Chapter 30
Beck
This is the latest I’ve been to work in a long time, and that’s saying something. However, there are also zero regrets on my end. Maddy is worth being late to work every fucking day. Though I doubt that this is something we’re going to be able to keep up.
People will definitely notice.
And for that reason, I take the long route, slinking down the long hallway that overlooks the construction site next door. I know that Adrian and Caleb probably slipped in earlier than me this exact same way.
I made it a point to wait until almost noon, trying to stagger our arrivals in a way that makes it less noticeable. It might be all in vain, I don’t know. Caleb and Adrian are never late, and Maddy isn’t either.
Not like me.
I pull open the side door onto the floor and slip through, intending to head straight to my office.
As soon as the door closes behind me, though, there’s Marissa, holding a stack of papers and glaring at me.
Fuck.
She blocks the entrance to my office, her focus entirely fixed on me. “You’re super late,” she says. The words are accusatory, and her eyes scan me from head to toe, studying my appearance like it might give her some kind of insight.
“Shit happens,” I snap, and then go to step around her. “I need to get busy.”
She steps aside, but only a foot, causing me to have to literally pass her, running into the wall in order not to brush up against her.
And she follows me in.
“I don’t think we have anything to discuss,” I say, pulling out my laptop and opening it. I make it a point not to look at her, in hopes it might encourage her to stop running her mouth.
It doesn’t work.
“We actually have a lot to talk about,” Marissa shuts the door.
Marissa flips her hair over her shoulder. “I’m not an idiot. You, Adrian, Caleb and Maddy were all late to work today.”
I turn on my computer and wait for it to boot up. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”
“Oh, stop playing coy, Beck.” She slams the papers down on the edge of my desk. “You know, I always thought you were smarter than this.”
“Than what?” I smirk, trying to play it off.
She glares at me, her eyes icy and cold. “Getting involved with her.”
“Yeah, that’s not any of your business, Marissa.” I try to keep my tone even, but the irritation is building. “We’re not discussing my personal life. It’s irrelevant to you.”
“It’s not when it screws up my work life,” she argues. “You’re acting like you invented the office romance. Like no one else ever…” She breaks off, sucking in a breath that inflates her whole chest. “I just thought we had an understanding. I thought you were different.”
The urge to apologize is strong, but the urge to bail is even stronger. However, my pride and desire to stop this before it gets out of hand are way more important. I lean back in my chair and put my hands up, palms open—the universal gesture for surrender.
“Look,” I say with a light shrug. “We had a good time. I thought you did, too. I told you that it wasn’t going anywhere. It was just some casual fun.”
Marissa laughs sharply. “Is that what you call it? Because you seemed to be very invested in the ‘fun’ we were having.”
I glance out into the hallway, praying for literally any distraction—a fire drill, an earthquake, a spontaneous portal to another world—but nothing happens. The universe clearly wants me to own this.
“It was just a casual thing, Marissa,” I reiterate, forcing myself to meet her eyes.
She narrows her eyes at me, her face growing a deep shade of crimson.
“So it was just like all your other conquests then, right? You’re so fucking predictable, Beck.
” She throws her hands in the air. “You act like you’re totally crazy about someone, and then you just fucking ghost them for the next one. ”
I open my mouth to retort, but Marissa steamrolls right over me. “I hope she knows what she’s in for. I hope she knows how many girls you’ve made promises to. I guess she’s too stupid to see through the facade.”
My hands ball into fists before I realize it, irritation and worry burning deep in my chest. “Don’t fucking talk about her like that.”
“Wow…” Her eyes widen, and then she laughs bitterly. “You actually care about your little precious Maddy. That’s a first for you.”
Before I can answer, there’s a shuffle from the open office area. Maddy is at her desk, sifting through a file folder, wearing a black blazer over a striped top. Her hair is pulled up in a twist with a pencil stabbed through it. She has earbuds in and is engrossed in whatever she’s reading.
“I need to speak with Maddy,” I say, snapping my attention back to Marissa and folding my arms across my chest. “I have things to discuss with her.”
“I bet you do.” Marissa rolls her eyes, just as my office door swings open.
My eyes snap to see Maddy standing in the doorway, a strange look on her face. “Hey,” I say, trying to keep my tone neutral. “I was just wrapping things up with Marissa.” I make it a point not to look at Marissa as the words leave my mouth.
“Um, okay. I was just hoping to talk to you about something.” Her vague request has my stomach knotting up, especially given the way that she’s rocking back on her heels.
But maybe it’s just the fact that Marissa is still looming in my office, standing there clutching the papers in her arms.
“Well, Marissa was actually just leaving,” I say.
“No, I wasn’t,” Marissa shoots back at me, glaring behind her fake lashes. “That’s the problem with you, Beck. You think you can just brush me off like I’m nothing. You’re wrong.”
“What?” Maddy’s brows furrow, and I feel the panic rising in my chest. She turns to Marissa. “Did you not give him the reports?”
Marissa rolls her eyes. “No, Maddy. I haven’t given him the reports that you asked me to distribute—because you were late. You and Beck were both late.”
Maddy just shrugs, but I see the flicker of irritation in her expression. “I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say. Beck is always late.”
Marissa tips her head back and laughs. “Beck, you may as well just fess the fuck up. It’s so disgusting to see you avoiding accountability.”
“What is she talking about?” Maddy turns to me, her voice wavering. “Because I’m really confused right now, and I don’t think this has anything to do with the reports.”
“Actually, what I’m referring to relates to his calendar,” Marissa gives an icy smile. “Which days are you penciled in to be bent over his desk? Tuesdays and Thursdays? Those are the days he always preferred it with me.”
That does it. Maddy’s face goes a ghostly shade of pale.
I push back from my chair and jump to my feet. “Maddy…”
She stares at me, her lips barely moving as words tumble out. “You slept with… her?”
“Many times,” Marissa answers before I can. “In this very office.”
“No, we didn’t,” I explode. But it’s too late.
Maddy spins on her heels and bolts from my office, disappearing somewhere down the hall before I can even comprehend whether there was any fucking truth in Marissa’s words.
I shove my chair back into position, tucked under my desk, and then head for the door to chase after Maddy. Marissa steps in front of me, though, placing a hand on my chest. I instantly step back as if she burned me, and she gives me a cruelly sympathetic look.
“You need to give her some time to process that.”
“There’s nothing to process,” I growl. “You meant nothing to me.”
Marissa steps back, tilting her head at me. “You know, a couple of months ago, that would’ve broken my heart. But now? I just feel sorry for Maddy. Because don’t you think she deserves to know that you were fucking me? Right before her? I only feel that it’s fair. I mean, we all work together.”
As much as I hate it, Marissa is right.
I should’ve told Maddy about what happened…
She shouldn’t have heard it this way.