Kota pushed the conference room door open with his shoulder, his phone clutched in his hand like a loaded weapon.
The scene inside hadn't changed much in the ten minutes he'd been gone. Theo and Sebastian were still sitting rigidly in their chairs, their faces pale and drawn. Mr. Delago was still leaning back with his arms crossed, his expression smug and self-satisfied.
Norin Saheer was still reading his book, apparently completely unbothered by the entire proceeding. And Kevin Henders was still sitting at the head of the table, his tight bun immaculate, his shark smile firmly in place.
"Ah, Mr. Abdel," Kevin said as Kota took his seat. "So good of you to rejoin us. I trust your preparation time was well spent? Because I have quite a few more questions for your friends here. Questions about inappropriate relationships. Questions about abuse of authority. Questions about the kind of scandal that can end careers and destroy reputations."
He stood up and began to pace, his hands clasped behind his back, his voice rising into the kind of self-righteous cadence that career bureaucrats practiced in the mirror. "What we have here is a clear violation of district policy. A principal, entrusted with the education and welfare of hundreds of students, engaging in a romantic and sexual relationship with one of those very students. A teacher, Mr. Rupert, who was caught in the same compromising situation. This is not merely a lapse in judgment. This is a fundamental betrayal of the trust placed in educators by the community. This is the kind of behavior that erodes the very foundation of our educational system. This is—"
Kota couldn't help it. He laughed. It started as a snort, then a chuckle, then a full-throated laugh that echoed off the sterile gray walls of the conference room. The absurdity of it all, Kevin Henders, of all people, lecturing anyone about inappropriate relationships, was too much. It was like watching a pyromaniac give a speech about fire safety.
Kevin stopped mid-pace, his head swiveling toward Kota with the slow, deliberate menace of a predator who wasn't used to being laughed at. "Is something funny, Mr. Abdel? Do you find the destruction of your 'friends' careers amusing?"
Kota wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still chuckling. "Yeah. Yeah, I do actually. Because you're such a hypocrite it's almost impressive."
"I beg your pardon?"
Kota stood up, pulled out his phone, and pressed play. He turned the screen toward Kevin, the volume high enough for everyone in the room to hear. The video was fifty minutes long, but the first ten seconds were all it took. Kevin's own voice, moaning and desperate, filled the conference room. "I'm the worst of them all. I'm the biggest hypocrite. I investigate teachers for doing exactly what I do every weekend. Don't stop. Please don't stop. I'm such a slut for the board. I'm such a filthy little slut for the entire board."
The color drained from Kevin's face so fast it looked like someone had pulled a plug. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. His hands, which had been gesturing so confidently moments before, fell limply to his sides. The tight bun on top of his head seemed to droop slightly, as if even his hair was losing its composure.
"That's—that's not—that video is—it's fabricated—it's deepfake—I would never—" Kevin's voice cracked on every word, his professional demeanor crumbling into something small and terrified.
Mr. Delago lunged forward and snatched the phone from Kota's hand. "What is wrong with you? What could possibly be so important that you'd interrupt an official—" He looked down at the screen. His face went through a rapid series of expressions.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Horror.
And then, strangely, a flicker of something that looked almost like arousal. "Oh. Oh my."
On the screen, Kevin was being bent over the same conference table they were currently sitting at, his suit jacket pushed up around his shoulders, his dress pants around his ankles, as one of the other board representatives railed him from behind. His moans were high and desperate and completely unmistakable. "Yes—yes—harder—I'm the board's little stress reliever—I'm everyone's stress reliever—this is what I'm for—this is what I've always been for—"
Norin Saheer closed his book with a soft thump and stood up. His long braided ponytail swung gently as he shook his head, his expression more disappointed than angry. He looked at Delago, then at Kevin, and sighed. "I told you so. I told you this investigation was a waste of time. I told you it was personal, not professional. But you didn't listen. You never listen."
He tucked his book under his arm and walked toward the door, pausing only to glance back at the chaos unfolding behind him. "I'll be in the library. Where people actually read books instead of manufacturing scandals."
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Delago standing there with Kota's phone in his hand, his face cycling through emotions he was clearly struggling to control. "This doesn't change anything," he said, but his voice was weak, unconvincing.
"Hawthorne still violated policy. He should still be suspended. I should be the one taking over as principal in his absence. That's protocol. That's the chain of command. I've been waiting for this opportunity for years and I'm not going to let some—"
He stopped. His mouth snapped shut so fast his teeth clicked together. His eyes went wide, his face draining of color as he realized what he had just admitted.
Kota's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Ohhhh. So that's your game. You didn't care about policy. You didn't care about protecting students. You just wanted Theo's job." He laughed again, shaking his head.
"You filed those anonymous tips, didn't you? You saw us in the parking lot and thought you could use it to climb the ladder. That's cold, Delago. That's real cold."
Delago shoved the phone back into Kota's hands and stormed toward the door. His face was bright red, his short choppy hair somehow looking even more disheveled than before. He didn't say anything. He just yanked the door open and disappeared into the hallway, his massive ass swaying with the force of his angry stride.
The moment the door closed, Theo launched himself out of his chair and into Kota's arms. His lips crashed against Kota's mouth in a desperate, relieved kiss, then another, then another, his hands cupping Kota's face, his body pressing against him like he was trying to merge into his skin. "You saved us. You saved me. You're incredible. You're a genius. You're the best boyfriend in the entire world. I love you. I love you so much. I love you I love you I love you—"
He kissed Kota again and again, his lips trailing across his jaw, his cheek, his nose, his forehead, back to his mouth. Fifty kisses, maybe more. Kota lost count around thirty. Theo's stutter was completely gone, replaced by a flood of praise and gratitude that didn't seem to have an off switch.
Sebastian joined in, his earlier panic dissolved into giddy, breathless laughter. He pressed kisses to Kota's other cheek, his temple, the corner of his mouth, his voice trembling with relief.
"That was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I've never seen anyone handle a board investigation like that. You didn't even break a sweat. You just—you just destroyed them. With a video. A single video. You're like a legal savant. A courtroom prodigy. You could have been a lawyer. You could have been a Supreme Court justice. You could have—"
Kota's ego was being stroked to infinity. The praise washed over him like warm water, the constant stream of "you're amazing" and "you're a genius" and "I can't believe you pulled that off" making his chest swell with pride.
But underneath the satisfaction, something else was stirring. The feeling of Theo's lips on his skin. The warmth of Sebastian's body pressed against his side. The adrenaline of the confrontation still humming in his veins. His cock thickened in his jeans, the familiar pressure building low in his gut.
He reached out and put his arms around both of their shoulders, pulling them close. "You two can thank me another way," he murmured, his voice dropping into that low, rough register that made both of them shiver.
Theo looked up at him with those big, glassy eyes, a slow, horny smirk spreading across his face. "I'd like that, darling. I'd like that very much."
Before they could move, before Theo could pull him down for another kiss, Kevin Henders suddenly bolted out of his chair. The tight bun had completely unraveled, his hair falling in messy strands around his flushed face. He ran toward Kota, his expensive dress shoes clacking against the floor, and dropped to his knees in front of him with a desperate, undignified thud.
"Please," Kevin begged, his voice cracking, his hands reaching up to clutch at Kota's jeans. "Please don't show that video to anyone. The other principals—they don't know. They think I'm this—this professional, this authority figure. They don't know I'm the school board's community stress reliever. They don't know what I do after meetings. If that video gets out, my career is over. My reputation is destroyed. I'll be a laughingstock. Please. I'll do anything. Anything you want. Whatever you want." (Community Buh)
He started frantically unbuttoning his suit jacket, his fingers fumbling with the buttons in his panic. "You can do whatever you want to me. Anything. I deserve it. I've been such a hypocrite. Such a terrible hypocrite. Punish me. Use me. Just please don't let that video get out. Please."
Theo watched Kevin's desperate stripping with a slow, predatory interest. His smirk widened, and he turned to Kota with a look that was equal parts mischief and pure, unfiltered lust.
"Well, darling? Are you in the mood for a foursome?"