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She’s nervous; I can see it written all over her posture. I have half a mind to forbid her from ever meeting with him again. I’m the only man she’ll ever need for guidance. But I don’t. This is all a ruse to get to her friend, Elena. Once that mission is fulfilled, school will be no more. She won’t need it while bringing my son into this world. So instead, I brush a piece of lint from my pants and patiently wait for this new advisor she speaks of.
We are sitting in what is essentially a cubby, waiting for someone to come in and decide whether she deserves to remain enrolled for the rest of the semester after having missed so much time. How was I supposed to know her college education would end up being important?
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” The woman who walks in is not exactly young, but she isn’t old, either. She could never be described as hot, though I suppose in the right clothes and with the right grooming, she could be attractive.
One thing is for certain: when she sets her eyes on me, something about her changes. Whether she’s aware of it or not, she responds to me, standing up a bit straighter and thrusting out a pair of tits that are almost admirable.
“I never mind waiting for a pretty woman,” I assure her with an easy smile. “I’m sure you’re very busy here. It seems that way, at least.”
“You have no idea. I’m sure you’re probably wondering why you’re meeting with me and not your assigned advisor. Due to the nature of your case, your file has been escalated to me as the Senior Advisor for the university.” She extends a hand across her desk. “I’m Catherine.”
“Enzo De Luca. It’s a pleasure. I promise we won’t take up too much of your time.” When I take her hand, I make a point of holding on a beat longer than necessary.
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t have much to spare, anyway, Mr. De Luca.” She offers a breathless little laugh as she takes a seat.
“Then I’m even more grateful you’ve taken the time to sit down with us. We both are.” I turn to Alicia, grinning, and she forces a tight smile in response. She’s hating this, which naturally means I love it. This in no way evens the score—she’s never going to be able to make up for what she did to me, my family—but it goes at least part way toward it.
Catherine clears her throat before typing something into her laptop. “I understand you’ve missed quite a bit of coursework this semester, Miss—”
“Actually,” I correct with another smile, “it’s Mrs. De Luca now. And that’s why I’ve come in to see you, to apologize in person for having swept this incredibly lovely creature off her feet. I know I should have taken her schoolwork into consideration, but I couldn’t wait until the end of the semester to make her mine, officially. It was all sort of a whirlwind.”
I close a hand over Alicia’s, threading my fingers between hers. “And once I set my sights on what I want, you can’t convince me otherwise. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten in trouble for my impulsiveness. But I think this time around, I’ll only end up being grateful for it.”
I smile at my wife, leaning in a bit as if feeling affectionate. “At least, I hope so.”
“So that’s it? You two got married?” She looks at Alicia, raising her brows. “Without giving a word to your professors? Or even bothering to reach out? Not that I’m not pleased for you. Congratulations,” she adds as an afterthought.
I squeeze Alicia’s hand, signaling for her to fall in line. “Thank you,” she murmurs with a little shrug. “And I know I should have made arrangements. But like he said—”
“I wasn’t about to be refused. I mean, the whole thing was like a fairy tale. I couldn’t help but be swept up in the moment.” I shrug, chuckling. “Call me impulsive, but if there’s one thing we Italians know about besides pasta, it’s romance.”
“That’s lovely, and like I said, I’m glad for you. But we do have policies for a reason. If everyone left town to get married at the drop of a hat, how would anyone earn enough credits to graduate? And if we look the other way, we’d have to look the other way for everyone. It just isn’t fair.” At least she manages to sound sympathetic, even if she isn’t telling me what I want to hear.
“And I am sorry about that, really, I am.” All right, so there’s no point in trying to appeal to her romantic side. It seems she doesn’t have much of one—I notice the absence of family pictures on her desk, not to mention her bare ring finger.
I lean forward a little, looking only at her. She’s the only person in the world right now. “There must be something we can arrange. What if I promise to make sure Mrs. De Luca makes up the work? I’ll chain her to her desk if need be. I’ll withhold meals if that’s what it takes.”
A giggle bubbles up and out of her before she can stop it. “All right, that won’t be necessary.”
“Whatever you say. I just want to make sure you know how serious I am about this. We wouldn’t be having this problem if it wasn’t for me. So I am willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.” I lower my brow, grinning. “Whatever it takes, Catherine.”
That did it. Her cheeks flush, and she averts her gaze, but not soon enough. She’s interested. I have her on the hook.
The key here is not to lose sight of the big picture and try to reel her in too quickly. This takes control, discipline. “So what can I do? Could this perhaps be settled via a donation to the school? I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but my family is quite prosperous. Back in Italy, we’re well-known and respected. With that comes money—or is it the other way around? Does the respect come because of the money?” I screw up my face like I’m thinking, and she giggles again.
She manages to suppress it quickly, coughing to cover up the rest. “You know, in certain circles, that could be considered a bribe.”
“And how many buildings up at Harvard just happened to be named after third and fourth-generation students currently enrolled? It happens all the time. This might not be Harvard, but don’t you deserve some nice, new facilities?” I glance around, lifting an eyebrow. “Or perhaps a new administration building. With bigger offices.”
She purses her lips. “All right, I get your point. And maybe we can work something out, but that’s not up to me to decide.”
“But surely, you can make a note somewhere that my wife pledges to make up all of the coursework she missed. Even if she has to work through the winter break. Would that be possible?”
“Well…”
“Aw, come on, Catherine. Between you and me, we both know strings can be pulled. We both understand how these things really work. There are always two sets of standards, two sets of rules.” I offer a sly smirk. “And there are ways around all of them. If you know what I mean. I think you do.”
She blushes again. “I guess if she promised to have all of the work made-up before the start of the next semester, and if she attends all of her classes going forward, I don’t see any reason an exception can’t be made.”
