Bad Teacher

“Mr. Morrows, we asked you for a statement.” It’s one of the ladies from the newspaper that printed the story. “You refused to comment.”

“I didn’t refuse. I never said anything.”

“Same thing,” she says. “Do you want to tell us why you fired a girl after you made sexually suggestive moves toward her?”

“What? Are you fucking kidding me?” I yell. “I never did any of those things.”

“Are you claiming you didn’t fire her?”

I grunt. “No, I didn’t say that.” This is starting to piss me off. So I hold my briefcase in front of my face again and move through the crowd. “Get out of my way.”

“Mr. Morrows! If you want this to go away, you’ll have to start talking.”

I don’t look back as I open the door to the elevator leading up to the lobby. “Talk to my lawyer,” I growl, and I slam the door shut.

The silence that follows is a breath of fresh air. But also deceiving because I know a hurricane is coming … It’s actually waiting for me upstairs.

I’m going to get fired.

There’s no way the other board members will let this pass.

They won’t go down with a sinking ship.

Instead, they’ll chuck me overboard and hope to god it’s enough to salvage the company’s reputation. I would’ve done the same thing if I was in their shoes.

My pops believed in me. He worked too hard to get us where we are now, and I can’t let him down. I’d rather give it all up than be the cause of the business’s downfall.

I will sacrifice my career if I must. There’s no other way.

* * *

Lesley

Shit, shit, shit, I’m late!

I rush into the building and walk through the hallways, ignoring everyone around me. I don’t even say good morning or take the coffee I’m offered, even though I’m dying for it right now. I need to get up to the board room. Now.

I pass Gillian on the way to the elevator, and she leans over her desk and yells at me, “Where are you going?”

“Up!”

“Board room?” she asks.

“Yes!”

“They’re in a meeting right now.”

“I know. It’s about that story, and I’m going to stop them from firing him.” I press the elevator button and wait for it to come down.

“How?”

I pull the envelope out of my pocket and show it to her. “With this.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t understand …”

“You will soon enough.” The doors open, and I step inside.

“Are you sure it’ll work?” she yells at me.

“No, but it’s worth a shot!” I stick up my thumb and retreat into the elevator, pressing the button to go up.

“Don’t let them fire him!” Gillian yells as the doors close.

I smile, looking at my reflection in the metal. TJ was right. Gillian does care about him.

Or maybe she doesn’t wanna lose her job, like me.

Whatever it is, we’re both fighting for him. I hope this works.

When I get to the top floor, I step out and march toward the office in the back. I can see them sitting in their leather chairs while staring down TJ. He’s not faltering, though. The look in his eyes is so cold. So strict. I’ve never seen him that way before, and it catches me off guard.

On the surface, he seems calm and collected, but underneath, he’s in complete terror.

Fear that he’ll lose not only his job but also the business he worked so hard for, the business his father started, cripples him. I can see it in his eyes, in the way his nostrils flare as he listens to the unending barrage of accusations coming from their mouths.

He faces it like a warrior. With pride and dignity and in a way I’d never be able to. Because let’s face it, I’m the kind of girl they’d have to call security on because I’d be screaming my lungs out and trashing shit, just to get underneath their skin as a final statement. I don’t go down easily. I don’t go down at all.

But TJ … he takes it as if he knows this would happen. As if he already knew long ago this would happen.

He just didn’t know I’d be here too, watching it all go down …

And there is no way in hell I’m going to let them do this to him.

He might be a pervert, but he’s my pervert.

His eyes briefly fixate on mine before diverting to the windows. The men stand. I can see that they’re talking, but I can’t hear what they’re saying. However, TJ is almost crushing a pen in his hand.

The conversation must be at its end. And it’s not looking good.

I rush to the door as the men start to pack up their things. Right before TJ gets up too, I slam it open and say, “Wait!”

All their eyes are on me now, and boy does it feel like goddamn lasers are pointed at my face.