Looking to Score(52)
“You just figured what?” I asked, emotion clogging my throat.
“I just figured you’d like the opportunity to pretend that you deserve this. Half of this job is about who you know, the other half is who you can bribe. We spend years teaching you ethics and best practices, but at the end of the day, we all do whatever is necessary for our clients. And I’m willing to work closely with you for a phone call with your Dad.”
As he spoke, he grew closer and closer, invading my space with a sinister grin.
My mind raced. Despite how little Dr. Haynes clearly thought of me, I did actually want to earn my degree and position in the industry. I didn’t want to have this just handed to me because of who my dad was. I had worked really hard all semester, and I had done a damn good job.
“Well, Amanda?” Something about the way he said my name instead of the usual Miss Matthews made my skin crawl, and I made up my mind.
“No,” I told him.
“You’re really not going to make one simple phone call to secure your future?” he continued to pressure me.
Without warning, Oakley burst through the door.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snapped at Dr. Haynes.
“Mr. Davis, I’m not sure what you are referring to, but this is a private meeting with Miss Matthews to discuss the consequences of her actions,” he said calmly, as if he hadn’t just been attempting to blackmail me.
“The hell it is. I heard everything that you just said,” Oakley accused.
Dr. Haynes’s face went pale, but he remained composed. He was clearly thinking about his words very carefully, but Oakley didn’t give him a chance to respond.
“Let me tell you how this is going to work. Amanda is my publicist, she basically pulled off a miracle by turning my image around. If you don’t pass her AND give her a glowing recommendation, I’m going to go to the Dean and tell them exactly how you ‘mentor’ your students,” he finished as he stared Dr. Haynes down.
Dr. Haynes started chuckling. That’s right, this asshole thought being exposed for blackmail was funny.
“And what makes you think that the university is going to side with a womanizing frat boy?”
I watched the scene unfold in front of me in horror. I couldn’t get off this emotional rollercoaster, nor could I process what was happening fast enough to even react. And while I wasn’t totally digging the whole damsel in distress thing, I did really appreciate that I wasn’t alone.
Oakley turned pale for a moment. “I think we both know that the university can’t handle any more bad press where my family is concerned,” he replied in a low voice. My heart sank. I didn’t want this.
Dr. Haynes seemed to chew over his thoughts for a moment, then finally decided what to do. “Fine. I'll be following your progress, Miss Matthews. You have an away game this weekend, so I suggest you do your job. At the first sign of trouble, you can bet I’ll bring it up with the university president.” I swallowed his threat like the bitter pill it was and nodded.
“Come on,” Oakley said, gently grabbing my hand and guiding me out of there. The moment we were away, I clutched Oakley’s arm tightly and let out a whimper.
“Thank you. What were you even doing here?”
He gave me a sheepish grin. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t punished. I’m glad I was here.”
“Me too.”
“He is a total dick. I don’t like how close he was standing to you either,” Oakley growled. I let out a sigh and nodded. The entire meeting wasn’t anything like what I’d expected. Dr. Haynes was supposed to be professional, the epitome of industry standards. Now everything I’d learned from him felt tainted by his blatant ambition.
Oakley held me in the hallway for a moment, stroking my back and peppering light kisses on top of my head. “You really are good at your job. Don’t let him get to you,” he added. “I really want to stay, but the coach arranged a meeting for me that I can’t miss.”
“What kind of meeting?” I asked, pulling away.
“Nothing to worry about. Are you okay to get home? I’ll stop by as soon as I’m done.”
“I’ll be fine. Go,” I urged, shaking my head free of the hurt. “I need to call my dad.”
Oakley kissed my forehead again before pulling away. “Okay. Text me when you get home. I’ll see you tonight.”
Even though the apartment was a short walk, I was exhausted from everything that had happened in the last two days. I ordered an Uber and let Bill with a red Subaru take me home. When we got to my building, I decided for the first time since the day I moved in to take the elevator instead of the stairs.
Thankfully, Shelby wasn’t home. She was like a goddess sent from above to save my ass in my moment of total weakness last night. But today, I just wanted to be alone. I ran a hot bath and tossed in a rose-scented bath bomb that made the water turn pink and smell like the bushes that grew outside of my childhood home.
I played thunderstorm sounds on my phone and eased myself into the steaming water. All of my muscles let go of the tension they had been holding on to so tightly. I couldn’t fight the tears anymore, so I let them fall, mixing into the pretty pink water. I sobbed until my eyes stung and turned red and puffy.
I cried in the bathtub until the water turned cold. Shaking from a mixture of emotion and the temperature, I stood up and dried myself off. I didn’t bother draining the tub before I walked back into my bedroom, slipped on a tee shirt, and crawled into bed. Even though it was barely lunch time, I fell asleep immediately.