Page 69 of One Night Only
My heart is racing, thundering so hard against my chest I’m sure they can hear it.
Everything that happened this past weekend between Dallas and me plays through my mind. And the real fear of having it taken away from me is overwhelming. Panic settles, and it’s like rocks in my belly. Maybe Dallas was right. Maybe if I just come clean and tell Andy the truth, that it’s not just some fling. That it’s more. I don’t know exactly what it is just yet, but it’s not just fraternization, that I’m sure of.
I clear my throat. “Andy, I?—”
“We just need you as a witness,” Andy says at the same time as me, lifting his chin and meeting my eyes. And it’s then I finally see the truth. This isn’t about me.
I quirk a brow. “I’m sorry… what?”
Dragging a hand over his face, Andy groans. “Lisa started her vacation a week early, and Carlo has no other women in HR to sit in with us as witness.”
My eyes flit between Andy and Carlo as I try to make sense of what’s going on. “A w-witness? What happened? What am I witnessing?”
Andy offers a small smile probably at my dubious tone. “Unfortunately, one of our employees engaged in some…behaviorson Saturday night that are outside of our values, and this led to a breach of her employment terms and conditions.”
I gasp. “What did she do?”
“She went back to a hotel with one of the athletes, and?—”
“Allegedly,” Carlo interjects, finally looking up from his phone.
Andy rolls his eyes. “I mean, she posted it on TikTok, Carlo.”
Carlo holds his hands in the air in defense.
Andy shakes his head, turning back to me. “As you know, we have a strict non-fraternization policy here at HMC, and it’s grounds for instant dismissal.”
I swallow the guilt that’s looming in the back of my throat. “Can’t you… I don’t know… give her a warning?”
Again, Andy shakes his head. “Not after what happened with Paris.”
Oh God. I feel sick. And hot. I wish I’d removed my coat now. How dare I sit here in all my audacity, sweating like a sinner in church, guilty for the exact same thing this poor woman is about to be fired for.
“But what if—” I pause to consider my words. “What if… it’s more, you know?” I look between Carlo and Andy. “What if these two… really just like one another?”
Andy shrugs, shaking his head as if he’s at a loss. “It’s still a breach of contract.”
“Besides,” Carlo adds with a derisive scoff, smirking at Andy as he continues, “this particular athlete isn’t exactly looking for a lady to settle down with… if you catch my drift.”
My skin pricks at that because that’s the exact same thing someone might assume about Dallas if our affair ever became public. But also, how dare theHead of HRsit here and be so goddamn misogynistic right in front of me.
I sit up a little straighter, my hackles officially up. “And what about the athlete involved?”
Carlo looks at Andy. Andy looks at me, his brows knitting together. “What about him?”
I conceal another scoff, because this is some straight-up bullshit. “Well, is he getting reprimanded?”
Andy offers a small, conciliatory smile. “No. Emily, our athletes are our clients. We have a duty of care to protect them. And one way of doing that is to ensure HMC representatives aren’t taking advantage of them… in any way.”
I screw up my nose, this whole situation leaving a terrible taste in my mouth. “So… this particular athlete is known to be a…playboy. He may very well have been the instigator, and yet, he gets off scot-free while a woman loses her job?”
Andy heaves a sigh, and I know I’ve got him there.
“These are the rules,” Carlo says firmly. “An employee contract is a legal document, and engaging in this type of behavior in any capacity is a breach of that contract.”
I swear I barely refrain from rolling my eyes. I officially do not like Carlo. Carlo is a dick. Before I can give him a piece of my mind, we’re interrupted by a gentle knocking on the glass door.
Glancing over my shoulder, my stomach knots at the sight of the innocent looking woman I haven’t met since I’ve been working here, standing on the other side. She’s young; she can’t be long out of college, and my heart breaks for her. She looks so worried. So nervous. No doubt exactly how I looked ten minutes ago when I thought I was about to be dismissed for doing probably ten times worse than anything she did over the weekend. I suddenly hate myself.
