Page 49 of My Three Roommates

“Me either.”

He embraces me tightly. I sink into his arms and we don’t move for a long moment. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth fighting for.

Cody and Brad and Tanner are worth fighting for.

Cody gives me one last kiss before we go inside. I slip into the main bedroom where Brad’s crashed out, flat on his back and snoring lightly.

I’ll have to wait until tomorrow before we can talk. Brad’s going to hate that my friends believe I’m cheating on him. He doesn’t deserve that. Now I’m the one who’s worried about whether this is going to be too much for him. Brad values his reputation and he’s never been a cheater. He shouldn’t have to be judged for something he’s not actually doing.

I climb into bed, careful not to wake him. This isn’t anything like what he signed up for. Staring at the ceiling, I can’t help but wonder if Brad will think that his reputation is too high of a price to pay for a relationship that’s growing more complicated that I ever thought it would.

CHAPTER 28 CODY

MOLLY APPEARS AT the edge of my cubicle, her expression a mixture of concern and curiosity. “Cody, the boss wants to see you.”

I barely glance up at her. “Any idea what it’s about? I’m swamped with this deadline.”

“He said it’s urgent.” She wrings her hands. “He wants to see you right now.”

“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “I’ll get it over with.” My day started off with subway delays so extreme that I got in late. I really can’t spare the time.

I tap on the glass door of his office before I go in. “You wanted to see me?”

His expression flickers when he glances up at me. “Come in, Maddox.”

He gestures at the chair across from his desk. He’s never been one for sit-down meetings when a quick chat will do.

His impatience comes through clearly, butI make an effort not to let mine show. He shuffles through some papers on his desk before fixing me with a stare.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I usually have zero concern for office gossip, but this has reached my attention and I have no choice but to address it.” He pauses. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

I blink, taken aback. “I’m sorry?”

“You know perfectly well what I’m talking about.”

I give him a blank look. “I haven’t heard any rumours, so I’m really not sure what you’re referring to.”

His fingers drum impatiently against the edge of the desk. “Your behaviour at the party on Friday night.”

I have to wait for him to continue. I have no idea what the hell he’s talking about.

“I’ve been informed that you brought another man’s girlfriend as your date.”

Nadine. She’s spreading that around at the office? A flare of anger rises up in me. She’s new here. She’s got no right.

I try to keep my composure. “I’m not sure what you heard, but it’s not true. Kenna’s my girlfriend and neither one of us is cheating. With all due respect, sir, I’m not entirely sure why it would matter anyway.”

“Cody.” He sighs, leaning back in his chair. “This isn’t just about your personal life. This is about the company’s image. You were at a branded, corporate event which showcased our company. We need to be concerned about our image. There was a scandal last year that took us a long time to recover from. I can’t afford to have something like that happen again. We simply do not have the time, money or interest in repeating a scenario like that.”

“I understand, but that was concerning a client. I’m just an employee,” I remind him.

“Of course. Between you and me, I couldn’t care less who you’re running around with. I’ve got Human Resources and PR both breathing down my neck now, so it becomes my responsibility. The issue here is that the company needs to maintain a certain reputation, and we can’t risk having it tarnished by rumours of infidelity. These days, rumours have a habit of getting blown out of proportion and given way more credence than they ever should.”

“Public Relations? I didn’t do anything wrong,” I protest. Having a meeting about who I brought as my date to a work party is beyond ridiculous, but I’ve worked in enough offices to know that the ridiculous, small things are exactly what can bring you down.

“For the record, there’s absolutely no cheating going on. Kenna is involved with me and another guy. We’re all in an open relationship. There’s no deception between any of us.”

He holds up his hand to stop me. “The problem, son, is that perception is everything. We had an issue before where one of my employees was cheating. He got pretty bold about it. It disrupted the entire office. Public image aside, I can’t have that happen again.”

---