Page 6 of Size King

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it already.” I wink.

To say that I ‘didn’t like Sarah that much’ is sort of an understatement. I hated her back in school. I hate her for what she represents more than anything, the idea that a woman can get ahead as long as she’s hot.

“This is all really good, Kate,” says Aiden. “I say let’s get to work.”

“Whenever you’re ready!” I say, clapping my hands together.

“So, I guess you aren’t on a first name basis with Sarah or anything, are you?” he wonders.

“I mean, she probably remembers who I am.” I shrug. “I can only speak for me. I remember her. I talked to her in class by name. I did consider reaching out to her privately to see if maybe we could get a conversation going between you two.”

“Yeah, that’s what my lawyer says also,” he says as he moves on to his water. “I want to sue the shit out of her so bad. I don’t need a PR guy or gal to tell me why I can’t do that.”

“Suing a girl that’s accusing you of rape doesn’t work, unless you’re Donald Trump,” I quip.

“Oh snap, we’re getting political.” He laughs. “Yeah, I don’t want to talk to Sarah. I’m not sure I’d want you talking to her, either.”

“Yeah, in some cases, approaching the accuser and talking might be efficient and even the best solution,” I say. “It would definitely save a lot of time to just talk things out. But I know Sarah. I don’t think we’ll get much done trying to get to her through basic dialogue. She’s always plotting.”

“Yeah, let’s not talk to her,” he reiterates. “I really hope you believe me when I say that I didn’t abuse Sarah in any way.”

“Is there consensual sex?” I wonder.

“Yes,” he replies quickly. “Two occasions, both consensual, both times we were drunk and… other things, perhaps. I resisted her for a long time, but she kept asking me out for drinks. She’s not my type, but I felt bad about just saying no to her all the time.”

“She wore you down, huh?”

I sit back in my chair, leaning back to readjust myself. I have my legs partially open, but with the length of my skirt, I know that he can’t see anything even if he is looking. I’m pretty sure that he is looking—he is subtle, but his eyes will dart.

“Tell me something,” says Aiden. “I just have to know about what’s going on with Circuit Town. You were their PR rep. I figure you have to have some juice.”

“I’m a bit classier than that, Mr. Marx,” I reply. “Client confidentiality, that sort of thing. I’m not going to tell anyone else about what goes on here, so I show that respect to all who employ my services.”

He hums for a brief moment before taking a large swig of water.

“I’ll rephrase,” he tries again. “What was it like working for Circuit Town? This is your work history, so I’d like to know.”

“It was awful, to tell you the truth,” I confess. “It was a poorly managed company that didn’t like taking advice from anyone.”

“That’s not a good thing,” he adds.

“No, and the people that ran the company were terrible, didn’t know what they were doing, and treated most of their employees like shit,” I continue. “I think that the company is collapsing from that, in my opinion. If you don’t treat your workers right, they’ll start reflecting that neglect in the work they give you.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He nods. “I always treat my employees the way I want to be treated. So, after Circuit Town, your agency sent you here?”

“Well, I didn’t have work for a while after Circuit Town didn’t last,” I say. “I was just starting to get worried about getting dropped by my agency. I couldn’t find a job and my agency wasn’t looking hard for me. I thought I wasn’t going to make it. Then, I discovered your company, and you got me back to work. I can’t thank you enough.”

We stare into each other’s eyes for several uninterrupted seconds. Neither of us want to break the connection. I’m secretly hoping that he might inch closer to me.

“What’s your take on office romances, Ms. Harly?” he asks me, granting my wish and scooting himself forward in his chair just a few inches.

“Call me Kate.”

“Kate, do you believe that office romances can work?”

“I think they’re usually a bad idea,” I answer honestly. “If it’s specifically against a company’s policy, I say absolutely not.”

“And if there’s nothing about it in the company policy?” he wonders.