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“You going to lunch?” he asked, stepping to the curb to hail a taxi.
“Yeah,” I said, not adding the part about going on my own. Ever since his little tantrum in the conference room the other day, I’d been avoiding Jake. It was a lot easier to do, now that I was in beauty. To him, my department was a frivolous joke, around just to pad out the magazine’s advertising. He hadn’t called or asked how the job was panning out. I was surprised he even deigned to speak to me anymore.
“Mind if I tag along? I’ve got something I want to run by you.” The cab he’d signaled stopped at the curb and he opened the door for me.
Gritting my teeth, I smoothed my skirt down and swung my legs in, thighs firmly together. Jake got in beside me and gave the driver the name of an incredibly pretentious sushi place that was currently the rage among the elite at Porteras.
Fucker didn’t even ask me if I wanted sushi.
He turned to me and flashed the big smile he reserved for when he wanted something. When I’d first come to Porteras, that smile had given me a little crush on him. Once I’d learned he had a girlfriend, I’d firmly resolved not to crush on him. Now that I’d seen how moody and weird he could be, I wasn’t as jealous of Amanda anymore.
His eyes dipped to my bare legs before returning quickly to my face. “I just wanted to touch base with you. Find out if you’re still happy working for Porteras.”
What a strange question. We’d always been chummy at work, but he’d never seemed overly concerned about my career. We usually always talked about his. “Um, I just got a great promotion. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
He nodded, still smiling, and chuckled like we were sharing some private joke. “Right, I mean. With all the changes, I’m sure you guys are drowning in work over there.”
“It’s... been a little stressful,” I admitted cautiously. “How about you? Are you kind of over the whole Versailles thing? I saw the layout, it looks amazing.”
“No, it’s definitely... It’s something. It’s not what I wanted it to be, but it’s still going to be good for my portfolio.” He settled against the seat. “I wanted to let you in on something happening behind the scenes. But I need to know you’re on our side.”
Ominous, much? “Side? I don’t—” I stopped myself. Whatever he was going to tell me, it would be something I wanted to know, either to protect Porteras or to get ahead in my own career.
Not to protect Neil? I asked myself, in a voice that, again, sounded suspiciously like Holli. But if Holli had been here, she would have wanted me to get some juicy dirt. If she was going to be my really inept conscience, I’d better do what she said.
“Of course I’m on your side, Jake. We’re buddies, right?” I smiled, imitating Holli’s practiced expressions for modeling. Obviously, I wasn’t as good at it as she was, but I didn’t think Jake would notice I was lying, so long as it was the lie he wanted to hear.
God, how did I not realize what a sleaze he was? Had he been on good behavior when Gabriella had been around? Or had I just been too swamped in her demands to notice anything about the people around me?
“Absolutely.” He adopted the tone of a professional multi-level marketer, too earnest to be trusted, like he would promise me anything to close the sale. “So, you didn’t hear this from me. But apparently Neil Elwood’s daughter is an animal rights activist, and that’s why he’s making all of these crazy demands at the magazine.”
My jaw dropped. First of all, at Jake’s concern that this was somehow confidential information. It had been on Neil’s Wikipedia page when I’d checked it yesterday. Second, that Jake had no clue I might have already known. Which meant my unethical, clandestine romance with the boss wasn’t the object of office gossip yet. That was a relief.
My phone buzzed. I couldn’t resist checking the message. I held up one finger. “Hang on, work text.”
I kept my expression carefully neutral as I read: I’d like to push that skirt up and devour your cunt.
“It can wait,” I said, quickly turning off the screen. “You were saying?”
“Well, from what we’ve heard, a lot of designers were already giving him side-eye when he bought the company, for exactly that reason. Apparently, Emma Elwood has her father wrapped around her little finger. He’ll do anything for her,” Jake said in total disgust, as if the very idea of a father’s love revolted him. “So, she decides to shun her daddy’s offer of a cushy job at his company in favor of pretending to have a real job at Global Wellness, and now she wants him to take Porteras vegan or something.”
