by Harper West
Which meant I had to come up with another excuse for my injury.
And quickly.
“Becca, don’t you even think about--.”
I held up my hand in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. You caught me. I give.”
Brit sighed. “Finally. Now, what happened? Because I know Mr. Ryker had something to do with it.”
I took a bite of my waffle. “Look, I was in his office and we had a moment, you know?”
Her eyes widened. “What kind of moment?”
I smiled softly. “The kind of moment where you realize that the cold, hardened man in front of you might not be as cold as you think.”
“Did he hit on you? Wait! Did he kiss you!?”
I shook my head. “Nothing like that. I was in his office turning in some work and I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. I thought I could get all of my work done before nine so I could hit up that sushi place.”
“Oh, we have to do that for lunch again soon. That place was amazing.”
“Right!? Well, turns out that I couldn’t. So, I went from twelve-thirty until almost ten that night without food. I went to leave the folders in that little basket attached to his office door? You know the one?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
“And he was still there. So, he took the folders from me and I turned to head to the elevator and I turned too fast.”
“Oh, shit. Without food in your system, too.”
I giggled. “Yep, and I went down hard. The next thing I know, my mouth is filling up with blood because I’ve faceplanted right into the fucking marble floor and Mr. Ryker’s scrambling to get me to a doctor. It was an absolute mess.”
“So… why were you bleeding in the middle of the day?”
I barked with laughter to try and sell the story. “He paid the E.R. expense out of pocket so I could get stitches and I wanted to pay him back, but he wouldn’t let me. I got mad, started going at it with him because I sure as hell don’t want to owe that man anything, and I raked my bottom teeth across the fresh stitches and popped them wide open.”
Her jaw hit the floor. “You didn’t!”
I cackled at the story I had just created. “It was absolutely insane! He was like, “I’m not paying for this one” and I couldn’t stop laughing as I stuffed my mouth with tissues, of all things. I had to cut out early that day to go to an Urgent Care so I could get everything restitched!”
Brit held her stomach while she laughed. “I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. Oh, my God! No wonder you told the story you did!”
I reached for my fork. “My story’s just easier to tell, so that’s why I told it. Either way, though, it’s not what anyone thinks.”
Her laughter settled down. “Yeah, I can see that now.”
“And here’s the thing: even if that’s not how it went down, I still wouldn’t want to rake him through the mud unless I had no other choice. He’s just been through a hell of a lot, and not just with my sister. Our families were hard on all of us, and none of us got out unscathed.”
“But still, Becca, you can’t deny the fact that his social life and work life have essentially stopped ever since you started working here. Now, all he does is make you miserable and breathe down your neck while getting bitched out by Bonnie. He never used to act like this before you were hired. I still think you need to at least talk with someone in H.R.”
I shook my head. “It’s not happening, Brit.”
She shrugged. “Then, I will.”
I paused. “What?”
She sighed. “Look, Becca, I don’t want to do this to you, but I was in an abusive relationship for years before I left. I know what the signs look like. And even if you two aren’t involved sexually, he’s still abusing you. He’s still taking advantage, and that needs to be reported. So, either you do it, or I do it.”
“Brit, you don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“I might lose you as a friend over it, but I’m okay with that, because what he’s doing to you and how he’s making you feel and all of these long hours you’re working? None of us deal with that. Literally, none of us. You’re the only one he does this to, and if you think H.R. hasn’t already taken notice of it? Then you’re just as much of an idiot as he is.”
I burned with anger. “Brit, don’t.”
She set her glass down. “Go talk to them. You don’t have to file, but you do need some guidance. You need a champion, and that’s what they’re there for. You go, or I go. End of story.”
I scoffed. “You know, for all of the insanity I’ve had to deal with, JoJo has never threatened me like this before.”
Her face filled with pity. “Yet somehow, I don’t believe you on that, either.”
Great. Just fucking grand.
22
Rebecca
I spent all afternoon at my desk pouring over what Brit had said. It made me sick to my stomach to think about because I didn’t even want to go to Human Resources in the first place, but what the hell was I supposed to do? Challenge her?
There’d be more wrath than I could’ve possibly imagined from JoJo if someone else reported the stuff he had done to me.
But what did Brit know, anyway? Not much. Not enough to give H.R. any sort of specifics. Maybe it was better if she went there and made herself look like a jackass. Then, JoJo would come down on her instead of me for once.
If I go to H.R., though, I’d have even more to hold over his head.
I hated playing his game. I hated being that person. But I knew it was the only way to get him riled up enough to destroy his own walls. Then, once he was exposed, I could show him the kind, generous man that he kept cooped up in the dark pits of his black soul.
So, I stood from my desk and headed down to the first floor.
I walked in through the door that said “Human Resources” on the front of it and made my way to the first empty desk. A woman sat there typing on her computer with her glasses sliding down her nose, and it wasn’t until they almost fell off that she swiveled away from the screen to try and catch them before they hit the floor.
And when she put them back on, she jumped. “Oh! Hi there!”
I waved softly. “Hi.”
She cleared her throat and rolled up to me. “Rebecca, right? The new hire?”
I nodded. “That’s me.”
She snickered. “I bet you’re relieved that Tommy is finally out of here, yeah?”
I giggled. “I’m sure many of us are.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how you dealt with it. I would’ve come down here so quickly it would’ve made my head spin.”
I clasped my hands in my lap. “Well, I am down here to talk about something, but it’s not about Tommy.”
“And what is it you need, Miss Becca?”
The second I heard JoJo’s voice, I froze. I kept my smile plastered on my face, but when I felt him come up behind me, I knew I was done for. I knew I was in trouble. Even though I hadn’t said anything yet, I knew the punishment just for me stepping into this place would be severe.
Probably enough to make me want to quit altogether.
Glasses smiled up at him. “Hi there, Mr. Ryker! What can I do for you?”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Just making my rounds to make sure everyone is all right. Do you have the inventory sheet for me?”
The woman opened her pencil drawer and pulled out a small file. “There you go! I got everything charted that we’ll need for the quarter, so you only need to do one run of supplies.”
He chuckled. “I always appreciate you working ahead.”
He squeezed my shoulder as if it were some sort of signal for me to heed his words, but I didn’t chance a look up at him. I simply sat there until his hand slid off my shoulder.
But, I watched him walk further into the H.R. department with his eyes locked onto my face.
“So, what can I do for you?” Glasses asked.
I cleared my throat and pulled my gaze away from him. “I
, uh…”
JoJo folded his arms over his chest, waiting to see what I’d say. And even though I knew I’d regret every action I had taken that had gotten me to this point, the smallest part of me wanted him to punish me. This dark, disgusting, confusing part of me wanted to do anything in my power to get him to dominate me again. I wanted him to own me. To take me. To fuck me into submission before proclaiming to the world that I was actually, really his, and no one could do a damn thing about it.
And as I drew in a deep breath, I covered my tracks as best as I could. “I have a co-worker of mine that believes there’s something going on that isn’t. She’s threatened to come down here and make a report herself, so I’m trying to stop her.”
Glasses nodded. “What kind of report is she wanting to make?”
I leaned back. “She believes that I’m still being harassed, even though Tommy got hauled off in handcuffs the other day.”
“By who?”
I rolled my eyes. “Mr. Ryker, of all people. Like I see him enough during the day to justify it.”
“Mhm. And what gives her the impression that he’s harassing you?”
I felt JoJo’s eyes boring a hole into my soul as I crafted yet another lie on his behalf. “I’ve been working a lot of late hours since I got hired. She’s worried that I’m not taking care of myself, and she blames JoJo for that.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “JoJo?”
He’s going to kill me. “Can you keep a secret?”
She leaned forward. “Of course I can. I’m H.R., remember?”
I smiled softly. “JoJo was something my sister and me called him in high school. We grew up in the same hometown.”
She gasped. “That’s so awesome! What was he like back then?”
I shrugged. “Rebellious, as always. A class clown, of sorts. He kind of kept to himself. Wore his heart on his sleeve a bit too much. But, don’t we all when we’re teenagers?”
She waved her hand in the air. “I got my heart broken I don’t know how many times because of stuff like that. I’ve learned to be more cautious about who I let in now.”
“Exactly. And I thought I could let this co-worker in, but now she’s holding all of this over my head when I thought we were just venting about work and bitching about our pasts, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
I flickered my gaze over to JoJo and his face softened again. He went from angry to attentive as his hands slid into his pockets. Ever since Tommy had been hauled off in handcuffs, I’d seen this side of him. This attentive, considerate side that listened more than it talked. And while part of me was afraid of him because of the total asshole he’d been to me from the start, I knew there was something more going on.
Especially when Maggie, of all people, refused to talk about what happened all those years ago.
Glasses started typing on her computer. “So, here’s my advice: tell Mr. Ryker what’s happening. Make sure he’s not blindsided in case she does come down here and try to file something. Do you feel comfortable giving me her name?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I don’t want to make it a big thing if she’s just trying to look out for me. I just sort of feel… stuck.”
She nodded. “I understand, one hundred percent. So, my advice is to talk to Mr. Ryker, keep him up to speed, and let me deal with any woman that comes down to file a report. We here in H.R. know very quickly when someone is trying to file something on someone else’s behalf. We’ll be able to sift through it.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”
She giggled. “Nonsense, it’s always good for you to come down here and talk. That’s one of the main reasons why we’re here.”
I stood to my feet. “That was it. I just… felt a little lost and didn’t know where to turn.”
She stood and held out her hand for me to shake. “Talk to him, okay? I know he’s grizzly to some, but he’s fair. Tough, but fair. And he never asks anything of anyone else other than what he knows they can deliver. So, if he’s riding you that much? It means he knows you’re capable of more.”
I shook her hand. “That helps a lot, actually. Thank you.”
I took one last look over to where JoJo had been standing, but he was gone. Shit. I was in seriously deep shit at this point. I left H.R. and made my way back to my desk, making a show of walking by Brit’s desk and eyeing her to let her know that I had done it.
So that hopefully she’d stop her damn tirade before she made things worse for all of us.
23
Rebecca
As I sat back down at my desk, I closed my eyes. I only had thirty more minutes before my day was over and I knew that JoJo would come to see me. Whether it was to give me more work, or bitch me out for even attempting to go down to H.R. in the first place, I sat back and waited on my punishment.
But the longer I waited, the lonelier I felt.
I really don’t want to get him fired.
My heart raged out of control as I clutched my chest. It grew hard to breathe as I sat up in my chair and stood onto my wobbling legs. I paced my office, trying to calm myself down before he inevitably burst into my office and pinned me against another wall.
And while part of me wanted that, the other part of me wanted to not exist.
Even if I wanted to talk to H.R. about what was happening, there wasn’t a point. Everywhere I turned, there he was. It was as if he were stalking me, like Tommy had been doing, and it made me sick to my stomach.
So sick, in fact, that I raced to my trash can beneath my desk and vomited up my lunch.
“Jesus Christ,” I choked out.
After relieving my stomach, I felt a bit better, but not well enough to go home. Even though the clock had struck five in the afternoon, I still sat in my chair with my eyes closed. Storm clouds rolled over the sun, blocking out its rays and darkening my office. And as I sat there, alone with my thoughts, I knew what I had to do.
I had to keep things to myself.
Otherwise, everything would change. He’d get fired, he’d come after me, and any chance at digging through the mire of his lost soul would be gone forever. And yes, I understand that rationally, it’s not my job to fix any man. That’s for him and him alone to do. But I knew my sister. I knew how ruthless and cold-hearted she could be.
Hell, even I had things she had done to me that I’d never fully get over.
Like the time she played an April Fool’s prank on me so big that I ran all the way home from school. Four entire miles with my legs rubbing together, and by the time I got back home my thighs were bleeding. Her and her stupid little cheerleader friends had filled my locker with all sorts of rotten fruit and eggs and vegetables. And the second I opened it, all of it came tumbling down upon me.
With half of our graduating class laughing at me in the process.
Then, there was the time she exchanged my shampoo for hair removal cream, causing most of my hair to fall out. I had to sport a fucking wig my entire junior year of high school because she was “working through her anger” when it came to being rejected from every college she had applied to.
I mean, what did she expect? For colleges to just throw cheerleading scholarships at her with a 2.0 GPA?
Maggie had been cold and ruthless back then, and there was no telling what she had tried to do to JoJo when he called her out in the cafeteria for blowing the quarterback of the football team.
Plus, the man had saved my life. Twice. I couldn’t make him lose his job because he simply didn’t deserve it. He owned this company. It was his. And even if he was a bit overwhelming, none of his actions were without reason. Sure, the reasons might not have justified what he was doing to most people. But most people didn’t know and grow up with my bitch of a sister.
Yes, she’s a bitch. But I’m the only one that can call her that, thank you very much.
“I have to get some air,” I said breathlessly.
With my heart racing and my stomach folding over onto itself, I rushed
out of my office and over to the elevator. I punched in the private code that allowed the elevator to ascend to the roof, and when I stepped out into the rushing winds of the oncoming storm, I tucked my arms around my body. I walked over to the edge, peering out toward the ocean waters as the waves grew choppy and white.
And as I breathed in lungfuls of air, I felt my stomach settling back into place.
“I need a fan for my office,” I whispered to myself.
The view from the roof was incredible. I wanted to stay up there and watch the lightning as it struck the endless horizon of water off in the distance. My father and I always watched storms together back home, especially the ones that rolled in as winter gave way to spring. I smiled at the memory as thunder rumbled in the distance, foreshadowing the want of the heavens to open up and pour down upon us a flood that washed us all back into the ocean where we belonged.
But it gave me the strength that I needed to march right down to JoJo’s office.
I’m ready for my punishment.
As I stepped off the elevator my eyes locked with his door. Lexie had already gone home for the day and things seemed eerily silent, even with the storm building outside. My hands shook, but I wasn’t sure if it was in fear or anticipation. Heat pooled between my thighs, which answered my question, and as I took a wobbly step toward his office door, I braced myself for whatever came my way.
Only this time, I wouldn’t spill ink on him just to get out.
Just do it. Cave to him and he’ll surely cave to me.
I knocked on his office door and heard his gruff voice telling me to come inside. I eased the door open and peeked inside, watching as he stood at his floor-to-ceiling windows. Thunder boomed overhead as lightning crashed over the water, and I jumped at the sound.
“Get in or get out,” he said curtly.
So, I slipped inside and closed the door behind me.
Before I flipped the lock.
“I’m ready for my punishment in whatever form you see fit,” I said softly.
He didn’t bother turning around. “And what makes you think I operate on your timeline?”