by Holly Rayner
“I don’t want to be a kept woman,” she huffed. “I want to do my job and not have to worry about living in the gutter once my relationship falls apart.”
“Preach, girl!” Lindsey half-shouted.
“Lindsey, I’m serious.”
Lindsey gave a deep sigh and finished off the last of the vodka. She stared down at the condensation that was left on the side of the glass for what felt like far too long before she looked back up at Emily. She raised her perfectly arched brow and pursed her lips a moment before asking, “Rant over?”
“Rant over,” Emily bashfully admitted.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Lindsey said evenly. There was no longer anything jovial about her words, but the emotion behind her eyes said she was worried. “You said you loved this guy. Don’t sabotage what you have together for Mike, of all people.”
With that, Lindsey slammed her empty glass on Emily’s desk and made for the elevator.
Emily spun in her chair and watched her friend leave, and with every second that passed she wondered if she should go spill her guts and explain everything to her, but then it was too late. The elevator closed behind the pretty girl in the high heels and Emily sighed. She was officially the last one in the office, just like she had been all week.
Chapter 14
Even after Lindsey had implored her to go home, Emily spent a few more hours crunching numbers and manipulating accounts figures. She stared at the clock and suddenly wondered if she should even bother going home that night—maybe she could just catch a nap and work some more.
Skimming through the accounts files, she paid special attention to any figures that The Hasan Group and their audit team would have particular interest in. She was just about to call it quits when she heard her cellphone buzzing from inside her bag. She leaned over and fished the device out, staring down with a sinking feeling in her stomach as she saw it was Tariq.
“Hello?”
“Well hey there, stranger.”
His voice was so sweet. It brought back a flood of memories from their weekend together, his kisses.
Emily sat silently on the other end, a self-induced awkward haze hanging over their newly started conversation.
“You still there?” he asked.
“Yes, I am. Hi, hello!” she said, trying her best to sound cheerful.
She heard Tariq take an uneasy breath before he regained his usual charming demeanor. “I, uh, swung by your house but you weren’t there. Thought I’d surprise you with a late dinner.”
“Unannounced pop-in? Wow, we must really be getting serious,” she teased.
“That’s what I thought!” he chuckled. “But I’ve never been great with signals, so maybe you can help me out with this one.”
“Shoot.”
“So I’m seeing this girl, you might know her. Giant glossy curls that cascade down her face and the most beautiful blue-green eyes I’ve ever seen. She captivates me, astonishes me, and challenges me. She makes me want to be a better person.”
And there it was. The magic words the Sheikh’s parents had bestowed upon them during their visit. Emily was elated that Tariq felt the same way she did, that he shared in the sentiment that being together brought out the best in both of them. Her heart fluttered at the cute way he expressed himself. She just couldn’t help but think how he made her want to be a better person, and here she was ruining his business deal, all so she could save her own skin.
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” she finally responded.
“Did I mention she has the cutest butt?”
Emily laughed, hard, into the phone. “Okay, okay, it’s ringing a couple bells now.”
“Right, so, I took this beautiful woman on an adventurous, spur-of-the-moment vacation. I introduced her to my parents, kissed her by the water, poured out my deepest secrets. Sounds like it went swimmingly, right?”
“Sounds like it,” she agreed playfully.
“And then we get back here, kiss, make arrangements for a date so we can continue basking in one another’s company and poof! She disappears, like Cinderella.”
Emily balanced her cellphone between her ear and shoulder and walked over to the coffee maker, putting in a pod of decaf French vanilla. She giggled into the phone and finally responded, “Don’t you hate it when that happens?”
“Right.” He offered a nervous laugh that seemed to fizzle into worry. “Look, um, I’m not very good at this, as it turns out.”
“Good at what?”
“Being away from you. But I’m getting the distinct feeling that you don’t want to see me. I thought I would be the cool guy, you know, leave the ball in your court and all that, but I can’t seem to let it go. So here’s me saying, Emily, I meant what I said. I think I’m falling in love with you.”
He gave pause and Emily didn’t make to respond, unsure what to say or how to handle the situation. She cringed inwardly as the silence hung there.
Finally, the Sheikh continued, “So, after you canceled our date, I started wondering if maybe I did something to offend you?”
“What?” she asked, “No! No, no, no. Of course not! I’ve just been…overloaded with work. It’s been crazy here what with the auditing and everything. I’m on a major deadline.”
“Right…” It seemed like he wanted to believe her, but his tone still wavered. “Are you sure, though? I’m pretty good at knowing when I’m being avoided. You seem a little…withdrawn.”
“Just busy,” she said lamely. “Still incredibly charmed, but busy.”
“Whew,” he joked out in a breath. “Well, consider me relieved. How about I return the favor and cure your stressful woes with a movie tomorrow night, if you’re able?”
“Ugh, I’m really sorry, Tariq, but I just can’t. Please don’t take it personally, I’m just basically on lockdown for the next couple of weeks.”
“Weeks?!” he repeated.
“Yeah,” she breathed. “My boss is being a real pain, scheduling me for double shifts, lots of overtime. Work is conflicting with…basically everything.” She tried to make her explanation as lighthearted as she could as she continued. “Consider me un-datable for the month, unfortunately.”
“Okay, well, did you want me to talk to Mike? I could probably have him lighten up on some of your—”
“No!” she interrupted, half in frustration and half racked with guilt. “No, please, it’s okay. This is what I get for taking an extra day off, I guess.”
She’d meant the sentiment as a joke and felt awful as Tariq began telling her how sorry he was for getting her in trouble. He said he hoped Mike wasn’t taking their weekend getaway out on her. Emily tried to assure him it was just the usual work stuff, but couldn’t help but feel awful with every new lie she told.
“All right, Emily,” he said finally, defeated. “I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it. All I can say is I can’t wait for this month to be over so I can be in your company again. If you get any free time, you know my number.”
Though he couldn’t see her, she nodded. “I do.”
“Hey, Em?” he said suddenly. “I miss you. Don’t leave me out for too long, okay?”
With that, Tariq hung up the phone and Emily felt a rush of sadness creep into her throat and constrict her airways. She felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. His words were slicing through her, cutting her soul until her whole body felt numb. She felt like she couldn't move. Mike was ruining everything.
Correction: her big mistake was ruining everything.
She felt a wave of emotions wash over her: anger, pity, and desperation. Every hope she had of being happy with the Sheikh suddenly seemed to shatter and evaporate before her eyes.
She couldn't do this to the man she loved, but she couldn't afford not to, either. The fact that he was blaming himself for her inability to see him hurt even more than the lies. She just wasn’t sure what to say to him when she did see him. Was she supposed to try and talk him out of the buyout like she had before?
Everything was
so wrong.
Chapter 15
It had been two weeks since Emily’s late-night conversation with Tariq. She still hadn’t seen him since their wonderful weekend away; since her whole life had become consumed with work and trying to make up for her past mistakes.
She’d managed to do a handful of video chats with the handsome Sheikh, but only for a few minutes at a time. It was nice to see his face, hear his voice, and banter with him for a few moments to forget the day, but it was too hard not to tell him what was going on.
Maybe it was better that they called the whole thing off, she thought. It wasn’t exactly healthy to continue their relationship now that she’d put all of her time and energy into ruining his business deal. Plus, Mike knowing about her embezzlement would be hung over her head forever, she assumed.
It was all too much. Her stress level was through the roof. She’d spent practically every night for weeks working overtime. She barely had time to go home and eat before passing out from sheer exhaustion. Every morning, coming into work was like walking right into a tornado. Mike always had something he wanted her to fix, or new emails detailing new and increasing demands on her.
She felt like she was working herself to death, being pushed to the brink. Emily liked working hard, but this much overtime was just ridiculous, not to mention the lying. She could hardly handle how much lying and backtracking she had to do just to try and sabotage the buyout.
Once again, it was half past nine on a Thursday evening and Emily was hunched over in her chair, coffee in hand, working the numbers. She was going back and forth from fudging the math on certain accounts, to completely legitimizing other ones. She was sure that by the time the audit was over, the Hasan Group wouldn’t have a clue what to do with Salt River Resorts, or how to fix it.
That being said, she wasn’t exactly sure what Mike wanted her to do if her plan did work. Was she supposed to un-fudge the numbers to make the company look great again? She sighed inwardly; she supposed it wasn’t really her problem.
Working late had taught Emily one thing: that those who worked overtime, worked hard for the company. Commonly it was just her, Lawrence and Jackie, who stayed behind. Tonight, however, it was just her and Mike.
Mike wasn’t a big fan of late nights at the office. Emily didn’t know why he was staying late today, and frankly, she didn’t care, just as long as he stayed away from her.
Emily tried to keep her head down and look hard at work, hoping her boss would leave her to it. This approach worked for several hours, until finally, she heard him call her name from across the office.
She sighed and picked up her mug, bringing it with her as she leaned in the doorway of his office.
“You rang?”
“Yeah, come have a seat with me,” he said casually as he began pouring himself a bourbon. “You want a drink?”
“I have coffee.”
“You’ve been working above and beyond what I ever could have expected, little lady,” he said with a flirtatious condescension to his tone. “I know we’re in a bit of a bind and you’re working like mad to get us out of it, and I appreciate that. Don’t think that will go unrewarded when this all blows over.”
Her brows perked up slightly. “So, you’ll be keeping me around after the buyout falls through?”
“Keeping you around? Listen to this girl!” he said to no one in particular. “Of course; Emily, you may be a thief and a liar, but you’re a hard worker.”
“Thanks?” she said, cocking an offended brow.
“Hey, it’s the truth.” He pointed a finger at her and then sat at his desk, watching carefully as she did the same. She wasn’t lost to his eyes lingering on her as she sat. “So what in the world happened, Emily?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, how did we get here? I thought I was a smart guy, did my job well, you know? Now here I am, getting robbed by a twenty-something girl and having to ruin the company’s reputation just to keep my job alive.” He sighed and went to pour himself another drink. “How in the world did this happen.”
She shrugged. “I ask myself that every day.”
“Hey, I’m a good listener if you ever want to talk.”
She stared at him for a moment and waited for the come-on, and when none came she felt taken aback.
“Do you want to talk?” he repeated hesitantly.
“Not really,” she said. “Thanks for the drink offer, but I have a couple more things to do before the meeting tomorrow.”
“Right, right, understood.” Mike exhaled once more and stared down into his glass; melancholy.
“Well, I’m gonna head back.” Emily took a breath and stood to leave, but was surprised to see Mike standing up. Within an instant he was in front of her, blocking the doorway.
“You wanna get out of my way?” she said, still trying to maintain a joking tone.
“You know I want to, I really do, but my corporate pride is telling me that I have other plans with you. I mean, really, what did Emily do to put herself in this situation? Beautiful brunette like yourself? Could have done anything, really.”
“What,” she frowned deeply, “Are you recording this, or something?”
“I would never do that,” he paused, and then continued with a wink, “You know, unless you asked me.” He sighed. “Emily, I think you’re amazing.”
“Mike, I—” She shifted awkwardly as he reached in and brushed a curl away from her face.
“And sexy,” he said, his voice turning husky. “Did I mention sexy?” Before she could speak he continued, “You and I could do very good things together—professionally speaking, of course.”
“Just professionally,” she said uncomfortably.
“Hey, who am I to deny us a tryst together?” He said, his passions becoming more and more noticeable as Emily tried to squeeze by him. “You owe me that much.”
Emily felt the color drain from her face. “Excuse me?”
“I said,” he repeated loudly, “You owe me that much. I think denial is a little beneath you at this point, Em. I saved your job, I let you gallivant around with that Sheikh without saying a word to the other shareholders, and now I’m waiving my right to press charges against you, the thief.”
“I’m pretty sure who I gallivant with is none of your business.”
“Uh,” he interjected, “when it breaks nearly a dozen rules on a waiver you signed when you first came aboard? Yeah, it does. So what do you say? Oh, wait, wait, wait…”
Emily scowled. “What?”
“You don’t really have a choice in the matter, do you Em? I mean, come on, do you want to go to jail or do you want to do what I know we’ve both been dying to do together?”
Emily stared at him in disgust. The closed distance between them made her sick to her stomach, the heat of his body so close to hers and the way she could feel his breath, smell it.
She ripped her wrists from his grasp and pushed against him, causing him to stumble back into his bookcase. “You disgust me,” she spat and made her way to the elevator.
She tapped the elevator button over and over, her fight or flight response finally kicking in as she entered the elevator and quickly hit the ‘door close’ button.
And that was it. Emily had finally found a line she wouldn’t cross.
Chapter 16
Emily sobbed the entire way down to the parking lot, anxiety taking over and causing her to gasp for one breath after another as she relived what had just happened.
She slammed her car door shut and buckled her seatbelt before starting the engine. She could hear her phone ringing furiously. She checked the display on her car and could see the incoming caller was Tariq.
There was no other voice she would like to hear at that very moment, but her mind couldn’t think of a logical explanation to tell him why she was crying so hard. Not without implicating herself and revealing all the awful things she’d done.
He could never know her like that.
Tapping the
‘ignore’ button, Emily sped home in a rush.
Back at her apartment, she paced and sobbed, picking up her phone and going to dial her mother, Lindsey, or Tariq, before hanging up in frustration. She didn’t know who to reach out to. She didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
Tears streamed down her cheeks endlessly. She laid on her bed with a record playing—slow, orchestral music. Her guilty pleasure. She’d always teased her mother for listening to orchestra; strings and violins seemed so old. Yet she’d bought a record player and a set of orchestral collections as soon as her mother got sick. She would play them every night and in some strange way, they became a source of comfort to her.
She curled up in her bed and closed her eyes before her Siamese cat, Alfie, jumped up beside her and stared at her curiously before flopping down beside her with his belly exposed. She couldn’t help but chuckle at this before giving the cat a long stroke down his tummy. Seeming satisfied, Alfie jumped back onto the floor, and she was alone again.
So that was what it felt like to have your world come crashing down on you, she kept thinking. The jig was up. If Emily had any hopes of keeping her job, they had all just flown out the window. As far as she was concerned, there was no point in going to work the following day.
Just when Emily was starting to feel calm again, she heard a knock at her apartment door. She approached hesitantly, worried that it might be Mike, but it wasn’t. It was Tariq.
She inhaled deeply and opened the door to the man who had stolen her heart away.
Tariq stood with a yellow rose in his hand, wearing a handsome smile that faded quickly as he studied her face. Emily exhaled in something like a whimper before collapsing into his arms.
“Emily,” he said firmly, his voice thick with emotion. “What happened?”
She shrugged helplessly and shook her head into his chest.
“Please, Emily, tell me what’s wrong.”
This was it. It was now or never.
Emily took one last selfish moment to relish being in his warm embrace before she backed away from him and kicked the door shut behind them. She stared at the ground and sighed heavily, tears now spilling forth. She tried to keep her voice as even as she could, but the more she spoke, the more her voice gave way to cracks and cries.