Page 41 of Breaking Rules

“We assumed that was a gym.” Principal McKenna frowned.

I wanted to tell them both that their assumption wasn’t my problem. I hadn’t lied, and if they hadn’t reached out or researched before hiring me, it was on them, not me.

I couldn’t say any of that, though, not that way. Not if I wanted to keep my job. Since Kurt Wright wasn’t a public school, termination of employees didn’t have as much red tape as a unionized public school, and since it wasn’t a religiously affiliated school, there’d been no ‘morality’ clause that would have given them cause had I previously worked at a strip club or something like that. I’d done nothing illegal and, when it came to my job, I hadn’t even done anything someone could consider ‘immoral.’

That didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to find a way to fire me simply for appearance’s sake. They couldn’t say that was why or I could sue them, but if I stepped over the line even in the slightest, I had little doubt they’d use it as an excuse to end my employment.

I chose my words carefully. “Real Life Bodywork is a legitimate massage parlor with employees licensed in massage. The owner is Lihua Jin, and she’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.”

Both men still looked skeptical, but that wasn’t really a surprise. I knew all too well the sort of thoughts that were immediately associated with the term ‘massage parlor.’

“This says you worked at the desk,” Harvey continued. “The person who reported this to us said that you personally offered massages. After hours, perhaps?”

He made the last three words a question, but I knew that was just for Principal McKenna’s sake. Men like Harvey only saw women as objects divided into two categories: fuckable or not. He’d decided I was the former and saw this as justification for how he’d been treating me.

“My official job was working the desk,” I explained, refusing to let him get a rise out of me. “But I did go through the necessary courses to become a licensed masseuse so I could pick up extra hours or substitute for another employee if need be. I can show you my certification if you like.”

Principal McKenna studied me carefully and then leaned back in his chair. “Is the contact information on your resumé correct?”

“It is.” I hoped this meant he’d at least call Lihua before making a decision.

“And if I do an internet search, I won’t find anything…untoward regarding your place of employment?”

“No. The Jins run a reputable establishment.”

“Then why would someone feel the need to report you?” Harvey asked, color creeping up his neck. “If you did nothing wrong, then why hide it?”

“I didn’t hide it,” I said, my voice calmer than how I felt. “And I don’t know why someone would ‘report’ it. Perhaps they wanted to make sure I was honest about my work history, and they misunderstood the sort of place I worked.”

Even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. Only one person connected to the school knew not only where I’d worked, but the fact that I’d given massages a few times. Unless someone had happened to see me both at Real Life Bodywork and here and made an assumption, there was only one person who could have shared that information.

Alec.

The heartache I’d been trying to deny merged into anger and betrayal, hurt that someone who I’d thought cared about me had tried to get me fired. There would have been no other reason for the report. I’d taken his ‘we need to take a break’ without a complaint. I’d seen Keli more than once and never behaved in anything but a professional and polite manner. I treated Evanne the same as I had before. I didn’t spread rumors about him.

Why had he done this to me? Did he feel like he had to destroy me in order to prove to Keli he wanted her? Or was he simply that cruel and I hadn’t seen it?

I could feel tears burning my eyelids as the truth of the matter set in.

Alec wasn’t who I’d thought he was, and he’d never cared about me the way I had about him. When it came down to it, he was like the majority of the people I’d met in my life. Selfish, petty, and mean.

I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Twenty-Five

Alec

When Keli saidher friends had invited her to go out with them for dinner and dancing, I hadn’t even hesitated to encourage her to go. I wondered if she was testing me, wanting to see how I would react, but I’d been eager enough for a night without her that I hadn’t bothered to try to figure it out. Now that I was cleaning up after the dinner Evanne and I had made, however, I was thinking about it.

Had she perhaps wanted to see if I’d be jealous? Tell her that I didn’t want her dancing with other men? Or ask her to stay because I wanted to spend more time with her? Maybe she was testing to see what she could do if we had a relationship again.

Before, she’d had my weekends free, and she’d never complained about needing more time. She might have thought my expectations would be different if we lived together again.

Only I didn’t think that would be a problem because this wasn’t going to work. It couldn’t. I didn’t like her. It was that simple. Not being physically attracted to her was the least of it. The more time I spent with her, the more I remembered how much her personality had always grated on me.

She was an artist when we first met and still blamed me for her career not taking off. According to her, she would have been in the Louvre years ago had she not become pregnant. Because she never transferred that blame to Evanne, I didn’t challenge her on it. From moment one, I’d given her enough money every month that she could simply pursue an art career, whether she made money at it or not.

I was willing to do that again.