AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Marian nodded. “I’ll call Connor right now.”
“Thanks, Marian. Talk soon.”
Once I was outside the building, I was lucky enough to hail a cab fairly quickly. I texted Jase on the way, letting him know where I was going and why, and ended the message by telling him I loved him. I made it to Meteor about half an hour after I’d spoken to Harlow. I entered the club and headed straight for the main office, which Duncan and Harlow worked out of.
I didn’t find Harlow there, but Duncan’s assistant, Kim, was. The warm blonde with the big smile stood as I entered the room. “Emilia! So good to see you. I’m afraid Duncan isn’t here right now.”
“Hi, Kim. That’s okay, I’m actually here to talk to Harlow. Do you know where she is?”
Kim’s face fell just a little. “Is…is she okay? I saw her about an hour ago and she looked terribly upset.”
“I’m not sure, that’s why I’m here.”
“She didn’t tell me where she was going, but perhaps she’s in the ladies?”
I nodded. “Thanks, Kim. I’ll find her.”
I went to the staff restroom for the women and found Harlow in there, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Her face was red and her eyes swollen, as though she’d been crying for some time. She looked at me in the mirror and tears started to fall down her cheeks once more. “Emilia. Thank you so much for coming.” Her speech was a little stuttered, as though she couldn’t manage to say the words properly.
I was concerned for her, but also alarmed about the whole situation. Something was very wrong and I didn’t know what. I hated being in situations I didn’t know how to control.
“Gosh, you must think I’m a mess.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and blew her nose on a tissue she took from the box in the middle of the counter. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”
“Why don’t we go to my private room upstairs? Nobody will interrupt us there.”
She nodded and followed me out of the restroom and up the stairs to the room that belonged to Jase and me. I found myself wishing desperately he was there with me. I could’ve used his quiet strength.
“Thank you so much for meeting me. I appreciate it.” Harlow’s tears had dried, but her face was still splotchy.
“Of course. Whatever it is, we’ll work it out together.” I gave her as warm a smile as I could muster.
“God, I need a drink.” Her hands were a little shaky. “Do you mind if I get one?” She gestured toward the bar and I nodded. “What about you?”
“Sure, I’ll have one.” I took a seat and watched as she went over to the bar. Because her back was to me, I couldn’t actually see what she was doing, but I heard the clink of the glasses and the thump of the wine bottle as she put it back.
She handed me a glass of white wine and I sipped it as she took a seat opposite me. “Now, why don’t you tell me what this is all about?”
She gulped a large mouthful of wine before placing it down on the table. “I don’t know how to say this, but Duncan…he touches me inappropriately.”
I froze in place, staring at her intently. “Can you explain exactly what you mean by that? This is a very serious accusation and I need to make sure I have all the information available so I can decide how best to handle this.”
Tears welled up once more. “At first, it started with just comments here and there. Sexual innuendo. Then he started touching me as I walked past him. Grabbing my ass, telling me how gorgeous it is.” She paused. “He scares me, Emilia. I’m afraid to be around him when we’re alone.”
My gut instinct told me she was lying. Duncan was one of the kindest, most gentle men I’d ever known. He’d been employed by us for over a decade and not once had any of the dozens of women who’d worked for him at the club accuse him of such a thing. But why would she lie about something like that?
Regardless, I had an obligation to treat her accusation seriously. Fuck.
I threw back my glass of wine for fortitude and focused my attention on the young woman sitting opposite me. “I’m sorry you’ve been made to feel that way, Harlow. I will do something about it, I promise. With your permission, I’d like to talk with Jason and our security team about it. Together, I’m sure we can work something out.”
Her eyes widened, her expression innocent. “Do you think Jason would do something about it for little old me?”
This was all wrong. Her tone was almost sarcastic. I narrowed my eyes and assessed her features. She was lying, I’d bet my fortune on it. What was she playing at?
Time to try a new tactic, see if I could throw her off her game. “Cut the bullshit, Harlow. Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”
Her face morphed and the innocent expression dropped. Her mouth curled up in a sly smile. “You’ve always been too smart for your own good, haven’t you, Emilia? I’d hoped to keep up the act for a little while longer, but look at you, working it all out.”
“What are you talking about?”
