The Hedonist (5 page)

“Ohh, yeah! Her!” Dr. Daniels remembered. “See, Dr. Wilkins is this really sweet old lady. She really believes in helping underprivileged kids, God bless her. She wanted more inner city kids to attend Ashmore Regents University and she was requesting multiple grants to help them. But what’s his face didn’t like that… the President of the college… Dr. Ro… Rod… something…”

“Dr. Rodriguez?” Shawn said.

“Yeah, Dr. Rodriguez. See, he doesn’t want more inner city kids at ARU. The problem is that the graduation rate is only at 40% for freshmen. Most of ‘em drop out or transfer to other schools. Leaves a really bad image. Dr. Rodriguez wants to transform ARU into a mega research university while Dr. Wilkins wants to attract more underprivileged kids with lower grades.”

“SO that’s why she’s being let go,” Shawn said.

“Yeah…” she slurred. “And the worst part is that I had to cut her con… contract… I had to tell her that she’s no longer needed here. Dr. Rodriguez made me do it. It was my job or hers and I had to save my own ass.”

“Ouch, I’m sure that had to hurt,” Shawn said with care.

“Oh yeah. I even invited Dr. Wilkins over to my place once so my lover was really angry with me for giving her the pink slip,” Dr. Daniels confessed.

“Your lover?” Shawn questioned.

“Oh yeah, I never told you. I’m a lesbian.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

“The short haircut didn’t give it away?” she joked. “But seriously… I like to keep it quiet… you know how conservative this town is… and some of the faculty would start looking at me strangely. Like Dr. Sawther.”

“He’s the one that told you I was getting too close to students, wasn’t he?” Shawn asked.

“Yep, it was him! He’s always sticking his nose… in everybody’s business.”

“It’s a strange atmosphere in this town… and especially at our college. But I’m one to talk!”

“Half the professors are dingbats,” she laughed. “They waste years doing research just to get tenured. And once they get tenure, they sit on their asses only working four hours a week.”

“That sounds pretty cool to me,” Shawn joked.

“Yeah, don’t we all wonna do that?” She continued to slur.

“Some people take their work home with them… you’ll never have to worry about me doing that,” he laughed.

They spoke for another twenty minutes as Dr. Daniels laughed her way through the numerous topics of conversation. And then a game changer hit Shawn as Dr. Daniels lowered her voice and leaned in closer to him.

“Shawn, you know what my girlfriend and I would really like?”

“No, what?” he asked.

“Some quality blow.”

“What?” he asked again.

“Some high quality nose candy! All the shit here sucks and you look like a pretty cool dude,” she confessed once more while drunk.

“Well thanks,” he said.

“I mean that. Most of the faculty at ARU are drunks or dweebs… And Shawn, I don’t really care how liberal you are. We’re on the same side. You just gotta tone it down so the jackass powers-that-be aren’t breathing down my back… But for now… just get me something good to snort.”

“I know a few people. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Terrific!” she laughed, “My nose is famished!”

“In fact, I’ve got a little something at my house,” Shawn told her as her eyes lit up. “You can give it a sniff and if you like it, there’s a lot more where it came from.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

When dinner was over and Dr. Daniels had consumed far too many drinks, Shawn drove her back to his place. She was impressed with the Range Rover that he drove; it was of far higher value than her automobile. Shawn invited Dr. Daniels into his home and she immediately wondered why it was half empty.

“Everyone asks that,” he told her. “I’d rather buy cars and suits than furnishing a place I don’t spend much time in. It’s great for hosting parties though.”

“So you did have students over for a party?” she mumbled.

“Maybe one or two,” Shawn winked.

“Alright, Dr. Stevens… where is my sample you promised?”

Shawn told her to take a seat on the sofa next to the small glass coffee table. He went away and returned a moment later with a small plastic vial. He tossed it to her and she caught it with both hands.

“Pure crystalline cocaine,” he told her.

She popped open the vial and laid it onto the glass coffee table. Then she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a chop card and a small straw.

“Whoa, were you anticipating this?” Shawn asked.

“Well,” she admitted, “I always come prepared.”

She went to work aligning the powered drug to her liking before consuming it via nasal intake. Her body shuddered and quaked as she slumped back onto the sofa. With her eyes glazed over, she was dazed with drug-induced elation.

Shawn had one more vial for her; a larger amount for Dr. Daniels to share with her partner. She eventually stood up groggily and as they were getting ready to leave, Lauren walked into the house.

“Hey, Shawn, what’s up?” Lauren asked before looking up and noticing Dr. Daniels euphoric from drug use. “What’s she doing here?”

“You’ve got a student living with you?” Dr. Daniels asked in garbled speech.

“I’ll tell you about it on the ride to your place.” Shawn then turned to Lauren Styles. “Lauren, I’m driving Dr. Daniels to her house. We can talk when I get back.”

“Okay,” Lauren said bemused as Dr. Daniels began stammering. Dr. Daniels slowly walked out the front door along with Shawn and Lauren shut the door behind them.

As he drove his boss to her home, Shawn admitted to her that he had one student temporarily living with him because she needed help. Dr. Daniels blew it off as if it weren’t a big deal and assured Shawn that it wasn’t her business. It was a far cry from the tone she held in his office much earlier in the day.

They soon arrived at Dr. Daniels house, a mid-sized beautiful home in a gated neighborhood. Although it was nighttime, Shawn could see the countless floral arrangements and exquisite gardens that covered her property. She told him that her partner had quite the green thumb as she unfastened her seat belt. But before Dr. Daniels got out of the car, she turned to Shawn one last time.

“This is some really good stuff here,” she said holding up the vial he gave her. “You said there was a lot more where this came from and I know a few doctors and lawyers who would all appreciate your salesmanship. Are you open to customers?” 

CHAPTER 5
 

Shawn Stevens had a terrific reason to feel more comfortable in the week that followed. He had just befriended the department chairperson and together they exchanged titillating secrets over a surprising dinner. A provocative rapport was formed that night and it all but guaranteed Stevens a permanent position at Ashmore Regents University.

His confidence of assured job security wasn’t because he found common ground with Dr. Daniels, which he did. It was because the inelegant things they shared with one another served as a form of collateral.  

On Tuesday afternoon, Shawn’s last class was coming to an end. The class was spent discussing discrimination when things got out of hand. The topic shifted to stereotypes when students on both ends of the political spectrum became rowdy.

“Let’s not get out of hand,” Stevens told them.

Audible gasps were heard when an argument broke out. Students jumped from their seats, pointing their fingers at others, and spoke loudly as a shouting match began. The argument was unclear due to the sheer amount of loud voices that were speaking at once.

“Settle down, folks,” Stevens shouted. “I said settle down!”

Several more outbursts were heard from various students across the 175-seat auditorium before Shawn was able to get things under control. The class eventually ended and most of the students rushed out of the room. A few students stayed in the room to speak with Shawn after his class was over but his attention was focused on Lauren when anyone else spoke. Lauren was sitting many rows away from his desk, waiting for the other students to leave.

When the large class was empty and the other students were gone, Shawn strode up the aisle to say hello.

“That was pretty chaotic,” Lauren said, referring to the eruption during class.

“Yeah, every now and then I get tired of doing this. Today marks one of those rare occasions,” Shawn conceded.

Shawn promised to have dinner with her and when evening arrived, he stayed true to his word. They enjoyed a comfortable and drama-free meal at a restaurant that neither of them had ever been to. The atmosphere was nice but the food could have been better, Lauren thought.

But before that dinner began, Shawn met with Dr. Daniels while he was still on campus. Instead of Dr. Daniels visiting Shawn, he went to
her
office. The Department Chair’s office was larger than his and ornately decorated with framed taxidermy butterflies of abundant variety. Their species was inscribed upon most of the frames.

“Wow, I didn’t know you were an admirer of butterflies,” Shawn said softly while looking around.

“I love them. It may be cliché, but the Monarch is my favorite. Then there is the Swallowtail, the Julia, and the subfamily of Danainae of India,” Dr. Daniels said knowledgably.

“Butterflies have been some of the most beloved motifs throughout the history of art and literature,” Shawn said.

“Quite true,” she agreed. “If you think this collection of something, you should visit my home some time.”

“Make sure you invite me in next time,” he chuckled.

“As you can guess, Shawn,” she said changing the topic, “I didn’t invite you here to discuss my butterfly collection.

“Yes, Laura, that much is clear.”

Dr. Daniels told Shawn to take a seat and he did as he was told. She closed her office door and sat behind her desk.

“So about the other night…,” Dr. Daniels hesitated.

“Yeah…,” Shawn said just as cautiously.

“I had a blast.”

Shawn was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Great. So what’s next?” he asked.

“Y’know… what we talked about…”

“Clients?” he queried.

Dr. Daniels reached into her left jacket pocket and pulled out a silver card with numerous numbers etched onto it. She looked it over, front and back, and handed it to Shawn. He, in turn, inspected it. The most prominent detail of the card was the letters on its anterior which read “W.C.C.” in silver.

“What’s this?” Shawn asked.

“It’s your invitation to the Wilmot Country Club. The Wilmot Golf Tournament brings in billions of dollars of revenue to this city every year. But I’m sure you already know that.”

“And how’s the club related?”

“The Wilmot Country Club is officially sanctioned by this college,” she told him. “It’s the destination of recreational activity for many a doctors, lawyers, professors, judges, golf players, and business owners.”

“I’ve heard it’s pretty exclusive,” he said.

“Access into the Country Club is by invitation only… and there’s yours.”

The conversation turned to their potential clientele base. Dr. Daniels informed Stevens that a large number of the country club’s high profile patrons indulged in illegal drug use. Stevens told her that he could get drugs in large supplies if he traveled to another city. In the city of Savannah, he knew an Italian drug dealer named Carlucci Giordano who he attended college with. Carlucci had access to the highest quality cocaine in large quantities at a discount.

In exchange Stevens would give Dr. Daniels 10% of what he made. He thought it was a terrific deal and agreed immediately. The prospect of getting busted reared its head but Dr. Daniels was quick to confidently dismiss it.

“When the City Sheriff and County Judge are two of your clients, I don’t think that will be on the list of things to worry about,” she assured Stevens.

The deal was in place when their meeting was over. Shawn agreed on making the trip to his Italian friend’s place that weekend. They could then spend the following week quietly building up their base of clients.

But before the weekend arrived, Shawn was busy with other things. Although he met Lauren Styles in his largest class, it was in a slightly smaller class that he met Jessica Lobe. Jessica was a blonde-haired sophomore student who recently celebrated her 20
birthday. Like Lauren, she swooned over his every affectation. He was supposed to have had lunch with Dr. Stacy Hines, but declined to see her twice in a row in order to spend time with Jessica Lobe.

Dr. Stevens then had to split his time between Lauren and Jessica, the new student he was fond of and whose fondness was completely reciprocated. All while Dr. Stacy Hines was off to the sidelines, taking care of her children. She had little time see Stevens but he didn’t seem to mind. Jessica, on the other hand, got to see him every day and had never met a man more outrageously charming.

Just as Lauren did, Jessica took to informing Shawn of her personal life. Her twenty-three year old boyfriend was an immature football player at ARU who broke up with her. She was no longer on the best terms with her roommates and wanted time away from them.

To Shawn, the remainder of the week passed by pleasantly and the weekend arrived in no time. He was at his place with Lauren as they prepared to leave for the trip to Savannah. Shawn was not initially sure if Lauren would want to go with him once he filled her in on the details. But that uncertainty disappeared when she jumped at the chance to follow along.

Then there came a knock at the door. When Shawn made it to the first floor and opened the door, he was greeted by Jessica Lobe.

“Hi Jessica, glad you could make it,” he said as she hugged him.

Jessica entered the house and noticed Lauren who was quick to speak.

“Who’s she?” Lauren asked with crossed arms.

“This is Jessica,” Shawn told her. “She’s a friend of mine, like you. She’ll be joining us on the ride.”

“What?” Lauren further questioned him, “I thought it was just going to be me and you.”

“He invited me along,” Jessica asserted.

“Well he never mentioned you to me,” Lauren shot back.