Page 27

CHAPTER 27

EMILY

T oday feels different. Different than an ordinary Monday. As I follow my normal route from the subway station and down Madison Avenue toward the office, it’s like I’m walking through some magical winter wonderland. Yes, it’s almost Christmas, so of course New York City is basking in all its festive glory, and there is a chill in the air like it might possibly snow, but it’s more than just Christmas and winter. Today feels like a new day—almost magical. And I haven’t been able to wipe the smile off my face since I woke up.

Dallas stayed last night. In my bed. I slept in his arms. He kissed me when we woke up, and he held me some more. Then he left early so he could make it back to his apartment to pack for his road trip, and I was left to deal with a mortifying and awkward encounter with Tess and Bron over coffee in the kitchen, because yes, they did, in fact, hear everything. Frankly, I’m not shocked.

But now, as I walk into the lobby of the building, inundated by the usual Monday morning buzz of chaos, I’m still smiling, and it’s all because of a certain green-eyed man who may very well have stolen my heart.

As I make my way off the elevator, it still feels as if I’m walking on air as I float through reception, following the corridor that links all the offices together. I wave at a few of the people I pass, smile at others, but the second I walk into my office, I’m stopped dead in my tracks when I see Andy standing there with Carlo, the Head of Human Resources, seemingly waiting for me.

Shit.

Immediately, my smile falters, my heart sinking into the pit of my belly. I swallow the lump that’s found its way into the back of my throat, forcing a smile I know doesn’t match the look of fear in my eyes as I try my hardest to act cool.

“Good morning…” I manage through my thickening throat.

Andy and Carlo look up from the paperwork they’re discussing, and when I see the telling look in Andy’s eyes, I just know. My shoulders sag under the weight of the realization that I’m about to be fired.

“Would you mind coming with us into the boardroom?” Andy asks, his voice flat, far from its usual timbre.

“Uh, sure,” I say, glancing at my desk. “Should I… bring anything?”

Andy shakes his head but says nothing else before walking out. Carlo doesn’t even look at me as he follows.

With a heavy sigh, I don’t even bother removing my coat, taking my purse with me as I trail the men down the corridor toward the boardroom, fully aware of all eyes on me as we pass the glass offices.

When we reach the boardroom, Andy closes the door and Carlo takes a seat.

Andy steps around me, sitting in the end chair, glancing up at me where I remain standing because, frankly, if they’re going to fire me, I plan to make as quick an exit as I possibly can.

“Take a seat, Emily,” Andy says, indicating one of the cushy leather chairs.

My gaze flits to Carlo, but he just sits there, looking down at his phone, giving me absolutely nothing .

With a trembling exhale, I sit and wait, glancing between both men, looking down at the paperwork in front of Andy, trying to read it from my vantage point, but it’s useless.

“This is never easy,” Andy finally says, shaking his head while staring down at the papers.

My heart is racing, thundering so hard against my chest I’m sure they can hear it.

Everything that happened this past weekend between Dallas and me plays through my mind. And the real fear of having it taken away from me is overwhelming. Panic settles, and it’s like rocks in my belly. Maybe Dallas was right. Maybe if I just come clean and tell Andy the truth, that it’s not just some fling. That it’s more. I don’t know exactly what it is just yet, but it’s not just fraternization, that I’m sure of.

I clear my throat. “Andy, I?—”

“We just need you as a witness,” Andy says at the same time as me, lifting his chin and meeting my eyes. And it’s then I finally see the truth. This isn’t about me.

I quirk a brow. “I’m sorry… what?”

Dragging a hand over his face, Andy groans. “Lisa started her vacation a week early, and Carlo has no other women in HR to sit in with us as witness.”

My eyes flit between Andy and Carlo as I try to make sense of what’s going on. “A w-witness? What happened? What am I witnessing?”

Andy offers a small smile probably at my dubious tone. “Unfortunately, one of our employees engaged in some… behaviors on Saturday night that are outside of our values, and this led to a breach of her employment terms and conditions.”

I gasp. “What did she do?”

“She went back to a hotel with one of the athletes, and?—”

“ Allegedly ,” Carlo interjects, finally looking up from his phone.

Andy rolls his eyes. “I mean, she posted it on TikTok, Carlo.”

Carlo holds his hands in the air in defense .

Andy shakes his head, turning back to me. “As you know, we have a strict non-fraternization policy here at HMC, and it’s grounds for instant dismissal.”

I swallow the guilt that’s looming in the back of my throat. “Can’t you… I don’t know… give her a warning?”

Again, Andy shakes his head. “Not after what happened with Paris.”

Oh God. I feel sick. And hot. I wish I’d removed my coat now. How dare I sit here in all my audacity, sweating like a sinner in church, guilty for the exact same thing this poor woman is about to be fired for.

“But what if—” I pause to consider my words. “What if… it’s more, you know?” I look between Carlo and Andy. “What if these two… really just like one another?”

Andy shrugs, shaking his head as if he’s at a loss. “It’s still a breach of contract.”

“Besides,” Carlo adds with a derisive scoff, smirking at Andy as he continues, “this particular athlete isn’t exactly looking for a lady to settle down with… if you catch my drift.”

My skin pricks at that because that’s the exact same thing someone might assume about Dallas if our affair ever became public. But also, how dare the Head of HR sit here and be so goddamn misogynistic right in front of me.

I sit up a little straighter, my hackles officially up. “And what about the athlete involved?”

Carlo looks at Andy. Andy looks at me, his brows knitting together. “What about him?”

I conceal another scoff, because this is some straight-up bullshit. “Well, is he getting reprimanded?”

Andy offers a small, conciliatory smile. “No. Emily, our athletes are our clients. We have a duty of care to protect them. And one way of doing that is to ensure HMC representatives aren’t taking advantage of them… in any way.”

I screw up my nose, this whole situation leaving a terrible taste in my mouth. “So… this particular athlete is known to be a… playboy . He may very well have been the instigator, and yet, he gets off scot-free while a woman loses her job?”

Andy heaves a sigh, and I know I’ve got him there.

“These are the rules,” Carlo says firmly. “An employee contract is a legal document, and engaging in this type of behavior in any capacity is a breach of that contract.”

I swear I barely refrain from rolling my eyes. I officially do not like Carlo. Carlo is a dick. Before I can give him a piece of my mind, we’re interrupted by a gentle knocking on the glass door.

Glancing over my shoulder, my stomach knots at the sight of the innocent looking woman I haven’t met since I’ve been working here, standing on the other side. She’s young; she can’t be long out of college, and my heart breaks for her. She looks so worried. So nervous. No doubt exactly how I looked ten minutes ago when I thought I was about to be dismissed for doing probably ten times worse than anything she did over the weekend. I suddenly hate myself.

That was horrible. Like, possibly one of the worst experiences of my life. She cried. Sobbed . It took all I had not to move around the table to wrap my arms around her. I never want to do that again.

As I walk back to my office, I feel dirty. Like a big, old, dirty hypocrite. There’s Kayla, being escorted by Carlo back to her desk on the main floor, to collect her things and be met at the elevator by building security and taken out like she’s committed a felony. And I’m walking back to my desk to start my day, despite having Dallas’s fingers and tongue deep inside me multiple times over the last forty-eight hours. I’m going to hell.

“Hey, Emily?”

I look up as I unfasten the buttons on my coat, finding Andy standing there looking a little guilty himself.

“I’m sorry about that,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck .

“It’s okay.” I shake my head, dismissing his apology as I hang my coat in the closet.

He starts to walk back to his office, and I turn, unable to keep my mouth. “Is it really such a terrible thing, though?”

Andy spins around, his brows raised in curiosity at my question.

I shrug a shoulder, suddenly feeling very small. “I mean… maybe they do… really like each other?”

Andy exhales, his lips pressed together in the semblance of a smile as he walks back toward me. “Yeah, maybe they do.” He shrugs. “But, a conflict of interest is still a conflict of interest. And… this is my business. I can’t risk everything I’ve worked for on a maybe . If I allow my employees to date clients, what happens when it ends badly?”

I go to speak but he cuts me off.

“And I can assure you—” He nods. “It only ever ends badly.”

I swear, it’s as if his words are a direct punch to my stomach, rendering me winded.

Andy rakes his fingers through his already mussed hair and turns, walking back into his office and closing the door. And as his words repeat over and over again in my mind, it’s as if I’m on auto-pilot as I make my way to my desk and take a seat, dread roiling in my stomach.

It only ever ends badly .