Gabriels Inferno

by Sylvain Reynard

Page 51

 

  Gabriel appeared smug. “I made them. ”

  “You made them?” She pulled back in surprise.

  “Yes. ”

  “But they’re…”

  “Erotic?”

  “Yes. ” He smiled wryly. “Is it difficult to believe that I could take a beautiful and erotic photograph, Miss Mitchell?”

  “I didn’t know you were a photographer. And those aren’t regular photographs. ”

  “I’m not much of one, really. But they turned out nicely, I think. I have others. ”

  Julia’s jaw dropped. Others? “And the women?”

  He shifted next to her.

  “The women are, or rather were, friends of mine. ”

  “Models?”

  “No. ”

  Julia crinkled her face in confusion until the answer finally dawned on her. And with eyebrows raised, she gave Gabriel a very surprised look.

  He sighed and began rubbing his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure it was in poor taste to display them. And it was certainly in poor taste to subject you to them when they’re personal in that way. That’s why I felt it necessary to remove them before I brought you into my bedroom. But the photos were taken with their consent. In a few cases they begged, actually. You’ll notice that I’m in more than one of them too, so I was far from simply a prurient observer. ”

  She forgot her question about which photograph was of Paulina and drew back in complete and utter astonishment. “That’s you?”

  “Yes. ”

  “The one I was asking you about, that’s you?”

  His eyebrows knit together. “Don’t act so surprised. I thought you found me attractive. ”

  “But you’re naked in that photo. ” Feeling very flustered, Julia began waving a hand furiously in front of her face, fanning her heated skin.

  Gabriel laughed heartily and drew her closer. “I am naked in all those photos. ” His voice oozed sex as he crooned in her ear. “That photo was my favorite too, even though in the end I didn’t like the woman very much. ”

  He smiled a slow, smoldering grin and kissed the top of her head. “I’d like to take your picture. ”

  “I don’t think so. ”

  “You’re beautiful, Julianne. A photo of you — of your smile or your profile or your elegant neck — would be far lovelier than any of the art I own, including Holiday’s painting. ”

  She shook her head.

  “I’ll ask you again someday. Now, how about a reservation tonight at Scaramouche? It’s one of my favorite restaurants. ”

  “I don’t think dinner out is a good idea. ” Julia was still trying to catch her breath.

  “Why not?”

  “Didn’t you say we shouldn’t be seen in public?”

  Gabriel frowned. “But I know the owner. I can reserve the chef’s table where we’d be away from prying eyes. Unless you’d rather go to Harbour Sixty to see Antonio. He has been pestering me to bring you back. ”

  “Really?”

  “Really. He told me all about the meal you shared with him and his family at the Italian-Canadian Club. ”

  “Antonio was very kind to me. ”

  Gabriel nodded and moved as if to kiss her, but she placed a hand on his chest.

  “I can’t go to dinner with you tonight. I have a meeting with Katherine Picton tomorrow and I’m not ready for it. ”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “She invited me to tea at her house. She kind of scares me. ”

  “Wait til you meet her. She looks like someone’s grandmother, but don’t let that fool you — she’s brilliant and definitely no-nonsense. She’ll expect you to address her as Professor Picton, and she doesn’t do small talk or speak of anything personal. ”

  “Only pretentious Oxonians prefer to be addressed as Professor,” murmured Julia.

  He frowned until she winked at him.

  “She’s very formal, but she’s a hell of an academic, and if you can work with her, it will be very good for you. Just be on your best behavior, and I’m sure she’ll take to you. As much as she is capable of doing. ”

  Julia shivered, and Gabriel responded by tightening his arms about her.

  “Don’t worry, she’ll be interested in your proposal. I’m sure she will want you to change it, but if I were you, I would accept her corrections without argument. She knows what she’s doing. ”

  “I’m sure she has more important things to do during her retirement than supervise graduate students. ”

  “She owed me a favor. I told her I had a brilliant student who I didn’t feel comfortable supervising because she was a friend of my family, and Katherine agreed to meet you. She’s pretty skeptical about today’s youth — she doesn’t think they’re as talented or as hard working as they were when she was in graduate school. So she didn’t promise me anything. ”

  “You didn’t have to do that for me. ”

  Gabriel wound a lock of her hair around one of his fingers. “I wanted to do something nice. I’m sorry you weren’t able to go to Harvard. ”

  Julia looked down at her hands. “It led me back to you, didn’t it?”

  He smiled, even with his eyes. “Yes, it did. ”

  After an intense moment, he shifted his body so he could check his Rolex. He groaned.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “I have to go. I have a meeting. ”

  “I should go too. ”

  She climbed off the couch and walked quickly to her knapsack, sling-ing it over her shoulder and searching for her coat.

  Gabriel crossed the room in three strides and put his hands on her shoulders. “Stay. I won’t be long, and I’ll come right back. ”

  She brought her lip between her teeth and grazed on it thoughtfully.

  He poked his thumb in between her teeth and her lip, effectively freeing her scraped flesh. “Don’t. It troubles me when you do that. ”

  He withdrew his thumb quickly lest she misread his intention, but not before accidentally making contact with her tongue. It was difficult to tell whose accident it had been.

  “What’s your meeting about?”

  Gabriel began rubbing at his eyes. “It’s with Christa. It’s going to be unpleasant. But it would go much easier if I knew that you would be here waiting for me. ”

  “I have so much work to do, and I have to call Paul. Apparently he went to my apartment last night to check on me. ” Julia’s speech quickened.

  “I sent him a text telling him I was fine. I said I wasn’t going to have to drop your class, but that I had to find a new director. I don’t know how I’m going to explain having Katherine Picton as my advisor. ”

  Gabriel fumed. “You don’t owe him an explanation. Tell him it’s none of his business. ”

  “He’s a friend. ”

  “Then mention something about a connection between your Harvard application and Katherine. She’s a friend of Greg Matthews. ”

  Julia nodded and began buttoning up her coat.

  “Wait. ” He walked over to his study and disappeared for a few minutes.

  When he returned, he pressed an old hard-cover book into her hands.

  She read the title, The Figure of Beatrice: A Study in Dante by Charles Williams.

  “I want you to have this. ”

  “Gabriel, I want you to stop giving me things. ” She held it out to him.

  “You will impress Katherine if you are familiar with this book. She’s a fan of Dorothy L. Sayers, and Sayers borrowed a lot of her insights on The Divine Comedy from Wil iams. ” He cleared his throat. “There are no strings here, Julianne. And no shame. ”

  She stared at the volume and smoothed her hand over its old binding.

  “At least take it until she agrees to be your advisor. ”

  “Thank you. ”

  “You’re welcome. Now, we need to talk about something else. ”

  She looked up at him nervously.

  “It would be much easier if y
ou weren’t my student, but you are. At least for now. ”

  She inhaled sharply.

  Gabriel rubbed his eyes. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right. What I mean is, I can’t be your thesis supervisor, obviously. But that still leaves the problem of the Dante seminar. ”

  “Dropping your class would prevent me from graduating in May. You said in your voice mail messages that you could find me a reading course as a substitute, but that won’t help me. I need a Dante seminar for my specialization and my thesis. ”

  “The non-fraternization policy covers students in a faculty member’s classes, not just students under thesis supervision. That means that I cannot have a relationship with you while you’re my student. Next semester, of course, is entirely different. You won’t be my student anymore. ”

  She knew this. The Declaration of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities had said as much. Faculty were not allowed to sleep with their current students, that much was clear. And graduate students were not allowed to sleep with supervising faculty members. Or else…

  Of course, Julia wasn’t planning on sleeping with Gabriel. She wondered if he remembered that.

  “I won’t lose you again,” he whispered. “And I won’t keep you from doing what you came here to do. So we’re going to have to figure something out. In the meantime, I will have a conversation with my lawyer. ”

  “Your lawyer?”

  “A pre-emptive, privileged conversation about what I can expect from the university if I intend to date one of my students while she is in my class. ”

  Julia placed a trembling hand on his sleeve. “Do you want to lose your job?”

  “Of course not,” he said roughly.

  “I’ve already jeopardized your career once. I won’t do it again. We’ll have to stay away from one another, and when the semester is over we can talk about this again. You might change your mind, you know, and decide you don’t want me. ” She looked down at her sneakers and nervously wiggled her toes.

  “That is not going to happen, Julianne. ”

  “We’re still getting to know one another. Maybe five weeks of friendship is just what we need. ”

  “Friends go to dinner. How about tomorrow night?”

  She shook her head forcefully. “Why don’t you call me? I promise I’ll answer my phone. ”

  Gabriel frowned. “So when will I see you again?”

  “At your seminar next Wednesday. ”

  “That’s too far off. ”

  “That’s just the way it is, Professor. ” Julia gave him a half-smile and walked toward the door.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  She quickly checked her knapsack to make sure she had her keys. “I don’t think so. ”

  He stalked toward her, his eyes momentarily dark. “No kiss good-bye for poor, lonely Gabriel?” he whispered, his voice intentionally seductive.

  Julia gulped. “Friends don’t kiss the way you do. ”

  He came closer, until her back was pressed up against the front door.

  “Just a friendly peck. Scout’s honor. ”