by Cassie Cole
“I told you all of this,” I pointed out weakly. “You didn’t seem to care.”
“What you didn’t tell me was how your relationship is more than just physical. You both care about each other. Zack told me he loves you.”
The words struck me and I whipped my gaze toward Zack. “Is this true?”
Zack blushed, opened his mouth, and then looked down at the floor.
I love him too, I realized. I wanted to say it back to him because I meant it. Over the past three months I had fallen in love with Zack without truly realizing it.
Now was the wrong moment to say it back to him, though.
“Zack told me this,” Dominic said. “And it made me reconsider everything. Doing what you did was wrong, but if it was done for love… I put myself in your shoes. Specifically, I tried to imagine how I would react if Jessica Morris was my student and we had already slept together…”
His eyes glistened not with tears, but with deep emotion.
“I wouldn’t be able to stop either,” Dominic admitted. “I wouldn’t give you up for anything in the world, Jessica. Certainly not for a job.”
I was afraid to speak, but I made myself. “What are you saying?”
Dominic leaned across the desk and took my hand in his. “I wish I hadn’t found out the way I did. I wish you had told me sooner. But I understand why you did not. I forgive you, Jessica. For everything.”
Tears welled in my eyes and I blinked them away. “Are you sure?”
“More sure than anything else in my life.”
A sputtering sigh left my chest and relief flooded in. Dominic squeezed my hand tighter as we smiled together through our tears.
“I forgive you too,” Finn suddenly said.
I wiped a tear away. “For what?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I felt left out of all the emotional reveals.”
I got up and embraced Dominic. He held me tighter than he ever had before, like he never wanted to lose me again. Finn didn’t hug me, but he held out his hand for a casual fist-bump and a wink.
Then Zack hugged me. “I meant it,” he whispered in my ear. “I’ve just been afraid to say it.”
“It’s okay. Tell me again when all of this is over.”
He pulled away and nodded. “So it’s settled. I’ll drop the class and take the F. We’ll keep things quiet for the rest of the semester, just to be safe. And then everything goes back to normal.”
“There’s just one problem,” I said. “Melanie, my GTA, knows. She threatened to go to the Dean.”
Without missing a beat, Dominic said, “Melanie Winters? She applied to be the GTA for my spring Vietnam class. I’m sure I can convince her to keep things to herself.”
Everything was falling into place. It felt like I had been drowning and then someone tossed me a life preserver. All I had to do was grab it and I would be pulled to safety. I wouldn’t get in trouble. I would keep my job.
Nobody would ever know.
I looked at Zack, then Dominic, then Finn over in the corner. These three men were incredible in so many ways. My feelings for them were deep and complex, and I knew they felt the same way about me. They thought I was amazing.
I wanted to be the person they thought I was.
“No,” I said. “I can’t let you drop the class, Zack. I have to confess.”
“What!” Zack replied.
“She’s joking,” Finn said. “Right?”
Dominic put a large hand on my shoulder. “Jessica, think about your career…”
“I am. I wouldn’t be able to continue knowing I did something wrong. I can’t allow you to give the GTA position to Melanie in exchange for her silence, and I especially can’t allow Zack to drop the class. That’s the exact problem with this kind of relationship: it’s forcing Zack to choose between his education and our relationship. He shouldn’t be in that position. Especially since it was something we both did, not just him.” I looked at Zack. “I won’t allow you to make that choice. It’s not fair to you.”
“Come on,” he insisted. “It’s just one class in the summer…”
“I don’t care. I’ve decided what kind of woman I want to be: the kind who takes responsibility for her actions.”
Someone knocked on the door and then immediately opened it. Dean Richard’s was red-faced and annoyed as she took in the scene. “What’s so important that I had to rush over?”
Zack gave me a don’t do it look, but I ignored him and turned to face the Dean. If I didn’t say this now I may never work up the courage again.
“I’ve been having an inappropriate relationship with my student. Zachary Tupelo.”
44
Jessica
My confession hung in the air like a bad smell. Nobody spoke for a long moment. Finally Dean Richards cursed.
“Damnit, Jessica. You have got to be kidding me.”
“I didn’t know he was my student when it began,” I quickly said. “But then…”
Richards looked beyond me. “What are the two of them doing here?”
“Just here for moral support,” Finn said.
Dominic didn’t respond to the question. He just quietly went to the corner next to Finn.
Richards sighed. “How about we close the door before continuing so the whole world can’t hear about your love life.” She closed the door and then took the empty seat next to Zack. She pulled out her phone and opened the recording app. “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”
I laid it all out to her. It felt like giving a confession to the police.
“How long did this relationship last?” she asked.
“It’s still ongoing.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “I see.”
Next she asked Zack a series of questions about the nature of the relationship. She asked if he felt like I had ever treated him differently because of it.
“No, never,” he said emphatically.
“I had my GTA grade all his papers,” I replied. “I have not been involved in any of his grading.”
Richards asked various other questions of both of us. Then she turned off the phone recorder and put it away. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The evidence leaves me no choice…”
I steeled myself for what I knew would come next.
“An investigation will be made by a third party. Both of you will be required to give signed affidavits with university lawyers present.” She looked over her shoulder at Dominic and Finn. “I assume both of you were witnesses to some of this?”
They both nodded.
“You’ll be asked to give affidavits too.” She turned back to me. “Same for your GTA. As for you, Jessica… The remainder of your class tests will be graded and written by your GTA with the assistance of a proxy. This includes the upcoming final exam. You will be required to attend six administrative sessions on academic professionalism. A formal warning will be reflected on your faculty record. And if it happens again you will be suspended and potentially terminated.”
It took a second for the words to sink in. “If it happens again? You mean I’m not being suspended now?”
“This is the DMSU formal process. You’re hardly the first professor to have a relationship with their student.”
“But the other professor,” I stammered. “The one in the meeting you held. You said they were suspended.”
“Suspensions are reserved for cases involving harassment, unfair treatment, or quid-pro-quo arrangements. The other situation involved such matters. I see no evidence of that here. To be clear, what you have done is still a violation of the faculty code of conduct, in addition to being morally wrong. But it’s less wrong. You are not being suspended or terminated.”
In the corner, Finn pumped his fist. Dominic slapped him on the back and grinned. Zack slumped into his chair, relieved.
I was still too stunned to move. “I just can’t believe I’m getting off without any punishment.”
“You are being punished,”
Richards snapped. “The next few months will not be pleasant for you. If there are any inconsistencies in your affidavits, the university may decide to fire you anyway. The six sessions on academic professionalism last eight hours each. And ultimately, word will get out about what happened. You heard the other professors in the meeting. The faculty gossips. Sooner or later, everyone will know what happened.”
She wagged a finger at me accusingly. “And your relationship must cease until the end of the semester. If I find out you couldn’t do that then I’ll fire you myself. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Dean.”
Richards stood. “I’m supremely disappointed in you, Jessica. It will take a long time for my respect for you to return.” She glanced at Dominic. “I can’t help but wonder about your presence here, Professor Karlson. Can I assume that this revelation has ended your relationship with Jessica?”
“No, Dean Richards,” Dominic said confidently. “Jessica and I are very much still together.”
She frowned at me. “You’re with both of them? Lucky girl.”
Finn stood very still in the corner, but winked at me.
Richards dialed a number in her phone. “If that ever changes, Professor Karlson, please let me know. I have a daughter who you would love.” She put the phone to her ear. “Elle? Cancel my next two meetings and tell Pattinson from legal to swing by my office. Yes, we’ve got another one. I know. There must be something in the water.”
She opened the door and left my office. I was too shocked to speak.
Dominic walked over and closed the door behind her. “I always assumed the repercussions would be stricter,” he said.
Finn swiped on his phone. “Looks like it depends on the college. If you had done this at Iowa State, you would’ve been fired pending the investigation regardless of the circumstances.”
I stared off, lost in thought. I couldn’t believe it had gone down like that. I had done the right thing and had escaped the worst punishment. It felt too good to be true. Maybe it was karma for doing the right thing rather than allowing Zack to drop his class.
“Now that’s out of the way, we need to discuss us,” I said. “The four of us.”
Zack rose from his chair. “Not much to discuss. Now that our relationship is out in the open it’s not fun anymore.”
He pretended to leave, then turned back toward me with a huge grin.
“You had me going for a second!” I yelped. “That’s not funny!”
“Just trying to lighten the mood. I like seeing you smile.”
“I’m not smiling,” I said, though I ruined it by falling into a fit of laughter. Laughter full of happiness and relief.
“Let’s discuss it rationally,” Dominic said, sounding every bit like a professor. “Each of us has intense feelings for Jessica. Furthermore, we don’t mind sharing her. We even enjoy sharing her.”
“Sure do,” Zack said.
Dominic spread his arms. “It seems we have our solution. Once the semester is over, all three of us will continue our relationships with Jessica. Individually or together. Maybe they only last a few weeks, or maybe they last longer. Only time will tell.”
“I would love that,” Zack said, beaming at me the way he had the first night I met him after the bachelorette party. “I would love that very much.”
“Indeed, as would I,” Dominic replied.
“You know me,” Finn said with a cocky grin. “I’m down for anything.”
I looked at each of them. “You’re sure you want to do this? Dating me together?”
“We’ve already been doing that,” Zack said. “Speaking from experience, sharing you is easy.”
“Not to mention fucking hot,” Finn said.
“Then my answer is yes,” I said. “Of course I want to be with all three of you.”
I rose and hugged each of them individually, then the three of them gave me a group hug. I thought about making a joke about the last time the three of them were smothering me with their bodies, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. Surrounded by them, I felt happy. I felt safe.
“You think you two can keep your hands off each other for the rest of the semester?” Dominic asked.
I barked a laugh. “If I can’t do that, then I deserve to be fired.”
“I’ll stay as far from you as possible,” Zack promised. “Although I can’t promise I won’t send you flirtatious text messages.”
“No!” I said emphatically. “Absolutely nothing like that!”
Zack’s blond hair swayed as he shook his head. “I can’t help it if I accidentally snap a photo of my abs and it accidentally gets sent to you.” He held up his phone. “That happens all the time, I swear.”
Finn snatched the phone out of his hand. “Yoink.”
“Hey! Give it back!”
“Nope. You’ve proven you can’t behave yourself.”
“You can have it back after the semester,” Dominic chimed in.
“Oh come on…”
I smiled as my three men argued and fought over the phone in my office.
Epilogue
Jessica
Zack and I were able to keep our hands off each other for the rest of the semester. Knowing it was just a couple of weeks helped, but it still wasn’t easy. Every night I thought about how he was just a few floors above me. A quick elevator ride away. Worse, I couldn’t even text him without running the risk of someone finding out. We had to act totally normal.
Fortunately, Dominic and Finn helped distract me. They visited my apartment individually and sometimes together, sharing me on the couch and in the kitchen and on my bed. The two of them were ravenous for me, and I let them ravage me however they wanted.
We even tried double-penetration again, and it was even better than the first time. I didn’t think I could ever go back to dating one man again. It was like watching The Wizard of Oz and then trying to go back to black-and-white movies. They couldn’t compare.
Melanie, my GTA, took over the creation of my History 414 exam. That way there was no chance that I could possibly give Zack any advantage on the test. Melanie was also happy to hear I wasn’t fired. She repeatedly apologized for confronting me about the whole affair with Zack, even though I told her she did the right thing. She seemed honor-bound to make sure the relationship was reported, but didn’t actually want me to get in trouble.
She even confided that she couldn’t blame me, because Zack was very cute. She blushed as if she had said something far more scandalous. I smiled and agreed that Zack was quite cute.
Des Moines State University conducted its own investigation of the affair. They more-or-less confirmed what we had already told Dean Richards, but with a lot more lawyers and paperwork. Documenting everything so their asses were covered. Then I began taking the academic excellence sessions. Each session was eight hours long, once a week. It was a long, boring way to spend my Saturdays.
But it was far better than being fired.
Like Dean Richards had warned, rumors about me began to fly. Nobody knew the details at first—just that I had been involved in some sort of inappropriate relationship. Without information the faculty’s imagination ran wild, and they focused on a surprising target.
My relationship with Dominic.
“Did you two have a secret affair before you reported it?” Brandi asked me one day during lunch.
I shrugged coyly. “Maybe.”
“I bet that’s what happened! You two totally got caught and that’s why you eventually disclosed the relationship.”
I let them speculate all they wanted. I was ecstatic they didn’t know the truth. The rumors flew for a week… And then they all got bored. Life moved on.
But even if they had found out I slept with one of my students? I would have been able to handle it. Doing the right thing was its own reward.
Finals week arrived and my students took their exams. I helped grade the History 414 exam, although Melanie of course had to grade Zack’s paper. When she finished his, she
held it up with a big grin.
He got a 94. An A.
“And he earned it,” Melanie assured me. “I didn’t play favorites or grade him more harshly.”
“He’s a smart guy,” I said.
Once the grades were posted online and the semester was officially over, I visited Dean Richards. I stood before her desk and tried not to smile.
“I would like to announce my intention to date one of my former students. The faculty code of conduct requires such a relationship to be disclosed.”
Richards leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers. “I suppose you’ve never heard of relationship sunset provisions?”
“Sunset what?”
“Many universities have guidelines banning professors from dating their former students for certain periods of time. Typically six months to a year.”
My heart sank. I vaguely remembered hearing about those at some point, though I didn’t see it in the faculty code of conduct…”
Richards waved a hand. “Fortunately, DMSU has no such sunset provision.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. “Fill this out.”
I accepted the sheet and frowned. “This already has my name and information filled in.”
She smiled. “I expected this visit. Make sure Zack signs it at the bottom as well.”
I wanted to rush around her desk and hug her. “Thank you, Dean Richards!”
“You can thank me by never doing this again. You’re a good professor and I would hate to terminate you.”
I held up the paper. “I have a feeling this relationship is the last one I’m ever going to have.”
She cocked her head. “And you’re still dating Professor Karlson?”
“Yes.”
“He’s fine sharing you with another man?”
“He is.”
“Huh.” She shook her head in wonder. “I was born in the wrong decade. Enjoy your holiday break.”
