becky stated.

  I heard a chime from my phone so I rummaged through my purse and pulled it out to see Tim had sent me a text.

  Tim: Hey, I just got home. How long are you going to be out?

  Becky and Victoria were talking amongst themselves, already making plans for our future girls’ night out, so I quickly replied back to Tim.

  Me: I’ll be leaving soon. Will you be home when I get there?

  He read my text right away, and then texted me back.

  Tim: No. I’m about to shower, and then leave. I’m having a late lunch with my dad about a new client and then I’ll probably head into the office to finish up. It’ll be another late night.

  Me: Oh, okay. I’ll see you when you get home. Love u.

  Tim: u 2.

  I frowned as I stared at his texts. It had been forever since we’d spent time together. Maybe Victoria was right. Maybe I should just surprise him at work, even if I just popped in for a few minutes. I just wanted to see him. We had been so busy the past few weeks I couldn’t remember the last time we spent more than fifteen minutes together.

  “What’s with the frowny face?” Becky asked.

  I placed my phone on the table and let out a sigh. “Tim just texted me and said it’ll be another late night at the office.” I looked at Victoria and could tell she was holding back on commenting. “It’s all right, though,” I said as I pushed my chair out to stand. “I’m going to go ahead and head home and see if I can catch him before he leaves the house,” I lied. I knew he wouldn’t be home, but I didn’t want to face the judgments.

  “Okay, well, maybe we’ll come by again tonight,” Becky suggested with a smile. “I can fish for a hottie in a suit, like that one who was eyeing you last night.”

  She wagged her eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Y’all are nuts.” It was time to leave before they brought something else up. “I’ll see y’all tonight, then,” I stated as I walked away from the table.

  “Hey!” Victoria shouted. I turned my head toward her. “Think about what I said. Okay?”

  I knew she was talking about me surprising Tim at work, so I nodded with a small smile and walked through the door. I’d tell her later that it was exactly what I’d planned on doing.

  ~*~

  After I left the girls, I ran some errands before heading home. I tried to keep Becky and Victoria’s suggestions out of my head, but it was no use. I’d be lying if I said my relationship with Tim wasn’t strained. Ever since we’d moved in together, it was as if we’d distanced ourselves from each other. It could have been our hectic schedules, but it seemed to be more than that.

  My days were usually the same: I went to school, work, and spent as much time with Tim as I could. That was my life in a nutshell.

  Before Tim worked for the accounting firm, we’d spent every moment together. It had been that way since we’d first met my sophomore year at a party Victoria had dragged me to. I still remembered that night vividly.

  Victoria had been dating the guy who was throwing the party, but she didn’t want to go alone. Becky had a date so she wasn’t able to go, which left me. I reluctantly agreed. Even though they’d broken me out of my shell, I was still socially awkward when it came to meeting high-society rich kids. Victoria assured me she wouldn’t leave my side, but I should have known better. She had left me to go lock lips and other body parts with Brad while I stood around, looking like an ass. I didn’t know anyone at that party and was about to leave when Tim approached me. I thought he was so handsome with his dark blue polo shirt and the jeans that hung low on his hips. He wasn’t like any of the guys I’d dated in high school. He was very clean-cut with short brown hair, brown eyes, and chiseled features. We’d been together ever since.

  But somewhere along the way things had started to change, and I needed to know why.

  Looking over at the clock on my dresser, I could see it was six o’clock. I stepped up to the full-length mirror in my room and looked over myself before I left. I was wearing a pair of faded skinny jeans paired with a light pink, sheer blouse and a white tank underneath. My auburn hair hung in waves down to the middle of my back and my makeup was perfect. I wasn’t one to wear a lot of makeup, but I’d put more of an effort into my appearance and I hoped he took notice. I wanted to look sexy for him. To show him what he had waiting at home.

  As I reached for my small purse and the bag with my work clothes, I blocked out the reason I was surprising him at work in the first place. I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted to be positive and give him the benefit of the doubt.

  I locked up the apartment and walked out of the building to head to the subway. It was a ten-minute ride to the Stanley & Thomas accounting firm and a fifteen-minute ride to my job, so I had an hour to spare before I needed to be at work by eight.

  When I finally got on the subway, my stomach filled with nervous butterflies and the old sweaty-shoe smell which surrounded me wasn’t helping. I sat back, wringing my hands together while trying my best not to think about what might happen or what I might find. Reaching into my purse, I pulled out my phone to check his last text. He’d sent it at five thirty-five saying he’d just made it to the office and he’d text me when he was on his way home. I didn’t text him back. He didn’t know I had to work, but I figured I’d just tell him when I saw him.

  The train finally came to a stop and I waited my turn to get out. I made my way up the stairs to the main street and headed toward Tim’s building, looking at all the others as I went. It never ceased to amaze me when I looked over the architecture in New York. We didn’t have buildings like that down in Pensacola, a
nd I was awestruck on my first day there. Actually, it was more like a culture shock, as if I’d stepped into a whole new world. There were so many people bustling along trying to get from point A to point B.

  I walked into the building which housed Stanley & Thomas and checked in with the security desk before walking to the elevator. There were law firms, accounting firms, and a couple other companies which shared the space of the high-rise. Tim was located on the sixteenth floor, so I had that many floors to calm my racing heart and not talk myself out of doing what I’d come to do.

  When the door dinged open, I took a deep breath and walked to the big oak finished desk where Mrs. Elizabeth sat, answering phones. She was an older woman, in her late fifties. I’d only been to Tim’s office a couple of times, but from what I’d gathered she was a very sweet lady.

  “No, I’m sorry. He’s not in today. I can take a message for you if you’d like,” Elizabeth said to whomever she was talking to on the phone and gave me a warm smile. She looked down at her note pad and jotted a few things down. “Okay, I have it down for you. Is there anything else I can do for you? You’re welcome. Have a good day.”

  She hung up the phone and brought her eyes back to me. “What can I do for you today, dear?” she asked sweetly.

  I gave her a bright smile, trying to hide my nervousness. “I’m just here to see Tim. Is he busy?”

  She looked at me confused then down to her computer. Clicking her mouse a few times, she furrowed her brow and then turned back to me, shaking her head. “Let me call his office to check. I don’t remember seeing him come through,” she stated as she picked up her phone.

  I watched as she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear. A few moments later, she was hanging it up. “It doesn’t seem like he’s in today.” She looked at me with a small smile.

  A heavy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, but I kept the smile on my face. “Oh, could you try the meeting room. I know he likes to work in there from time to time. I was trying to surprise him since I hadn’t seen him all week,” I explained honestly.

  “Sure, hun, just a second,” she said with a small smile as she dialed the meeting room, but a few moments later, she hung up, shaking her head again. “No one is answering there, either.”

  I could feel my cheeks flush at my embarrassment. “Oh, he probably hasn’t made it in from the afternoon meeting with his dad then. Maybe it ended up taking longer than he expected,” I said while giving her another bright smile, not wanting her to see how distraught I was. “I’ll just give him a call on his cell.”

  She looked at me confused. “The client meeting with Mr. Stanley was last night. He and Stacey left at five yesterday to meet the clients. Unless there was something scheduled today I don’t know about.” She clicked away on her computer looking for something as the lump in my throat started to get bigger. Stacey was his dad’s assistant. So many things were flowing through my mind. I had that feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one when you don’t want to believe something is true, but deep down you know it is.

  “It’s okay,” I told her, interrupting her clicking frenzy. “It was just my mistake. I must have heard him wrong. I’ll just give him a call.” I smiled reassuringly. “Sorry for bothering you,” I said as her phone started ringing with incoming calls. I turned from the desk as she resumed her job, feeling like my world was falling apart.

  Inside the elevator, I pulled out my phone and stared at it. There was only one way to find out if he was lying to me. It still didn’t prove he was cheating on me, but it was just another nail in the coffin of our relationship.

  As soon as the elevator door opened, I walked to an unoccupied bench against the wall, furthest away from the doors, and dialed Tim’s number. I didn’t want to pace around while I talked to him because I knew my voice would waver. I needed to sit and calm my nerves.

  “Hello,” he finally answered after the fourth ring.

  “Hey,” I said, smiling to myself. I was trying to act as normal as possible. “Did I catch you at a bad time?” I asked as I started chewing on my bottom lip.

  He let out a sigh. “No, it’s okay. I need to take a break anyway. What’s up?”

  “Um…I was calling to tell you I had to work tonight. So I won’t be home until late.”

  “Oh, okay. That’s fine, babe. I told you earlier it was going to be another late night for me, too.” He yawned into the phone.

  The feeling in the pit of my stomach sank lower. “Okay, sorry to bother you. I tried to call your office phone, but you must have not been in there when I called,” I goaded.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m not working in my office today. I’ve been in the meeting room trying to get all these files ready for Dad to sign on Monday.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as the words left his lips. He was straight-out lying to me and it made my chest hurt. How could he lie to me so easily? I could feel the tingling in my nose as the tears started to form, and I tried not to think about all the other things he could be lying about.

  “All right. Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to work,” I managed to get out without my voice cracking.

  “Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you tonight,” he blurted quickly before hanging up, like he couldn’t get me off the phone fast enough.

  I sat on the bench for fifteen minutes while I gained my bearings. I still didn’t have any proof he was actually cheating on me, but I had this heavy feeling in my chest that something was definitely going on. My mother always told me growing up that I needed to trust my gut, to always follow my instinct, but right then I didn’t want to trust my gut. I wanted to be so very wrong.

  I sluggishly got up from the bench and made my way out of the building to walk back to the train. That wasn’t how I’d wanted to start my night, but a part of me knew things might turn sour. And at that point, work would be my only refuge. At least there I’d be too busy to think about my three-year relationship going down the drain.

  Chapter 3

  Mason – Seven years old

  I woke from a sound sleep.

  Mom and Dad were arguing. Again. For the third time that week. I didn’t understand why they always argued. It made me sad. I just wanted everyone to be happy like me. I didn’t understand why Dad always got so mad. Mom said it was because he was an important man and with that came big responsibilities. I knew he had a big, important job, but I still didn’t understand.

  Dad was one of those important people who were gone all the time. I didn’t really know him. He was my dad, but that was about it. We never did anything together. I hardly saw him. Mom was the one who was always there for me. So when they fought and I’d hear how sad she was, I’d always go to her.

  I climbed out of bed, opened my bedroom door and quietly made my way to the hall. Their room was on the other side of the staircase. Normally, I wouldn’t hear them but when they argued, they always had their door open. I think it was Mom’s way of letting me know to stay away.

  Hiding behind the wall where I always did, I waited for my dad to leave their room. I’d go to Mom and comfort her when he left. I hated hearing her cry. He always said bad things to her to make her cry, stuff I wasn’t allowed to repeat.

  His voice echoed in the hallway and then I heard something break.

  They usually argued about money. Mom liked to shop and sometimes she did too much of it and it would make Dad mad. But that time was different. He was talking about stuff I knew nothing about.

  “You can’t keep doing this, John,” Mom pleaded. “I know what you’re hiding down there. I saw that file. You need to stop. You’re going to get caught. How could you do such a thing?”

  I heard him laugh, a loud smacking sound, and then my mother’s soft cries.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are, you little bitch? How many times have I told you to stay out of my fucking office!” he yelled.

  There was quiet for a few moments and then he spoke again.

  “You don’t nee
d to worry about what I do or how I do it. I’ve never heard you complain about the money you spend. Where do you think that money comes from?”

  “It’s not right, John. You’re a lawyer, for Christ’s sake. How could you do this? I don’t even know who you are anymore,” she cried. “I’m leaving. I can’t stay here when I know what you’re doing.”

  I sat on the floor with my back against the wall, my mother’s cries echoing in my head. I wished I could do something, but I couldn’t. She always told me that no matter what, I was to never intervene. She didn’t want me getting hurt. She said that when Dad got angry sometimes, he wasn’t the same Dad I knew and it scared her.

  I rocked myself as I closed my eyes and covered my ears. Sometimes if I thought hard enough, I could pretend I lived somewhere else. Where Mom and Dad didn’t fight and where I was happy all the time, a place where a dad loved his son more than his work. I’d love it there, but I’d only go if I could take my mom.

  I heard movement across the hall and unwrapped myself to peek around the corner. Mom walked out of the room with her hair a mess and black streaks running down her cheeks. Dad followed close behind.

  “I’ll be back for Mason in the morning,” she said as she made her way to the stairs.

  “The hell you will. You aren’t taking my son anywhere.” Then he laughed. “You really think I’d let you take my son? You’re nothing but a whore, Marcella. You’re nothing without me. Don’t forget where you came from.”

  “Fuck you, John. I will be back for Mason. He’s my son, no matter what you say.”

  Tears fell from my eyes as I watched Mom turn from Dad and head toward the stairs. She couldn’t leave me. I didn’t want to stay there if she was gone.

  Climbing to my feet, I ran out of my hiding spot toward her.

  “No, Mom. Don’t leave without me!” I yelled just as she took her first step down the stairs.