by Teagan Kade
“Come on,” Nigel said, standing up. He finished his drink with a long pull and slammed the glass down on the table. “After that shitshow, you need a drink.”
For once, Nigel and I were in complete agreement.
Chapter Thirteen
Tori
I sat staring at the gate waiting for my flight, twisting my hands in my lap. I felt sick about leaving without offering some explanation to Shaun, but Nigel had neatly tied a bow around that.
I hated the man, not only for what he was doing to me, but for what he was doing to Shaun. I’d never be able to tell Shaun how Nigel was manipulating him to make a quick buck. It was the oldest story in the book, and I was leaving him alone and defenseless with no warning.
I stared at the screen on my phone.
Where are you?
There was no response to Shaun’s text on my end, and there wouldn’t be. It had physically hurt to hit the decline button when he tried to call right before the text came in. I struggled between rage and tears, my emotions swinging back and forth every few minutes.
I could have handled the shame of getting caught sleeping with a client. In fact, that was no doubt exactly the situation was I about to walk into when I arrived back at the office.
As soon as I made it through airport security, I called Kevin. “Does Martin know?” I asked without any further preamble.
“You should always assume Martin knows everything, because he usually does,” he said. “But I have to say, who could blame you for a momentary lapse in judgement? That man is sex on a stick. Speaking of sex and sticks…”
“Kevin! Focus. What does Martin know or what do you think he knows?”
“A cut of the interview has already gone viral with everyone on Twitter and Facebook trying to figure out if it’s a random woman or an actress snogging him in that hallway. I think Martin has an inkling it might be you, but the camera angle is your one saving grace if you’re planning to lie about it.”
“I’m not a liar,” I said stiffly. “I’m on my way back to the office. I’m going to come clean and ask to be replaced.”
“What? You’re going to leave that hottie behind for someone else to scoop up? Are you crazy? Lie. Martin doesn’t have any proof. Just suspicion. If he even asks about you, you’ll get off with a warning. Don’t do something stupid out of a misplaced set of ethics, Tori. There’s a way out of this mess. Just say it wasn’t you.”
I ran my hand over my face struggling to keep back to the tears. As if the grainy picture of me in a lip-lock with Shaun was the only thing I had to worry about. I pulled the picture Nigel had given me out of my purse and stared at it. How could I have been so careless? This was exactly the kind of thing I warned my clients about, and here I had managed to get caught in the act not once, but twice.
“I am not going to jeopardize my career, Kevin. It’s better if I remove myself from it now. Hopefully Martin will give me a break and not fire me considering I’m coming forward and telling the truth.”
“It’s your funeral. Maybe I’ll get reassigned to him instead.” Kevin’s voice held a note of glee. When I didn’t respond, he quipped, “Sorry, too soon?”
“I’ll see you in the morning.” I cut the call short because I wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore. I shoved the damning picture back into my purse and waited impatiently for my flight. I was two hours early for the scheduled time, but I couldn’t risk waiting at the hotel and running into Shaun.
I wouldn’t have been able to face him, plus it would have been worse to tell him to his face I was leaving. That was what I had decided. A clean break, and it was done. It wasn’t anything to begin with, right?
I was delusional if I thought for one minute a guy like Shaun would take me and my world seriously. Hadn’t he proved that, in his relentless pursuit to get into my pants, despite the fact I kept rejecting him? He had the ability to cloud my judgement and make me forget what was important to me. My career was what I lived for.
For the first time in my life, that thought was shallow and empty. Tears pulled at the corners of my eyes again. I was relieved when they finally called for boarding. I needed to get away from LA before I did something stupid, like turn around and go back to the hotel, throw myself at Shaun and ask him to forgive me for being so reckless.
The butterflies in my stomach raged as I got off the elevator and marched toward Martin’s office the following morning. I could have sidled into my office and tried to pretend I wasn’t there until I gathered my nerve, but if there was one thing I wasn’t, it was a coward.
As I approached his office, I saw his executive assistant, an old woman named Betty, pop her head up from her desk. She smiled at me with what l imagined was pity. “He’s expecting you, dear,” she said, nodding toward his office.
That certainly didn’t make me feel any better. Kevin was the only one I had told I was coming back. Why in the world would Martin have been expecting me?
I opened the door carefully trying not to squeak the hinges. I sucked in one more breath and stepped inside. Martin looked up from his desk. “Victoria.”
When he said my name like that, it took me right back to being five years old again and standing in front of my parents for punishment. I hated that Martin made me feel like that, but he was a partner at Kommen and Russell, and he had the power to fire me if he chose. He’d been my boss for three years, and I still had no idea if he actually liked me or not.
“Hello, Martin,” I said. My voice sounded stronger than I felt. I was proud of myself for not coming across like some meek little mouse.
He pointed at the chair across from his desk. “Sit.”
I crossed the room trying to keep my pace casual. I sat down in the chair gingerly on the edge of the seat and crossed my legs doing my best to look poised and confident. “Betty said you were expecting me.”
“Yes,” Martin said. He leaned back in his chair. “I’m sure you know why.”
I felt my stomach drop. My smile faltered. “Of course. I can explain…”
Martin cut me off. “I thought you were doing a great job with the Nichols case, but I understand why Mr. Nichols was upset with the interview yesterday afternoon. That’s the kind of thing we’re supposed to be out in front of, and Georgie is known for pulling that kind of bullshit. You should have been aware of it. You let your client, our firm’s client, look like a schoolboy who got caught with his pants down. In the very literal sense.”
Why was he talking about the interview and not the photograph? “Georgie went off script. I had no idea she was going to spring that picture on him.”
“That’s your job, Tori. To be in the know. When our clients get creamed in the press, that’s a reflection on our firm. I would have expected him to give you another chance since this was your first misstep, but he was quite adamant about it.”
My eyes narrowed. “Who exactly was adamant about what?”
“I received a call from Mr. Nichols business manager, Nigel Ross, this morning. He expressed Mr. Nichols unhappiness with what transpired. He requested you be replaced. I’m assuming since you are sitting in my office right now and not in LA he communicated that request to you as well.”
“Not in so many words,” I mumbled. It was as if the blows just kept coming, but I had to admit the move benefited me. Unless Martin out and out asked me if it was me in the picture with Shaun, I didn’t have to tell him why I had returned home. He was taking the whole thing at face value.
Martin watched me closely. “I think it’s probably for the best,” I said, raising my chin. “Nigel and I didn’t really see eye to eye on the go-forward strategy for Shaun’s image. It probably makes sense to send in someone who perhaps can be a bit more convincing.”
“And perhaps a bit less distracting,” Martin said. “Perhaps one of your male colleagues would be better suited to working with Mr. Nichols.”
I realized then Martin knew it was me in the picture. He had known the whole time. The only thing I didn’t know was if Ni
gel had said something anything to him when he called, or if Martin had figured it out on his own. I wasn’t brave enough to ask. The request to be replaced allowed Martin to keep me on payroll without any further reprimand. I got to keep my job and a smidge of my dignity intact.
“Whoever you think is best,” I said with a curt nod. “I have a client call in a few minutes. Is there anything else?”
“I think that’s all, Tori. You’re lucky. Situations like that can be a hell of a lot messier. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that something like that can have much more severe consequences if it were to happen again.”
He was talking about me sleeping with Shaun, not the interview with Georgie. We both knew it. “Thank you, Martin. I understand.” I gave him a brief nod and somehow managed to stand up and walk out without wobbling or giving any indication of how his admonishment affected me.
Kevin was waiting in my office when I got back. He stood up with a look of concern. “How’d it go?”
“I didn’t even have to say anything. I was informed Mr. Nichols had already called to fire me. Or at least, his asshole manager called Martin to tell him I was fired.”
Kevin’s expression of shock was probably an exact replica of my own when I first heard the news. It seemed like too much to process.
“Sit,” Kevin said, pointing at the chair next to him.
I sat down and felt my face start to crumble as the sobs started to wrack my chest. Kevin looked alarmed, quickly grabbing the tissue box off my desk. He put his arm around me offering the box. “Sweetie, don’t cry. You’ll mess up your make-up and scare the clients.”
I felt a gulp of laughter through my tears. Leave it to Kevin to be more concerned about my make-up than my state of mind. I pulled one of the tissues out of the box and blew my nose. Kevin handed me another as he perched on the arm of the chair and patted my back.
Once the sobs subsided, I used the tissue to blot at my eyes. Kevin was right about one thing. I was going to need to make a trip to the ladies room before the morning staff meeting.
“I’m in such a mess,” I confessed
“Do you love him?”
I twisted in my seat and stared up at him. “Love him? I barely know him. I feel horrible for how things happened and that I didn’t say goodbye. It was an awful way to leave things. No wonder he fired me. I left him high and dry.”
“One thing at a time,” Kevin said, softly clucking his tongue. “Stop avoiding the subject. Do you love him?”
I scoffed at the question. “I’m married to my career, remember? I don’t have time for things like love. It’s an inconvenience.”
“Maybe you should have been a lawyer,” Kevin said, rolling his eyes. He moved back to the seat across from me again no doubt sensing the waterworks had been averted. “It’s a yes or no question, Tori. Do you love him?”
I stared at him and forced myself to examine the question. It wasn’t as if it hadn’t crossed my mind already. I had to admit I felt something for Shaun I hadn’t felt for any man in my adult life. “I like him,” I finally said, soft. It felt strange to admit such a thing out loud because it was so alien to me.
“Like, love, it’s the same thing,” Kevin said with a wide grin.
“No, no it’s not,” I said stubbornly.
“I’ve never seen you like this. A disheveled rule-breaker. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“I like him, but I can’t speak to him or see him ever again,” I said, looking down at the tissue in my hands. I twisted it into a tight ball. “So it doesn’t matter how I feel about him.”
“You can get another job,” Kevin said. “It’s an archaic rule made by a bunch of old men who haven’t been laid since the fifties. If you like him, you’ll figure it out.”
“No, Kevin. I can’t see him again.” I pulled my briefcase into my lap. My fingers trembled as I pulled the incriminating picture out. I handed it to him. “Nigel promised to send this to the head of every PR firm around if I wouldn’t step out of it and leave Shaun alone. For good.”
“You’ve been working out,” Kevin said with a long whistle.
I felt my cheeks flush. “This is bad, Kevin. It’s not like I’d just get fired here. I wouldn’t be employable anywhere. He’d smear my name and no one would want me because they couldn’t trust me. Plus, this is exactly the kind of thing Shaun doesn’t need. It’s practically a sex tape.”
“Sex tapes launch careers,” Kevin said, handing the picture back to me. “I know this feels bad, Tori, but you have to focus on what you want.”
“I don’t know what I want,” I groaned as I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. “Everything I’ve done in my life up to this point was to get to this place. The dream job with the dream clients doing exactly what I love to do. I like Shaun, but it’s risky, not to mention he has issues, Kevin. The anger thing isn’t a joke.”
“We’ve all got issues. Some of ours are just a bit more visible. Based on what I see in these pictures, the guy is crazy about you,” Kevin said. “That has to count for something.”
It did count for something. But I wasn’t sure I trusted it. “Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way. Obviously, my judgement is clouded, I was there. I can get some fresh perspective by staying away. Figure out what I want.”
“A hot ticket like that won’t be on the market for long. Take it from me, if you want it, you gotta grab on with both hands and take it,” Kevin said.
Both hands—He was sure right about that.
“I can’t let myself or Shaun get involved in a smear campaign. Not after everything we’ve done over the last few weeks. We were really turning things around.”
Kevin stood up. “So, if you are turning things around, and now you’ve left him alone with the crazy manager, what do you think is going to happen?”
“Hopefully, everything I’ve taught him will stick. And if you work with him, you can make sure of it,” I said.
“Sex on a stick sells,” Kevin said with a wink.
“You and Nigel apparently have the same vision. Maybe you would be the perfect fit,” I said sourly.
“Take a breather for a few days. Then call him.”
I shook my head. “Nigel was clear. No calls, no texts, no emails. No contact. Period.”
“Maybe if you told Shaun that Nigel was blackmailing you?”
“No, Kevin. I can’t risk that either. It’s over.”
Kevin walked to the door of my office and held it open. “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.”
I picked myself up out of the chair. Feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to do me any good. I needed to find out who my next client was and dig in. For now, Shaun Nichols needed to be nothing but a distant, albeit pleasant, memory.
Chapter Fourteen
Shaun
The bright light blinded me. I put my hand up to block its sudden appearance. My head throbbed, and as I cracked my jaw open to vocalize a protest at whoever had opened the curtains, the throbbing increased tenfold.
“What the fuck?” I finally managed to get out of my mouth.
“Champ, you are due in the gym in an hour. I promised Hammer you weren’t cutting practice today. You have a fight in less than a week. While I admire the valiant effort to clean out every hotel mini-bar between here and LA, I need to get you cleaned up, or Hammer will have both our asses.”
“Forget it. I’m calling in sick or whatever. I don’t give a flying fuck what Hammer thinks.” My tone was sullen as I rolled over and covered my head with a pillow.
“What’s gotten into you? You’ve never been like this,” Nigel said.
I ignored him as I crab-crawled off the bed and flopped onto the floor. There I was content to remain in the shadow thrown by the bed that blocked the sunlight. I had one hell of a headache, and as I squinted at the items on the floor around me, I saw the reason why.
Nigel wasn’t kidding when he said I’d helped myself to the mini-bar. Small bottles of liquor were strewn eve
rywhere. I hadn’t even bothered with a glass. Pouring it into one took too long. I would have preferred an IV drip if it was offered.
My manager appeared at the foot of the bed. He frowned down at me. “Shaun, you have to get up. A solid workout will wipe the booze out of your system. You’ll sweat it out. You’ll be good as new in no time.”
If I didn’t show up in the gym, it would mark the third time since Tori left a week ago. I hadn’t missed three workouts in a week ever. The gym was my second home. Now I could barely find the energy to get out of bed and go to the bathroom.
“I was willing to be indulgent with you for a little while, but now it’s time to get off your ass and get your head back in the game. No broad is worth bombing your career.”
Somehow, I managed to get to my feet. I stumbled toward him. My legs were considerably less stable than I expected. “She’s not a broad.” I shoved my finger into his chest.
Nigel carefully removed my finger. He didn’t even flinch, which normally I would have considered impressive. Now it just served to piss me off. People were supposed be afraid of me, after all. I shook my head hearing Tori in my head saying I needed people to like me, not be afraid of me. I hated that she’d wiggled her way into my psyche so easily.
“Fine. Ms. Ellis isn’t worth your career. You’ve got a fight to focus on. This is ridiculous, Champ. It’s a girl. We’re talking about the rest of your life here.”
I took a step backward and spread my arms wide. “I thought this is what you wanted, Nigel. Bad Boy Nichols ready and reporting for service.”
Nigel wrinkled his nose. “Have you showered recently? I want a clean-shaven playboy with gorgeous women on either arm. That is what the sponsors want. Not a drunkard who looks forty instead of twenty-seven. I’m not one to judge someone’s capacity to drink himself into a stupor, but you have to draw the line somewhere when you pay the bills with that same body.”