Gabriel’s face reddened and he took a menacing step forward.
“I didn’t fuck her.”
“The hell you didn’t. Now we’re all fucked,” Jeremy snapped.
Gabriel’s nostrils flared as he held back an angry retort.
Jeremy gave his friend a long, searching look. “My first priority
is to my department. But I don’t want to see you or Julianne ruined.
Enough young women have suffered at the hands of their professors, don’t you agree?”
Gabriel was silent, his lips pressed together.
“I’ll help you, but we’re doing this my way. Do you understand?
I’m not risking everything so you can turn around and fuck it up
again.”
Gabriel paused. Then he nodded his agreement.
“Now all I have to do is convince the Dean to be satisfied with
an ounce of your flesh rather than a pound.”
With barely an acknowledgement, Jeremy walked to the front
of the room and joined the hearing officers in their deliberations.
Gabriel hung his head, breathing a restrained sigh of relief.
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By the time Meagan ushered the ladies back into the room,
Julia’s fingernails had been chewed to the quick and Soraya’s
adrenaline was at an all-time high.
Julia’s eyes were drawn immediately to Gabriel, and what she saw
upset her. His shoulders were hunched, and he was leaning forward
in his chair, hands clasped between his knees tensely, head lowered.
She stared at him, willing him to look at her.
But he wouldn’t.
Professor Martin sat next to Gabriel, arms crossed against his
chest. He didn’t appear happy.
“Miss Mitchell, allow me to come straight to the point. In light of Professor Emerson’s testimony, you are excused. We will be informing the Registrar’s Office that the grade assigned to you in Professor Emerson’s seminar should be allowed to stand.”
Julia’s mouth opened in shock at the Dean’s pronouncement.
“We will do our utmost to ensure that you are not victimized
further.” The Dean glared in Gabriel’s direction. “If Professor Emerson troubles you in any way, or if you have concerns about the
repercussions of your former involvement with him, please inform
Professor Martin immediately.
“You are free to pursue a harassment complaint against Professor
Emerson, but you must do so within sixty days of the submission of your final academic work in your program.”
The Dean nodded at Soraya. “I’m sure your lawyer will explain
the particulars of the harassment policy to you. I know you’ve filed a complaint against Miss Peterson, but we’re hopeful that you and
Sylvain Reynard
she can drop your complaints against each other, given the outcome of this hearing. You’re free to go.”
He began shuffling his paperwork.
“Thank you, Dr. Aras.” Soraya smiled widely and exchanged a
nod and a meaningful look with Tara.
“I’m not a victim,” said Julia, stubbornly.
“Pardon?” said the Dean, peering over the rims of his glasses.
“I said, I’m not a victim. Our relationship is consensual.” She turned to look at Gabriel. “What’s going on?”
Gabriel kept his eyes fixed on the floor.
“Miss Mitchell, the committee has ensured that Professor Emerson
was given due consideration.” Professor Mwangi spoke to her gently.
“But in light of his confession, we are holding him accountable for his actions. And that includes seeing to your welfare.”
“My welfare is tied to him. If he’s going to be punished, then
punish me too.” She took a step closer to the table behind which
the committee sat.
Gabriel’s head shot up, and he gave Julia a furious look.
“Miss Mitchell, the university has a duty to protect students from being preyed upon by their supervisors. Please, let us do our job.”
Professor Chakravartty’s tone was not unsympathetic.
“We did this together. If he’s guilty, so am I.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Then tell me what he said! Give me a chance to respond.” Julia
looked desperately at the faces of the hearing officers, one after the other, hoping that someone, anyone would relent.
“Professor Emerson has admitted to engaging in an inappropriate
relationship with you while you were his student. Professor Picton has confirmed that she marked your work in his seminar and supervised your thesis. So we are inclined to be lenient with him. Unless you insist otherwise.”
“Of course I insist otherwise! I want you to let him go.”
The hearing officers shook their heads.
“Why do you believe him instead of me? I’m the student. You
should weigh my testimony more heavily. He didn’t hurt me. You
have to believe me!” Julia grew desperate, on the verge of tears.
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“Miss Harandi, control your client.” The Dean’s voice rose with
irritation.
“Please,” said Julia, taking a step closer to the hearing officers.
“You have to believe me. Let him go!”
“We will ask you and all other parties to sign a confidentiality
agreement that is as much for your protection as for the integrity of these proceedings. Once again, if you have further difficulties, you are to inform Professor Martin.” The Dean nodded at Soraya.
“Come on, Julia.” Soraya tugged on her arm, in vain. “Let’s go
before they change their mind.”
“Gabriel, what happened?”
Julia took a step in his direction, but the pointed toe of her boot got caught in the carpet and she tumbled to her knees.
Finally her eyes connected with Gabriel’s as he looked down on
her. She inhaled slowly as she realized that his dark blue eyes were cold and empty. He lowered his head.
In an instant, the fire in her veins turned to ice.
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“S omething is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Soraya leaned back against the vanity in the ladies’ washroom while her client sat
crying softly in a chair. She pulled her BlackBerry out of her briefcase, scrolling through her emails before returning the cursed device to its former resting place.
“I know John. His plan would have been to say nothing, then
file a lawsuit. He would have tried to show that everything was your fault, setting the groundwork for Gabriel’s defense. He never would have agreed to this kind of outcome.”
Soraya fixed her client with a stern eye. “Do you know something?
Some secret that Gabriel might worry would come out? Something
extremely damaging?”
Julia shook her head vehemently. Gabriel’s drug use was in the
past as was his rampant promiscuity, including his encounter with
Professor Singer. Of course, there was the small matter of the black market Botticelli prints, but she would never reveal their existence to anyone, least of all to Soraya.
“Are you sure?” The attorney’s eyes narrowed.
“There’s nothing.” Julia sniffled, wiping her nose with a tissue.
Soraya tossed her long, dark hair. “Then he must be keeping
secrets from you too. I can’t imagine what would be more damaging
to him than confessing to having an inappropriate relationship with you. I thought you told me you didn’t sleep with him until December?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why would he tell them you were together while y
ou were
still his student?”
“Do you think they fired him?” Julia changed the subject.
Gabriel’s Rapture
“No.” Soraya exhaled loudly. “Emerson is tenured and from the
body language in the room, he has the support of his Chair. But who knows? David is a self-righteous bastard.”
“You don’t think Gabriel was lying to protect me?”
Soraya smothered a patronizing smile, for really, it would have
been inappropriate to smile at that moment. “Human beings are
selfish. He was protecting himself — hiding some secret that he didn’t want to come out or trading a confession for leniency. Gabriel went rogue and refused to let John fight the charges. Otherwise, we’d still be sitting in the hall, waiting.”
Julia stood at the sink and washed her face and hands, trying to
make herself appear presentable.
Soraya shook her head. “I don’t mean to be callous, but I really
don’t think you should be wasting your tears on him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sure you were an intriguing diversion, in comparison to his
other women. He probably said pretty things so you’d screw him
and keep your mouth shut. But men like him can’t be trusted. And
they never change.” She continued hurriedly as she saw the horrified expression on Julia’s face.
“I wasn’t going to mention this, but a friend of mine hooked up
with him a couple of times. They met at a club about a year ago and ended up fucking in the washroom.
“One day last fall, he called her out of the blue. One more hook
up and she never saw or heard from him again. It was as if he’d vanished.” Soraya measured Julia’s reaction. “Why would you want to
be with someone like that? He was probably screwing other women
the entire time he was with you.”
“You don’t know him. Don’t judge him.” Julia’s voice was quietly
aggressive.
Soraya simply shrugged and dug around in her briefcase for her
lipstick.
Julia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to process
these new revelations.
Gabriel and I started getting close last fall — was he sleeping with someone else when he was sending me flowers and emails? Was he lying to me about Paulina?
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Sylvain Reynard
Julia didn’t know what to believe. Her heart told her to believe
Gabriel, but she couldn’t deny the fact that Soraya had planted a
seed of doubt.
They walked into the hallway and headed for the stairs, hoping
to make their escape.
John and Gabriel were doing the same thing. Neither of the
men looked happy.
“Gabriel!” Julia called.
John glared in her direction. “Let’s go, Gabriel. You can’t be
seen with her.”
Julia looked over into conflicted blue eyes. He didn’t look dis-
gusted anymore; he looked sober and anxious.
“Haven’t you done enough damage for one day?” spat his attorney
as Julia took a hesitant step in their direction.
“Don’t speak to her like that.” Gabriel moved to stand in between
them, shielding Julia with his body. He still wouldn’t look at her.
“Listen, you two, David and his minions are about to come
through that door, and I’d prefer to be gone before that happens.
So whatever conversation you need to have, make it quick,” Soraya
snapped.
“Over my dead body.” John glowered. “We’re in enough trouble
as it is. Come on.”
Gabriel shot his lawyer a look of warning and gritted his teeth,
turning around to face Julia.
“What’s going on? Why did you tell them our relationship was
inappropriate?” Julia looked up into dark, tormented eyes.
“You were not sensible of your own distress.” Gabriel leaned forward to whisper in an urgent tone.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that he just saved your ass, that’s what it means!” John interrupted, pointing at Julia contemptuously. “What, exactly, were you trying to accomplish by emotionally vomiting all over the proceedings? I knew you were naïve, but just how stupid are you?”
“John, take your finger out of Miss Mitchell’s face or I will separate it from your body.” Gabriel’s voice dropped, his tone quiet but chilling. “You do not speak to her like that. Ever. Do I make myself clear?”
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Gabriel’s Rapture
John closed his mouth.
Soraya used this as an opportunity to put him on the defensive.
“My client is better off without the theatrics of either one of you. Don’t pretend you weren’t going to blame her for everything to save your client. Bloody coward.”
John muttered an oblique curse in response, but said nothing.
Julia turned to search Gabriel’s eyes. But his mask was firmly
in place.
“Why did the Dean say that they were going to protect me from
you?”
“We need to go. Now.” John tried to separate the couple as a noise inside the meeting room alerted them to the fact that the hearing
officers were about to recess.
“Did they fire you?” Julia asked tremulously.
Gabriel gave her a pained look, then shook his head.
“Well done, John. I’m sure you’re proud of yourself,” Soraya hissed.
“Did you have to sell your soul to David? Or maybe your body?”
“Blow me, Soraya,” said John.
“So you kept your job, but you can’t talk to me? What about last
night, Gabriel?” Julia reached out a trembling finger toward his hand.
He pulled out of her reach and glanced sideways at John and
Soraya, shaking his head.
“You promised you’d never fuck me. But what about last night?
Gabriel flinched.
It was more than a flinch; actually, it was more like a reel back-
ward from a punch. He closed his eyes and groaned softly, shifting his weight to his heels as his fists clenched at his sides.
Everyone watched as his skin took on a ghostlike pallor.
“You wound me, Julianne,” he whispered.
“You keep your job, but you won’t talk to me? How could you
do this?” she cried.
His eyes flew open, and they were a brilliant, livid sapphire.
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“You think that I’d just show up, fuck you, and that would be how I would say good-bye?”
Julia watched his fists shake as he fought to maintain control.
“That was good-bye?” Her voice caught on the last word.
Gabriel’s eyes lasered into hers as if he were trying to communi-
cate something wordlessly. He leaned forward so his nose was only
inches from hers and dropped his voice so it was almost inaudible.
“I did not fuck you. I’ve never fucked you.”
He pulled back slightly so there was some distance between
them. He drew a long, unhurried breath. “You were throwing your
life away for nothing — all those years of hard work, everything you dreamed of and ever wanted was going to be taken from you and
you would never be able to get it back.
“There was no way I could watch you commit academic suicide.
I told you t
hat I would go to Hell to rescue you and that’s just what I did.” He lifted his chin. “And I’d do it again.”
Julia leapt forward, jabbing a finger into Gabriel’s chest.
“You don’t get to make decisions for me! This is my life and my
dreams. If I want to give them up, who the hell are you to take that decision away from me?
“You’re supposed to love me, Gabriel. You’re supposed to support
me when I decide to stand up for myself. Isn’t that what you wanted me to do? And instead, you cut a deal with them and dump me?”
“Would you two shut the hell up?” Soraya hissed. “The Dean will
be walking through the door any minute. Come on, Julia. Right now.”
She tugged on her client’s elbow while John tried to step in
between the two quarreling lovers.
“So that’s it? They say it’s over and it’s over? When have you ever followed the rules, Gabriel? Now you decide to follow them?” Julia asked, still furious.
Gabriel’s expression changed immediately. “I had no choice,
Héloise,” he whispered. “Circumstances were beyond — ”
“I thought my name was Beatrice. Of course, Abelard abandoned Héloise to keep his job. So I guess the name is more than apt,” she spat, stepping away from him.
At that moment, Professor Martin entered the hallway. He
scowled and began walking toward them.
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Gabriel turned away from Jeremy, lowering his voice further.
“Read my sixth letter. Paragraph four.”
Julia shook her head.
“I’m not your student, Professor. I won’t be doing any reading
assignments.”
Soraya pulled Julia away, and the two women hurried down the
stairs just as the hearing officers came through the door.
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Gabriel ducked into the men’s room as soon as Julia left. He
couldn’t risk calling her, since Jeremy might enter at any mo-
ment, but he was far from satisfied that she understood what was
happening. Turning on a faucet in order to make noise, he quickly
tapped out a short but explanatory email on his iPhone.
Having sent it, he turned off the faucet and exited, tucking his
phone into his jacket pocket. He tried very hard to look grim and
defeated.
As he walked over to the two men, Jeremy’s cell phone chirped.
P
When Julia awoke the next morning the numbness had worn