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“Okay, okay, message received,” he said, as if he were the reasonable one in the room. “I’ll leave you be, but I’ll remind you thatI’m the boss here and we’ve let girls go for far less thanthis—”
“Less thanwhat?” demanded Lilac, crossing her arms. “All I did was tell you to fuckoff.”
“In not so many words,” said Earl, grimacing and cradling hisstomach.
Aw, poor baby.She wanted togag.
“Move,” said Lilacagain.
“If you want a job here, you’ll watch your tone with me,” said Earl, straightening. “Do you think you’re the first one who’s led me on like this?” Something flit across his face then, something moresinister.
Lilac actually backed away a few steps, more from an instinct to put distance between them than a consciousthought.
“Led you on?” Her molars ground together. “If you—If you think I care about this job now,” she said, but tears began falling then. Shehadcared about this job. It had been all she’d ever wanted. She’d thrown away everything she’d worked for for thisjob.
“Oh, I think you care. Your aunt made it very clear to my wife how much youcare.”
Asshole.Someone needed to tell that wife to divorce his sorry ass. Someone needed to tell the police, HR,the—
Lilac froze. Could she go through all that? For creepy innuendos and one touch too far? Could she talk to Frankie about it, her parents…? Could she admit to everyone what a colossal fuckup she’d made, letting him corner her alone despite the warning bells going off in herhead?
Would the police even believe her? She looked down at her outfit and all the skin showing, the way her too-big boobs popped tightly against the too-small tank top. She’d heard horror stories about “police help”before.
And if she wasn’t the first… How the hell hadn’t this asshole beenfired?
What washertestimony going to do to changethings?
“Please let me go,” said Lilac, staring at the floor. Her voice was quieternow.
He didn’t say anything for a minute and then she heard him turn the handle and open the door. “Okay,” he said, but he grabbed her arm as she passed. “This was just a miscommunication,” he said. “I thought this was something you wanted and now you made it clear you don’t. Okay? That’s all thiswas.”
Lilac would have laughed if she didn’t feel like vomiting.How the hell could you have thought this was something I wanted?She shrugged her arm away and he let hergo.
“I’m married, okay?” he said. “You know that. I wasn’t asking for anything serious. This is nothing. Nothingserious.”
She started walkingaway.
“I’ll see you Monday,” he called. “Have a niceweekend!”
As she passed Christian, still on his phone, Lilac felt the tears fall in earnest. She flung a hand to her mouth as a sob escaped her lips and she ran—actuallyran—around thecorner.
* * *
Lilac toldher aunt she’d gotten food poisoning at dinner, ignored Frankie’s joke about how Tildy Tapir’s promise to make dreams come true had never included vomiting—and spent much of the evening vomiting for a different reasonentirely.
She hadn’t been raped. Not even close. Hell, Nana Abigail had told her about the men who’d slapped her ass at Papa’s company and she’d laughed it off like it that was simply how childish men were, like they were just little boys reaching into the cookie jar for one more cookie their moms said they couldn’t have. Nana had faced this type of behavior and then some. Sure, that had been ages ago,but…
Who could she tell? Who would believeher?
Gavin.She stared across the open bathroom door toward her purse, which she’d left on her bed.He’d want to fly here and kill Earl. He… He’d be a knight in shining armor, but he has his own problems and he could put both his job and mine in jeopardy.No, she didn’t feel like tellinghim.
Her parents were in the Caribbean, but her daddy would want to kill the guy,too.
Frankie would probably insist they call thepolice…
No matter who she told, her job would be over. The whole reason she’d thrown everything away would be over. Her dreams would beover.
He’d promised he’d leave her alonenow…
