Exceptional Pt 02

Exceptional--Part 2

It was a rainy Sunday morning in April, the showers were doing their job and we awaited the blooms of May while curled up in bed silently wishing them good luck. I lay on my back with my arm over her shoulder and Brandi had her head on my chest with her arm over my stomach just under my breasts. One of her legs had been placed over mine and occasionally she would grind her penis into my hip, a nice sensation but not necessarily conducive to sleep on my part, or her's either I think.

We had been dating for about 2 months when we decided to make a more solid commitment to each other by living together and she moved into my apartment. Despite some initial minor tension over closet space, there were no real problems which I believe was a surprise to both of us. Brandi kept telling me that she was very easy to live with, but I believe that point was exaggerated to some extent, although I will admit that we were very compatible in just about everything. Her belief that she was the best thing that ever happened to me might not be 100% accurate but I will agree that she was a positive influence in most aspects of my life.

This sounds idyllic but the problem with anything that seems to be this good, is that a person tends to wonder what they might have overlooked or what was lurking just out of sight. Was she a serial killer? A member of organized crime? A madam with a brothel on the side? An embezzler from Geneva running from Interpol? So far she has simply proven to be a wonderful, caring, loving person who somehow managed not to get involved with anyone before walking into my office at the start of her time at the college. We knew each other for one week before we met in a pub one Friday after classes finished for the day to discuss how she was adjusting to the new environment, and, as the saying goes, yada, yada, yada we had breakfast together the next morning.

Strangely, I feel like I know Brandi longer than I do. She's open, friendly, inciteful and very intelligent, sees through me like someone looking at the emperor without clothes; there could be no secrets even if I wanted to keep them or tried. She, on the other hand, seems to be a mystery. How does this beautiful, intelligent, friendly, loving person, stay unattached? I imagine people being driven mad in a relationship for far less. Being too nice and too beautiful! Aha! I knew it! She's a great person and I am lucky enough to connect with her. Fucking idiot, I deserve to stare at the sun every day.

"Earth to Robin! Come in, Robin! Where the fuck are you this morning? Yeah, it's Sunday but you lay there like a slab of meat and no coffee yet? I must say that the service in this establishment has been going steadily downhill for a few months now and if it doesn't improve I will have to move elsewhere," she said softly while rolling onto her back.

"You'll miss me," I replied.

"Really, miss a pagan who spends half the night looking for the sun and when you see it, you curse and threaten it?" she said. "You do realize that in the Middle Ages you would be called a heretic and burned. Ms. Curtis, kindly get your significant other a cup of coffee or I will contact the Inquisitor."

"You're destroying my pleasant disposition and ruining a wonderful rainy day," I responded with a smile as I started to get out of bed to get coffee.

"Robin, are you okay? You look like there's something on your mind. If it's something with me, fuck you! If it's something else, tell me about it. We're a team you know," came the tender reply.

"You always know the right things to say," I responded while filling the cups. "You'll tell me that I'm crazy when you hear it but you really must humor me."

"Oh, this must be good if this is the lead-in. Spit it out. No, hand me the coffee first and then you can begin. I need caffein first, or maybe a double tequila."

"Brandi, I'm a little older than you, more mature, I have been around the block a few more times, and things sometimes look different to me."

"Fuckin' blah, blah, blah. If you're getting ready to break-up with me, fuck you! With all due respect, Ms. Curtis, fuckin' miserable bitch!, fuck you! Is that it?" she said as she sipped her coffee undisturbed.

"And what if that's what was on my mind? That's the reaction?"

"Oh, bullshit. C'mon, this is me, save that shit for your students." She leaned over and kissed me on the neck. "Now, what's bothering you?"

"You're so sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"No, I'm sure of you, I'm sure of us. All that crap I said is for the common man not goddesses like us."

"Brandi, you are unique, an enigma, and that is what bothers me in my quiet moments, when I sit commiserating with the golden orb. I have difficulty believing I am this fortunate and some other person hasn't gotten to you first."

"So, let me get this straight, you are happy with our relationship, with us living together, with what we have together, and this troubles you? My dear Ms. Curtis, I believe that you're batshit crazy. Anyone would give their eye teeth, whatever they are, to have half of what we have. I'm sorry but I don't understand the reason for your concern."

"Okay, I will admit that when I say it out loud to another person, it doesn't sound logical."

"Logical? Doesn't sound logical?" she said as she placed her cup on the night table and took mine away, too. Brandi took me in her arms and hugged me, kissed me on the lips before adding, "Robin, I love you, probably more than you know, and I wouldn't change a thing. We have our whole lives ahead of us and we're happy now. We can't know the future but if we have each other we're fine. We'll handle everything together."

"Brandi, I feel the same way about you, and I have never felt this way about anyone before. But, I feel that I am missing something and it nags at me. What am I missing, Brandi? You once told me to say what was on my mind, take a risk, there's no one here but the two of us. And I did and it nearly stopped my heart but it was magic. It brought us where we are. I'm asking the same of you now. Talk to me. Please."

We were quiet for a while and then she said, "I fucking hate you. Sound familiar? That's how I knew that I reached you. Well, now you know that you reached me and I'm frightened, maybe like you were. Can I go wash up and then maybe we can have a coffee on the sofa while we talk?"

"Sure. But you're not a serial killer, are you?" I said with a grin.

"Silly ass!" she responded with a laugh before getting up to walk to the bathroom.

When we got fresh coffee and sat on the sofa, Brandi kissed me tenderly and said that she was sorry for not being more forthcoming about her past troubles, hoping that we could just gloss over any rough spots without taking notice. She said that it was easier for her to tell other people, like me, to be open and to say what's on their minds, particularly in relationship matters, but she had some difficulty taking her own advice.

"After I told you how I felt in the pub, you didn't miss a beat before saying that you would love to spend the night with me. That wasn't forthcoming?" I said.

"You said that you thought me a slut if I remember correctly," she replied with a grin.

"Now who's being silly?" I said.

"Yeah, I guess. Look, coming out and then following my heart to transition, has been a bad experience for me. I didn't have a support structure in place and faced tough times at home and in school for years. You know what this shit is like. I buried myself, my real self, and forced a smile through the abuse but always knew that the best path was an honest one and that's why I told you what I did. We were sitting in a bar, not surrounded by friends or family, and if you wanted to kiss me or simply say that you liked me, or hated me, or wanted to take me somewhere to fuck my brains out, who would know but us. I must look in the mirror and so do you, but the rest of society is blissfully ignorant of what happened. Someone can say that I'm fucked up, a faggot, a cocksucker, anything, and I can walk away because they mean nothing to me. The pain comes when someone means something to you, and they turn on you. I told you to say what's on your mind because I knew how I felt and I sensed how you felt. If I opened up about my struggles, I felt I would look weak, if you weren't ready to listen, to give me a hug when I needed it, I would be devastated, totally crushed because I love you. You're not a passing fling, a one-night stand, it's not just a kiss, you're different. I felt that the less you know the better; it was self-preservation. But I was wrong."

I looked at Brandi and saw the tiny tears welling up in her eyes. I didn't want to be the cause of her pain and wanted to take it away. I hugged her, then kissed her tenderly and told her that I loved her before adding, "But you're not a serial killer, right?"

"Why is it that when I feel that you are the one special person I could love forever, you turn into such a dick?" she said.

"This is my self-preservation. My heart was breaking for your pain, the pain that I caused, and I wanted to take it away but I didn't know how. Forgive me."

"Ask me again in the shower, I need you to wash my back," she said softly. "And if there is anything else you want to know, simply ask me. No secrets and no bullshit."

"I don't think it will be necessary, but I appreciate that you offered. I don't want to hurt you or cause you pain, clearly you've had enough. The road is in front of us not in the rearview mirror."

She whispered, "Great, a philosophical bitch."

"What?" I asked softly.

"Nothing, my love."

Things are always better with warm cascading water over naked bodies, particularly one you're intimately familiar with belonging to someone you love. It was a nice shower, a bit longer than usual and more erotic as well. Brandi is a sensuous woman and loves to touch and be touched. We have a lot in common that way. I enjoyed washing her back as requested, her front, her hair, and kissing her everywhere.

After our shower we went back to bed for a little nap before lunch, or a late breakfast. Brandi crawled onto me like a snake, kissing everywhere, working herself up in the process. She straddled me and placed my penis at the entrance to her anus and teased me, allowing the head to slip in and then easing it out again several times as she whispered to me, telling me how good it felt to have me inside her. I wanted to feel her inside me as well since she knew exactly how I liked sex with her, how to drive me wild, and I knew what made her scream, too. She worked up and down on me while I caressed her breasts and gently squeezed her nipples. Eventually I rolled over with her and took her knees to my shoulders while I pushed my dick into her welcoming anus as far as I could. Brandi moaned and rubbed my breasts, pinching my hard nipples until I cried out and then told me to fuck her hard and deep. She liked rough sex but not violent sex, and would taunt me, pushing me to what she considers acceptable limits. This worked well for both of us.

Towards the end, as I got close to orgasm, I placed my hands around her neck and squeezed gently. She rolled her eyes back in her head and grabbed the sheets, moaning in ecstasy. This was her favorite ending to a bout of lovemaking and afterward she was so sweet and loving, it would melt my heart. God, I loved her.

As we lay together entwined and fully drained, I nuzzled her neck and kissed her ear. "What did I do to deserve you?" I whispered.

"Must have been something special, I'm no small thank you," she said softly. "Maybe your heathen prayers to the sun god did some good after all. All I can say is don't fuck up because the decline on this hill will kill you."

As we hugged I received a text from the Dean asking that I come to see him at 7:30am. It said nothing specific other than there would be four of us for a breakfast meeting, his code for "no jeans." When I showed the text to Brandi, she offered her opinion, "You fucked up somewhere, sex with one of your students I'd guess. Well, when you get fired I'm not going with you, and I want the apartment."

"If this were a ship you'd be the first one in the lifeboat, wouldn't you?" I joked.

"I'm not getting any younger," she replied with a smile. "No idea what he wants?" she asked.

"No clue but whatever it is, it happened suddenly," I replied.

Since the evening weather cleared up, we decided to walk to a local restaurant for a light dinner and some wine. It couldn't be a late night but walking in the fresh air was a welcome treat. A nice end to a great day as we walked home arm in arm like sweet, starry-eyed lovers.

I entered the Dean's Office smartly at 7:28am and received a warm welcome from the Dean and Provost, and I was introduced to an outside counsel and her assistant. The Dean's assistant provided coffee, juice and water and once everyone was served we took positions around the Dean's conference table and Jeff, the Dean, began with a short introduction to the matter at hand, directed to me since the others were already familiar with the specifics.

"Robin, you are very familiar with Brandi Winthrop, correct?"

"Yes sir, I know Ms. Winthrop very well and understand that she has adjusted nicely at the college since joining the faculty about six months ago, other faculty members appear to get along well with her and the students in my classes that are also in hers, have a high opinion of her. So, yes, I am very familiar with her."

"And you share an apartment, correct?" said Irene Casey, the outside counsel.

"Yes, but why is that the school's business or yours for that matter?" I replied quietly with a smile on my face to take the edge off the words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to strike a nerve," replied Ms. Casey with a nasty grin.

"No problem, I thought that we are meeting today for school business not my living arrangements. Do I misunderstand, Ms. Casey?"

"Robin, you don't misunderstand," said the Dean quietly, "I am guessing that Ms. Casey was simply trying to understand your relationship with Ms. Winthrop outside of school. It is relevant if you are asked for an evaluation of her ability to function in her current position since familiarity can be seen as a bias."

"My apologies, sir, and thank you for the clarification," I responded with my eyes on Ms. Casey.

"Sorry, Ms. Curtis, my fault for not explaining myself beforehand. My firm represents a client who has a student at the college and alleges that Ms. Winthrop is not qualified to hold her position because of mistakes that exist in her resume which were made deliberately to mislead the board that offered the position to her. Obviously, if she is not qualified to teach at the school it impacts all of students that take her classes. If you are a friend of Ms. Winthrop, you are not the right person for us to be speaking with."

I was a bit taken aback by the allegation, but I understood why the school would be concerned. The Provost, a fellow named Harvey Weiss, was conciliatory and stated that he believed it was probably an innocent clerical error that can be easily resolved. He said that normally he would have investigated the claim within his office and resolved the matter before this meeting but he said that the student's parent went to Ms. Casey to contact the Dean for an official investigation into Ms. Winthrop.

The Dean remarked, "Harvey, I understand your sensitivity, but we must be open and transparent when hiring faculty and if something comes up, even after the fact, we must take it seriously since it affects the college as a whole.

"Ms. Casey, rest assured that this situation will have my personal attention and Ms. Curtis will report to me regularly on the progress of the inquiry. She has my confidence in her ability to get to the bottom of discrepancy. Will that be satisfactory to you and your client?"

"Well, Dean, I would accept your suggestion if Ms. Winthrop is relieved of her duties until the matter is concluded. We do not believe that an unqualified assistant professor should be instructing students during the investigation period."

The Dean smiled and responded, "Ms. Winthrop may have been accused of some impropriety, which may have been a simple clerical error, and to punish her before she receives proper due process goes against the principles upon which this institution was founded and my personal beliefs. So, Ms. Casey, respectfully I must take issue with what you propose and say that Ms. Winthrop will maintain her present schedule of classes until such time as we find reason to modify that schedule."

Ms. Casey sighed and said, "Okay, but let's not drag this out too long. My client is anxious for resolution for the sake of the students."

"Yes, as are we all," replied the Dean and rose to signal an end to the meeting.

Ms. Casey and her assistant left and the Provost remained for a few minutes to talk to the Dean and I was asked to stay as well. "This is such bullshit," said the Provost. "Sorry Ms. Curtis," he said.

"Seriously, Harvey?" I replied with a laugh.

"Robin, you are well placed to sift through the bits and pieces of this situation and separate the facts from the nonsense. I am relying on your discretion and commitment to honesty so please update me as you get more information. You have my full support and I will speak for Harvey as well. If you run into any problems or any obstructions let me know."

"Thank you, sir. I will do my best," I said.

"I know you will."

"Did they fire you?" asked Brandi in a phone call during lunch.

"Not quite but they are making my life uncomfortable. I'll talk to you tonight, I prefer not to speak on the phone right now."

"Is this the Nixon White House?" she joked.

"Tonight, bitch!" I replied with a laugh.

I went to the Provost's Office to get a complete file of the accusation and put it in my briefcase for leisure-time reading. Something didn't seem right about all of this but I couldn't speculate because it was only a hunch, I needed proof. I was confident that Brandi would have the answers but it is difficult to probe someone's CV and ask them to explain everything that it contains. Certain items may be embellished, other items may be omitted but these are minor items that make very little difference to a person's ability to hold a position.

Brandi was well liked by faculty and students, a breath of fresh air as one young fellow put it. All the students were treated the same for the most part and the ones that needed extra help got it; those who showed an ability to evade assignments or skate by with minimal effort, were segregated for special treatment, extra scrutiny and tougher grading until they took the hint and pulled their weight. She had a way of making students comfortable enough to be open and to speak up in class. It worked; she was good at her job and the students blossomed.

I was sitting in my home office having a bourbon and reading the file that I brought home when Brandi arrived, characteristically loud and happy. "Bitch, are you hiding?"

"If I was, I would have to admit I'm not doing a good job at it," I said happily as she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. "I've missed you."

"Yes, that's good. I've missed you too. Can I get you anything or are okay for now?"

"I'm fine. Why don't you get a drink and join me to watch the light fade and we can sacrifice a goat."

"I would rather strip and have you sacrifice my virginity," she teased.

"I would have to find it first."

"Enough pleasantries, slut. What's up? What happened today?"

"Well, the short story is that I was given an investigatory assignment, reporting directly to the Dean, but involving the Provost and an outside legal firm," I said trying to put a positive spin on it.