Damian stared into his drink.
“I take it by your silence that I’m right. Don’t you think you need a little more time to decide whether you love her? You haven’t known her that long.”
“The length of time doesn’t matter. I know better than anyone else that sometimes today is all you have.”
“True dat, my brother.” Kyle lifted his glass in a toast.
“Thankfully, we only have a few more days left before hitting the next school.”
“Too bad. I’m enjoying myself.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Melissa?”
Kyle nodded slowly. “I like her. She’s smart, confident, and on top of that—fine as hell.”
Damian shook his head. “Nah, man. Don’t even go there. Mixing business with pleasure is bad news, especially if all you’re looking for is a one-night stand. Melissa is a nice woman, and I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“I’m not going to hurt her. And you don’t seem to have a problem mixing the two.”
“My situation is different. I knew Karen beforehand, and I’m not looking for a one-nighter. I’m telling you, Troy will kill you if you mess with the business. We’ve worked hard, and I don’t want to see our reputation trashed because you couldn’t keep your pants zipped.”
“I said I’m not going to hurt her,” Kyle said through clenched teeth.
Damian sighed. “Look, if you’re feeling her, that’s great. Just make sure your intentions are honorable. Understood?”
Kyle drained the rest of his drink and stood. “Yeah.” He reached into his wallet, withdrew some bills and tossed them on the table. “I’m going up.”
Before he could respond, Damian’s cell buzzed. “What’s up, Troy?” He frowned, and Kyle paused.
“You tell me.”
“What does that mean?”
“I got a call from someone at the school district insinuating there is more going on than safety training, specifically some inappropriate sexual behavior with employees.”
“What?” Damian roared, drawing stares from nearby diners. He lowered his voice. “That’s bullshit and you know it,” he said through clenched teeth.
Kyle lowered himself into the chair and mouthed, What’s going on?
“I’m going to my room, and I’ll call you back,” Damian said to Troy, and disconnected. Drawing in a deep breath to rein in his anger, he stood and added some bills to the table. “Someone called the school district contracting and HR department and said we’re engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with employees.”
Kyle stared.
“I’ll explain upstairs.” They exited the restaurant and took the elevator back to Damian’s room. Once there, he called Troy and put him on the speaker.
“What the hell is going on, Damian? I know you and Kyle aren’t messing around—” Troy said before Damian could utter a greeting.
Kyle cut him off. “You know that’s not the case, but I am curious about who would say that.”
“I know what it’s about,” Damian said. “There’s a teacher at the school who, from what I gather, has it in for Karen. She happened to see me kiss Karen this afternoon when I walked Karen to her car after school when all the students were gone. Karen is applying for the principal position, and Nikki threatened to expose us. My guess is that she’s going for the same position and will do anything to discredit Karen.”
“This is a mess,” Troy said. “Are you sure that’s all? We’ve got a great reputation, and I don’t want it trashed. Kyle, you aren’t messing around, are you?”
Kyle looked at Damian, who answered, “No, he’s not. Do you want me to call the district office tomorrow?”
“No. I’ll take care of it. I am going to have to explain that you and Karen are dating.”
“By all means, please do. There are no rules against us seeing each other. Anything else?”
“No. I’ll update you tomorrow.”
Damian ended the call and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe that woman,” he muttered.
“Is that the woman who introduced herself to you, sounding like she was offering more than just a hello?” Kyle asked.
He nodded and told Kyle about the confrontation.
“And you were worried about my interest in Melissa.”
“Don’t start.” He shook his head. “I need to call Karen and tell her.”