Sleeping With The Truth_An Office Love Baby Daddy Romance

by Kelli Walker

  “With a lawyer present, of course,” Ryan said.

  The women looked at one another before the waitress came by. They each picked their main courses and ordered different drinks, then the waitress left us alone again. I wanted them to feel as comfortable as possible, because I knew this next part would make them all nervous.

  Then, I watched as Ryan turned on the recorder.

  “This is really happening,” Veronica said with tears in her eyes.

  “You guys are serious,” Shonda said.

  “Very serious. I’m legally bound to inform you that we are now on recording. Everything said right now will go on a record as part of your testimony,” Ryan said.

  “Wait, will be we appearing in court?” Lonna asked. “I’m not doing that.”

  “And that’s fine,” I said. “If this dinner has the cascade effect I want it to have, you won’t have to.”

  “Out of curiosity, who is it that your theory is against?” Veronica asked.

  “We can’t answer that. It would be considered leading,” Ryan said. “All you have to do is talk to us about what really happened.”

  “And if we don’t?” Shonda said.

  “Then this person will continue getting away with it for as long as this person wants,” I said.

  “Look,” Ryan said. “You can still get justice for yourselves. The statute of limitations for sexual harassment in the workplace is one year.”

  “Mine’s been over one year,” Shonda said.

  Her eyes bulged before she curled her lips back into her mouth.

  “There’s no reason to be scared here,” I said. “I will use every resource at my disposal to make sure the three of you are heard, protected, and that this person sees the trial they deserve. But we aren’t simply talking about sexual harassment. We’re also talking about bribes. Which comes with a limitation of three years.”

  “Which can be extended to cover any time period if the two are paired together,” Ryan said.

  The women looked at one another before Veronica cleared her throat.

  “There are others, aren’t there?” she asked.

  I looked over at Ryan. I wasn’t sure what kind of information I could give out.

  “I can’t give specifics,” he said. “But yes. This has been going on for a while.”

  “Is this for that guy in the news?” Shonda asked. “The janitor?”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen that as well,” Lonna asked.

  “No, this is for you guys getting justice. All of you that this has happened to. It’s also about getting that asshole out of the company and into a jail cell where-”

  I clamped down onto my tongue as Ryan slipped his hand onto my knee. He patted it, signaling that I needed to take a backseat for a little while.

  And he was right.

  I was going to ruin everything if I didn’t stop talking.

  “You’re protected here,” Ryan said. “All the three of you have to do is tell us what happened the day you were harassed at Instatech.”

  “Not until he tells us the truth,” Lonna said.

  “Yeah. Why should we open up if he won’t?” Shonda asked.

  I sighed and leaned back into my chair as the first round of food was brought to us. The waitress sat it down and quickly walked away, but no one picked up their forks.

  “Go ahead,” Ryan said.

  “It’s partially for that man, yes. I believe Herald Graves was wrongly accused of harassment and he lost his life over it. His career. His death decimated his family and he left behind a wife and a daughter to fend for themselves.”

  “The woman in all those pictures,” Shonda said.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Do you love her?” Lonna asked.

  My gaze whipped over to the woman and she sighed.

  “Just, in the pictures, you kind of look like you do. That’s all.”

  Her question gave me pause. I did love her. I cared for Tiffany greatly. And I could admit that to myself even without the alcohol in my system. The idea of her not being around in the company didn’t sit with me well, and I knew that if I couldn’t find some sort of a resolution to all of this I would soon lose her. No self-respecting woman would work a job where she was constantly being harassed by co-workers.

  Just like the self-respecting women I was looking at didn’t stay at their jobs either.

  “You should tell her, once this is all done,” Veronica said.

  “Yeah, you really should,” Shonda said.

  “It’s kind of romantic, if you think about it,” Lonna said. “Helping all of us and going through all of this just to prove her father innocent. It’s like the knight in shining armor I wished for after…”

  I watched Ryan reach for Lonna’s hand as a tear escaped down her cheek. Her jaw trembled as Veronica rubbed her back, watching as Shonda wrapped her around around the woman. Then, she finally decided to talk.

  “Roman Edwards,” Lonna said breathlessly. “He was the man that harassed me. I was sitting at my desk and he came up and asked me if I wanted to take my lunch break with him, and I told him sure. Why not? It’s not often a part-time accountant is asked by the head of the company to eat. I figured he wanted to talk about work. But we got into the elevator and he got handsy. He stopped the elevator, Mr. Weber. Just flipped the switch and stopped us between floors. He-”

  Lonna wiped at her tears as I choked down the angry bile rising up my throat.

  “He tugged my shirt out of my waistband and just… shoved his hand up there. Grabbed my breast so hard he left bruises. He forced his lips onto mine and tried to-... to-.”

  I placed my hand over my mouth as the women comforted one another. Each of them rolled through their story. Talked through their tears as they accused Roman of atrocious things. Trying to fondle them underneath tables at fucking investor’s meetings and cornering them in his office. Forcing them into elevators and locking the doors behind him in bathrooms when he entered after them. I listened as they explained the day after, when Roman approached them with his bribe.

  A promotion for their silence.

  Shonda recounted how Roman walked into her office and told him she couldn't do it. That what he did to her was wrong and she was going to H.R. She recounted the massive Christmastime bonus he promised her if she just didn’t say it was him. How he acted like he felt terrible for what had happened and touted how he couldn't lose her as an employee.

  Shonda didn’t make it to Christmas, though. She didn’t make it long enough to receive the bonus she was promised for the false report she filed.

  And Veronica was right behind her with her own story of how Roman made her file a false report when he wanted to get rid of a specific employee. A janitor who suspected what was going on and was trying to talk her into telling Human Resources the truth. Veronica talked about how Roman threatened her job and her reputation if she didn’t do as she was asked. Made her feel as if she would never be hired anywhere else if she didn’t do as she was asked. And in exchange, a bonus would be in it for her as well.

  A janitor.

  Tiffany’s father.

  He wasn’t harassing these women. He was trying to give them the strength to speak out.

  I wanted to wrap my hands around Roman’s throat until his eyes bled.

  By the time they were done, all of them were in tears. Holding one another and comforting one another and apologizing for some insane reason or another. Ryan sighed and turned off the recording, then turned and nodded in my direction.

  We had him.

  We had that son of a bitch.

  “I’ll track down some of the other women and see if I can’t get their written and signed testimonies. If we can have both for court, a judge won’t parade these women in front of him again,” Ryan said.

  “Then do that. These women don’t need to go through anymore humiliation or pain over this,” I said. “And make sure they order whatever they want for dessert. Everything will be charged to my card.”

&n
bsp; “Where are you going?” Veronica asked.

  “Yeah. Aren’t you going to eat with us?” Lonna asked.

  “Ryan will stay here with you and make sure the three of you get fed and home safely. He’ll run you through all of the tools at your disposal with me on your side, and you can decide how to proceed from here. But right now, I have to go hold up my end of the bargain.”

  “You’re going to call her, aren’t you?” Shonda asked.

  I buttoned my suit coat before I slid my hands down my torso.

  “The three of you are braver and better than I could ever be,” I said. “What you went through with someone I considered a friend is disgusting, and it will be a pleasure to help you put him behind bars for the rest of his life. And yes, I’m going to go call her.”

  The women smiled at me for the first time since they’d come into the room, and I saw hope in their eyes. I saw glimmers of happiness fill their faces and it gave me the distinct impression that things would be okay. If women like them went through what they had and could still find the strength to smile, then I could find the strength to suck my shit up and call Tiffany myself.

  “Have a good evening, ladies,” I said.

  “Good luck,” they all said.

  “Ryan?”

  “Yep?”

  “Let me know when they all get home. I want to know they’re safe.”

  “Sure thing, Mr. Weber.”

  Then I slipped out of the room and made my way outside.

  I stood in the parking lot and called Tiffany three times in a row. I sighed when she didn’t pick up, but I decided to take one last shot. I stood on the side of the road and hailed a cab-- leaving my towncar to get Ryan home-- but the fourth call sent me to Tiffany’s voice message again.

  I slipped into the cab and stuffed my phone into my pocket, but I didn’t get my hand out before it vibrated against my hip.

  “Where to?” the driver asked.

  I looked down and saw Tiffany was calling and my heart leapt to life.

  “Give me five minutes and I’ll be able to tell you,” I said.

  Then, I picked up her phone call, hoping to the heavens above she’d let me come see her.

  Tiffany

  “Hello?” Kenneth asked.

  “Hey there. It’s, um… it’s me,” I said.

  “I know. I’ve been trying to call.”

  “I know. And I’m sorry. It’s just been a little hectic around the hospital lately.”

  “How’s your mother doing?” he asked.

  “She’s about as good as she can be. She has the strength to fight me on this surgery, so she can’t be doing as terribly as I think.”

  “What do you need, Tiffany?”

  I drew in a deep breath as I stood from the seat beside my mother’s bed.

  “I need to keep my job,” I said.

  “Were you under the impression that you weren’t?” Kenneth asked.

  “I don’t know. Am I?” I asked. “I can’t quit. I figured you were waiting on me to quit so you could get another secretary in there and get some of this heat off you, but I can’t. I need this job to keep a steady flow of income so I can pay for this surgery. I can’t afford to lose this job.”

  “Tiffany, I wasn’t-”

  “So I’m prepare to switch departments,” I said. “Work for someone else. Back room. Mail room. Secretary to your head of security. Whatever. Any flow of income is going to be fine. I don’t have a salary I have to hit. I just need this job, Kenneth.”

  “Tiffany, you aren’t-”

  “I know all of this looks really bad right now, and I’ll keep my head low. I’ll deal with the stares and the snickers and I’ll make any statement you want me to make to the media. Just don’t fire me, Kenneth.”

  “I’m not firing you, and you’re not switching departments.”

  My eyes rose from my feet as I furrowed my brow.

  “I’m not?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. “You’re not. Tiffany, you have a very unique set of kills and a keen ability to latch on quickly. I need those skills in my secretary, and I have no plans to replace you. I never did.”

  “But I can’t possibly stay in your employ. Not with everything going on.”

  “You let me handle that,” he said.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “Look, a lot of stuff has been going on these past three weeks. And I know it’s been a whirlwind for you. I’m also aware of how some of your co-workers have been treating you.”

  “I’m not worried about that right now.”

  “Well, I am. And I figured there was really only one way to come at this. So, I partnered up with the company’s lawyer to figure some things out.”

  “What kind of things?” I asked.

  “When I was still in Switzerland, I kept coming back to this thing with your father that had been dug up by the media. And I kept thinking to myself, ‘why the hell didn’t I know about this?’ I was at Instatech when this happened to your father. I was the temporary CEO. I should’ve known this was going on. You were right, Tiffany. I was opaque during my time there. And when I got to digging to try and figure out why Roman had intentionally breached his contract with me to keep this out of my line of sight, I figured out why.”

  I felt every single muscle in my body grow tight.

  “Tiffany, my lawyer and I have figured out who was really harassing those women at that company. And it wasn’t your father.”

  Tears welled in my eyes as his words bounced off the corners of my mind. Was he being serious? Did he have definitive proof of this? I looked over at my sleeping mother as my hand came up to my mouth. I stifled a whimper as I closed my eyes, my back sinking deeply into the hospital wall.

  “You what?” I asked with a whisper.

  “Nothing’s official until a court rules it so, but all of the signs we’ve come across point towards Roman Edwards.”

  “Who?” I asked. “Wait a second, are you serious? Are you sure, Kenneth?”

  “I took three women out to dinner who confessed willingly on a recording with my lawyer present that it was Roman. I’m more than sure, Tiffany.”

  My back slid down the wall until my butt hit the ground.

  “It took us weeks to dig up what we needed and put the pieces together, but it’s true. And the second Roman caught wind of it, he took off.”

  “Took off? What do you mean? Can you not find him?” I asked.

  “We’ll find him, Tiffany. We will. We have a very capable private investigator I’m considering putting on our payroll. She’s very good at what she does.”

  “I’m so lost right now,” I said breathlessly.

  “I took three women out to dinner tonight and they told us everything. How Roman offered them substantial raises without any sort of a promotion to keep quiet. How he bribed one of the women with a massive Christmas bonus if they simply didn’t give his name to Human Resources. But the other woman, Tiffany. The other woman knew your father.”

  My chest hiccuped with silent sobs as I tried to keep myself quiet.

  “One of the women spoke of a janitor who was trying to convince her to go to Human Resources with what had happened. According to her, your father found her crying in one of the restrooms and she confided in him with what was going on. And when Roman found out, he threatened the woman with losing her job and defaming her reputation around town if she didn’t file a report against him.”

  “Oh my gosh,” I said with a whisper.

  “Roman wanted your father out because your father was the only other person that knew what was going on. That’s what happened, Tiffany. That’s what happened to your father. And when we can file official charges against Roman, I know more will step forward. I know the other women who accused your father of this will feel brave enough to come forward, and I’m sure they’ll have similar stories. Tiffany, your father didn’t do any of this.”

  I pulled my knees to my face and began to sob into my legs. I didn�
�t know what to say. There were no words. My heart was filled with so much relief but my soul felt heavier than it ever had. My poor father, trying to reach out to these women that were being abused and manipulated by their boss. My poor father, who tried to help them in the only way he knew how. He’d always been a talker. He always thought things could be resolved over a strong beer and a good heart-to-heart.

  Those poor women.

  How many more of them were there?

  I sobbed into my legs. I sobbed into the phone. I let the tears of years of sorrow flood my cheeks as my stomach rolled with nausea. I cried until my throat hurt. I cried until my head spun. I cried until I could no longer breathe through my nose.

  Then, a smile crept across my cheeks.

  I knew my father hadn’t done it.

  I knew he was innocent.

  “Tiffany? Can you hear me?”

  “I can hear you, Kenneth.”

  “I’m headed to the hospital. I’m five minutes out. Please let me see you.”

  My legs slid to the floor as my head fell back into the wall. I looked over and found the bodyguard staring at me from the doorway. Studying me. Trying to make sure I was okay. I nodded in his direction before I gave him a thumbs up and he stepped back into his place, but I could tell he was still listening.

  Still curious as to what was going on.

  “Okay,” I said breathlessly. “I’ll see you soon. Under one condition.”

  “Anything, Tiffany.”

  “Would you please send your security home? No one’s coming after us in a hospital.”

  The phone call fell silent and I heard clicking on the other end. I reached for a tissue and blew my nose, then dabbed a little at my eyes. The guard at the door pulled out his phone and opened it up, then peeked back in before a grin crossed his cheeks.

  “Do you need anything, Miss Graves?” he asked.

  “Not a damn thing,” I said. “Go home.”

  Then he left his post, his boots falling down the hallway until his shadow disappeared out of sight.