by Jamie Knight
“Wh-what, who?” Hazel, his receptionist, asked.
“Oh, do you need me to be more specific? I know there are quite a lot of guys around here who could fit that description. In particular, I mean Emil Chau.”
It was a mistake. There was no way I was getting past that way. I might as well try to get past the Black Knight as getting past Hazel.
I was planning to quit anyway but still wanted to keep up appearances. There could be a complaint about my outburst, but it didn’t seem likely. I had the feeling it wasn’t the first time Hazel had to intercept an irate former assistant. Trying to calm down, I went back down to the junior floor to bide my time.
“You’re back,” Dana said.
“For now.”
“Still need the resignation?”
“No, thanks. I’ll write it myself if the time comes. I want to use some language I doubt you’ll be comfortable with.”
“Hey,” Dana said, taking my hand as I passed. Very unprofessional, but she didn’t seem to care very much, “I heard about what happened. For what it’s worth, we’re all on your side.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
It did mean a lot, even if it didn’t help get Emil fired. The prick was bulletproof without solid evidence. He was a founding partner of the firm and would have to be shown to be a liability before the other partners moved against him. It made me so mad, but I knew as well as anyone how things worked.
My new boss was actually pretty cool. A new hire fresh out of Harvard law, he had yet to be thoroughly indoctrinated into the firm’s toxic culture, which I was only beginning to really notice myself. I’d been protected by working for Nicole. The new guy, Seth, had trouble remembering my name, but to be fair, it was his first day, and he’d only received a call last night to start today. At least he didn’t constantly stare at my ass while I was filing or try to paw at me. If anything, he was trying to keep his own truck on the road and barely noticed me at all.
The powers that be were probably trying to shame me. Not only kicking me back downstairs but sticking me with a green newbie. If that had been Emil’s plan, it backfired epically. The new working situation made me more willing to stay around. I was still livid about him blacklisting Nicole, though, and Emil Chau’s moment of reckoning was coming, and soon. I would make sure of it.
The hour of doom, also known as quitting time, arrived. I didn’t dare try to go back up to the senior floor. I’d be blocked immediately. My best bet was the lobby. Everyone had to go through there, and there was the maximum potential for embarrassment, particularly considering the finger marks on the side of my neck were still visible.
Seth didn’t even notice I left early, giving me ample time to find just the right spot from which to pounce. I’d turned off the camera and phone recorder to save the batteries, but they were now up and running as I waited.
The elevator dinged, rounding me to its arrival. I tried to time it just right, so I could catch Chau as he headed for the doors. The two of us were going in opposite directions, but I was sure the camera captured him.
“How dare you,” I said, my righteous anger in no way put on.
My words echoed through the marble lobby, heads turning in my direction to see what the ruckus was about, just as I’d hoped.
“You assault me and then fire my best friend and blacklist her? I can understand how you would be angry after my boyfriend kicked your ass, but that’s just petty!”
Emil still had a bandage on his head, blood soaking through the white cotton. I could see his partners shifting uncomfortably out of the corner of my eye. It was all I could do not to smile.
“Now, now, there is no need for a fuss,” he said, oozing sleaze, “you should learn to appreciate the opportunities open to you like a good little girl. Especially if you want to keep your job,” he said, lowering his voice just enough for me to hear but, thankfully, he was still loud enough for my recording device to pick up. “Maybe we could work out something in private to reinstate Nicole. I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”
Either he was completely unaware of his own creepiness, or he thought his partners would have his back.
“No thanks,” I said sweetly, “I think I have everything I need.”
I turned on my heel and strode out of the building, the ghost of a smile on my lips turning to full and haunting.
The firm didn’t feel safe, not even in the parking lot. There was too much of a chance that Emil had eyes and ears, so I drove to the park. The same one where I’d spent that beautiful day with Sean before going for pizza with Gavin and Maggie. Getting on my private WiFi network, I downloaded the footage from the camera onto my phone and blended it with the audio, creating a seamless video. I sent the audio through the company chat system. I also sent copies of the video to some select people, including the friendly detective who saw the original video of the assault and even to some lawyers and friends of lawyers I knew, just in case they were interested in building a case. Emil was going to face justice, at least through the firm, if not through the law.
****
“Hello.”
“Hey, Mags, can I come up?”
“Of course!”
The door buzzed immediately. I rushed past the elevator to the stairs, taking them two by two, my heels in my other hand as I gripped the railing.
It was Sean who opened the door because, of course, it was. He looked happy to see me if a little surprised.
“To what do I owe the—”
The kiss was passionate as it was intense, my shoes falling to the floor as I embraced him, tears of pure joy rolling down my cheeks.
“Wow, and hello to you, too,” he said, a little dazzled.
“It’s over. I mean, it’s done. I did it. Emil is going down. I’ve made sure of it. Nothing is keeping me here anymore. If you were serious about wanting to marry me and me moving to Ireland, the answer is yes. A sweet, sweet, fucking yes! There’s nothing I want more.”
He dropped to his knee as though it buckled and slipped the Claddagh ring from his finger.
“Darcy Matthews, will you complete my existence by consenting to be my wife and spending the rest of your life with me?”
“Yes,” I said, a bit more formally. “A hundred-million times yes.”
He slipped the ring onto my finger. It was too big, but it wasn’t about the ring. It was about the symbolism.
“How are we going to get married so fast?” he asked.
“Oh, Matilda has that covered. Apparently, she was deadly serious and was taking notes on everything we wanted. We could get married tomorrow, and since we only have two days left, we need to get moving.”
He grinned. “Nine, actually. I extended my vacation by a week. I figured we’d get married here with your family, and then we could honeymoon in Ireland with mine, after a few days to ourselves, of course.”
“How long have you been planning this?”
“It was on my mind for a while to extend my time here. I can’t be without you ever again.”
“Same here,” I agreed, “those three months were torture, never mind two days.”
“Good thing that never has to happen again.”
“Agreed,” I said, sighing with relief.
I still had to wonder what kind of wedding my mom had planned for us, but it really didn’t matter as long as it brought us together.
Chapter Twenty-Four - Sean
Context could change everything. It wasn’t the first time I’d woken up next to Darcy, but it felt like it. Not that all the other times didn’t count or weren’t amazing. They were, in their own way. There was just a sense of insecurity underlying all of them. Like it could all disappear at a moment’s notice, like Cinderella’s pumpkin when it returned to rags, pumpkins, and mice.
Not anymore. She was mine, and I was hers, and only by death would we part. Not officially, not yet, but near enough that it seemed real already.
I t
ook her in my arms, squeezing her tight. She started to stir as I held her, feeling her warmth against me, knowing it would never leave.
“Honey? What’s up?” she asked, turning to face me.
“Nothing, I just love you is all.”
“Love you more,” she teased, giving me a kiss.
I released her, and we returned to our designated sides of the bed. It was nice to have a side of the bed as well as my own key. It gave a sense of permanence, even if it was just until we left. Darcy had handed in her resignation at work and given notice on the apartment. By the time the wedding came along, she would be free to start our new life together in Ireland.
“What time is it?” Darcy asked, stretching, the covers falling from her beautiful boobs.
“Nearly ten.”
“Oh good, we’re not late yet.”
“Do we have time for—”
“Just a quickie, and it has to be in the shower. We really don’t want to be late. There will be hell to pay.”
“Deal.”
The usual shower ritual fell by the wayside, as we spent most of the soggy fifteen-minute span locked in an intimate position, my cock gently pumping Darcy’s sweet pussy from behind as she braced against the wall. The best position we’d found for a quick shower fuck.
Both of us satisfied and clean enough to be passable, we dried off and had a bit of a race to get dressed, Darcy winning by a few seconds. She had more clothes to put on but had planned them out well.
****
The restaurant was the L.A. version of fancy. My wallet almost hurt just looking at the exterior.
“Mom will be paying,” Darcy said, as though reading my mind, “she’ll insist.”
“Well, if she insists.”
The inside was even fancier. The sort of place that would have once had a No Dogs or Irish sign by the door, goodness how times had changed. Soft violin music piped in through the speaker and joined with the indoor fountain in the anthem of affluence on display. I knew I should have been impressed but was mostly on edge. The term ‘culture shock’ taking on a whole new meaning. I’d been to fancy places before, like the restaurant used for the wedding reception, but I was never really comfortable with them. It was so different from the world I knew. It was almost like stepping through a portal to a different dimension.
“Dad?”
“Hello, dumpling.”
“Was he planning to be here?” I asked.
“Nope,” Darcy whispered back.
They hugged, and Garrison kissed Darcy on the cheek. I was less sure and hung back a bit until beckoned forth by Matilda. It was the first time I’d seen either of them since ripping up the check, and I really wasn’t sure what kind of mood Garrison would be in. Or if his well-taught manners would keep him from doing anything drastic if he was displeased. On the positive side, he was at least in his early 50s, and I was fairly confident that I could easily outpace him if it came down to it. I made sure to be on a side with a clear line to the door. One that put me right next to Garrison. At least I had a good example of irony if anyone asked for a definition again.
“I didn’t think you would be here,” Darcy said to her dad.
“I’m sorry.” He lowered his head. “Well, about everything, particularly for trying to force your hand like I did. You are your own person as well as an adult. It is up to you who you choose to marry.”
“Has he been at the scotch again?” Darcy asked, leaning over to Matilda.
“Nope, I hid it too well.”
“I’m serious, honey. Can you possibly forgive me?”
Her lips narrowed. “For basically trying to sell me to a business associate to seal a business deal.”
His chest puffed out. “Well, no, I don’t know if that’s—”
There was a thump under the table and a yelp from Garrison, Matilda looking very stern indeed.
“Fair enough, yes. I was wrong. Very wrong. Can you forgive an old fool?” Garrison asked, rubbing his chin.
“I guess so,” Darcy said, relenting. “Just don’t ever do anything like that ever again.”
“Never, I swear,” Garrison vowed, left hand on heart, right hand to the heavens.
“And promise not to give me any shit about my future.
“I have no real objections. I did at first, but that was mostly because I thought he was just trying to marry you for my money. Now I see it really is love. I might be foolish and stubborn, but not enough to stand in the way of that. Not if you love him enough to move to Ireland and if he’s willing to give up a million dollars for you. I still can’t quite believe that. Just tore it up into confetti, right in front of—”
“It’s okay, dear,” Matilda said, placing a comforting hand on his arm.
The wink was subtle, but I caught it. Garrison might have been at least on the fence, but Matilda was definitely on our side. Particularly after she’d tested me a bit. When I showed, to her satisfaction, that it wasn’t just a con or a fling, that I really did love their daughter, she was all behind it.
“Does that mean you’ll walk me down the aisle?” Darcy asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
It was something from a dream. Everything panning out almost a bit too well. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Why didn’t you tell me you ran a butcher shop?” Garrison asked.
Thump. There it was.
“How did you know? Have you been investigating me?”
I looked over at Matilda and Darcy, who were busy discussing which bouquet Darcy would be carrying. They probably wouldn’t notice even if I got up and did an Irish jig.
“Of course, I did. Not at first. In the beginning, I just thought you might be a gold digger or a conman who was after Darcy’s money or mine through her. Even when I made the offer, I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe you were holding out for a bigger payday. MacBride’s Fine Meats. Ranked in the top five food merchants for the last five years.”
“It’s a living,” I said with a shrug.
“And modest too, still you really are what you seem, aren’t you?”
“Try to be, aye.”
“So that wasn’t just bullshit at the garden party. You really do love our Darcy.”
“With all my heart.”
“Be careful with her? She’s already been hurt enough, particularly by me, but I’m going to do my best to repent.”
“Yes, sir.”
Garrison held up a glass for a toast. I was glad the low-key animosity between us seemed to be resolved. I really didn’t want to be getting between Darcy and her father.
“Can I call you dad?” I joked.
“Hell no, but Garrison is fine.”
The bouquet was selected before the cantaloupe slices came, the last decision to be made before the official arrangements were set into motion.
“It’ll be tight,” Matilda warned, “but you should be able to get married by next Saturday now that we have another week.”
“Still seems a bit quick to me,” Garrison grumped theatrically, “then our baby will be whisked off to the wilds of Ireland.”
“Only for a couple of days, dad. Then it is straight back to Belfast and Sean’s family. It is a city, you know.”
“A foreign city far from what you’re used to.”
“Don’t worry, Garrison, I’ll be there, and my brothers besides. We’ll look after her.”
“See that you do,” Garrison glowered but with a smile behind the sound.
I was pretty pleased myself, giddy even, so much so that I took Darcy’s hand and kissed it right then in there in the restaurant, in front of her parents. There was nothing to hide anymore, not that there ever was much, but even that was over. We could finely be together properly.
Chapter Twenty-Five - Darcy
Brunch was great in every possible way. Though at the end of it, we were still hungry, at least in the way of food.
“Easy there, tiger,” Sean coaxed, rubbing my gurgling belly.
“I think I
might need lunch too,” I confessed, “brunch was nice, no surprise considering how much it cost, but they really didn’t give much.”
“Probably how the heiresses stay stick thin.”
“Probably.”
We walked hand in hand while the birds tweeted in the trees. Life was good and couldn’t get any better. My phone rang, and I fished it out of my purse.
“Hello?”
“Well, you did it,” Nicole enthused.
“Did what?” I asked.
“You got the bastard,” Nicole clarified, “the firm is blowing up with gossip and panic after those recordings you sent. Emil has been seen cleaning out his office, and there is talk of a class-action lawsuit from his previous victims. It’s too late for a criminal case, unfortunately, but the civil settlement should be crippling. No one is even allowed to say his name, and no one will look him in the eye, even other senior partners. He’s basically become Voldemort.”
“How do you know all this? Weren’t you fired?”
“Oh, I was reinstated. It was a no-brainer when they figured out what he was doing. I’m not blacklisted anymore either. In fact, I’m heading up the class action civil case against him. There are others too. Emil has a lot of enemies, apparently. Most of them called me and asked if they could get in on it. Most of them aren’t even taking a fee!”
“Wow, isn’t that, like, a sign of the apocalypse?” Sean asked, listening in.
I pushed him away gently and tried to process what Nicole was telling me. Emil wouldn’t be going to prison but had suffered a fate that would have been considered worse than death for him. He was a non-entity in a field he once dominated and was about to lose a considerable chunk of his fortune.
“Oh, and apparently, Emil is in trouble with the taxman. He hasn’t paid full income tax in like twenty years. No wonder the prick was so rich, he had it stashed in a private account in Zurich.”
I grinned. “Oh, so he might go to prison after all.”
“I would be very surprised if he didn’t.”
It really did feel like justice in the true sense. God only knew how many careers and lives Emil destroyed in his time and how many girls he’d hurt. For him to be ignored and destitute, stripped of the position that would allow him to do that again seemed like the perfect punishment. The potential of prison was just the cherry on the sundae.