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“What?” I asked. “No way.”
“Yes way,” she said. “Now, it’s nothing huge. Just a lot of clocked-in hours that I don’t think he was ever actually here for, but hey, that all adds up over time. But, for me to verify that, I need to have access to information like employee time logs and salaries. It’s sensitive information, I know, but if you’re okay with it…”
“Whatever you need,” I said. “I want to know how someone like him could be defrauding us right under our noses, and we never knew it. If he was doing it, that means anyone could! We have to figure this out and fast. Before my dad finds out. You haven’t told anyone else about this have you?”
She smiled. “No,” she said. “Why do you think I didn’t send you and the team an update on my meeting today? I knew you’d want to keep this on the down-low. Now, let’s talk paperwork. When are you going to have time to sort through all of this?” She motioned with her head over to the corner of her office where there were three banker's boxes full of files and documents. “Because these boxes aren’t going to go through themselves.”
“I’ve got time tonight. But from the looks of it, it seems like we’ll have to stay pretty late.” I winked at her. “Just you and me, all alone in this big office building after dark… I hope that’s okay with you.”
She smiled and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “Soundsreallyboring, but you know the work needs to be done, and no one else is going to do it.” I could hear the playfulness in her voice, and I knew she knew exactly what I had in mind for that night.
After we finish the paperwork of course…
“I’ll see you later today,” I said.
“See you then,” she said, nodding her head and then walking back over to her computer. “Have a nice lunch.”
I thought about inviting her to join me but then figured that might be coming on too strong, so instead, I just waved politely and left the building—the anticipation of the night to come put a smile on my face.
ChapterThirteen
LILY
Iwas riding two big waves that day—one professional and one personal—and I felt like I was on top of the world.
Not only had my meeting with Mark and his lawyers gone pretty much exactly as I had hoped it would, but also the conversation I had with David went better than I had expected. After spending the whole weekend thinking about him, wondering where we stood and how things were going to progress, it was perfect that he came into my office first thing that morning and made everything very clear.
We were on the same page, we wanted the same thing, and it felt great.
And along with this great feeling came a phone call from the very person I wanted to talk to about it.
“Michelle,” I said, answering the phone and sitting back in my desk chair. “I called you twice this weekend, what gives?”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” she said. “But I got invited to this party on a boat, and of course, that Friday night party quickly turned into Saturday brunch, which turned into a night at the clubs, and then Sunday I spent the whole day recuperating. But hey, I’m calling you back now, aren’t I?”
“Really, it’s my bad. I knew I shouldn’t have called you over the weekend. I know better.”
She laughed. “I’m glad you are taking the blame because I sure as hell wasn’t going to. Anyway, what’s up? Your message said something about you needing my advice, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.” I got up and closed the door to my office and then sat down again. “So, here’s the deal. I don’t know if you’ve heard through the grapevine yet or not, but the guy I slept with in Hawaii is the boss of the company I now work for in San Francisco.”
“Oh yeah, I know all about that. Gina told me.”
“Of course she did. Anyway, did she also tell you that I had written him off? That I made up my mind not to bring any more man-drama into my life and just focus on my work and my own self-improvement?”
“Uh… maybe? I honestly don’t remember, but sure, that sounds like something you would say. So, what’s the problem?”
“Well, the problemwasthat I brought more man-drama into my life, and I didn’t know what to do, but now I’m feeling pretty in control of the whole situation.”
“Is that so?” she said. “Well, tell me what’s going on anyway, and then maybe I can tell you whether or not I think you should be so confident.”
I smiled. “Don’t think I don’t know this is just a ploy to hear all the steamy details. But I don’t care because I’m glad to have someone I can talk to about it. Okay, so here it goes. David and I had sex again on Friday night. It was unexpected, and not long before it happened the two of us were yelling at each other, totally not feeling itat all. And then, bam, we got trapped downstairs together. We talked, and next thing I knew he was kissing me and… well, you know the rest.”
“So much for steamy details,” Michelle said. “You leave me hanging with a ‘you know the rest’? Rude.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just don’t want to jinx it or anything. The sex was great, and then, this weekend I started getting in my head too much playing the ‘what if’ game, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to overthink, and the first step in not overthinking is not oversharing.”
“I’ve never heard that one before, but fine.” Michelle sighed. “Don’t tell me everything. Just tell me this, what changed from this weekend to this morning? Why aren’t you still freaking out? I mean, you did have sex with your boss after all, and the Lily I know would be losing her mind right now.”
