My Missing Puzzle Piece

Chapter 10

"You have three minutes to put yourself together. If you are not out by then, I'm coming back in." Rogers hissed, looking at the ground. His fists were closed while he tried to contain himself from beating the crap out of Owen after what he had seen and heard.

Claire had already pulled back and was now standing there, looking down at her shoes, completely embarrassed. She was crying quiet tears, knowing this was just going to get worse from here on.

"And you miss Dearing, I'm very disappointed." The headmaster shook his head, his eyes were broken since he would have to take serious disciplinary measures with her, something he never thought would happen. "Please wait here, I'll get to you after Mr. Grady and I have a talk." He demanded.

"I don't need three minutes, I'm good to go." Owen challenged his boss. He had already pulled his briefs and pants pack up as well as fixed his composure.

Rogers grabbed Owen's bicep so he could take him out of the office, but the Navy man snatched it off his grasp and let his fingers bring Claire's chin up so she could face him, "Everything is going to be okay." He promised with a light peck to her lips before he felt the other man start dragging him out.

"That's a promise you won't be able to keep." Rogers growled before slamming the door behind them and dragging Owen to his office like a father would their teenage boy.

Once the door was closed, Claire broke down into tears, sinking into the couch. She not only had a very good idea of how things would go now for Owen, but she knew this would most likely stain her reputation and would close many doors the headmaster had already opened for her, lying a red carpet down for Claire to step on and walk to the bright future she had worked so hard to accomplish.

She couldn't help but blame herself, since she had been the one to come looking for Owen even when they had agreed not to meet like that. It was also her want and need to be with him that had gotten them in that situation; his office or his classroom were the most inappropriate places, and she was now unable to silence Zara's voice in her head, warning her that this would have eventually happened.

Back in his office, Rogers had Owen siting across from his desk. He had been screaming at him behind closed doors, unable to grasp how a responsible educator would allow his student to kneel in front of him and perform such a vulgar and explicit act on him in the middle of his work office.

"I don't care who initiated what, you are a professor. You should give the example. You should have stopped her." Rogers explained. Owen hadn't said a word since leaving his office.

The ex Navy man just sat there, hoping his superior would just get to the point and kick him out of campus like they both knew it would happen. Owen wasn't interested in his input.

"And I know for a fact that Claire is not that kind of young lady. This was all you playing with her and manipulating her to fall for your game." Rogers didn't want to think it had been all on Claire's account. He knew it hadn't. The only plausible explanation to such a behavior from his best student, was to blame it on the irresistible bad influence of Owen Grady.

Owen adjusted in his seat and sighed.

"I have been on to you from day one, Grady. I've been the headmaster of this university for the past ten years, I have had my share of things I've seen and heard. I like to believe I have a great eye for reading people, and I didn't like what I saw in you, not for one minute."

"Then why did you hire me?" Owen questioned. "Why did you invite me to come here and lead this lecture? I don't regret a thing, by the way, since it brought me to Claire." He assured him.

The headmaster was quiet, letting him talk. The need to punch him in the face for bringing the student's name up was overtaking him, but he knew he had to stay calm: after all, they were talking about setting examples.