Eleven | Ethan
Eleven
Ethan
Having Kate and Eva out at the same time had been more stressful than I had imagined, so I was beyond ecstatic when they were both back in the office, and things felt like they were returning to normal. I was exhausted from spending the weekend at the office, working on stuff for Brent, and trying to get caught up in general. The last I’d heard from him, they were waiting for the results of a paternity test before moving forward with Watson Investments. If it turned out that the child was his, then that would impact the business deal with Karly.
I responded to the last few emails that had come in before pushing away from my desk and making my way to the board room for a meeting with Regina and Garrett. I walked into the room and felt the tension that was radiating off of them, adjusting my tie that suddenly felt too tight around my neck. They didn’t bother with smiling or standing to greet me. This wasn’t a meeting to discuss something good that had happened or to talk about the charity ball that we were supposed to be participating in. This was a meeting to discuss the problem that had been a thorn in my side for weeks. I took my seat and folded my hands on the table in front of me.
“Ethan,” Regina said, clearing her throat. “Thank you for meeting with us this morning. I know your schedule is very tight today.”
I nodded curtly and glanced over at Garrett. He was fidgeting with his pen, a nervous habit that I very clearly remembered from our childhood after my parents split up after my father was caught cheating.
“What’s the update?” I asked, cutting straight to the chase.
“Cora is filing a sexual harassment lawsuit,” Regina said with a heavy sigh, pushing a stack of papers across the table to me. I reached over and took them.
“I’ll let you look over the paperwork when you have the time—and I need you to make the time. But long story short, she’s claiming that you forced her to have sex with you in the board room after hours in exchange for the raise she was given.” Regina leaned back in her chair and tapped her pen on the table.
I discreetly glanced around, looking at the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that surrounded the room, and recalled the night that Cora and I had stayed late to work on a case. The day had been long and exhausting, the frustration of the week overwhelming. Cora hadn’t worked for Roberts and Associates that long before she was assigned to help me with the case I was working on. She was eager to help, to say the least, but I didn’t have time to stop and question what her motives were before she was under the table, sucking my dick in an effort to help me relax.
Did I know better?
Fuck yeah, I did.
Was I thinking clearly?
Obviously not.
A sloppy blow job had quickly turned into her hiking up her skirt and bending over the table. She watched me over her shoulder as she slid her fingers through her slit, showing me how wet her pussy was. It didn’t take long before my dick was inside of her, and I was questioning how we got there in the first place.
I’d been with plenty of women in my life and had never met someone as determined to have sex with me as Cora. That was the first red flag that I should have seen had I been paying attention.
The next day, things went from good—or I guess I should say mediocre —to bad. She came into my office and closed the door before she started to unbutton her shirt. When I told her no, something inside of her snapped, and she became this evil woman that I couldn’t get rid of. I’d tried to keep things professional and keep my distance from her, but she was persistent. When I realized that she had started to become obsessed, I asked Regina to give her a raise and promote her to a position on Garrett’s team.
I looked at the stack of papers, the regret of that night sinking in my stomach.
“I can read through all of this, but we already know that it’s my word against hers. And honestly, given that we did have sex after hours, I don’t know any judge who isn’t going to rule in her favor. So, what options do we have at this point?” I asked, pushing the papers away from me.
“I’m working with our legal team to find out. As soon as I know, I’ll let you know,” she assured me. “Until then, I suggest keeping your head down and proceed with business as usual. Keep your office door open for any meetings you have, and if you need privacy for a client, have Eva or another attorney present for it.”
I glanced over at Garrett and found him watching me, a lack of expression on his face. I wondered if he was sitting there, judging me, thinking that his little brother had turned into a sex-crazed pervert, just like our dad. Garrett and I had never been close, probably because he was ten years older than me, but I always felt like he resented me for something I wasn’t even aware of.
I blew out a breath and thought about how all of this could blow up in my face even further if anyone found out about me and Eva. What had happened with Cora was a mistake, and I regretted it as soon as it happened. I wasn’t the kind of guy who ever mixed business and pleasure. With so much at stake in the lawsuit with Cora, I couldn’t risk anyone finding out what had happened between Eva and me.
The problem was that with Eva, it was different. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stay away from her, and that scared the shit out of me.