“My wife.” More than one of them gasped in shock, apparently unaware what had transpired the week before. “I don’t want anyone but her, so stop trying to tear her down to make yourselves feel better or think you have a chance at getting to me. Women like you make me sick.”
“You can’t!” Jennifer screamed out, jumping up from her seat.
My spine straightened, and I turned to face them, glaring down at them. Tiffany’s eyes widened and she scurried back behind the cube wall. Kelly, the least aggressive of the bunch, sat down in her seat when my head cocked in her direction, scooting it back to her desk.
“What can’t I do?” My voice was even, smooth. From their shuddering, it also had the desired chilling effect. “I’ve been fairly tolerant of your advances, but your bleached brain doesn’t seem to grasp that I am in a relationship and therefore unavailable. You have chosen not to respect that, and are no better than an insect, in my view.”
Jennifer was defiant, yet to be broken. “She’s an insect.” Her lip curled up in insolence as she looked at Lila.
I stepped forward, looming over her and flashed my left hand so their leader could see. “I asked Lila to marry me, to be my wife. I wanted to marry her, to have her with me forever, to have her body on mine whenever and wherever I want. Not you. Never any of you. Only her.”
Jennifer’s jaw jutted forward and her arms crossed over her chest. “So, what you’re saying is you married your whore.”
My eyes widened and my body vibrated.
“Jenn, I think you should stop.” Kelly’s voice was low, reserved.
“Say that again, skank. Call my wife a whore again and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” She stepped forward, her body so close I could feel the heat of her devil fire on my skin.
“Have you fired.”
A hand clapped down on my shoulder and I turned to Jack. The BS bitches all gasped, and Jennifer’s mouth was gaping open, stumbling over words as she stepped away from me. I relaxed back toward Lila, my muscles uncoiling at her touch.
“M-Mr. Holloway, welcome back.” Jennifer blinked at him, a bead of sweat forming on her brow.
“Hmph. I don’t see how getting accounts of you threatening another employee while I was away, witnessing the beautiful wedding of Nathan and Delilah on the beach, as much of a welcome.”
She shook her head desperately. “No, sir, I didn’t do anything like that.”
Jack rocked back on his heels and stared at her. “I don’t much like emails like that while I’m away on vacation. Especially when they are from your supervisor’s supervisor with multiple accounts from different women in the office stating they’d been attacked by you.” Jennifer’s face paled and she sunk back. “Make sure your schedule is clear this afternoon, Miss Watson.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Now, I believe you all have work to do.” He smiled at them with an almost eerie calm.
They all slunk back to their cubes, pretending to work—something I still wasn’t convinced they ever accomplished.
Jack turned to us and beamed. “I’m missing that beach about now.” He laughed as he patted my back and walked us down the hall.
“Thanks, Jack. I was about to lose it.”
Jack nodded. “I noticed. You didn’t even hear your wife calling your name and tugging on your arm.”
I looked over to Lila, who nodded. “I was afraid you were going to punch her.”
I sighed and pulled on my neck. “I almost did.” I glanced at Jack. “Was that true?”
Jack smiled and leaned close, looking around to make certain no one overheard. “There have been whispered complaints going on from some of the senior staff for some time. While we were away, Owen took it upon himself to detail their actions. Some of it was on video. He emailed Stanley Wick, stating that her supervisor refused to take action and it was upsetting many of his coworkers.”
Lila was right—Owen could hold his own. I laughed.
“Stanley looked into it. Seems Jennifer has been…coercing good progress reports from her supervisor, Daniel.”
Lila scoffed at the news. “Doesn’t surprise me in the least, especially after watching the way she went after Nate.”
Jack looked around again. “David and I have taken an interest in the matter, especially seeing as a supervisor was involved and in a way that violates many company policies.”
I looked at Jack when he referenced his brother—the other Holloway in the company name. “I thought David retired.”
“He still pokes around from time to time, keeping tabs. Stanley contacted him first, since I was away.” We stopped in front of Lila’s door and Jack held out his hand, shaking mine before taking Lila’s. “Have a good day, you two.” He turned to leave, then looked back. “I’ll keep you apprised of the situation, seeing as you both are involved and have had altercations. We’ll probably need to meet with each of you later.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” I pulled Lila close as he walked away. She looked up at me as she leaned in, arching into me.
“Ahem.”
We blinked at each other and peeked into the office. Owen was peering over his monitor, staring at us. “If you’re going to make out, can you do it somewhere else?”
“Ha.” I flipped him off and leaned down for one last succulent kiss to get me through the day.
It was hard to let her go, to be separated from her. She pushed away with a reluctant sigh and headed to her desk, a deep frown as she looked over all the files covering the top.
“Hey, thanks, Owen.” I tipped my chin at him.
He looked up at me and smirked. “For what?
I nodded in agreement to his sneaky maneuvers and gave him a thumbs up. “You’re all right, man.” I looked back to Lila and kissed the air at her. “Have a good day, Mrs. Thorne.”
She beamed at me. “You too, Mr. Thorne.”
CHAPTER 10
Later that day, I worked my way through an easier case file, when my email pinged with a new message from Lawrence, the prosecutor in Adam’s case. My eyes scanned over the message, and I cursed. Not news I needed to hear after such a wonderful week in paradise.
My knee bounced as I stared at the screen. The news was f**king up all of our hopes. It seemed that a dark cloud was now crashing down on us. I stood, throwing the door open and walking as fast as I could down the hall. I slammed my hand down on the open door, startling both the occupants of the large office.
“You can’t!” Jennifer screamed out, jumping up from her seat.
My spine straightened, and I turned to face them, glaring down at them. Tiffany’s eyes widened and she scurried back behind the cube wall. Kelly, the least aggressive of the bunch, sat down in her seat when my head cocked in her direction, scooting it back to her desk.
“What can’t I do?” My voice was even, smooth. From their shuddering, it also had the desired chilling effect. “I’ve been fairly tolerant of your advances, but your bleached brain doesn’t seem to grasp that I am in a relationship and therefore unavailable. You have chosen not to respect that, and are no better than an insect, in my view.”
Jennifer was defiant, yet to be broken. “She’s an insect.” Her lip curled up in insolence as she looked at Lila.
I stepped forward, looming over her and flashed my left hand so their leader could see. “I asked Lila to marry me, to be my wife. I wanted to marry her, to have her with me forever, to have her body on mine whenever and wherever I want. Not you. Never any of you. Only her.”
Jennifer’s jaw jutted forward and her arms crossed over her chest. “So, what you’re saying is you married your whore.”
My eyes widened and my body vibrated.
“Jenn, I think you should stop.” Kelly’s voice was low, reserved.
“Say that again, skank. Call my wife a whore again and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” She stepped forward, her body so close I could feel the heat of her devil fire on my skin.
“Have you fired.”
A hand clapped down on my shoulder and I turned to Jack. The BS bitches all gasped, and Jennifer’s mouth was gaping open, stumbling over words as she stepped away from me. I relaxed back toward Lila, my muscles uncoiling at her touch.
“M-Mr. Holloway, welcome back.” Jennifer blinked at him, a bead of sweat forming on her brow.
“Hmph. I don’t see how getting accounts of you threatening another employee while I was away, witnessing the beautiful wedding of Nathan and Delilah on the beach, as much of a welcome.”
She shook her head desperately. “No, sir, I didn’t do anything like that.”
Jack rocked back on his heels and stared at her. “I don’t much like emails like that while I’m away on vacation. Especially when they are from your supervisor’s supervisor with multiple accounts from different women in the office stating they’d been attacked by you.” Jennifer’s face paled and she sunk back. “Make sure your schedule is clear this afternoon, Miss Watson.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Now, I believe you all have work to do.” He smiled at them with an almost eerie calm.
They all slunk back to their cubes, pretending to work—something I still wasn’t convinced they ever accomplished.
Jack turned to us and beamed. “I’m missing that beach about now.” He laughed as he patted my back and walked us down the hall.
“Thanks, Jack. I was about to lose it.”
Jack nodded. “I noticed. You didn’t even hear your wife calling your name and tugging on your arm.”
I looked over to Lila, who nodded. “I was afraid you were going to punch her.”
I sighed and pulled on my neck. “I almost did.” I glanced at Jack. “Was that true?”
Jack smiled and leaned close, looking around to make certain no one overheard. “There have been whispered complaints going on from some of the senior staff for some time. While we were away, Owen took it upon himself to detail their actions. Some of it was on video. He emailed Stanley Wick, stating that her supervisor refused to take action and it was upsetting many of his coworkers.”
Lila was right—Owen could hold his own. I laughed.
“Stanley looked into it. Seems Jennifer has been…coercing good progress reports from her supervisor, Daniel.”
Lila scoffed at the news. “Doesn’t surprise me in the least, especially after watching the way she went after Nate.”
Jack looked around again. “David and I have taken an interest in the matter, especially seeing as a supervisor was involved and in a way that violates many company policies.”
I looked at Jack when he referenced his brother—the other Holloway in the company name. “I thought David retired.”
“He still pokes around from time to time, keeping tabs. Stanley contacted him first, since I was away.” We stopped in front of Lila’s door and Jack held out his hand, shaking mine before taking Lila’s. “Have a good day, you two.” He turned to leave, then looked back. “I’ll keep you apprised of the situation, seeing as you both are involved and have had altercations. We’ll probably need to meet with each of you later.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” I pulled Lila close as he walked away. She looked up at me as she leaned in, arching into me.
“Ahem.”
We blinked at each other and peeked into the office. Owen was peering over his monitor, staring at us. “If you’re going to make out, can you do it somewhere else?”
“Ha.” I flipped him off and leaned down for one last succulent kiss to get me through the day.
It was hard to let her go, to be separated from her. She pushed away with a reluctant sigh and headed to her desk, a deep frown as she looked over all the files covering the top.
“Hey, thanks, Owen.” I tipped my chin at him.
He looked up at me and smirked. “For what?
I nodded in agreement to his sneaky maneuvers and gave him a thumbs up. “You’re all right, man.” I looked back to Lila and kissed the air at her. “Have a good day, Mrs. Thorne.”
She beamed at me. “You too, Mr. Thorne.”
CHAPTER 10
Later that day, I worked my way through an easier case file, when my email pinged with a new message from Lawrence, the prosecutor in Adam’s case. My eyes scanned over the message, and I cursed. Not news I needed to hear after such a wonderful week in paradise.
My knee bounced as I stared at the screen. The news was f**king up all of our hopes. It seemed that a dark cloud was now crashing down on us. I stood, throwing the door open and walking as fast as I could down the hall. I slammed my hand down on the open door, startling both the occupants of the large office.
