Gabriel's Rapture by Reynard, Sylvain (reading comprehension books .TXT) 📕

you rather find a nice man who could give you children?”

“You can’t ask me if I’m happy with one breath, and push me away with the next.”

When he didn’t respond, she gently took hold of his chin, forcing his eyes to hers.

“No, I don’t want to find a nice man to have a child with. I want a child with you.”

Gabriel stared at her incredulously, his blue eyes widening.

“Truthfully, I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the point where we’re healthy enough to open our home to a child. But if we do, I’m sure we’ll find a little boy or girl who is supposed to be our child. Grace and Richard adopted you; we can do the same.”

Her face grew pained. “Unless you decide you don’t want that. Or you don’t want that with me.”

“Of course I want you.” The intensity of his voice matched his eyes. “I’d like to make promises to you. But I want us to wait a little before we have that conversation. Does that trouble you?” He reached out a finger to toy with the diamond in her ear.

Julia didn’t need a narrator to understand what his physical gesture meant. “No.”

“I don’t want you to think that any hesitation on my part is due to lack of feeling.” Gabriel gave voice to her unspoken fear.

“I’m yours. All of me. And I’m so glad we won’t be apart next year. The thought of losing you was torturous.”

He nodded as if he understood.

“Now come here, Julia, so I can worship you.”

Chapter 20

“Miss Mitchell.” The tall, dark-haired woman in the power suit strolled into the corner office, shook Julia’s hand, and sat behind her large desk.

Miss Soraya Harandi was of Iranian descent, with light, unfreckled skin and cascades of blue-black hair. Her mouth was wide and full, and her dark eyes sparkled. She was not necessarily beautiful, but she was striking, and Julia could not help but stare.

Soraya chuckled.

Julia immediately looked down at her book bag and began to fidget with it.

“Now that’s something you cannot do in front of the Dean. No matter what he says or does, you cannot look away. It makes you look guilty and weak.” Soraya softened her criticism with a smile. “Law is as much about psychology as it is about precedent. Now, why don’t you tell me what led up to the Dean’s letter?”

Julia took a deep breath and told her story, beginning when she was seventeen and ending with the letter from the Dean’s office. She only left out a few details.

Soraya listened carefully, jotting down notes on her laptop and nodding on occasion. When Julia finished, Soraya was quiet for a moment.

“That’s quite a story. Since the Dean hasn’t disclosed what the complaint is about, let’s not assume it’s about your boyfriend. Although we should prepare for that scenario. Was your relationship with Professor Emerson absolutely consensual?”

“Of course.”

“Have you ever had a sexual relationship with one of your professors or teaching assistants before?”

“No.”

“Is it possible he seduced you solely for his own amusement?”

“Of course not. Gabriel loves me.”

Soraya appeared relieved. “Good. Well, good for you personally, not so good depending on the complaint.”

“What do you mean?”

“If your relationship was consensual, then the university can pursue disciplinary action against both of you. If you were a victim, then they’ll only pursue him.”

“I am not a victim. We are in a relationship, and we waited until after the semester was over before we became involved.”

“No, you didn’t.”

Julia was incredulous. “Excuse me?”

“According to your story, you had an amorous relationship with him beginning around the end of October. You waited until after the semester was over to sleep with him. But given the way the non-fraternization policy is written, you violated it. Who knows about your relationship?”

“His family. My father. That’s it.”

“What about the student who accused your boyfriend of sexual harassment?”

Julia gritted her teeth. “I don’t know what she knows. But she hates me.”

Soraya tapped her chin with her pen. “If you were accused of violating the non-fraternization policy, what kind of evidence, other than your testimony, could you offer for the fact that you weren’t having a sexual relationship with him while you were his student?”

“Why would you think the complaint has to do with Gabriel? The academic conduct policy covers things like plagiarism.”

“I’ve met Dean Aras. He doesn’t waste his precious time with plagiarism cases.”

Julia sat back in her chair. “Oh my God.”

“Let’s hope someone is accusing you of a minor academic offense and that Dean Aras is simply taking a personal interest in your case. But just in case, what kind of evidence can you offer to prove you weren’t trading sex for grades?”

Julia flushed deeply. “Um, there is something.”

“What is it?”

“I was a virgin before we went to Italy.”

Soraya stared at her as if she was a mythical creature, such as, say, a heterosexual man who knew the difference between Manolo Blahniks and Christian Louboutins.

“Do you have medical proof of that? Such as a doctor’s note?”

Julia squirmed. “No.”

“Then there’s no point in bringing it up. Did anyone from the university see you and Gabriel together during the semester?”

“Not as far as I know. Although we went to a dance club with his sister back in September.”

Soraya pursed her lips. “Bringing up the fact that you are a friend of his family is not a good idea. It establishes a possible conflict of interest. And being seen in his company in a public venue was not an intelligent choice, Miss Mitchell. But frankly, he bears more blame than you because he should have known better.

“Since we don’t know the nature of the complaint, our strategy should be to gather as much information as possible from the meeting while giving nothing away. That will buy us time to prepare for any disciplinary proceedings, should they arise. Hopefully, they won’t.

“At the meeting with the Dean, I will speak for you. Since they haven’t disclosed the nature of the complaint, it’s possible that the complaint is specious