Page 46 of Love & Other Disasters

Eighteen

The day dragged on. It didn’t help that she’d only gotten a few hours of sleep. The multiple orgasms she’d had that morning helped to negate the irritation at missing that much sleep. That man might infuriate, but he worked to make her happy in bed and the shower. But by late afternoon, she made another cup of coffee and hadn’t seen J.P. since she’d left his house to get changed for work.

Violet shouldn’t think of him. That went against her separation of their work and personal life policy. His car sat in the lot when she arrived, but he must be on the fourth floor with the other executives. This scared her. The scheduled meeting with Bob and the legal team to fill them in on his findings was at 9 a.m.

What on earth took so long? And did they blame Jordan? Did they blame or suspect the employees? Everyone in accounting followed Melvin’s orders. He was a known perfectionist and a stickler for how he wanted tasks performed. Because he stole money from the company. Why would he do such a thing? He made more than enough money for a comfortable living.

Violet tried her best to concentrate on the numbers in front of her and to not worry about J.P., the state of the company, or her exhaustion until quitting time. She sat in her parked car and texted Elle.

Violet:I need to talk. You available?

Elle:Grays. 7

The restaurant wasn’t far from Elle’s office. Violet made a quick stop by her place and changed clothes.

Gray’s sat in an old red brick building in a row of other establishments. Violet parked in a lot and walked the scant distance. The August heat was stifling. She met Elle outside right at seven. Air conditioning greeted them inside the restaurant with its exposed brick walls and ductwork with string lights twinkling overhead. Elle knew how to pick a restaurant.

“I slept with J.P.,” Violet said, after they placed their drink orders.

“I remember,” Elle quipped.

“No, again.” Violet studied the mismatched mirrors and variety of photography lining the wall. The wooden table top scuffed with imperfections.

“You did what?”

“Well, he figured out Melvin embezzled a bunch of money, and he planned to consult with legal counsel today.”

“And what? You two decided to make the situation worse?”

“Well, it was to forget about the situation, temporarily. How would that make it worse?”

“You’re adding a personal relationship with your boss. I thought you were smarter than this. What happened to the girl who had to pretend to be someone else to talk to him?”

“That girl was going nowhere. Besides, there’s no need to worry. I made him promise to not treat me any different than any other employee.”

Elle laughed, “Right.”

“I did,” she insisted.

The waitress returned, placing their drinks in front of them, and they ordered meals.

“I’m sure you did; he agreed, and then you were naked shortly after, correct?”

“Uh…” Well, when she put it that way, it didn’t sound so smart.

“Correct. Men will say just about anything to get a woman naked. And there’s no way he can be impartial with you. No good can come from this.”

“We can keep it separate.”

“Everyone who tries an office romance says the same thing.” Elle sat back in her chair. “How did this happen?”

Violet gave Elle an abridged run down of her evening with J.P.

Elle gulped her drink. “There’s so much of that to unpack. I don’t know where to start. How much did Melvin steal?”

“J.P. found a half a million missing, so far. He doesn’t know if that’s all or how long he was doing it. He was a founder; I don’t understand how he could do that to his own company.”

“He became disgruntled or unhappy in another way. It’s the ultimate middle finger,” Elle said.

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