by Lily Cahill
"Oh no. Just me," she said finally. She smiled weakly, and Catie led her through the halls to her office where she had a recorder set up for the statement. When Catie reached her office door, she stepped aside to let Mandy through first, but Mandy was a ways behind her, peering down every hall and through every door.
"Ahem." Catie cleared her throat, and Mandy jumped a little. Her tacky red pumps--there was the Mandy Catie remembered--pattered more quickly down the hall.
"Sorry. I was just looking to see if any of my old friends still worked here."
"Mmm." Catie's smile was small, tight, and as polite as she could muster. "Can I get you a water or tea?"
"Oh, no, thank you." Mandy's head was still on a swivel. She had sat down, but she was still craning her neck to see out the door. Catie closed it and sat down opposite her. Mandy's eyes bugged for a second. "Are you doing the interview? I thought I'd be talking to Everett."
"Mr. Bowen is in meetings today. And I'm not sure that would be appropriate." Catie gave her another thin-lipped smile. "Given the circumstances."
Mandy cocked her head to the side and nodded as if she was innocent in all this. But the look in her eyes was calculated, and it made Catie's fingers go rigid around her coffee mug. The fact was, Catie was about to ask some very private information ... information she didn't want to know. This woman sitting across from her had experienced a side of Everett Bowen that Catie had never known and never would, except in her illicit fantasies. A spike of something close to jealousy jagged through her, and she sloshed scalding coffee onto her hand. Catie winced and ignored the the way Mandy watched her closely. She patted her hand dry with a napkin and cleared her throat.
"Okay then. Let's get started." Catie pressed a button on the old-school recorder to start the interview and sat up pin straight in her chair. "We want you to know that we take sexual harassment extremely seriously. Anything you say in this office will only be shared with the parties involved in the suit, including the legal team. Our priority is providing a safe environment for our employees, and if that was not the case in your situation, we want to remedy any problems we may have in the work place. Please detail out your experience working at Bowen Enterprises and what actions may have caused you to feel uncomfortable."
Catie had prepared what she was going to say ahead of time, and it flowed from her smoothly. She hoped it sounded sincere, because in her head anger raged at this woman's audacity to file a lawsuit. These types of falsehoods were part of the reason that women who had actually gone through sexual harassment were treated like suspects rather than victims.
Mandy shifted around in her seat, settling comfortably into the chair. Unlike Catie's stiff posture, Mandy let her body recline, leaning against the chair back with her forearms resting easily beside her. Her red lips, overly shiny with gloss, smirked at Catie. Catie got the distinct impression Mandy was enjoying this.
"Where to begin?"
#
"At first it was just your normal workplace flirtation, and I didn't think anything of it. Guys are always flirting with me." Mandy's lips curled in a satisfied little smile, and she let her eyes travel slowly up and down Catie's body as she said it. Like there was no way Catie could understand that experience. It took all of Catie's self control not to reach across the desk and slap her. It was girls like this that had made her self conscious for so long. She finally felt secure in her body and appreciated her curves, but that look took her back to the baggy T-shirts and oversized jeans she'd worn for so long, trying to hide her ample chest and abundant rear.
"Go on," Catie said, letting her impatience show.
"Maybe I should have said something right at the start," Mandy said with a practiced sigh. "I just thought it was harmless. And then he started brushing up against me. At first I thought it was an accident, but then it clearly wasn't." Her voice lowered. "If you know what I mean."
Catie pursed her lips. She'd once seen Mandy "accidentally" drop a pen when Everett was walking behind her so that she'd have to stop and pick it up. Everett ran right into her. He might have lingered, but him running into her was a mistake on Everett's part--at least that one time. It didn't take anyone that long to pick up a pen. She tried not to roll her eyes.
"And then it got more obvious. I couldn't ignore that the touches weren't platonic." Mandy was flushing, and there was a softness to her eyes that looked nostalgic. "It was a little exciting, getting the boss' attention, but I didn't want more than that. But I also didn't feel like I could say no. We fooled around together for the first time in the office. I felt trapped. And then he invited me over. I should have said no, but I felt like my job was on the line. And more than just my job. This was my first time in a real office. I thought if I didn't make it work here, no one would hire me after that. So I went. And we slept together."
Catie scribbled notes down on a legal pad as Mandy spoke. She tried not to squirm in her seat as Mandy gave explicit details about their intercourse. But it didn't seem like it was going to be that bad after all. The woman really didn't have a case. She hadn't quoted anything Everett had ever said that gave the impression there was any risk to her professional life. They should be able to settle this quietly. No attorney would advise her to take it to court. A simple non-disclosure on the settlement, and it would be over.
Mandy was quiet for a moment as Catie finished scrawling. She looked up from her pad. "Anything else?"
Mandy raised her eyebrows and spun her head around to the door again. It was still closed and unmoving. It was just the two of them.
"Umm," she sucked in her lips and pressed them together. "That night. It was weird."
Catie frowned. "Weird how?"
Mandy glanced toward the door again, then leaned forward, her elbows sliding onto the desk. "Are you sure you want to hear details?"
That just made Catie's frown deepen, but she smoothed her forehead and nodded, trying not to look like she was feeling ... confused at the turn this interview had taken, and more than a little curious. What was it that Everett Bowen got up to behind closed doors?
Catalina held her pen poised above her paper, ready to take additional notes, but she was not prepared for what Mandy said next.
#
"I just got done interviewing Mandy."
Catie tried to keep the disdain out of her voice, but she just didn't know what to think anymore. She threw the tape recorder on Everett's desk. She had already turned away to stalk toward the door, but she made herself stop and take a deep breath. "I'd tell you all about it, but I don't think I can handle repeating it."
She tried to remind herself that what Everett did in his personal life was none of her business. But that was just it. This was her business. She'd been here practically since the beginning. She'd worked part time at Bowen Enterprises while she was a grad student, and this company felt like hers, too. What they were doing here--creating a viable energy alternative--it could change the world. The roof tiles they were launching had the potential to be what all other energy alternatives weren't: revolutionary. They looked like roof tiles. They were affordable. They could store energy so that your house didn't stop working on a cloudy day. They solved every problem that alternatives had faced in the past, and now Everett was putting all that at jeopardy.
She wished Everett's twin, Liam, was here to smack some sense into him. But then again, if Liam was here they probably wouldn't even be in this pickle. It was only after Liam had left that Everett had started screwing every girl he saw. It was like Liam left a social sinkhole in Everett when he left the company--and the city, if the rumors were true--and Everett was desperately trying to fill that hole with random women.
"It can't be that bad." Everett picked up the recorder and rewound to the beginning. "We only slept together once."
"That's not how she tells it." Catie held her arms crossed over her chest. She dropped them and slunk into a chair across Everett's desk, trying not to think about non-sitting activities that had taken place there. "So all tha
t stuff about ...," Catie's voice trailed off. She really couldn't bring herself to say it.
"About?" Everett was waiting for her to finish the sentence.
"All the fetish stuff. That's not true?"
Everett's eyes were twinkling, and his mouth was curling up at the edges, but he wasn't saying anything. He shook his head, waiting for her to explain more.
"You know, the bondage and," she lowered her voice, "butt plugs."
Everett threw his head back and laughed a deep laugh. He was laughing at her. He was the one that was fooling around at work and causing trouble, and he was laughing at her. She crossed her hands back over her chest, suddenly feeling defensive and a little stupid. Why had she believed that tramp for even one second? She knew Everett. He might be a playboy, but he respected women. He wouldn't have taken advantage of that girl. She felt relieved that the accusations weren't true, but it still annoyed Catie that he was mocking her about it. How was she supposed to know what he was in to?
"I can't say that I lead with butt plugs," Everett said, a laugh still rounding out his voice. "Maybe on the second or third time, but definitely not on the first." There was that dimple again. Dancing a jig on his cheek.
The corner of Catie's mouth turned up, too. She couldn't deny the infectious nature of that goddamned smile.
"Let's hear it. I'll let you know if any of it is true."
"Oh God. I don't think I can listen to it again." Catie's nose wrinkled up in disgust.
Everett's tone turned serious for the first time since Catie had walked into the office. "I really don't want to make you listen to it again, but since you are drawing up the settlement, I think we have to go over it together. You need to know the facts, and we have to decide how to handle it from here. I'm not opposed to settling, but if there is no shred of truth in her claims, I'd like to do it as economically as possible."
"Okay." Catie straightened her shoulders and hit play.
Everett looked directly at Catie. His gray eyes burning into her. He wasn't reacting to the tape, not anymore. At the beginning, he'd pause and tell his side of the story, confirming what Catie already knew. But after a few minutes and as Mandy's interview grew more personal, more detailed, he fell silent.
The awful tape ran through the accusations. Catie dropped her eyes to her lap. She really didn't want to hear this again. How Everett's position of power made Mandy feel like she didn't have a choice, and then on to the more graphic portion of the tape. How he'd literally ripped Mandy's shirt open and how he'd actually growled when he went down on her and made her come in a matter of seconds. How big he was. On the tape, Catie could be heard coughing and telling Mandy she didn't need that much detail, her voice strangled. Mandy giggled.
And there was another reason Catie didn't want to listen to the tape together, and it was coming. Catie felt a red flush creep up her neck in embarrassed anticipation. She rubbed her hand casually around the top of her blouse trying to cool herself down and hide the blushing.
The recording continued. Mandy had finished her story, and now it was Catie's turn to speak again.
"Is that everything?" Catalina's voice was clipped on the recording. Sick of hearing Mandy's stories, she had been losing her ability to stay professional.
There was a pause on the tape.
"Oh. My. God," Mandy said slowly. "You are in love with him." Catie had rolled her eyes during the interview, but now listening to the tape, there was no evidence of that. Just the silence that played, leaving the statement hanging in the air with no rebuttal.
"Are you fucking him?"
"God, no. Jesus, Mandy. Not everyone drops their panties at the letters CEO." She shouldn't have said that. She'd regretted it instantly. It was unprofessional. A small chuckle from Everett made her finally lift her eyes to him. He was still watching her as they listened to the tape, but he was smiling. He didn't look worried or annoyed. He looked just like he always did--calm, confident, and slightly amused.
Mandy scoffed on the tape. "Well, I hope you can handle him."
"I don't need to handle him. I'm not sleeping with him."
"Well, when you do, I hope you can take all the weird shit he's into."
Catie hadn't flinched during the interview, but her stomach was in knots now. She was so done, but Mandy wasn't. The girl was desperate to get in one more jab.
"I just hope he doesn't claw your face off." The sound of Mandy's purse sliding off the desk and the door opening and slamming shut were the final sounds on the recording. Catie let out a breath and shook her head. Maybe they could laugh about it now, how Mandy just got more and more preposterous the further into the tape they went, but when she looked to Everett, his face was ghost white and a few beads of sweat had appeared on his brow.
"Give her whatever she wants."
"What? I thought you said none of it was true."
"It's not." It came out fast, practically cutting Catie off. "I just want to be done with it. Make it fast and quiet."
"You got it." Catie grabbed the tape recorder and her legal pad. She paused at the door, not sure what she should do. She hoped he would say something to her to clear the air and turn things back to normal, but he was facing his computer pretending to work. Did he think she was in love with him? Was that why he was freaking out? He seemed fine just a second ago. She twisted the handle, but then stopped.
"Just for the record, I'm not in love with you." She said the words into the door.
Everett didn't respond. God, she hated when he did that. She looked back at him, and he jutted out his chin and nodded. She guessed that was all he had to say about it.
Chapter Nine
Everett
Everett's hand was tight around the phone, and his chest felt like it was in a vice. "Please call me back," he said, his voice low and urgent. "It's important. It's not about the business. Not really. Please. Call me." Everett hung up and stared at the black screen. Liam had to be checking his voicemail. Otherwise, it would have been full by now.
He dialed again, and the message played: "Hey, you know what to do."
Everett hurled the phone against the office wall, and it shattered. What was he supposed to do? How could Liam not be picking up his phone? How could he leave Everett alone for the last two years? Liam was the only one he could talk to about being a shifter. He was the only one Everett trusted. Especially now, when it was possible he'd broken a cardinal rule of B3--enough to get him kicked out of the Brotherhood. Something similar had happened not that long ago in Chicago. Would he be next?
Everett didn't know who else to turn to if Liam wasn't an option. Everett was utterly alone. No brother to confide in and no mate either. No business partner. No best friend.
There was a code to being a shifter, a responsibility. They didn't shift in front of anyone who wasn't a shifter or their mate. They worked together in alliances and they supported one another, but they weren't known to the world. They could never let their secret out. It would be catastrophic if the world knew the truth, that men all over the world could shift into bears, into predators. The fear of discovery was enough that anyone who shifted in front of the uninitiated--accident or otherwise--was kicked out of the Brotherhood and all it entailed.
Everett wasn't worried about losing his dating service, he was worried about losing investors and the support he'd gotten for the business. If Liam and Everett hadn't been part of the Brotherhood, there was no way the Initial Public Offering of their stock would have been so successful, and if their IPO hadn't been so successful, they would never have had the money to finish developing the roof tiles. The business was good, but it wasn't that good. Most of the solar energy projects they'd done before the IPO were research based. Once they had the energy storingcomponent figured out, they'd done some large scale installations at factories and corporations who weren't as concerned about the look of massive solar panels on their properties, but it wasn't nearly enough to get to the scale they were at now.
If he lost the support of the
Brotherhood, investors would sell off their stock in droves, and Bowen Enterprises could go bankrupt. Even though the roof tiles meant saving resources--a major concern for shifters who wanted to preserve the wildness of nature that was so intrinsic to their lives--they would leave him in a heartbeat. It was the only rule you couldn't break. Don't shift in front of outsiders.
Everett didn't even know when he had done it. He paced back and forth through his office, running his hands roughly through his hair, pulling at the long tuffs. He wracked his brain trying to remember when and if Mandy might have seen him shift, but he was coming up empty. But he couldn't get her recorded words out of his mind .... I just hope he doesn't claw your face off. Why would she have possibly said that if she hadn't somehow witnessed him shift? He'd fucked up somehow, but he would not let this harm his company any further. The launch was in less than two weeks. He had work to do.
He kicked at a baseboard, cursing himself as the pain shot through his big toe. He bent to the pile of broken phone pieces on the ground and took a long, deep breath. He needed to calm down. He was only making things worse. If Liam bothered to call him back, he wouldn't be able to answer. He punched his finger against the intercom to call Catalina.
"I need a new cell phone," he barked without preamble.
"I'll have one for you first thing tomorrow morning."
"No. I need it now."
"Okay." Her tone was clipped. Everett closed his eyes and hung his head back. What was he doing? She was the only one currently helping him with his problem. She was working on the settlement while he was throwing a temper tantrum in his office.
"Never mind. I'll do it myself." His voice was gruff and agitated. He slammed down the receiver and swung on his coat, stomping out of the office.
Chapter Ten
Catalina
Catie was exhausted. It'd been a week since the interview with Mandy, and she'd been working around the clock. Between the upcoming launch, the lawsuit, and Everett's shitty mood, she hadn't had time to breathe. As soon as she was making progress on one thing, he'd bark a command through the intercom and expect her to drop what she was doing. The one bright spot was Nick, of all people. He'd been true to his word and brought her a Cubano sandwich last Wednesday. And then he'd come by two more times with different lunches that they shared at her desk. Without him, she wouldn't have left her office long enough to get anything to eat.