Page 17 of Kiss and Tell

There were no rumors, though. Nothing spoken in hushed whispers. As far as I could tell, everyone loved the guy. They truly thought he was a hard worker. It seemed like I really was the only one he’d tried pulling this on. Or maybe I was the only who had fallen for it.

A thought occurred to me. I rushed to my computer and brought up a search engine. I typed inPeter Cunningham. A dozen search results came up. I hastily scanned through them.

A few posts on interior design blogs mentioning his work. A section from a company newsletter with his bio. A listing from his alma mater.

Nothing of real interest.

I slumped back in my chair, disheartened.

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. If Peter had ever been caught doing something like this before, it would have been on the internet somewhere. A mention on him being fired from an old company. A newspaper article or a police report. There would have beensomething.

But his past was squeaky clean.

With a frustrated growl, I pulled out a notebook and jotted down a few sentences. Peter hadn’t said anything incriminating, but I could at least record every instance of him coming into my office uninvited.

I contemplated my options.

I hated being under that asshole’s thumb.

I hated the idea of people thinking I’d slept my way to the top even more.

I was good at my job. I was proud of my work. I hated not getting credit for it all, but I’d always know I was the one who deserved those promotions Peter had scored.

I’d worked so hard to get where I was in such a short amount of time. I was young, yes, but I was driven. I was so close to being high enough in the organization that people would be forced to take me seriously.

I couldn’t risk jeopardizing that.

Sure, if I told someone what was happening, Peter might get fired.

Or, they might believe him over me.

I’d seen and heard enough horror stories to know that, even if the odds might have been in my favor, there was never any guarantee. All it took was the wrong person to take his side over mine and I’d be the one with a ruined reputation.

After all, Peter was the guy the firm’s partners played squash with every weekend, just like he said.

Only a few more months, I promised myself. Long enough to get a promotion. I’d get that fancy new job title and use it as leverage for a new position at a new firm.

Because my company was revered in the industry for producing top-notch consultants. They often hired new grads and trained them on the job. Many went on to start their own successful firms.

I’d beat out hundreds of students for an internship with Courtice and Cooke. All I needed was three years under my belt and my entire career would be set.

I just had to hang in there.

With a heavy heart, I flipped open the folder and shuffled through the papers. It was going to take me hours to sort through the mess of them, let alone file them with the right departments.

Damn that asshole Peter. Damn him and his damn threats. I had a long night ahead of me. No time to unwind with a book and cup of tea.

The thought triggered a memory inside me.

Connor, teasing me about my hobbies.

Connor, leaning in, his lips close to mine.

My chest squeezed tight as I remembered the myriad reasons why I had to stop letting him flirt with me so overtly.

It was bad enough if people thought I’d slept with my boss.

If people thought I was involved with a client, if they started whispering that the only reason I’d gotten this solo assignment was because I’d slept my way into it…