Page 65 of Boss of Her

Philippa tensed. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you think? I’m doing what I should have done years ago. I’m reporting you.”

“You wouldn’tdare.” Philippa’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Who’s going to believe a word you say? Especially without any proof?”

“You don’t think all those messages we sent each other are proof enough?”

Philippa scoffed. “You think our messages are going to do you any favors? All they’ll do is show everyone how obsessed you were with me.”

“You can try to twist it all you want. But the truth is a powerful thing. And once it’s out there, there’s no putting it back in the box. Everyone will know what you’ve done. And whether they believe it or not, it will be a blemish on your name that will make people think twice about you. Especially any students you try to pull the same thing on. Because I’m willing to bet I wasn’t the first, or the last.”

Philippa didn’t deny it. “So what, you’re going to try to ruin my reputation? The only person who’ll be ruined by this is you, the dirty little whore who seduced me.”

Jade crossed her arms. “You tried that line on me two years ago. It’s not going to work again. But we’ll find out if what you say is true soon enough.”

Philippa frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, did I say I’mgoing toreport you? I should have said that Ialreadyreported you. I sent the email before I came here.”

Jade had left it as late as possible so she wouldn’t tip Philippa off. It had been the most nerve-racking thing she’d ever done. She’d spent the afternoon so overwhelmed with anxiety that she’d almost called everything off.

But she’d done it. She’d sent the email to her grad school’s Title IX office. She’d come to The Fox.

And now, facing Philippa, she was fearless.

The color drained from the woman’s face. “What have you done?”

“What I should have done years ago.” Jade stood up, her fingers splayed on the table before her. “Everyone is going to know the truth. Everyone is going to know what you’ve done. And even if it’s too late for me, I’ll do everything in my power to stop you from doing the same thing to anyone else. You’re not going to get away with it again.”

“You bitch.” Philippa’s face turned red. “You lying bitch! You’ll regret this. I’ll make sure of it! No one is going to believe you! No one—”

But Jade didn’t hear the rest of Philippa’s words. Because she was already walking away.

It wasn’t until she was out on the sidewalk at the front of the bar that she allowed herself to breathe again. She’d done it. She’d confronted Philippa, vanquished her, banished her to the past where she belonged. She’d let go of all her anger, and shame, and hurt. She’d conquered the one thing that was holding her back.

And there was only one person she wanted to share this moment with. One person she wanted to share this victory with. One woman who had captivated her mind, her body, her everything, from the moment they met. A woman so in tune with Jade’s every desire that she’d uncovered depths of not only vulnerability, but strength, that Jade hadn’t known she possessed.

A woman who had been there for her, without fail, whenever Jade needed her.

Her hands shaking with adrenaline, she took out her phone and called Simone. With luck, she’d still be at the office and they could meet up downtown.

But the phone rang and rang, until finally, the call went to voicemail.

She frowned. Simone always answered Jade’s calls, no matter the time of day. And Simone’s schedule was clear all evening.

Maybe something came up.Jade left her a message, then hung up the phone and slipped it back into her purse. She’d have to wait a little longer to see Simone.

But when she did, she would tell her everything. That she’d faced Philippa. That Simone had given her the confidence to doit. That she wanted to move on, move forward, not only with her life, but in her relationship with Simone.

And Jade would finally tell her how she felt about her.

CHAPTER 28

Friday night passed. So did Saturday. So did most of Sunday.

And Jade didn’t hear a single word from Simone.

“I tried calling her, sending her messages, and nothing,” she told Renee, who was at the other end of the video call. “She always gets back to me quickly, so when she didn’t, I started freaking out. I thought something had happened to her.”

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