Page 42 of Snowed In with the Bosses

“Everything okay here?” A woman I recognized stepped forward.

Allan shot her a venomous look and backed away, muttering under his breath. The words were too low to tell for certain, but I swore I heard him say cunt and bitch in that hateful mutter.He disappeared like a cockroach exposed to light, scuttling away and leaving me feeling dirty from nothing more than the way he looked at me.

I shook it off and thanked the woman with a nod that she returned before retrieving my phone from my purse and sending a group text to Alexander, Liam, and Ethan asking them to keep an eye on Allan. I left it at that, unwilling to give him any more power than he’d already acquired.

Ethan answered me first, and his response crushed me. I read it to myself, then stopped when I reached my desk and sank into my chair, reading it again.

Allan has been with the company for almost twelve years. He’s eccentric but you shouldn’t worry about him.

It was a perfunctory answer, one that took no thought to spit out. Another text came through as I sat there. “He’s harmless.” Ethan again. Heat swept through my veins, filling my face with heat and causing my hands to tremble around my phone. Harmless? Like fuck that man was harmless. I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached. Would he say the same thing if I told him the whole story? If they knew he’d hit on me and made me truly, deeply uncomfortable, would they agree with me then?

Three dots appeared beside Alexander’s name, then Liam’s. Their responses buzzed at the same time, and my heart dropped at the mutual agreement from each of them.

Disgusted, I shoved my phone back into my purse. What the hell was I supposed to do with that? Of the three of them, I expected at least one to take my side. The context of the situation in consideration with Allan’s actions should bring them to listen to me, not shunt my concerns aside and pat me on the head with a “there, there” like my experience and discomfort didn’t matter.

God I was angry at them for brushing off my concern. My jaw locked as I considered my options. I could go to HR andreport Allan. It wouldn’t do any good. He’d touched me, but it could have been an accident. That’s what they would say when I explained what happened. As for what he’d said, there was an implication for a sexual situation but nothing explicit.

And I couldn’t prove any of it. No one had been close enough to hear Allan. They’d heard me tell him to fuck off and seen him scurry away. Why wouldn’t they listen to me? I started to grab my phone again but stopped. Arguing served no purpose. If anything, they’d call me hysterical and blame my femininity for making more of the situation than necessary.

Allan won this round, but I’d be damned if I let him get close to me again. I closed my eyes and pressed the heels of my hands over my forehead, taking slow, cleansing breaths until the heat left my skin and I knew I could face Alexander without showing my emotions.

Calm and collected, I gathered up my stuff and marched down the hall, turning right at the corner and entering Alexander’s office with my shoulders back and my jaw set. “Have we heard from Harrington?” The room looked the same as it always did, but it held new meaning for me when my gaze caught on the corner where the couch had sat when we fucked for the first time. I yanked my attention back before I lost myself in the memory.

Ethan looked up from his computer and raised his eyebrows. “We’re expecting a call any minute. He should have information on the council meeting.”

“Good.” I lowered my purse onto the table and picked up the laptop I’d used earlier in the week. “Liam, you’re all set with your designs?”

“Ready.” He gave me a wink that I ignored.

It hurt to meet Ethan’s eyes and not let him see my disappointment, but I kept my shit together and concentrated on the job. Asking them to watch Allan was unfair. They weremen. I should’ve known they wouldn’t see a problem with Allan’s behavior. I expected too much of them based on a few nights together. Our sexual relationship did not cross over into the workspace. Whatever happened here was for me to deal with. I released my expectations of their concern for me. It was better this way.

Alexander’s phone rang. He answered with a perfunctory—“Harrington, the team’s here. I’m putting you on speaker”—before he tapped the button and sat down.

“Good news.” Harrington’s voice boomed. “The council meeting has been moved to tomorrow. Based on what you’ve shown me, we’re well ahead of their expectations. I’d like you to keep moving ahead so we can knock their socks off. Clara, your designs are brilliant. Keep up the good work.”

I flushed at his praise and let it sink in. I was working on the project of a lifetime. I could not let petty Allan’s remarks waylay my goal.

“I’ll meet you at city hall tomorrow morning,” Harrington continued.

“We’ll be there.” Alexander ended the call with a click and spun around to face us, lacing his fingers together on top of the table. “You heard the man. Let’s get to work.”

19

ETHAN

I’d come to a single conclusion since Clara’s message about Allan. The man was a slimeball. Still harmless, but he had the makings of a first-rate creep. With my back in the corner of the small kitchen where many of the employees spent their lunch hour, I kept tabs on the black-haired man scrolling through his phone. I’d managed to slip behind him once, and the pictures on his phone sent disgust rippling through me. They were all pictures of women, but it was the furtiveness of the images that made me uneasy. Pictures that were grainy or out of focus, like they’d been taken without the woman’s knowledge or from far away then zoomed in and cropped. I almost confronted him, but we had pressing matters with the council meeting. Matters that had Alexander hovering in the doorway giving me a death glare.

“Well?” He shoved both hands into his pockets, his stride eating up the distance to the door where his car sat parked at the curb. Liam helped Clara into the front passenger seat, his back to us as he took care of her.

I kept my voice even despite the anger. “First-rate jackass. Clara’s right to be concerned.”

“Fuck.” Alexander’s pace quickened. “I still don’t want her worried or stressed about him. He’s harmless.”

“Harmless?” I understood Alexander’s stance on the word. He meant that Allan wouldn’t come after Clara in any meaningful way. But harmless had different connotations in this instance. Clara had a reason for bringing Allan to our attention. I hesitated to brush off her concerns even though I’d made up my mind to keep a closer eye on Allan. The more I watched him, the more I realized something was off about the man.

We exited the building together. Clara looked up from the passenger seat. Her expression closed off, and she snapped her head forward. That was why I felt like a heel for telling her not to worry about Allan. She had no idea we were keeping tabs on him. “Clara needs to know.”

“Not right now.” Alexander’s orders were clear. “We need to concentrate on Harrington and the council meeting. Dodgy Allan is not ruining this for us. Any luck tracing the number?”

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