In Love After Office Hours (Wrong For You series Boxsets #7)

Twenty-Four

S HE HAD BEEN WORKING like she was on auto-pilot for several days now , Gareth mused. And while as an employer, he had no cause for complaint - her work remained as flawless as always - he couldn't help feeling slightly concerned at the way she seemed to be pushing herself a little too hard.

It was as if she was running away from something, and work had become her panacea. That was no doubt good news for the company, but if she continued as she were, Ms. Jones would eventually run herself ragged and end up in the E.R. sometime soon.

A while later, he saw her rise from her seat and start swaying on her feet -

Gareth made up his mind at that.

"Ms. Jones?"

She snapped to attention, her back automatically straightening. "Yes, Mr. Evans?" Blank blue eyes gazed back at him.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

Pippi blinked. "I'm sorry, Mr. Evans. I'm afraid I don't quite understand." But she was lying, and they both knew it. The truth was, she was still in shock, but it wasn't like she could tell him that. He would ask why if she did, and what was there to say?

I'm in shock because I think Acheron Simonides had low-key dumped me over the phone? She hadn't even realized that kind of breakup could exist until she had personally experienced it, and even now a part of her remained reeling. Things couldn't be over between them. It just couldn't. Right?

"That's it."

Pippi jerked in shock at her boss' curt tone, and her cheeks colored when his frowning gaze made her realize she had spaced out on him. "I'm s-sorry, Mr. Evans—-" The impatient shake of Gareth's head silenced her even as Pippi's embarrassment grew. Lud, lud, lud. Why did she always end up acting unprofessional in this man's presence?

"You're not yourself," Gareth stated calmly. "That much is obvious—-" He saw her start to protest and shut her up with a warning look. "Don't bother denying it, Ms. Jones. Right now, the only thing I've to figure out is why. " His gaze turned thoughtful as he considered her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes. "You had a fight with your boyfriend perhaps?"

Ex, Pippi thought numbly. Make that ex-boyfriend, Mr. Evans.

Gareth's gaze narrowed. "Did he dump you?" The flash of pain in Pippi's blue eyes was answer enough, and he winced, realizing he could've afforded to be a bit more tactful. "I apologize, Ms. Jones. I know I could've worded that better."

Pippi managed to pull up a smile for her boss' sake. "There's nothing to be sorry for, sir. A better phrasing won't change reality."

"If it's any consolation, I think he's an idiot to have dumped you." A pause. "And you know what they say about getting over heartbreak..."

Pippi blinked. "Actually, I don't."

"The best way to get over an old flame is to find a new one," Gareth murmured.

Oh.

"So if you ever require my assistance in that sense..."

The words threw her off, and Pippi choked.

Gareth's lips curved at the sound. "That's better. Laughter suits you more, Ms. Jones." His voice turned brisk. "That said, you're dismissed for the day."

"Mr. Evans!" Pippi's lips twitched even as she felt torn between amusement and exasperation. "Giving me time off isn't always the answer, you know."

"Why can't it?" Gareth's broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. "It worked the first time, didn't it?"

"But—-"

"Do you know," he mused out loud, "you're the only employee I know who actually complains about getting more downtime from work."

The words made her realize just how silly she was acting, and a rueful smile touched her lips. "I'm sorry. I know I'm acting like an ungrateful witch..."

Gareth's eyes laughed at her. "You're an adult now, Ms. Jones. I doubt anyone would freak out if you said the word 'bitch' out loud."

Her lips pursed, and she couldn't help sounding defensive as she said, "I just don't like saying it."

That she truly meant it and wasn't faking being prim and proper made Ms. Jones all the more attractive to his eyes, and Gareth had to mentally shake his head, thinking once again that only an idiot would let go of such a prize.

"May I give you some unsolicited advice, Ms. Jones?"

"Of course, sir." But the way her lovely face had turned blank told him that a part of her already knew what he was about to say.

No matter , Gareth thought. People had a tendency to ignore what wasn't being said, and this unfortunately appeared true in Pippi's case.

"I'm not sure what happened to make you forget the truth," he said quietly, "but you're much stronger than this. You've never struck me as the type to mope and let things happen, and I don't like being proven wrong."

A shaky smile made its way to Pippi's lips at her boss' words. "So what you're basically saying is...I should either move on or make things happen... for your sake?"

Gareth released a mock sigh of relief. "Thank God you're done acting like an idiot."

Pippi was still shaking her head in rueful amusement as she boarded the half-crowded elevator. As it sped down, she lifted her gaze absently, taking note of the other passengers. Most of them were wives of the company's board members, and she vaguely remembered about a luncheon on the same day that was exclusive to Simonides Incorporated's higher-ups.

The elevator paused on the 24th floor, and Pippi tried to keep her face blank when she saw Millicent Longbourn step in, followed by an older woman.

As the doors closed, Pippi couldn't help noticing the way the other women began exchanging looks as their lips curled in patronizing contempt.

Pippi slowly lowered her head even as shame engulfed her. It wasn't her place to interfere, and yet...

"Don't you think it's started to smell?" one of the women asked loudly.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Her teeth gnashed.

Don't interfere. Just don't.

"Now that you've mentioned it," another woman drawled, "it does seem like it."

"And if I'm not mistaken," the third woman in the group added snidely, "It's a rather whorish smell..."

Millicent is a big girl , Pippi tried to convince herself. And a really tough girl, too , she added desperately in her mind as the insults continued and Acheron's former lover refused to answer back for some reason.

"I truly feel for you, Mrs. Longbourn, to have been forced to move out of town—-"

Pippi's head jerked up, and this time everything became awfully clear. The older woman who had followed Ms. Longbourn inside was none other than Millicent's own mother, and the way she was looking at her daughter made Pippi realize why Millicent wasn't saying a thing.

Don't let get them to you.

And the plea seemed to have done its job, with the way Millicent was visibly struggling to control herself.

Good for them for taking the higher road , Pippi thought, and if she were smart, that was exactly what she should do, too. Just let this one go, and find another subtle and discreet way to help Millicent Longbourn.

Pippi began chanting the words in her mind.

Let it go.

Let it go.

Let it go.

But when she lifted her gaze anew and saw how Millicent's own eyes were smarting with tears of anger and pain, something in Pippi just snapped. Maybe it was the combination of stress and heartbreak, maybe it was her needing to let out steam after so many days of lying and pretending to her family that everything was still okay between Acheron and her, but she just couldn't take it anymore.

"So people saw her blowing the man she loved," Pippi heard herself yell all of a sudden. "What's so shameful about that? Or is it that you're really all just secretly envious because none of you are married to men you want to blow every night?"

Gasps filled the elevator, and not all of them were from the set of catty, spoiled wives presently turning purple with rage.

"What are you staring at?" Pippi snarled.

Shut up, oh my God, just shut up!

But her mouth continued to run away from her.

"Did you really think people would keep giving you all free passes just because your husbands have 'director' added to their names? Well, guess what?"

Shuuuuut up, Pippilotta Jones!

"You're so fucking wrong."

OH MY GOD.

"And by the way, you're the ones who smell. You all smell like women whose vaginas haven't seen a dick since World War II!"

The elevator made it to the lobby just as she spewed the words out, and when Pippi turned towards the doors, she realized too late that everyone outside had heard every single thing.

A moment later, and she heard someone worse. It was someone sniggering from the back of the crowd, and even though the sound was abruptly cut off, it was too late. The others had also started sniggering even as they did their best to hide this, and soon everyone was looking away as their shoulders betrayed themselves with a telltale rock.

"You bitch." This was from Wife #1.

"You're going to pay for this." This was from Wife #2.

"You—-"

"Should shut up," Millicent finished for Wife #3 in a fierce tone, "since your wrinkled pussy's rotting by the second, and I'm having a—-" Her words ended in an unceremonious yelp as the other woman shoved past her so hard it almost sent Millicent flying.

As Pippi watched the three women walk away, reality was beginning to sink in, and she could feel herself starting to lose color.

Omigodomigodomigodomigod.

Gareth Evans had told her to make things happen, but she had a feeling getting into a fight with the wives of the company's board members wasn't what he meant.

"Thank you so much!"

Pippi suddenly found herself engulfed in a tearful embrace, and it took her a moment to realize it was Millicent's mother trying to choke the life out of her.

"Let her breathe, Mom." After drawing her sniffing mother away, Millicent gave the younger woman a wry look of inquiry. "Are you okay?"

"I...uh..."

Omigodomigodomigodomigod.

It was still the only thing Pippi was capable of thinking.

Realizing that she was the only one able to function normally at the moment, Millicent quickly took charge and ushered both women away. The crowd around them was noisy as ever, and the looks on their faces made them seem like they were on a high.

Losers, Millicent thought without rancor.

They were only on her side because someone else had done the right thing for them, and when the proverbial axe inevitably fell, that someone else would also be the only one to suffer.

Both her mother and the younger woman - Pippi Jones, Millicent finally recalled - still seemed to be in shock, with neither protesting as Millicent bundled the two in the backseat of her car. It was only when she had driven them to a cafe and they were cozily ensconced in a booth that reality once again started setting in.

Mrs. Longbourn was the first to recover, and Millicent's heart felt fit to burst with joy when she saw the older woman's face break into a smile.

"That was glorious."

Millicent couldn't help smiling back. "I told you, didn't I?"

"I always thought being decent was the right thing to do..."

"Only with decent people like you. But those three were assholes —-"

Mrs. Longbourn started to protest but thought better about it and nodded instead. Her daughter was right. They were assholes, may God forgive them.

Millicent turned to their unexpected savior, whose face was beginning to regain color. "It's you, isn't it?" she asked candidly.

"Excuse me?"

"The woman Acheron's secretly dating."

Oh.

Pippi quickly got rid of any expression on her face. "I'm afraid you're quite mistaken."

But this only had the other woman smirking. "You can't fool me, hon, and while the thought of dear beautiful Acheron belonging to someone else makes me jealous as hell..." Her shoulders moved in a philosophical shrug. "Better you than some undeserving bitch, and after today, I can certainly see why he'd fall for you."

"I'm really not what you think I am," Pippi asserted doggedly.

"How very reliably tactful of you," Millie commented with genuine admiration. "In any case, thank you for being my knight in a blue dress, and I do hope you'll remember to invite me to your wedding."

"I'm afraid you're quite mistaken, Ms. Longbourn. I'm truly no one to Mr. Simonides." Or at least she used to be someone to him. But things had changed.

This time, Millicent didn't miss the way Pippi's lips trembled, and her lips pursed in a mixture of surprise and regret. Oh, Acheron. What have you done?

****

P IPPI'S DECISION TO come to Millicent Longbourn's defense had once again turned her into a hot topic among the employees of Simonides, Inc. and the news eventually found its way to the dining room at Acheron's penthouse, where the billionaire was having lunch with Wickham and Amelia.

"Do you see now," Amelia murmured sadly. "People who love us only end up getting hurt—-"

"Ms. Jones came to someone else's rescue," Wickham couldn't help pointing out irritably. "How does that constitute her being hurt?"

"Because there's always a fallout when things like this happen," Amelia answered complacently. Turning to Acheron, she said softly, "It's the truth. You know it is. Don't you?"

The billionaire didn't answer, but Amelia was unperturbed. The way Acheron's face had hardened was enough to tell Amelia her words had hit its mark.

Back in his hotel, Acheron lay on his back, staring unseeingly in the dark.

People who love us only end up getting hurt.

And even though a part of him didn't want to fucking acknowledge it, he knew that Amelia's words had been the truth. It wasn't in Pippi's nature to interfere in such a way - his little blusher was usually a lot subtler than that - but whatever her reason was, he was damn certain it had something to do with him.

And because of him, she was going to get hurt.

Because he had liked playing fast and loose, Pippi was going to get hurt.

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually.

It was only a matter of time - unless he took matters into his own hands and cut her out of his life for good.

The thought of putting a permanent end between them made him feel sick. He didn't want to lose her. He wasn't ready to be free of her. And yet - weren't his actions in the past few weeks already tantamount to breaking up with her?

He had stopped sleeping at her place, stopped calling or talking to her. He had, in not so many words, made it clear that they were over -

And that was how it should be , Acheron told himself savagely.

It was better this way. Having him hurt her would be nothing compared to how the others could and would attack her - and he had a feeling it would be even worse than what Millicent had suffered.

If he really wanted what was best for her, he should simply make a quick, clean break of it.

He should simply tell her it was over.

It was the only thing to do.

And yet—-

Soon, he thought.

He would do the right thing soon.

Not now, not just yet, but soon.

Because even if he no longer let himself see her, no longer let himself hear her, the thought - the sheer possibility that Pippi might still think of herself as his...

It was the only thing that kept him going these days, and he needed it like he needed air to breathe.

So soon...but not just yet.

Soon.

He just wanted, needed a little bit more time, even if it only meant having the right to remember how things used to be.

Soon.

But life refused to cooperate, and the end came sooner than Acheron expected, and it was so much worse than he could have ever foreseen.