Page 891 of One More Kiss
Chapter9
The night passedall too quickly for Lu, and Wednesday morning crept in on soft pink clouds through the open curtains of their room. She hadn’t slept at all, and Max had only fallen asleep about an hour ago.
After twelve hours in heaven, they had to get up and face reality, and face the fact Max could lose his job today.
And that Asheville may lose another instructor, because she would follow him wherever he went.
She’d been on her own for so long, her inner critic decried this decision, told her she was giving up her dream and letting a man dictate her life.
Lu beat that critic down, with her own battle cry: I’m doing what I want, for me. For my happiness.
And the most amazing sex she’d never imagined could be real.
Lu kissed Max’s chest before pushing herself off the bed. She found her clothes and shoes scattered around the suite, dressing before she nudged Max awake.
If she’d been naked, she would have been tempted to crawl back into the bed with him.
“Wake up, sleepy head.”
He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her down on top of him, kissing her until she barely remembered her own name.
She pulled away and managed to get out of his reach before he snatched at her again.
“Come back to bed,” he groaned at her.
“No sir!” She wagged her finger at him. “It’s your day, your dignity, defending yourself, and all that. Remember what you said.”
He buried his head under the pillow, then peeked out at her. “Please stay,” he beseeched her.
His dark, smiling eyes were almost her undoing, but she stood strong. And walked to the foyer to get her coat.
“I’m leaving,” she called out to him, “and I’ll be at the administration building at nine. Before then. You better be there, Max Fischer, or I’ll never forgive you.”
She stepped into the hall, hoping this wasn’t the last time she would ever see him.
* * *
Max adjusted his tie—again—andpushed his glasses up once more. To say his nerves were getting the best of him would be a gross understatement.
That Lu hadn’t shown yet wasn’t helping.
Max paced the hall, looking out the window for her. The clock overhead ticked the minutes down, and it wasn’t too much longer before Dorie poked her head out of the conference room, a solemn expression set on her face. “Sorry Max. It’s time.”
“Lu?”
Dorie shook her head. “She wasn’t home when I left this morning. She’ll be here.”
All he could do was nod, and follow her in. He took a seat at one end of the table, opposite Dean Clark, and half a dozen others, heads of departments he’d met in passing at Dean Clark’s fete at the beginning of the semester.
He took his seat silently, and waited.
Dean Clark spoke first. “For the record, Mr. Fischer. Do you understand the nature of this hearing is to determine if you falsified your employment documentation, as well as to uncover the possibility of indoctrination and communist activities on campus?”
“I do.”
“Well, then, let’s proceed. Did you knowingly falsify your employment documents and deceive me when questioned about why you left your last position?”
Max spoke plainly. “Yes sir.”
