Page 4 of Protected By Him

“Hello, Jon.” I smiled and gave a little wave as I made my way towards him.

“Hey,” the shy, nerdy young man replied. Jon looked no older than twenty. He had shaggy brown hair, watery blue eyes hidden behind thick lenses, and an obvious acne problem. I wondered idly if he was really as young as he looked, or if it was his complexion and glasses that made him seem so innocent. I almost felt bad for what I was about to do.

“Can I talk to you about something for a second?” I asked.

Jon’s eyes darted from my face to the now closed breakroom door. "Um, what about?" he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

I leaned against the polished counter and crossed my arms over my chest. "I heard you might know what’s going on with James Harvey?"

A shocked expression settled on his face. "Emily promised she wouldn’t tell."

I chuckled. "She had nothing to tell. I still know nothing, but I would like to. “

Jon looked around, and I watched him, noting the fear in his eyes. “I don't . . . I want to stay out of this. I don't want any trouble.”

“No one is getting into trouble. If word gets out, I'll take all the blame. I won't even mention your name.” I looked right into his eyes, noting the light blush spreading over his cheeks. “As far as I'm concerned,” I continued, keeping my gaze steady, “this conversation didn’t happen.”

Jon finally conceded with a nod. "Harvey made some mistakes. I don’t know what’s going on, but I noticed on his last expense report—"

I struggled to hide my surprise. Emily had mentioned a phone call, not expense reports. I didn’t interrupt Jon, afraid that, if I did, he’d clam up.

“—he claimed some personal purchases. I was certain it was a mistake. But when I was checking the credit card statements, I noticed transactions from the same vendors totaling the same amount as the ones on his expense report.”

“So, he is using the company card to pay for personal expenses? That could have been an innocent enough mistake if he’d accidentally swiped the wrong card.”

“That’s what I would have thought too, but then why put those same charges on his expense report for reimbursement?” Jon said.

“So, he was, what? Double dipping? Getting reimbursement for things the company had already paid for?”

“Well, yes . . .” Jon replied slowly. “But I think these were things the company shouldn’t have paid for in the first place.”

“What kind of things did he buy?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t recognize the vendors’ names. That’s why I haven’t brought this up to my supervisor yet. I want to ask Mr. Harvey about the vendors first, but I haven’t had time. It’s tax season, the department has been swamped. I asked Emily about one of the vendors. It sounded like a clothing retailer, so I thought she might know since she covers fashion news.”

“Did she recognize the name?” I asked.

“No, she’d never heard of it.”

“Emily said you’d overheard a phone call between Mr. Harvey and his wife,” I prompted.

“Oh, that. It was nothing. Poor Mr. Harvey is going through a divorce. That’s why I think the expense reports and credit card charges were a mistake. He’s under a lot of stress; his wife keeps calling to demand more money.”

“How do you know that’s why she’s calling?” I asked. Certainly, he couldn’t have learned that much from hearing only one side of a private conversation.

Jon flushed crimson, and he began to stutter and stammer. “I-I…um, I mean—”

“It’s okay, Jon,” I reassured him. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s perfectly innocent. It’s not like I’m your boss, anyway.” So he didn’t suspect I was too invested in this, I turned away and grabbed a donut from the box on the counter and took a bite.

Jon was quiet for several moments, and just as I thought he wasn’t going to say anything else, he blurted, “I’m dating Sarah.”

“Sarah?” I asked, dumbfounded. “Sarah Echols? Mr. Harvey’s assistant?” Mr. Harvey’smuch olderassistant.

“Yes,” Jon said defensively, “and before you say anything, I know she’s older than me, but she’s a wonderful woman. We get along well, and she’s so kind to me.”

I held up my hands in a placating gesture. “Sarah is a lovely woman. I’m very happy for you both,” I told him.

Jon bit his bottom lip and glanced down at his half-eaten donut, then he ambled to a stool a bit farther from me. He looked like he didn't want to say any more. I could only assume that Sarah had overheard her boss’s phone conversations and told him about it.

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