Page 68 of Catalyst

“See, here’s the thing, Travis. What you don’t seem to realize is that being Mr. Ellis’s secretary has allowed me to get a bead on every little thing that has happened in this office. I know about all the hookups and the breakups. I know who has been breaking the rules and who has been a stellar employee.

“And, keeping that in mind, I’m sure you’re already aware of the policy we have against using company resources for personal use, yeah?” I glance over at his extra screen, where a computer game has been minimized. “I wouldn’t want someone to suspect you of, say… gaming while you’re at work. That would just be false. Am I right?”

I take great pleasure in watching Travis’s face drain of color. “Yeah, t-t-that would be b-bad.”

“I mean, who would be silly enough to accuse you of such a thing? Anyhoo, Mr. Ellis needs the search on Linda’s work history done immediately. I understand it’s going to take some time, but I need you to find a way to speed things up. Thanks so much.” I smile at him, feeling particularly proud of myself as I watch Travis close out his computer game and begin to click around on his computer.

Wonderful. I love getting my way. I leave Travis’s office to head back to mine, feeling more hopeful than I was this morning.

“How do I always forget how scary you can be sometimes?” Matthew asks, scaring the crap out of me in the process. I had no idea he was standing outside Travis’s office.Asshole.

Matthew laughs. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Should we be worried about whatever he’s doing?”

“Nah, I think my threat was enough. Honestly, I’ve never heard or had any complaints about him, so my guess is he only plays on his lunch hour.”

“Well, that’s good, at least. His tone toward you was annoying, though.”

I follow Matthew as we walk back up the stairs. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about that part of Travis’s personality. But I’m certain he’ll do his job to the best of his ability now.”

“Good. That’s what I was coming down here to check. If he still hasn’t done his job, I’ll come back and have a chat.”

“Anything from Jessica about damage control?”

“She’s putting out fires left and right. Our original plan for Adam to send a letter to the editor is out since this article opened a whole different can of worms.”

I let out a deep breath. “Not ideal.”

“Nope, and, as you can imagine, Adam is raging again.”

“Okay. I’ll see if I can help him calm down.”

* * *

After sending off an email, I stand from my chair and smooth my hands down my pants. Nerves flutter in my belly, which is further proof that Adam and I are in a weird place right now. I’m never nervous to see him. Even when he’s being a major grump, I have no qualms about going in there.

These past couple of days have been weird, though. This article has thrown him for a major loop. I can’t really blame him. If someone attacked my character and spread heinous lies, I would struggle with that just as much. I can imagine that it’s worse for Adam because he prides himself on being a fair, albeit strict, boss. He’d never do the things the gossip rags are accusing him of, and that’s killing him.

He’s withdrawn further and further as the article has picked up steam, and I hate it. There isn’t much I can do for him either, which is so much worse. If he rebukes my attempts at comfort today, I’ll know it’s time to give him space. I don’t want to, but I’m afraid if I push him too hard, he’ll go back to being the guy I met my first few weeks at Sidelines.

I peek around the corner of Adam’s office and find him on the phone. I figured he’d be done by now, but maybe the call went longer than they anticipated.

Adam’s gaze connects with mine, and he waves for me to enter. With quiet steps, I sit down in one of the visitor chairs. It sounds like the call is wrapping up as he says the typical pleasantries.

“Sure, we’ll talk again in a couple of weeks.” Adam listens for a few seconds, then says goodbye and places his phone back in the cradle. He pinches the bridge of his nose, his shoulders tense with stress. It takes everything I have to stay in my chair. All I want to do is move around this desk and hug him until all the tension leaves his body. I normally would, but the vibe he’s giving right now screamsfuck off.

I remain quiet, practically clenching my teeth to keep from asking what that was about. Finally, he looks up at me with anger lining his eyes.

“That was Leon. He wants to hold off on announcing the partnership. It’s still going forward as planned, but he doesn’t want the bad press we’re receiving to be connected with the announcement.”

“It’s a good sign he still wants the partnership.”

Adam narrows his eyes.Fuck, he’s pissed.“He doesn’t want this shitstorm staining his club, Ellie. Jessica is trying to keep the story from being printed on the major news sites, yet this trash heap of a dumpster fire is spreading into my business.” His tone is as frigid as the Arctic, making me swallow my need to laugh. Nothing about this situation is funny, but my body needs to expel all the emotions swirling through me.

Adam stands and begins to pace his office, needing an outlet for his own emotions, I suppose. “The reputation I have spent over a decade carefully building has gone up in smoke in a matter of weeks… WEEKS!”

I’ve never seen him this angry. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do right now. “What if we get out of the office for a bit? Take a breather and come back refreshed.”

Adam whirls, his face a mask of fury. Fuck, that was apparently the wrong thing to say. “You think leaving right now is a good idea? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

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