Page 12 of Protecting Love

“What are you doing looking into my accounts?”

“My job.” He put his hand out. “Hand over your phone.”

“You can’t do that,” Skyler said, picking it up and clutching it to his chest like a lifeline.

“Actually, I can. It’s all part of the confidentiality paperwork you signed when you were hired. Why you’re paid more to be a driver for The Carlisle Group than other businesses. Any personal electronics can be requested for view at any time.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“We can take a quick trip up to HR if you’d like. Or better yet, I’ve got a copy on my phone with your signature on the bottom. Would you like to read it?” He pulled his phone out, hit a few buttons, then Skyler’s phone beeped.

Skyler pulled it away, read what was in front of him and paled. Maybe he included the section about lawsuits if found in breach of his contract. Just for fun.

Watching someone squirm used to be a pastime of his at his last job.

Skyler was still looking at him. Fletcher wasn’t flinching. He could stand here all day and not move a muscle.

It’s not like he had anything pressing going on.

“It was one person,” Skyler said after a minute. “It’s a friend. They aren’t going to hurt anyone. Just wanted some pictures. Someone I know.”

“Just one is enough. Clean your shit out.”

He stood there while Skyler grabbed whatever personal items he had. “That’s it? I’m just being fired. No lawsuit?”

“That’s up to West, not me. Let’s go.”

He escorted Skyler out of the building, got his keycard, but didn’t need it since he’d already had Skyler’s access revoked before he started talking to the kid.

When he landed back on the top floor, he made his way to West’s office. “Hi, Fletcher,” Vanessa said. “West is in with Braylon right now. Do you need me to interrupt him?”

“If you want, just tell him everything is taken care of. I’ll come back.”

“Nope,” Vanessa said. “He’ll want to know.” She picked the phone up and buzzed their boss, then he opened the door and walked in.

“Well,” Braylon asked, grinning. “How fast did Skyler confess?”

Fletcher looked at his watch. “In and out in ten minutes. That counted walking him out of the building.”

“Lunch is on you, West. I said fifteen, you said thirty.”

What the fuck? “You were betting on this?”

“Hey, got to have some fun with it,” Braylon said. “And now it’s done. The pictures won’t be published either.”

“And what do you have on someone for that to be wiped out?” he asked.

“Don’t you worry about that,” Braylon said. “You do things your way, I do them mine.”

He shook his head and went back to his office, hoping not to die of boredom the rest of the day.

3

ONE STEP AHEAD

“What do you think this meeting is about?” Paris asked the next day.

“I don’t know,” London said, her shoulders lifting and lowering. “Why do you think I know if you don’t?”