She nods and disappears. I keep my eyes firmly on Elijah. The guy definitely creeps me out. For a start, who lives like this? Prison cells have more warmth than this place. I already disliked him for what he did to Beatrix at the casino, although a part of me is glad it created an excuse for her to come see me. But for him to fire her for having an interoffice relationship when it sounds like he wasn’t being totally platonic towards her that night is a bit rich.
Elijah manages to get away from Gavin, so I quickly drag another random woman over. “Here. Talk to this staff member next. She wants a pay rise.”
The woman stares at me. “I do?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Doesn’t everyone?”
She tilts her head to the side. “Yeah, I suppose I deserve one. Elijah, I feel like I proved myself with…”
Phew.
I nervously look down the hall. I can’t see Charlie, but I hope she’s almost done.
What’s taking so long? Elijah starts inching towards the hall in an attempt to escape the woman, and I’m gearing up to yell the word red when someone else comes up behind him and corners him.
“Elijah, this afternoon’s initiative is a great idea. I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of creating a recreational area at the office…maybe have a foosball table and a couple of game consoles so the staff can let off some steam…”
Suddenly, Charlie comes bolting towards me and grabs my arm, pulling me back down the hall. “Oh my God, Kellan! You have to see what I found!”
I glance at Elijah. He looks sufficiently trapped, so I follow Charlie. We enter what I assume is Elijah’s bedroom, and she rips open the wardrobe. Inside is a small freezer packed with dozens of medical vials that look suspiciously like the ones from work.
“Why would Elijah have these in his wardrobe?”
“To sell on the black market, probably.” She holds one up. “This could sell for a couple of hundred dollars alone! And that’s not all.” She points to a bag on the floor in the wardrobe. “Look in there.”
I bend down and pull the bag open. It’s full of wallets and phone cases.
Charlie picks up a wallet that has a picture of an Eiffel Tower on it and opens it up. She pulls out a driver’s licence and shows it to me. It belongs to Beatrix.
My eyes widen. “So he has been stealing stuff!”
Charlie starts snapping photos of everything with her phone camera. “Call the police. I’ll finish up here and distract Elijah until they arrive.”
“On it.” I start to dial emergency services when I hear someone coming down the hall. “Quick! Close the cupboard.”
In one smooth movement, Charlie kicks the cupboard door shut and then drags me on top of her, so we’re lying face-to-face on Elijah’s bed. “Pretend we’re together,” she whispers.
Elijah barges through the door. “I thought I said no one…” He stops when he sees us. “What the hell are you two doing in here?”
Charlie sits up and starts smoothing down her hair. “Sorry. You shouldn’t have seen that. Kellan and I were just leaving.”
Elijah levels his gaze at me. “You move quickly. Trying to get all your female superiors fired? If so, I approve.” He laughs a weird creepy laugh. “If you wanted a management position, you should have just come to me.”
“Well, in that case, I think we should have a chat,” I say, standing up and putting my arm around his shoulder. I quickly look back at Charlie and mouth you call the police. She nods.
I direct Elijah back out into the chaos, where the entire office staff is digging into pizza. “So, what does a guy have to do to get noticed around here?” I ask conspiratorially. “I mean, apart from sleeping with all the hot women in the office.”
Elijah wags his finger at me. “You know I shouldn’t be endorsing that kind of behaviour.” He leans in. “But seriously, those bitches deserve to be taken down. Just say the word, and I’ll have Charlie gone by tomorrow as well.”
It takes all my willpower not to punch the guy in the face. “Maybe wait a bit. It might look a little strange with them leaving so close together.”
He nods. “And I guess she might stop putting out for you if she thinks you’re the reason she was fired.”
“Exactly.” I’m going to need a shower to wash off this guy’s slime after this. “So, how long have you lived in this place? I have to say, I like the minimalism.”
He looks around as if just noticing it for the first time. “Yeah, I’m glad you approve. I only just moved from Sydney, but I’m not the kind of guy who likes a lot of physical possessions. I’m more into experiences.”
He goes off on some self-promoting rant, and I tune him out apart from the odd “uh-huh,” and “you don’t say.” But inside, I’m wishing the cops would arrive. I can’t bear to be around this douchebag for another moment.
Finally, I hear a knock at the door. Charlie hurries over to answer it. I stand near Elijah, just in case he tries to make a run for it. When he sees the police, his face registers surprise and anger. And then he tries to bolt. I grab him by the arm. “Not so fast.”
“Just in here, gentlemen,” Charlie says, directing them to Elijah’s room.
“What the fuck did you do?” Elijah hisses.
“Just trying to get justice for everyone you stole from.”
“I didn’t steal anything!”
“Tell that to the cops.”
The office staff all murmur amongst themselves, seemingly unsure what exactly is happening.
After a few minutes, the officers return to the living room. One of them turns to Elijah. “We’d like you to come down to the station to answer a few questions.”
He suddenly wilts. “Fine.”
I leave the guy in the capable hands of the police and stand beside Charlie.
“All right, show’s over, everyone,” she says. “You’ve played your part in helping your workplace, so now you can all go home. We’ll see you at the office bright and early tomorrow.”
Everyone shuffles out, looking more than a little bewildered.
“I’ll fill Polly in and explain what just happened,” Charlie says. “And, uh, maybe you want to go see Bea? I think it’s best you tell her everything, so she doesn’t get the wrong idea about what transpired in the bedroom.”
I smile. “Will do.”
THIRTY-TWO
Beatrix
It’s been a very weird day. I can’t remember the last time I was at home in the middle of the week. I don’t even usually take sick days unless I’m puking or have a fever. I’m tempted to call the office and see if there’s anything I can do to get my job back, but I’m assuming Elijah will have instructed everyone not to talk to me. All I can hope is that Kellan and Charlie manage to figure something out.
I don’t know what that might be, though. If worse comes to worst, I’ll have to look into whether there are any stipulations in my work contract that prevent me from working at another stem cell company.
But I don’t want to work for anyone else. I really liked where I was. Well, until Elijah came along. I hate that he ruined everything. I can’t believe I ever found him attractive.
Then I wonder about his position in Sydney. Has he emailed everyone in the whole company about my termination?
It’s worth a call to find out. The Sydney office is structured a little differently from Brisbane. Down there, the equivalent position to Charlie’s and mine doesn’t have a territory. She’s sort of a floating rep and goes wherever she’s needed. Both she and Elijah only started in the past eighteen months, and I didn’t have a chance to meet them at last year’s conference. But I’ve seen the rep’s name on some of our internal emails. Jody Hendricks. Apparently, she’s the person now working in Elijah’s old position. I try calling her mid-morning, but she doesn’t get back to me until late in the afternoon—in which time I have almost bitten my fingernails down to the quick.
“Hi, Beatrix? It’s Jody. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to call you back. I was out with a
couple of potential new clients all day.”
“That’s totally fine. I understand things can get busy.”
“It’s funny we haven’t had a chance to meet yet!”
“I know. But I’m sure we will in time.” I cross my fingers, hoping her response means she hasn’t heard the news yet. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Elijah…”
“Oh my God. He’s an absolute nightmare, isn’t he? I’m so sorry you have to deal with him now. When he announced he was leaving Sydney, we all had a little party—and he wasn’t invited.”
“Really? I mean, there have been a few instances that have raised eyebrows up here, but what did he do there?”
“Where do I start? He was socially awkward, he made weirdly inappropriate comments, and he was super controlling…”
“Can I ask you something in confidence?”
“Of course.”
“Did you ever notice any stuff go missing?”
“I don’t think…holy shit! Now that you mention it, yes! I can’t believe I didn’t consider Elijah before! What made you say that?”
“We had a whole bunch of samples disappear. But also, one of the guys in the office had money stolen out of his wallet, and I had my phone and wallet go missing when I was out with Elijah.”
“That is nuts! And it explains a lot, now that I think about it. You know we send out most of the country’s orders from here, and we couldn’t account for a whole bunch of inventory while Elijah was around. Some of the products were worth over a thousand dollars each.”
“What did you think happened to them?”
“We didn’t know, but we assumed it was someone not logging the orders properly. What are you going to do?”
“Well, it turns out he overheard me discussing him as a suspect yesterday, and now I’m fired.”
“What?”
“But a couple of my colleagues are currently trying to find out more information. Can I count on you if I need further evidence?”
“Of course! Anything.”
“Thank you. And if I’m lucky, I might still see you in Singapore.”
“I hope so. Oh, Beatrix, I am so sorry you’ve had to go through that. Definitely keep me posted on the situation.”
“I will. Thanks, Jody.”
I check the time. It’s after 5pm. I try calling both Charlie and Kellan, but their phones are switched off. I hope that’s a good sign.
***
Just as I’m pouring myself an oversized glass of red wine to calm the manic jittering in my body, there’s a knock at the door. I slam my glass on the kitchen counter and practically run to open it.
Kellan is standing there, beaming. I have never been so glad to see that man in my entire life. I throw myself at him and kiss all over his face. He laughs. “I could get used to this.”
“Come in! Please tell me you managed to figure something out! Also, I have news!”
He follows me into the kitchen, and I pour him a glass of wine too.
“I look forward to hearing your news,” he says. “Do you want to hear mine first?”
“Yes!”
“Charlie found a freezer in Elijah’s wardrobe containing samples from work.”
“You’re kidding.”
“And your wallet!”
I grab his arm. “No!”
“Yes! Charlie somehow managed to rally the entire office to show up at Elijah’s house, so we could distract him long enough to search for evidence. Then the police came, and they took him away in front of everyone.”
“Holy cow!”
He grins. “I know. I wish you could have been there to see it.” He pauses for a second. “There’s only one slightly awkward revelation I have to tell you.”
I brace myself. “And what’s that?”
“We almost got sprung in Elijah’s room, so Charlie and I had to pretend to…” He trails off, embarrassed.
I chuckle. “Were you naked?”
“What? No! Of course not!”
“Then what’s the problem? Unless you’ve decided you like her more?”
He pulls me towards him and gently kisses me. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to like anyone more than I like you.”
My heart feels like it might burst through my chest. “The feeling is mutual.”
After more kissing, where I contemplate dragging Kellan straight to the bedroom, he looks at me. “I forgot to ask about your news.”
“Oh! Right! I called Jody in Sydney, who took over from Elijah when he transferred here, and it turns out he was probably stealing from there too. And he was also super creepy. So if the police need further evidence, Jody is happy to talk to them.”
“That’s excellent news. Now we just have to look at getting your job back.”
My face falls. “Do you think they’ll allow it? I mean, I am still in an interoffice relationship.”
“I guess you’ll have to talk to Polly and see what she says. But I’m sure she’ll be open to negotiation, considering the circumstances.”
“Let’s hope so.”
I pick up my glass of wine and encourage Kellan to accompany me to the couch.
All I want to do right now is curl up with my boyfriend and enjoy how amazing everything is. And if I can get my job back, everything will be perfect.
THIRTY-THREE
Kellan
The next day, Beatrix and I go into the office together. Despite yesterday’s events, she’s still wary about showing up at the building. I can feel the nervousness emanating from her as I hold tight to her hand.
StemWide doesn’t employ a security guard, but they do have an intimidating receptionist called Bronwyn at the front desk. Thankfully, she was witness to Elijah’s arrest.
“Hi, Bronwyn,” I say breezily. “I’m just taking Beatrix up to see Polly. She has information about yesterday.”
“Oh, right. No problem.”
We enter the elevator, and Beatrix seems to relax. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You can thank me later. In the bedroom,” I tease.
She laughs. “You’re lucky they don’t have microphones in here.”
“Do they have surveillance? Because I’m tempted to press the emergency stop button and fulfil a fantasy I’ve had for quite some time.”
She looks at the button as if contemplating the idea. I chuckle delightedly. I must say, she’s a lot more fun now that she’s let her guard down.
“That might have to wait until later,” she says, reaching up and licking my neck.
“Miss Mackenzie, what am I going to do with you?”
“Whatever you like,” she whispers back.
Unfortunately, at that moment, the doors open to the third floor. I contemplate pressing the button to go back down, but Beatrix is already halfway out.
We walk down the hall to Polly’s office. Beatrix turns to me. “I can do this bit on my own.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, thank you.” She squeezes my hand and knocks on Polly’s door.
“Come in.”
I watch Beatrix disappear and head to my desk. Charlie is already there.
“What happened when you talked to Polly yesterday?” I ask.
“I just filled her in on everything we knew. She promised to consider it all within context and advise Beatrix on how we might move forward.”
“So you don’t know if Beatrix will be able to get her job back?”
“No, but I’m hopeful.” She grabs my arm. “I’m too wound up to concentrate, Kellan! Can you make me a chamomile tea?”
I laugh. “I guess I am still your assistant.”
“Exactly. And put a little honey in it.”
I dutifully head into the break room and boil the kettle. It would be so bizarre if Beatrix couldn’t come back. Working at this office wouldn’t be the same.
I finish making Charlie’s tea and take it over to her. She sets me to work filtering her emails, but I’m also finding it hard to focus.
“What happened?” Charlie and I ask in unison.
She sits down in her chair and slides it around to Charlie’s side of the partition. She sure is milking this.
“Come on. You’re killing me!” Charlie protests.
Beatrix breaks out into a big grin. “I have my job back!”
“Oh, that’s great! As you should.” She reaches out to give her a hug. I decide mine can wait until later when we can do it naked.
“And do you have an update on Elijah?” I ask.
“I do.” She pauses for dramatic effect. “His position has been terminated, and he’s under investigation for stealing. He could be looking at five years in jail.”
“What I don’t understand is what he does with all his money,” Charlie says. “His place was practically empty. He didn’t even have a TV.”
“He told the police he had a gambling problem,” Beatrix says. “And I can vouch for that after seeing his behaviour at the casino. But still…”
“Wow.” Charlie shakes her head. “So who’s in charge now?”
Beatrix beams. “They’re going to announce it at a meeting this afternoon. But I can give you a heads up?”
We both stare at her. “Who?” Charlie asks.
“You,” Beatrix says, gently poking Charlie in the chest.
Charlie shrieks so loudly, several other people in the office stand up to look over their partitions at her.
“Shh, it won’t be official until later,” Beatrix says.
“But…but what about you?” she asks.
“What about me? I recommended you for the role. I think you’d do an amazing job. You’re way better at motivating people than me.”
Charlie jumps out of her chair and picks Beatrix up, swinging her around. “Bea, you are the best! Thank you so much.”
“You deserve it, babe. Besides, I like what I do. And I’ll need to train up someone to do your role.” She shyly turns to me. “I know you don’t yet have the qualifications, but Polly and I talked about me temporarily taking over Charlie’s region as well, with the view to having you as my protégé until you finish studying. And then you can officially take over her role.”
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