Page 106 of Kiss and Tell
“Well, I, that’s just—” Peter stammered, flustered. “That was so long ago, I can’t remember the exact details.”
“It was last week,” she said, giving him a stern look. He nearly shriveled back.
“I can prove it in other ways,” I told them. “Everyone pick up a document.”
They each did so, looking intrigued and horrified in return.
“Look at the bottom right corner,” I said.
Each one of them held their papers carefully.
“I initialed them,” I said.
Eyes went wide around the room.
“I made sure to put my initials on every single piece of work I did for Mr. Cunningham,” I continued.
Peter turned green.
“Everyone thinks he works so hard, that he does twice as much as everyone else. He’s risen high in the company. But it’s all a lie.” I shot Peter a dirty look, unable to keep up my professional facade. “He’s been threatening to spread rumors about me if I didn’t do his work for him.”
“What kind of rumors, Ms. Browning?” my boss Charlotte finally spoke up, her expression unsurprised. She’d been the one who had used her seniority to get this meeting with Valerie Courtice. “Please, tell us what’s been happening.”
“Everyone said Peter was a great mentor to have as a new hire.” I resisted the urge to fiddle with my blouse. I already knew it was perfectly smooth. “He was helpful. He was friendly.” I straightened my back, determined to get through this without getting upset. I was simply stating the facts. “Then the friendliness turned to something more. He started being all flirty and charming. I was flattered. He convinced me to let him take me on a date. Just one date. I said yes.”
Peter’s boss looked like he was biting his tongue.
“Everyone in the office heard we were going for dinner,” I continued. “And that’s all it was. Dinner. But at work the next day…” A ball of anger began to form in my gut. I forced myself to keep steady. “He said he’d spread rumors I tried to sleep my way to the top.”
Peter’s boss inhaled sharply. Courtice raised a single eyebrow. David looked queasy.
And Peter’s face had turned ashen and sickly, overcome with shock.
He really hadn’t thought I’d do it. He had been so confident I wouldn’t tell.
But this wasn’t strictly about the blackmail and threats.
“Everyone saw how much he talked me up to his superiors,” I said. “Everyone saw how much he helped me move up in the company. And everyone knew we’d gone out that night. It wouldn’t have taken more than a whisper or two in the right ear for rumors to spread.”
“And why didn’t you tell anyone?” Peter’s boss asked, looking horrified.
“I tried.” I nodded my chin to David, who had beads of sweat forming at his hairline. “I was told it would only look like I was retaliating against Peter. That it would behesaid-she said, and that Peter had a more respected reputation than me.”
“David,” Courtice said evenly. “Is this true?”
“Well, it was just a single allegation,” he stuttered. “I offered to give her the paperwork to file a complaint, but there’s been no hint of anything improper. Peter’s been quite the model employee. How was I to know whether or not she was telling the truth?”
“She’s not!” Peter burst out. “She’s lying!”
“It doesn’t matter whether you believe me about the blackmail and the threats or not,” I told the others, ignoring him. “I’ve got other proof. I did all the work Peter took credit for. His entire career is a sham. In fact,” I continued, “you may want to look into the work he did before I started. I doubt I’m the only one he did this to. I’m just the first one who’s taking the risk to saying something about it.”
Peter’s boss took off his glasses and wiped at his brow, looking bewildered but with a rising anger turning his face red.
“This would explain why you tend to give vague answers in meetings,” he said to Peter with a shrewd eye. “You always say you’ll elaborate in more detail through email."
Peter floundered to put together a response.
“Well, I have to say I’m severely disappointed to hear this,” Courtice said with a small sigh. “But perhaps we could come to an agreement?” She gestured to the papers on the desk, indicating all the evidence I’d provided. “Clearly Mr. Cunningham’s promotions were undeserved. He’ll be terminated immediately, of course,” she said as an aside, not even looking at Peter as his mouth dropped. She raised a single eyebrow in David’s direction, which was enough to make him go pale. “And I’ll be discussing this with the other partners,” she added, then turned to me. “But you, Ms. Browning, you’ve been doing your work on top of his and performing to an admirable level. We should discuss your future at this company. I can already see you’d do well in a position with more responsibility and greater authority.”
