by Harper West
I paused. “I didn’t think you did. I just--.”
He turned around with darkness shrouding his face. “No, you didn’t think.”
I swallowed hard. “Mr. Ryker, I didn’t say anything--.”
He sat back down. “I know exactly what you didn’t say.”
“JoJo, I--.”
He whipped his head up. “The next time you say that nickname to anyone, ever, you’re fired without notice and without severance. Understood?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, get out of my office.”
“But, sir, aren’t you going t--.”
He stood up and slammed his hands against his desk. “I don’t jump when you say jump, Rebecca!”
I flinched at the heat in his voice. “I-I-I—I’m sorry. I just--.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear your pathetic little excuses and how you’re going to blame someone else for an action you’ve wanted to take for a while now. Right?”
“No. That’s not right at all.”
He scoffed. “Like I’m going to believe you in the first place.”
“Why? Because you can’t believe my sister? Well, join the club. She was just as much of a bitch to you as she was to me.”
“Oh, really?” he asked as he started typing away again. “And how do you figure?”
I took a step toward his desk. “For starters, my junior year? She switched out my shampoo with hair removal cream and I had to wear a wig for the entire year until my hair grew back. Want to know why she did it?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. She did it because her 2.0 GPA wasn’t garnering her the cheerleading scholarships she thought she could get by shaking her tits at people.”
He peeked over at me. “She didn’t go to college?”
I blinked. “Why do you sound like you feel sorry for her?”
He cleared his throat. “Trust me, it’s not nearly as bad as what she did to me.”
“Oh, it’s not? Well, try this on for size: when I graduated? I wanted to invite a few people over to my house to celebrate. I invited a couple of my best friends as well as a guy I had a crush on, and Maggie was in charge of the cake. Want to know what kind of cake she got?”
“One stuffed with condoms?”
I blinked back tears. “Worse. She got a cake with a naked picture of me plastered on top of it. Set it right on the table for everyone to see. And you want to know what happened?”
He stopped typing. “What?”
I scoffed. “Mom and Dad defended her and punished me when I slapped her across the face. You’re not the only one she tortured, and you’re not the only one who crossed the entire country to get away from her. So, if anything, we’re allies because we survived her.”
He started typing again. “Get out of my office.”
“Mr. Ryker, please, just listen to me.”
His voice lowered to a growl. “You’ll be punished on my watch when I deem fit. And right now, I don’t deem it fit to punish you. I have too much work to do since one of my co-workers wants to pawn her shit off onto everyone else, so if you don’t mind I need to get back at it.”
I shrugged. “Then, have Bonnie do her job and you won’t be staying late, just like me.”
He flashed me a stare filled with so much hatred that I almost puked again. “Get. The fuck. Out.”
I shook my head as I flipped the lock open again and left him to stew in his anger. If he wanted to keep yanking my chain, then so be it. But I wouldn’t be sitting on pins and needles waiting for him to wrap his hand around my throat once more. I locked up my office and dragged my ass home, happy that for the first time since I had been hired I didn’t have to stay late.
But the last person I wanted to speak with knocked on my door.
“Hey! I’ve got wine!” Brit chirped.
I rolled my eyes. “Not tonight.”
“Oh, come on. You’re not working late, for once! Let’s celebrate.”
I charged for my door and ripped it open. “Do you want to know what happened at H.R. today?”
She grinned. “I knew you went. Tell me all about it. What did you file against him?”
I stood in her way so she couldn’t come inside. “Nothing. I actually told them that I had a co-worker threatening to come file a report on my behalf with things that weren’t true and the woman at the front desk gave me some great advice.”
Her smile fell from her face. “You didn’t.”
I nodded. “I did. See, I don’t like people trying to fight my battles for me. I don’t like people trying to back me into corners. So, you go ahead and fulfill that promise you made to me over brunch. See how far it gets you. And when Mr. Ryker gets pissed off at someone filing false reports against him, you’ll be the one losing your job. Not me.”
She shook her head. “Why in the world are you defending him?”
“Because what you believe is going on is not what’s actually going on. And there’s nothing I can do to be able to do to convince you otherwise. So, there you have it. Take it, or leave it, but I don’t want your wine.”
“You’re just as insane as he is.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Maybe so. But I won’t have anyone else in my life blackmail me the way you tried to do today. And the next time you believe that someone can railroad me, including someone I’ve known since high school? Remember this moment. Because no one railroads me unless I want it.”
I slammed the door in her face and locked it for good measure. And as she stood there, yelling for me to come back, I walked into my room and closed that door as well. Between having to wait days for my next punishment and dealing with yet another person that thought they knew better than I did for my own fucking life, all I wanted was some peace and quiet.
So, I flopped onto my bed and listened as Brit finally walked away from my door, cursing and yelling up a storm.
While daydreaming about what JoJo’s next punishment could possibly be.
24
Rebecca
With each day that rolled by, my workload grew lighter and lighter.
It confused me at first, but with the lack of JoJo’s presence in my life that confusion quickly turned to worry. I kept checking my email at the end of every day to make sure I didn’t have any last-minute assignments, and I even went so far as to knock on Bonnie’s door to make sure there wasn’t something she needed.
And after being thoroughly cursed out by her, I knew there was only one way to figure things out.
The only problem is that he wasn’t responding to any of my emails, phone calls, or text messages.
“Knock, knock,” Brit said softly.
She didn’t sing it this time and that caught my attention. “What?”
She eased the door open. “I come in peace?”
I sighed. “Come on in and close the door behind you.”
She did as I asked. “How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “Empty. You?”
She sat in front of my desk. “Did something happen?”
I sighed as I leaned back in my leather office chair. “My workload has been significantly less and I’m wondering why. It has me a bit worried.”
She giggled. “Worried about what? You have your life back. Wasn’t that the point of going to H.R. in the first place?”
“I mean, sure, if I had actually filed a report. But I didn’t.”
Then, a grin crawled across her face. “Or, maybe someone gave them a push in the right direction.”
My heart sank into my stomach. “What the hell did you do?”
She crossed her legs at her ankles. “I just went down there and told them the truth.”
“And what truth is what, Brit?”
“I told her that Mr. Ryker was riding you hard when you first got here. I told the H.R. woman that you weren’t the first woman that had complaints about him, but all of the women who do don’t have
the balls to come forward because we know we’re going to lose our jobs.”
My heart seized in my chest. “Other women?”
She snickered. “Did you think you were the only one that he’s been harassing? He does it to all of the women that he hires here. He calls them in for meetings and berates them before they leave crying. He gives them much more work than they can handle to see if he can break them. It’s a pattern with him, and it has to stop.”
I leaned forward. “Were there other things?”
She feigned innocence. “What other things?”
“You know, other things that he did?”
“Like, what? Give me an example.”
I’m not that stupid. “Never mind. Forget it.”
“Seriously, Becca. What are you hiding? What has you so scared that you really think this man can control your life if you speak out?”
I scoffed. “You have absolutely no idea what you’re sticking your nose into, and I’d advise you to stop.”
“Then, tell me what it is, and I’ll leave it be.”
I pointed to the door. “You can get out now.”
She stood to her feet. “Funny, you’re even starting to sound like him, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had a thing for him.”
“Get out!” I yelled.
With a wink and a smile, she left my office, and I instantly picked up the phone to call down to Human Resources. I didn’t get in touch with the woman I had originally talked to, but I did get in touch with a very helpful woman who used very few words to let me know that she couldn’t discuss another woman’s file with someone else in the company.
She also told me that if I wanted to add anything else to that file to come downstairs and discuss it face-to-face.
“God damn it!” I roared.
I slammed my phone back into its receiver on my desk and pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. How in the absolute fuck did things get so bad? And what other women was Brit talking about?
Had he made a pass at other women?
Touched other women the way he had touched me?
Had other women sucked him off underneath his desk?
I have to know. I have to warn him.
But, when I made my way up to his office, I saw a sign on his door.
Out of office until Friday.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
“Business trip,” Lexie said.
I spun around and faced her. “Where is the trip?”
She smiled. “Hawaii. I’m so jealous. I usually go with him on these trips, but he insisted on taking this one alone.”
“Did he go with anyone? What’s the trip for? Did he need financial documents of any--?”
She held her hand up to stop me in my tracks. “I made sure he had everything. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss a memo. I promise.”
I practically lunged at her desk. “This is important, okay, and please don’t ask why.”
She furrowed her brow. “Okay…?”
“Did he take anyone with him on that trip? Is he with anyone right now?”
“You mean, like someone from the board? Or a woman? Or…?”
“The latter. And former. Seriously, did anyone go with him?”
She shrugged. “I only booked one ticket, so if he took someone, I don’t know about it.”
I groaned. “This man is going to be the death of me.”
She giggled. “Trust me, we all feel the same way. Is there something I should know, though?”
I shook my head as I started for the stairs. “I just really need his ear for a second. That’s all. Thank you for your help, Lexie!”
I slammed into the door for the stairs and found myself alone on the landing between his floor and mine. With my back pressed against the concrete wall, I slid into a puddle on the floor and curled my knees as close to my chest as I could. With my tits settled on top of my knees I drew in a few deep breaths, trying to settle my mind and my soul as I rationalized things.
“He’s out of town, so that’s why I don’t have a lot of work. He’s out of town, and that’s why H.R. hasn’t contacted him. It’s okay. Things will be all right, Becca.”
But, as tears dripped down my cheeks, things certainly didn’t feel all right.
And I was growing tired of crying my eyes out every time I came into work.
The week passed in a blur and despite JoJo’s Friday return, he wasn’t in his office all day. I had yet another easy day and I decided to take a half-day just so I wouldn’t have to pretend to enjoy my lunches with Brit.
Like Maggie always said, “Keep your enemies close.”
So, I tried to stomach as much interaction with her as I could.
“Skipping out early?” Brit asked as I passed her desk.
I nodded as I headed for the elevator. “Yep. Going to go get some rest.”
She smiled. “Good for you. Want to go get some food first?”
I shook my head. “Nope. My bed’s calling my name.”
“Want me to bring wine over later?”
I stepped into the elevator. “Probably won’t be awake.”
She stood from her seat. “What about snacks and a movie night?”
The elevator doors started closing. “Have a good weekend!”
I closed my eyes as the metal encasement carried me all the way back down to the garage. I got into my car and peeled out of there like a bat out of hell, especially after all of the shit I had endured down there. I took the long way home, driving through my favorite burger joint to get the most amazing meal along with a large mint chocolate Oreo milkshake.
Then, I dragged myself up to my apartment and stripped right out of my clothes.
“Ah, freedom,” I whispered.
I checked my personal phone and my work phone to see if JoJo had returned any of my text messages, but they had still gone unanswered. He had read them, of course. That little “R” kept taunting me every time I opened those fucking messages. But I tried to push it all out of my mind as I flopped my naked ass onto my worn-and-torn couch.
Then, I turned on my favorite trashy television show.
I loved unwinding with mindless television. I also loved watching drama unfold when it didn’t revolve around me. I bit into my juicy burger and let the sauces run down my chin as I dug around for a napkin, then I chased it all down with some of my milkshake. I’d never be able to get enough of this place. Even if I died weighing over six-hundred pounds, I’d never give up this burger joint.
It was just too good to not enjoy at least three times a week.
The weekend slipped by without so much as a peep from anyone, and when I made my way back into work Monday morning, I felt more rejuvenated than ever before. I’d gotten a few nights of good rest. I’d eaten all of the junk food I could muster the strength to stomach. I’d even taken an extra-long hot shower before putting on the little bit of makeup that I did own.
Hell, I even decided to wear my favorite little sundress to work.
But, as I stepped off the elevator and onto my floor, I saw JoJo standing at Brit’s desk.
“Sir, it’s going to be impossible for me to--.”
He slammed his hand on top of the stack of binders. “I don’t care if you don’t go home until tomorrow afternoon, Brittney. Get these done and on my desk before you go home.”
Brit scoffed. “But, Mr. Ryker, my sister has--.”
He glowered at her as I moved silently to my office door. “I don’t care if your mother’s dying. Get this work done, or you’re fired. That’s an order.”
He turned toward the elevator and our eyes met. His back straightened as he slid his gaze quickly down my body, then harrumphed as if what he saw wasn’t to his liking. He brushed past me without a word spoken, and he didn’t even peek over his shoulder at me as he stormed into the elevator.
He even kept his back to me until the metal doors closed, adding insult to injury. And as I looked over at Brit, reality dawned on me.
He�
��s torturing her now.
She wiped at her eyes and avoided my gaze, and I eased my way into my office. I leaned against the door to close it, though I didn’t flip the lock. Jealousy unlike anything I had ever experienced wafted through my system. JoJo was giving his attention to another woman. He was riding someone else’s ass instead of my own.
Holy shit, maybe this is my punishment.
Maybe his punishment is to no longer give a shit about my presence in his world.
And the thought shattered my heart.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
I looked up at the ceiling and tried my hardest to fight back tears. No. There had to be another reason. Maybe he had figured out who really filed an H.R. complaint against him, and he was lashing out because of it. But that was the only reason I could think of. And even then, he could have simply fired her.
So, why hadn’t he?
Because he’d rather have her.
I walked over to my desk and sat down. It felt as if my soul were flying outside of my body as I leaned back. My actions didn’t feel like my own. It felt like someone else was piloting my body as I turned on my computer and logged in with my credentials. And as I checked my email to see what JoJo had in store for me today, a lone tear escaped my cheek.
Because he hadn’t even sent me an email with a list of what I needed to accomplish today.
“No,” I whispered.
I kept refreshing my email for the first hour of work, knowing damned good and well that he had things for me to do. There was no way in hell he’d just up and remove my job from me like that instead of firing me altogether. Fiscally, it didn’t make sense. But the more I refreshed, the more worried I grew when I didn’t see his email come through to my side.
And after going through my trash, spam and starred folders, I relinquished myself to the possibility that my punishment was JoJo no longer giving a shit about me.
He had officially written me off.
And as I stared at the wall, trying to make sense of everything, all I wanted to do was go home and collapse into a fit of tears in the shower.
It’s not like he’d miss me if I went home anyway.