Graceful Submission by Melinda Barron Read Free Book Online Page A

to be kidding me. No one will believe him.” The phone remained silent and Grace shook her head. “Becca?”
    “Sweetie, you know I don’t believe it, but this parent thinks it’s true. Word around the school is that Watson called in students all day to see who knew what. The parent I talked to had a student who failed your class last year, and therefore, didn’t graduate.”
    Grace gulped. Dominic Barlow was the only student who’d been forced to graduate at mid-term this year for failing to pass her class last year. And his father was a big-shot businessman around town.
    “Becca, tell me exactly what Mr. Barlow said.”
    * * * * *
    Toffer looked over the array of toys on his bed, checked his watch and smiled. Three more minutes until he talked to Grace. He wanted to call her exactly at eight, let the anticipation build for both of them.
    Last night had been fantastic. She had only balked a little at the idea of fucking herself with the candle. And he knew without asking her that she’d waited out the fifteen minutes totally still on her bed before bringing herself to orgasm. And he was sure it had been a whopper. Little Miss Gracie was a born submissive.
    He could tell from the inflection in her voice, just her saying the simple word hello, that something was wrong.
    “Tell me.”
    “I did what you asked, Master. I …”
    “Not about that, not now. Tell me what’s wrong.”
    Grace felt a catch in her throat. “I underestimated my new principal. He wants to get me into bed. I refused. Now, I may be out of a job.”
    “You were fired? That’s sexual harassment, you know.”
    “I could never prove it. Watson is questioning my students, asking those who have failed, or are close to failing, if I offered to give them good grades for money. A student of mine who failed last year told his father that he failed because he wouldn’t give me money. The Board of Trustees will start a full-fledged investigation, I’m sure.
    “I haven’t done anything wrong. I would never, ever, ask a student for money or accept a bribe. I became a teacher to help people learn; to try and instill a love of reading and writing in young people. To say I would take a bribe negates all my work. It just makes me sick to my stomach.”
    Toffer could tell she was fighting back tears. Her pain and anguish made him see red. He wanted to hop the first plane to
Colorado
and pop Joe Watson in the mouth.
    “This is definitely harassment. You could go to the board members, tell them how he ogled you and only wants to get into your pants.”
    “I don’t think they’d believe me. Even if Becca backed me up, they would think that she would say anything to help me.”
    “Baby, I thought you were ready to quit anyway.”
    “I am, but not like this. An accusation like this would keep me from ever going back to teaching, if I ever needed or wanted to.”
    Toffer took a deep breath. His anger building by the minute.
    “Quit. Just go in tomorrow and quit.”
    “I can’t do that, I have a contract. Plus, I don’t want my students to suffer because of this. I’m just going to go in tomorrow and calmly discuss it with him.”
    Her crying was audible and Toffer felt his anger bubble over. How had this happened so quickly? He’d known her for a week and he wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go.
    “Take a deep breath, Lolly.”
    “Lolly?”
    Toffer laughed. “Lolly. That’s my name for you. In your last e-mail you told me you wanted to lick me like a lollipop. So you’re my little Lolly-girl. Lolly for short.”
    He smiled when Grace’s laughter came in short gasps, showing him she was trying to get her crying under control.
    “Let’s role-play what you’re going to say tomorrow. We can go over the conversation and prepare you for confronting Watson. Planning will keep you calm when you talk to him.”
    “Tell you what, I’ll be Watson.” Grace could hear the laughter in Toffer’s voice.
    Grace’s laughter grew stronger