The clerk was more than happy to oblige, and Adrianna was more than happy to let Dawn know that she’d be acting manager for the interim and would need to get those new hires in the hotel as soon as possible. Dawn seemed a bit overwhelmed at first, but with a little assistance, Adrianna felt she had everything under control.
By the time she left, she was exhausted and knew she still had to drive to Alexandria for a check in with the new manager there. With traffic, that would be a four hour drive, and she just wasn’t up for it yet. She checked the time, deciding to stop somewhere for coffee and a bite to eat, resting and gathering her wits about her. By that time, she should be able to get in touch with John and start the paperwork rolling regarding a sexual harassment complaint.
Adrianna chose a small Italian restaurant and ordered, pulling out her phone as she waited, and she frowned. She’d apparently missed multiple calls from John over the last couple of hours, but he’d only left one message. She frowned and clicked to listen. “What the hell is going on, Addy? We need to talk, right now. It’s serious. As soon as you get this message, call me. I don’t care what I’m doing, we have to talk.”
Concerned that something horrible had happened to him, she dialed John immediately. He picked up halfway through the second ring, saying quickly, “Hold on.” There was a lot of background noise, and then it was silent. “Do you make a practice of trying to sleep with people to get your way?”
She blinked and stared at the phone in confusion. “John, what are you talking about?” But as she said the words, she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew exactly what had happened. “Don’t answer that. I can guess. Andrew Gomez is angry that I intend to file a complaint against him and put him on leave for sexual harassment, so he decided to file something against me.”
There was no response, and Adrianna wondered if she’d lost him or if he’d hung up. But just when she was going to hang up and call back, he said, “Why didn’t you call it in right away, if that’s the case?”
Exasperated and hurt that he was even questioning her, she stuttered, “I…I knew you were in the middle of something and wanted to report it to you first. Besides, I had to do a little training with the assistant manager so she could fill in. I’m just now finished with all that.”
“Listen, Adrianna, it looks bad, and considering our relationship…” He trailed off, and a knot formed in her throat. He hadn’t called her Adrianna in a long time, and he obviously harbored suspicions. “If you can do it with one person, you can do it with another, and that’s all I have to say. We’re going to be under fire, and I think we should cool it with each other for a while.”
Nausea rose in Adrianna’s throat. What was he saying? Did he want to break up? “John, you can’t be serious right now. I need your support in this. I’m going to call HR right now and file my complaint.”
“It’ll just look like retaliation. Like your covering your ass. And frankly, I’m not sure I can back you on it.” His anger was tangible, even through the phone. “If you’re really telling the truth, you should have left me a message and called it in right away. Now, I have other things to deal with right now, like talking to the rep that called me. Your statement is that he harassed you, correct?”
“He called me doll, told me he wanted to dig into my hole, and when I told him I was going to file a complaint, he tried to blackmail me with ruining the hotel. Yes, he harassed me. You know me better than this, John.” She tried to hold back the panic that threatened to overtake her reasoning ability.
He sighed. “I still have my apartment. I’ll stay there when I get home. This will have to be investigated, and the HR rep will havt to interview you. I’m going to make my phone call, and then I’m going to get back to the other catastrophe on my plate. You should finish your trip, check in on the Alexandria hotel, and go home. Don’t schedule another trip yet.”
She started to speak, but she heard the click and the line went dead. Fighting tears, Adrianna cringed as her food was delivered. She’d completely lost her appetite. How could this be happening to her, just when everything was working out?
Maybe this was her punishment for trusting another man. John obviously didn’t believe her, and that broke her heart. She couldn’t have a relationship with someone who so easily believed a man like Gomez over her. It felt as though the world was crashing down around her. All she could hope was that the internal investigation would prove her innocence, and then, hopefully, John would realize his mistake.
Of course, she also knew it would take a long time to forgive him for standing against her, and Adrianna wasn’t even sure she could overcome this. It was offensive and hurtful, and she’d believed that she and John would have a family, that he would never hurt her this way.
Asking for a box for her food, having not touched it at all and hoping she could choke some of it down when she arrived in Alexandria, she paid the bill and left, forcing herself to feel nothing as she drove the long road to her destination.
CHAPTER 25
Adrianna tossed her keys on the table beside the front door, dragging herself into the apartment and feeling beaten down. She hadn’t heard from John again, and Meryl, the HR rep, had agreed to wait until today to conduct the interview, when Adrianna would be home and in a more comfortable environment. Of course, her flight had been late and run long, and traffic coming from the airport had been outrageously slow. All of it added up to exhaustion, and now, she had about twenty minutes to shower and dress before she had to talk to Meryl.
Her body ached, and she stood under the hot spray much longer than she should have, meaning she had to rush to dress and get settled. The phone rang just as she snuggled into the couch with a pillow in her lap, something she could squeeze to release anger, nerves, and despair.
She answered on the third ring, taking deep, therapeutic breaths as she put the small device to her ear. “This is Adrianna.”
“Ms. Meredith, this is Meryl Thorpe. I assume you’re still able to handle this interview today?”
Swallowing hard, she answered, “I am.”
“Good. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. All of this will be recorded and transcribed for consideration. We’ll start with a review of the complaint lodged by Mr. Gomez, and we’ll discuss whether you agree or disagree with the details of the complaint. After that, you’ll give your statement of what happened, for the record. Does that sound fair?”
It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter. “Yes, ma’am.”
There was a slight pause, and Adrianna heard papers shuffling. “Very well. Mr. Gomez alleges that you sexually harassed him, threatening to dismiss him from his position should he not sleep with you. He states, ‘Ms. Meredith searched for details that didn’t meet her liking in my financial reports, as well as my management methods. She then stated that I had ninety days to make corrections to all the faults she found. She returned within three weeks and demanded that I wasn’t meeting her requirements. She suggested that she could overlook these transgressions should I make it a point to go up to one of our rooms with her for an inspection and show her, as she put it, a good time. I told her I didn’t feel comfortable being alone with her in that way, and she insisted that, if we didn’t have sex, she would force me to go on leave and lodge a complaint against me for sexual harassment. When I still refused, she followed through with the threat, and I immediately called human resources to lodge my own formal complaint before she could set me up.’”
There was another pause. “Ms. Meredith, is any part of this statement amiss?”
Floored at how he’d turned this on her, Adrianna could barely speak. “None of this is accurate, Ms. Thorpe. Nothing said here actually happened, with the exception of my telling him I would file a complaint and then dismissing him on leave. But the reasons behind that are inaccurate.”
“I’ll note that. Are you saying you never gave him an ultimatum regarding a sexual or physical relati
onship?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Very well. Now, if you could give your complete account of the activities and conversation that did pass between yourself and Mr. Gomez, we will be able to consider this as well.”
Taking a deep breath, Adrianna started with her first visit, detailing every statement, every touch, and every threat, paying special attention to make sure she got the wording of his come-ons and threats accurate. When she was finished, Meryl asked a few more questions about her history in the workplace, if she’d ever had any complaints lodged before or if she’d filed any of her own.
Glad that she’d never delved into relationships at work before John, Adrianna answered honestly, and when she hung up, she was breathless. But she was also hurting, just thinking about the mistake she’d apparently made with John. She knew he was in town by now, and she just wanted to see him or talk to him. But she wouldn’t call him, not when he’d stated that he wanted to be away from her, in his own place.
She thought about calling one of her friends – any of them, really – but she felt too much shame right now in having let herself fall for someone who didn’t trust her. Instead, she settled on her fictional friends. She grabbed a teen romance from her shelf, knowing that these, at least, always had a happy ending. But she didn’t start reading right away, distracted as she wondered what she would do if she lost John.
She’d be a single mother. That, perhaps, she could handle. She could get help from her mother and hire a nanny part time. But that was only if she managed to keep her job. What if she was fired because Andrew Gomez had lied to try and save face? She wondered if he had a history of complaints. She felt a little better knowing that the other hotel employees in Virginia Beach would be interviewed as well. She hoped that someone had seen her pull away from him, or that maybe, he’d tried this kind of thing before.
She didn’t wish anyone the kind of pain her current position brought with it. She could lose everything, simply because she wasn’t willing to sleep with someone to save her reputation. Who would have thought that decision would ruin her life? She put her hand on her stomach, concerned that she might not be able to provide for her child because of one man’s selfishness and another’s lack of confidence in her and their relationship.
But she knew that, no matter what, she’d find a way to raise her child with the best of everything, and she’d still keep her promise to her mother. Her family was the most important thing now. She’d been alone for a long time, and she could take care of herself. With a renewed sense of determination, she managed to set aside her sadness and open the book, leaning back on the couch and putting her feet up. She opened the book and smiled, ready to dive into the young girl’s life and the problems of growing up, taking her away from real life, adult responsibilities.
CHAPTER 26
For the next week, Adrianna didn’t know what to do with herself. She didn’t schedule any trips, as John had requested, so she didn’t have work. She was alone and had yet to hear anything from either John or Meryl. By Wednesday, she began to fall into a depression. Other than vacations, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone this long without working. It grated on her nerves, bored her out of her mind, and even reading didn’t satisfy her. She scheduled a hair appointment with Angela, just to get out of the house, but she didn’t say much, choosing to halfway listen to her friend talk about her relationship instead.
By the time she got home from the salon, her phone was blowing up, Terra and everyone else calling to check on her. Adrianna hadn’t shared her situation with Angela, but her friends worried anyway, and the voicemail Terra left let her know her best friend, at least, had an idea of part of her problem. “What happened, Adrianna? Did that scumbag leave you? I’m going to cut off his nether regions inch by slow inch if he hurt you. I had such faith in him! Call me, okay? You have to talk to someone.”
She wanted to call, but she didn’t want to divulge all the mortifying details of the situation. It wasn’t that she thought Terra would be suspicious of her or would side against her. It was just that nothing like this had ever happened to Adrianna, and she was terrified of what people would think of her. She avoided calling anyone back, even knowing it was only a matter of time before one or more of them came knocking at her door.
On Thursday, she was done sitting around. She wasn’t stupid enough to go out and spend money, not knowing if she’d be able to replace it since her job hung in the balance, but she had to get out of the house. Taking John at his word, she decided that not scheduling a trip didn’t mean she couldn’t visit the local hotel to see how things were going.
She dressed as well as she could, realizing that she was about to have to invest in maternity clothes, as things were already getting too tight for comfort, and headed out. But when she reached the hotel, the furtive glances and the obvious whispers as people stared made her extremely uncomfortable. Rather than doing her job, she pulled Scott aside, knowing he would at least give her an honest answer. “Hey, what’s going on around here? What’s flying around the rumor mill?”
He looked nervous. “You’re not going to like it, Ms. Meredith.”
She rolled her eyes. “Lay off the formalities. And I’m sure I won’t like it. I don’t like much of anything I’m dealing with right now. I’d just like to be aware of what people are saying about me behind my back.”
He cleared his throat and moved closer, lowering his voice. “Look, it’s none of my business, but everyone knows about the allegations against you. Now, I know you better than that. But the whispers have a lot to do with supposed previous behavior that makes people sure you’re guilty now.”
She scoffed. “What previous behavior are you talking about? And what do they say I’m guilty of?” This was entirely insane.
Blushing, he spoke in an even quieter voice. “Supposedly, you’ve seduced more than one man since you moved into your new role to get them to do what you want, threatening them if they said no. And it’s all apparently validated because of your behavior with Mr. Merritt. They say you slept with him to earn your promotion.” The red in his cheeks and on his neck turned an even deeper shade of purple. “Some of them are really dogging you, saying there’s no other way a black woman could advance so quickly and easily into a white man’s job.”
Infuriated, Adrianna wanted to put her hand through a wall. She could barely contain the rage, and she had to count to thirty before she could speak to him. “It sounds like racial slurs need to be added to the complaint of sexual harassment.”
“To be honest, if I were you, I’d sue the entire hotel chain for slander. You’d win, and you could take the money and run, never have to work again.” She could tell Scott was offended for her, and she appreciated having at least one person on her side.
And for a moment, she considered his suggestion. It would be fun to see these people and their accusations crash and burn. But she wasn’t the vengeful type, and she also didn’t care to sit on her backside, getting fat and lazy for the rest of her life. No, she would rather wait this out and see where it went, hopefully being vindicated in the end. And then, she’d leave it to Kate and Scott to deal with anyone who spread false rumors in this hotel.
“Thank you for your honesty, Scott. I think I’m going to get out of here before I say something I truly do regret to anyone.” She strode out of the hotel, standing on the New York sidewalk and looking both directions. What was she going to do now? She had nothing to keep her occupied, and she could barely see straight she was so furious. It was a dangerous combination.
She’d ignored and avoided her friends long enough. Decisively, she turned to the right, descending into the subway system, and took the next train headed to the Village district, hoping Terra was in her studio. She needed to unload, and Terra was probably the only person she knew, aside from her mother, who could handle her enraged diatribes.
She found both Tommy and Terra in the studio, finishing up lunch that Tommy had brought, an
d her stomach growled. She hadn’t thought to eat yet, and she was going to regret it soon. Fortunately, Terra had a small fridge with some yogurt and soda, and she managed to stave off the worst of the hunger as the couple said goodbye and Tommy left.
“So, are you ready to spill? I mean, something bad is obviously going on, and it has to have something to do with your love life. I’ve never seen you look so stressed.” Terra’s concern was written all over her face.
Adrianna took a deep breath, knowing that once she started talking, it was going to be like a raging storm with no break. She told her friend everything, much as she had Meryl for the HR interview, only this time, she could let her emotions show. By the time she finished, there were tears streaming down her cheeks, and she once again felt drained.
Terra, too, was crying quietly, and that was something Adrianna really appreciated about their friendship. Her best friend truly felt every emotion and every heartache with her. “All of that is completely unfair.” She smiled through the tears. “You know, Tommy’s Uncle Bobby has a lot of connections. He could make the whole problem disappear by making this Gomez guy go away.”
That made Adrianna laugh, and she realized she hadn’t laughed in days. She’d forgotten about Tommy’s distant ties to the mafia, and the reminder actually amused her as she thought about putting a hit out on Andrew Gomez. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not going to rain vengeance down on my enemies. I’ll just leave that up to karma.”
The Boss's Baby (Interracial with Baby) (BWWM) Page 11