Chapter 46
CECE
I was glad my skirt was long enough to hide my knees because I was pretty sure they were knocking together.
My heart was pounding and my palms were sweating.
I couldn’t believe he had sacrificed his career and reputation in order to protect me.
And I wasn’t surprised he didn’t throw the dean under the bus.
I hoped he would and then I was going to jump in and corroborate his story.
But he didn’t do that. He sat there all stoic and hot and accepted his fate.
It made me pissed and turned on at the same time.
If he was sitting in the hot seat for having sex with me and we weren’t surrounded by a hundred sets of eyes, I would have stripped and demanded he take me on that table he was sitting at.
I picked up the little Bluetooth speaker I used when I was studying.
“May I?” I asked and carefully moved to the end of the row of chairs I was sitting in.
“Please,” Seraphina Reese said.
“What is this?” Dean Carver looked nervous.
Good. She was about to see I wasn’t the pushover she seemed to think I was. The woman didn’t know me. And I wasn’t some wimp to be pushed around. She fucked with my man and I was about to show her I was more than willing to throw myself on my own sword to protect him.
Acting far braver than I actually felt, I moved to stand next to a sitting Grady. I put the speaker on the table and pulled out my phone.
“What are you doing?” Grady asked under his breath. “This is no time for a dance.”
“Trust me.” I looked at him, hoping he could see the concern in my eyes. He probably thought I recorded one of our many intimate conversations. As if I would ever do that.
“Trust me,” I said again.
I wanted to reach out and touch him, but that would probably be a bad move. He nodded once.
“Professor Stone is right,” I said. “Dean Carver did have a personal vendetta. My original TA position was canceled due to another professor leaving. But she said there was another TA job I could have working for Professor Stone. Initially, I was thrilled for the opportunity. I’m a single mother and I needed the job to cover tuition.
I wouldn’t say I was desperate, but close to it.
She knew that and capitalized on that fact.
The only way I could have the job was if I promised to spy on Professor Stone.
She needed someone to keep an eye on him.
Dean Carver asked me to report back if I noticed anything unprofessional. ”
I paused, glancing at Grady. His jaw was tight, his eyes locked on mine. I could see the hurt there but also a flicker of understanding. He didn’t interrupt, so I pressed on.
“I was reluctant, but like I said, I wasn’t in a position to not take the job.
The more time I spent with Professor Stone, the more I realized how wrong she was.
He’s passionate about his work, yes, but he’s also respectful and professional.
He cares about his students. About all of us.
He’s not the man she made him out to be. ”
I turned my attention to the board members, meeting their gazes one by one.
“I didn’t report back to Dean Carver about any misconduct because there was nothing to tell.
I was the one to pursue Professor Stone.
He shut me down again and again. I am a grown woman.
An adult. A mother. I don’t feel bad for what happened between us.
You can make anything ugly if you try hard enough, but I am not ashamed of my choices.
My only regret is he is the one sitting in this chair.
Dean Carver was practically salivating when she found us.
She used it as an excuse to go after him.
She didn’t care about the rules or the integrity of the department. She just wanted to destroy him.”
“That’s enough!” Dean Carver slapped her hand on the table. “This is ridiculous. We’re not here to take testimony from?—”
“I know what we did was wrong,” I said, cutting her off.
“I take full responsibility for my actions. However, I think it should be noted there is no actual rule about what happened between us. I wasn’t technically his student.
I didn’t take his class. It’s an undergrad class.
I was a TA. Yes, I learned from him, as will anyone that spends ten minutes listening to one of his lectures. But he did nothing wrong.”
“What are we doing?” Dean Carver looked pissed.
“I can prove she had a personal issue with Professor Stone.”
I didn’t wait for her to try and object. I turned on the speaker and then pushed play on the recording I made the other day. My hands were shaking. The boardroom fell silent.
I had to slow my breathing. I felt like I was panting.
The recording played clearly, Dean Carver’s voice venomous as she laid out her plan to undermine Grady.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. I kept my eyes on the board members, watching their reactions.
Some looked shocked, others angry, and a few just plain uncomfortable.
“The problem with Stone isn’t his competence—it’s his popularity.
He pulls all the funding toward his pet projects, his treasure hunts and romantic adventures.
I’m supposed to be in charge of the department’s budget, but the board keeps backing him instead of the legitimate research I want to pursue. ”
I watched the board members’ faces change as her recorded voice continued.
“Getting rid of him is the only way I can take back control of my department. I need someone on the inside to catch him doing something—anything—that violates policy. That’s where you came in, Cecily.
You were perfect for this. Young and attractive, eager.
I have to say, I didn’t think you would be dumb enough to fall for his tricks.
I’m disappointed in you, Cecily. But I suppose it was a means to an end.
Now, I have what I need to get rid of him. ”
The recording ended with a sharp click. The silence that followed was deafening.
Dean Carver’s face had gone completely white, then flushed a deep red. “That was taken out of context! That’s not—you can’t use illegally recorded?—”
“Actually,” Seraphina Reese interrupted, her voice cold as ice, “South Carolina is a one-party consent state. Ms. Monroe was well within her rights to record that conversation.” She turned to look at Dean Carver with barely concealed disgust. “Joyce, is this true? Did you ask Ms. Monroe to entrap Professor Stone?”
“I was protecting the department’s interests?—”
“By manufacturing a scandal?” another board member said.
“This is outrageous,” she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. “Don’t act like you don’t know what that man does. Look at him!”
I did exactly that. I glanced over at Grady to find him looking somewhat shocked.
“What are we supposed to see?” the old man on the end said.
I would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire. The poor old guy looked genuinely confused. Like he was looking for signs of serial killer.
Dean Carver’s face twisted as she pointed an accusatory finger at Grady.
“Look at him! He’s a walking scandal waiting to happen.
Do you really think this is the first time he’s crossed the line with a student?
He’s a predator, preying on young women who don’t know any better.
He’s been doing it for years—I just haven’t been able to prove it until now. ”
My stomach churned, but I forced myself to stay calm. I wasn’t going to let her get away with this. “Do you have any proof of that?” I asked, my voice steady despite the anger bubbling inside me. One of us had to remain professional.
She hesitated, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for support. “I don’t need proof,” she snapped. “It’s common knowledge. Everyone knows what he’s like.”
“Common knowledge isn’t evidence,” I shot back. “If you have proof, show it. Otherwise, you’re just making baseless accusations. I believe you might even be trekking into slander territory.”
Her face flushed with anger, and she turned to the board members. “You can’t seriously believe this man is innocent. He’s a danger to this university and its students. He needs to be removed immediately. I’ve heard the students talking. He flirts with them. He takes them to his bed.”
“I think you might want to actually ask the students who flirts with who,” I said. “Because I can tell you, it’s not him chasing them.”
Seraphina Reese leaned forward, her expression stern.
“Joyce, unless you can provide concrete evidence to support your claims, we can’t act on them.
This isn’t a court of public opinion. We need facts, and from what I’m hearing, you have one questionable situation.
A situation that was mutual and far from scandalous. ”
I couldn’t believe Seraphina was suddenly an ally. Lina either. When I decided what I was going to do, I figured I would be the lone defender. But the gallery was filled with people who were supporting Grady.
The dean knew she was screwed. She reminded me of a fish pulled out of the water and left flopping on the dock. Her eyes were wild and she kept opening and closing her mouth. Her hair was falling out of the ridiculous style she had tried to wear it in.
“You had no right to record me!” Her ire was directed back at me.
“I had every right,” I shot back. Adrenaline coursing through me. “You were using me as a pawn in your little game. You didn’t care about the rules or the integrity of the department. You just wanted to destroy him.”
The room erupted into murmurs. It sounded like what I assumed it would be like inside a beehive. Seraphina Reese held up a hand, silencing the room.
Dean Carver looked like a cornered animal, her eyes darting around as if searching for an escape.
“I think it’s clear what’s happening here,” Seraphina continued. “This isn’t about protecting the integrity of the university or enforcing rules. This is personal.”
I glanced at Grady, who was staring at me with a mix of shock and admiration. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he stayed silent.
“Ms. Monroe,” Seraphina said, turning to me. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Dean Carver,” Seraphina continued, her tone icy. “We’ll need to discuss this further in private.”
Dean Carver’s face went pale, and for a moment, I thought she might faint. She opened her mouth to protest again, but Seraphina cut her off.
“That’s enough,” she said firmly. “We’ll reconvene after we’ve had time to review this new information.”
All the board members stood and filed back out of the room.
Dean Carver paused and shot a dirty look at me, then Grady who was still sitting at the table.
“This isn’t over,” she vowed.
“I think it is,” I said with a smile. “You should go. Sounds like it’s your turn in the hot seat.”