by Juniper Hart
“So, are you saying your big sister has finally settled down from her wild, partying ways?” Judith teased, with a smile of her own.
“Not at all. But she’s grown up a lot since college.”
“Then honey, what is it?”
“There’s this guy. Everyone’s warning me to stay away from him, including him. But my heart won’t let me.”
“Why is everyone warning you away from him?”
“Because he has a bad reputation. He always has a new, beautiful woman on his arm.”
“And he’s warning you, too?”
Tanya shook her head somberly, spreading the avocado on her toast with a knife.
“It’s been my experience when a man warns you away from him, he’s usually trying to protect you. That alone means he cares for you. But perhaps he isn’t ready to settle down. If that’s the case, you cannot force him. Never try to change a man, darling. Accept him for who he is, or move on.”
Tanya knew her mother’s words were true, but they weren’t easy to accept.
Tanya’s father pulled up a chair next to his daughter. “Your grandma once told your mother to stay away from me, but look how that turned out.”
Tanya’s mother smiled. “Yes, Greg, she did. I didn’t listen either, just like Tanya won’t. But that caused me a lot of heartache in the beginning.” She sent a cautionary glance her daughter’s way.
“You don’t regret it. You’re glad you followed your heart, aren’t you?” Greg asked, leaning in to kiss his wife affectionately on the lips.
“Yes, I am,” she replied.
“What heartache?” Sarah asked, plopping down onto the last empty chair.
“Sarah, get inside and cover up, before old Mr. Winters has a heart attack,” said Judith.
The Brazilian bikini Sarah wore was a small patch of triangle in the front, minimal coverage in the rear, and barely covered her breasts.
“Oh, he’s already seen me. That’s why I came inside. He was watering one particular tree a little too long. His stare was creeping me out,” Sarah replied.
“Your daughter’s going to get us kicked out of here before we’re settled in, Greg,” Judith joked.
The three ladies laughed, before Sarah left to get dressed.
“I’d better go get packed since we’re leaving soon. Thanks for the talk, Mom and Dad,” Tanya said, kissing her parents on the cheek.
***
“We’ve got another problem,” Andrew said, tossing a newspaper on Tanya’s desk the next morning. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow and he appeared tired, as if he had lost much sleep. A five-o-clock shadow covered his jaw structure, giving him a harried appearance.
Tanya had been looking forward to seeing Andrew again ever since she left his hotel room, but his demanding tone and cold attitude took her by surprise. She had been thinking back on her mother’s advice all yesterday on the way back to town, and throughout the night as she tossed and turned.
Why is Andrew so afraid of getting close to people? Tanya began searching for Andrew online to find out all that she could about his past, but she didn’t find much. Besides information on Greener Communications and articles about his connections to many women, she couldn’t find any information about him.
Rather than continue to make assumptions about what he wanted or didn’t want, she made up her mind that she needed to have a conversation with Andrew. No decisions could be made until she cleared the air between them. She was not looking for a marriage proposal, but she didn’t want to be a booty call. She wanted so much more, and she knew he didn’t.
Andrew was still standing over her, bristling with anger; she realized their reunion would was not the magical moment she secretly hoped for and wanted. Turning her gaze to the tabloid, Top Gossip, she was shocked to see a picture of him and her on the cover kissing.
The picture was taken of the two of them outside on the balcony. A second photo showed Tanya leaving the hotel the morning after in her red dress, which she had been wearing the night before.
The title was Billionaire CEO, Andrew Greene, and His New Employee’s Walk of Shame.
Flipping to the inside story, Tanya quickly scanned the report. The story rehashed his recent scandal with Isabelle Manning and told how he was once again making a move on a novice. She had no idea how the news magazine had learned she was fresh out of college and new to the company. It discussed how like so many others, he was pursuing the company’s “fresh meat,” and she too would be soon discarded.
“Is this what you’re doing? Gathering tidbits of gossip and feeding them to these garbage tabloids?” he shouted.
“Andrew, what do you mean? I would never—”
“It just seems a bit strange that we have been caught two times. How does that happen? Then, you escape for a few days and this pops up? Is this how you want to make a name for yourself? By using me? I know how these people work. They’re usually on it right away if they have a lead. I’ve been calling you and you’ve not returned any of my calls!”
She was glad it was extremely early in the morning. No one else had arrived at the office and Tanya was certain his thunderous voice boomed throughout the entire floor.
“I didn’t know you were calling me! I needed a break and time to get away. I left my cell phone and laptop at home. I just now plugged in my computer and charged my phone.”
He shook his head in disgust, tossing a look of disbelief her way.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t care what you believe, Andrew. I have no reason to ruin your reputation! I just started this job, and I can’t afford to be here without one. I’m very interested in turning the company’s reputation around and making it even more profitable than it is. Besides, don’t get mad at me! You’re the one who’s going around doing things in public that attracts this kind of attention! What did you expect to happen? I didn’t ask you to kiss me. And don’t you think I’m mortified that I’m being portrayed as your newest plaything? I don’t want to be known as the girl who sleeps her way to the top. This is going to haunt me throughout my career. So, maybe, I should be the one yelling at you! Veronica’s right you know—you are on the arm of another woman each week. And for some reason, I actually believed you cared about me. I’m sure that’s how you make all of the women feel.”
“Unbelievable!” he thundered, leaving Tanya’s office, slamming the door open so hard it shook the hinges.
Tanya hardly had a moment to catch her breath when Veronica stormed into her office. Great, now I have to deal with her.
“So, are you sticking to your story that nothing is going on between you and Andrew?”
Tanya didn’t feel the need to explain her actions, but she couldn’t control her frustration. “Veronica, Andrew is not your boyfriend. I am sorry it didn’t work out between you two, but instead of bothering me, do your job. You’re in charge of damage control, right? So fix it!”
Before Veronica could answer, Rebecca stormed into the office.
“This is a huge embarrassment for the company and for yourself. When I hired you, I expected more. How dare you act in such a manner? And, I heard the way you spoke to Veronica. You do realize you’re not her boss, right? I am. I tell her when to fix things. You have no right to talk to her that way when you’re the one who screwed up.”
Veronica raised her eyebrows and flashed Tanya an “I told you so” look.
Tanya couldn’t take the berating any longer. Andrew had been the one to pursue her, yet she was the one being blamed.
“Don’t ever speak to me like that. Either of you. He pursued me.” Tanya paused, knowing that she should end the conversation, but she couldn’t help herself. “Tell me Veronica, are you really upset that I slept with him, or are you more upset that he chose me over you?”
Veronica was silent.
Through gritted teeth, Rebecca replied, “Pack your things and get out. You’re fired.” With that, both women stormed out of the office.
; Fuck! What have I done? Tanya sat in her chair dumfounded. What would her parents say when they saw the article? How would she ever get a new job?
After nearly five minutes of taking long, deep breaths to calm herself down, Tanya decided to try to have a more rational conversation with Andrew. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him, but she wanted to make it right. And, she wanted an apology for placing all the blame on her.
She walked down the hall to his large corner office. The door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open and walked inside, thinking Andrew would be alone. She heard a woman’s voice before she could take in the scene in front of her. Veronica was sitting on Andrew’s lap, kissing his neck.
Seriously, could my day get any worse? Tanya stepped back and attempted to make her way out the door, but missed, and instead bumped into a dark walnut sideboard sitting against the wall that displayed numerous awards Andrew had received. One of the awards fell to the ground, alerting Andrew and Veronica to her presence. Tanya turned and ran out the door, heading back into her office to grab her purse before leaving Greener Communications for good. She made it to the elevators just as the doors opened and more employees arrived for the day.
Thad stepped off the elevator, seeing Tanya’s flushed cheeks and frazzled presence. “Oh! You’re here. We’ve been waiting for you to get back. Girl, you have some explaining to do!”
“Not now, Thad. I need to get out of here. Please let Rebecca and Andrew know that I won’t be coming back.” Tanya forced her way into the elevator, even though it was going up.
Tanya caught one last glimpse of Andrew running down the hall trying to reach the elevator in time before the doors shut.
***
When Tanya reached her sister’s apartment, she flung her purse on the floor and flopped down on the couch, hugging a pillow to her chest.
Sarah walked in the door soon afterwards, obviously in a rush.
“Tanya, what happened? I saw the headlines and called you right away, but you didn’t pick up and your office said you didn’t work there anymore. Are you okay? I am going to kill Andrew! How dare he take advantage of you like that!” Sarah accused.
“It’s not entirely his fault, Sarah. I knew his reputation. He warned me to stay away, but I still fell into his arms. Let’s face it, he’s hard to resist.” The memories of her passionate night with Andrew flooded her mind, bringing tears to her eyes. Rather than trying to hold back the tears, Tanya let them flow, which provided a temporary reprieve from the pain that she felt.
Sarah held her sister as she listened to everything that happened. Tanya had already told her that they slept together, but finding herself as the topic of national gossip once again was completely unexpected. Walking in on Veronica with Andrew was the icing to the cake, and Rebecca was on Veronica’s side.
“I just don’t understand how all of this happened,” said Sarah. “You’ve always been such a loyal, kind person. All of these people judging you don’t know the Tanya that I know. They don’t know that as a child you saved up all of your allowance every month to buy food for homeless animals. They don’t know that you spent your high school weekends tutoring underprivileged kids. You don’t deserve this. Who cares that you had a wild night with a hot billionaire?”
“Apparently, a lot of people care.” Tanya appreciated her sister’s words, but they didn’t help. She still felt terrible. “What am I going to do, Sarah?”
“You know what you’re going to do? You’re going to stay right here with me and hold your head up high! You’re going to get out there and pretend like nothing happened. Don’t let him win.”
“Sarah, I don’t have a job.”
“And?” questioned Sarah. “Tanya, I’ve made more money in the past three years than most people make in a lifetime. And I’m pretty good with investments. I’m rich. You’ve spent a lifetime helping other people. It’s time to let me help you. You’re going to be fine.”
Tanya had a hard time accepting her sister’s offer to support her financially, but Sarah insisted. Tanya finally gave in.
A knock at the door broke up the sweet moment.
Sarah looked confused and answered the door. Tanya saw one of the building’s doormen holding a box.
“Ms. Palmer, this was just delivered from Greener Communications. They said it was important.”
Tanya walked over to the door as Sarah shut it, and saw a box full of her things. An envelope was sitting on the top of the box’s contents. Hoping to find an apology from Andrew, she slowly opened the envelope.
Sarah watched with troubled eyes.
“It’s my last check,” said Tanya as she held the envelope’s contents.
“That was fast!”
“I guess Andrew wants me out of his life as quickly as possible.”
Sarah hugged her sister. Tanya began to sob, once again unable to hold back the pain.
Another knock at the door made Tanya wonder what other merciless surprises were waiting for her. “Maybe the doorman forgot to take my pride with him.”
Sarah laughed as she opened the door.
“Andrew!”
“Hi,” he replied.
Sarah left her sister with Andrew when Tanya gave her the indication that she was okay.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
He moved inside of the apartment and asked Tanya to sit down. Tanya obliged and Andrew sat down next to her.
“I owe you an apology. I know you weren’t behind the leak. I’ve pretty much kept you out of the loop, but I had an investigator on this mess before you returned to town. The tabloid hit the newsstands the day you left. My investigator got back to me about ten minutes after you left today. The person behind this was also behind the Isabelle accusations.”
“Let me guess, Veronica?”
“Nope. It was Rebecca.”
“Rebecca? Did you sleep with her too? Does she know how cozy you were with Veronica today? Why are you dishonest with all the women around you? We all work together! You know we’ll find out, right? I am not sure I believe anything you’re saying. I know you warned me that I’d regret meeting you and you were right.”
Tanya knew that her words stung, but she didn’t care.
“Tanya, please. I have never slept with Rebecca. She came onto me one night about six months before you started working for me. I turned her down. She’s been bitter ever since. Also, nothing happened with Veronica. Well, something happened one time, but that was so long ago.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that? After how you treated me, I don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth.”
Andrew grabbed Tanya’s hand, but she yanked it away. She wasn’t going to let him weasel his way back into her life. She was done with him.
“Veronica came into my office right after you quit.”
“Quit? You know Rebecca fired me, right?”
“She what?” Andrew seemed irate. “That’s not what either of them told me. Rebecca told me that she came into your office and calmly asked for your opinion on how to spin the story. Then, she said you got upset and quit. I wanted to know the truth, so I asked Veronica into my office to see if her story matched. Veronica told me the same thing. Then she sat on my lap and started kissing my neck, but you walked in just as I was pushing her off. Your timing couldn’t have been worse.”
Tanya responded sarcastically, “Oh, well that explains everything! I see that you were perfectly innocent. Don’t worry, Andrew, all is forgiven.”
“Now that I say it out loud, I see how my explanation doesn’t really add up, but it’s true.”
“Andrew, I really don’t care. You treat women terribly, and you probably deserve it. And, I really don’t care what Rebecca’s motives were.”
“Well, I am going to tell you anyway. Rebecca knew my calendar, as well as Isabelle’s. She’d come to the places she knew we would be together. Then she would take pictures and send them to Isabelle’s husband. It was all in an effort to destroy the one thing
she knew suddenly meant something to me. Then, the same thing happened with you. Rebecca is my chief marketing officer. She knew my schedule.”
“Andrew, I just need to move on. So, if you’ve said your piece, I am going to ask you to leave.”
Releasing a deep sigh, he clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back. “No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m not leaving. I’m sorry Veronica and Rebecca hurt you, but their real intentions were to hurt me. Rebecca wanted me. I don’t feel that way about her, but I didn’t know she had such a vengeful side. Anyway, I have lawyers working on that.”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me. I don’t care. You have had too many women in your life, and I am not going to let you lead me on any further. I’m done. You won. I gave into your charms. Go ahead and make that notch on your belt.”
“A notch on my belt? Tanya, is that what you think this was all about? You’re wrong. I think I am falling in love with you.”
Tanya clapped her hands together, as if applauding for an encore at a Broadway musical. “Bravo, Andrew. A spectacular performance. Did you use the same lines with Isabelle? Veronica? Did you even use that line with Tiffany and Lexie? Oh yes, I remember them, too. I hope you enjoyed your threesome with those women right after our first kiss. And those are the only the ones I know about! How many other women do you have, Andrew?”
“First of all, I never called Tiffany or Lexie that night or any night after that. After I kissed you, I went home and contemplated how much I wanted to be with you. And I never had a relationship with Isabelle. I’ve known Isabelle since college, and we’ve always been good friends. She was having problems in her marriage, and I was nothing more than a listening ear. It just so happened she was in partnership with our company at that point. Someone sent pictures to her husband of us at dinner at a restaurant, us hugging each other in the parking lot downstairs, and a few pictures of us entering a hotel.”
“You were at a hotel together?” Tanya asked, confusion wrinkling her forehead. “Well, I have first-hand experience as to what happens with you at hotels.”
“We were meeting her agent about a new movie she wanted to do. We were going over the press details. I swear that after I kissed you, I haven’t gone on a date or even kissed another woman.” Andrew paused and waited for Tanya to respond. When she just stared at him, Andrew continued, “I can see in your eyes that you don’t believe me, so I will respect our wishes and leave. But, don’t think you’ve seen the last of me.”