Calvin bit the tip of a pen, sitting up on the warm mattress and looking down at his open notebook. He wore socks on his feet and a bed comforter around his waist, but nothing else. "I will call Mr. Bridges' office. His secretary will pick up. She will ask me who I am."
Genevieve sat next to him, her back pressed against the headboard and a pile of pillows. She was slightly flushed, dressed in nothing but a used bed sheet. "Uh huh. And you say..."
"I say that I'm your new co-founder and that we have an appointment with Mr. Bridges at noon. His secretary will look through his calendar—"
"Yeah, blah, blah, blah. Get to the good stuff."
Calvin flipped ahead a few pages, searching for the answers. "And then... Mr. Bridges is going to want to have a man-to-man talk with me over the phone. That's when he'll ask me about my current profession, what my business background is, etcetera, etcetera."
Genevieve smiled as she took a long sip of wine. She adjusted her back against the pillows in enviable satisfaction. "Mm. Good boy."
Her affirmation pleased him more than it should have. "And that's when I tell him I worked for my father, who was a successful Los Angeles entrepreneur, and that I owned and operated a theater production company before becoming a teacher."
"Okay," said Genevieve. "And what do you say next?"
Calvin looked over his shoulder at Genevieve and threw his hands up. "I don't know. This is all lies."
"Oh, like you've never lied before."
His eyes found her exposed calves and glued their gaze to a bite mark he left behind. On her light, fair skin, any mark was noticeable. For a second, he wondered if he hurt her, but either way, it wouldn't stop him from trying again.
What was she talking about? Oh, yes. Lying. She was teaching him to lie, among other things. "Lying doesn't come naturally to me. You oughta know by now. I don't even know why I'm learning to lie now."
Genevieve finished the last of her wine and set the empty glass down on the messy nightstand. She forgot all about the bed sheet that was keeping her covered and scooted closer to Calvin's naked back.
He moistened his lips as he watched her. Calvin, you lucky son of a gun. How did you score such a prize?
She wrapped one arm around his torso and pressed herself against his back. Her voice was low and husky and smelled of Chardonnay. "You're learning to lie because nineteen minutes ago, I did a good job convincing you."
Calvin melted into a puddle. Her touch had divine powers. "Nineteen minutes? Surely, it was much longer than that."
She giggled, raking his hair with her fingers just the way Calvin liked. "Maybe. You did have more stamina than I was expecting. Must be all the Tang you drink."
Calvin felt leftover ecstasy flicker beneath the comforter that clothed him. He delighted himself in every second of her touch.
She nibbled on the skin where his neck became his shoulders. "Was that your first time in bed with an older woman?"
He moaned. "Mhm."
Her fingers crawled from his chest hairs to his belly button. "And what did you think?"
Calvin turned his neck to face her. His tone was suave, confident. "I think I'm never sleeping with younger women again."
Genevieve laughed, grabbed the notebook and pen from his hands, and tossed it on the bedroom floor. "We'll get back to your lying lessons later."
Sounds good to me. He closed his eyes and allowed her experienced hands to roam across his body.
"Oh, my goodness. So unprofessional," said Genevieve.
She didn't sound too happy. Calvin opened his eyes.
Genevieve's fingers trickled all the way up from his forearm to his shoulder. Once they arrived, she squeezed. "Mr. Leblanc?"
He looked over his shoulder. That voice...
It wasn't Genevieve.
She shook him. "Mr. Leblanc, wake up."
Oh, no.
"Mr. Leblanc?"
His shoulder shook harder.
That voice triggered something within him. He knew the voice too well.
Marlo.
***
Calvin's eyes bulged open, snapping him out of his slumber. Damn it! Just once, he wanted to get further in his dreams.
He was resting his head on his arms over his desk. His students were in the middle of the pop quiz he gave them fifteen minutes prior.
Marlo stood above him with his hand on his shoulder.
To his own surprise, Calvin was more upset at having been woken up than about being caught red-handed.
"Mr. Leblanc, I need to speak to you in private."
Ugh, five more minutes. Calvin wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and got to his feet.
Once he was standing, he saw Roger a few feet behind Marlo.
Calvin looked at his brother for answers.
Marlo walked toward the exit. "Mr. Stuart's student teacher is taking over his class. He'll be taking over yours while we talk."
All of this was happening in front of his students. They looked embarrassed for him.
Calvin felt his muscles tighten in anger. Roger, his best friend, ratted him out about Genevieve and their business venture. The only proof was that he was there, literally and symbolically standing behind Marlo.
He glared at Roger as he walked by.
His best friend, in turn, kept a straight face.
Once the brothers stepped outside, Marlo's voice became more paternal and less professional. "Let's go to my office."
Calvin saw it as a power move, but he didn't argue.
As they walked to the main office, Calvin acknowledged that a situation like this would have scared him out of his wits weeks ago.
But now, he felt like a prisoner with an elaborate escape plan. He was a free man, doing what the warden asked just to maintain appearances.
When they arrived, Marlo shut the door and closed the blinds. "Sit down."
Calvin found the motions to be nothing more than gorilla chest-pounding. He sat in the one chair that wasn't Marlo's. Had he the guts, he'd rest his feet up on his desk.
Marlo sat in his chair with his arms on the rests and his back pressed against the support. "Falling asleep in class?"
Calvin looked up at the ceiling. "I was just tired."
Marlo's face was hard. "Tired? Tired from what?"
Annoyance was bubbling up to the top of Calvin's emotions cocktail. He always hated subtext and double-meaning outside of fiction. "Are you trying to tell me something? Because it would save us time if we fast forward to my punishment."
Marlo face turned another shade of red. "I've gotten word from several sources that you've initiated friendships with people at Julian."
This was not an answer Calvin saw coming. Gotten word? Several sources? "Are you spying on me?"
Marlo closed his eyes to regain patience. He spoke a little faster, a little angrier. "No, no, don't try to turn this thing around. You gave me your word that you'd keep to yourself."
Whatever bravery Calvin held in his hands slipped. Breaking his promise was the only crack in his armor.
At the same time, the promise he made lacked foundation to begin with. Don't start friendships with anyone at Julian? What the hell kind of promise was that if not one to establish control over someone? "What would I be in violation of if I didn't? Making friends is not a crime."
His brother rubbed his eyes. "Calvin, listen to me. I know these people far better than you do."
"And I'm not allowed to know them, too?"
Marlo's anger returned, stronger and more visible than last time. Every word he spoke was thick and calculated. "A man is only as good as his word. And you are now on very, very thin ice. Do you understand me?"
Calvin didn't care about losing his job. Soon, he'd leave this place to make millions of dollars with a beautiful woman. He might even return to Julian as a benefactor. "No, I don't. I know the faculty hasn't been fair to you, but don't take it out on me."
A heavy silence fell over the brothers. All that could be heard was the sound of the fluorescent lights above.
Marlo's lips were twisted up in a sour pout. "Who are you?"
Calvin rolled his eyes. "Oh, not you, too."
Once again, Marlo closed his eyes to concentrate. He took a deep breath and started playing with a nearby pen. "The stress of the play appears to be too much for you to handle. I'm putting a stop to this now."
"You won't find a new director in time."
"I'm not replacing you," said Marlo, "I'm replacing the activity."
"You're going to cancel the play because I fell asleep in class?"
"I'm canceling the play because it's getting in the way of your teaching duties."
"You can't do that."
Marlo stood up and walked to the front door. "I can and I will."
Even though the play wasn't the problem, Calvin couldn't stand Marlo's power-flexing any longer. "If you do, the anonymous benefactor supporting the play will be very disappointed."
Marlo stopped. He turned around and stared at Calvin with pity in his eyes. "That's the worst bluff I've ever heard."
Again, Calvin was at a loss. Standing up to authority figures wasn't in his DNA, and neither was improvisation. But he dug through his repertoire of stored information and pulled out a half-baked truth. "I don't know the benefactor, but Roger, my best friend and roommate, does."
Marlo let go of the door knob. He turned his entire body towards Calvin.
"Just... don't cancel the play, alright? I heard Roger talk to him last week and he said he was inviting some rich people from his circle to opening night."
"I'm the principal of this school. Nothing happens without going through me first."
Calvin shrugged in indifference. Even he didn't recognize himself anymore.
Marlo looked at his younger brother in disbelief. He no longer looked angry, just sad and defeated, like a father losing his only son to a drug addiction.
"Are we done here?" said Calvin.
Marlo looked down and nodded.
Calvin got up and left, feeling invigorated and new. Now, if only he could go back to sleep and pick up where he and Genevieve left off.