Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Mom asked as we walked toward Konni’s car.
“Yesterday’s article is gaining traction,” Kaya said. “A lot of positive comments and support for both of you. And the article claiming our rocky relationship has been taken down.”
We knew that wasn’t enough, though. The pot had been stirred, and the public was still enraged.
Kaya’s comment about welcoming me had been taken as confirmation by at least half the readers that I was only at Steele Corp to sleep with the CEO.
While everyone applauded her open-mindedness, I was still getting criticized.
“I promise I won’t let her out of my sight,” Konni said. “Not even in the office.”
“Wait. I changed my mind. I’d rather stay here than be smothered at work,” I said.
He caught my wrist and tugged me to his side.
“And look like you’re hiding because of public opinion? That’s not you.”
“If the office door is back, it had better stay open,” I warned.
“You two have a fun day. Text me if you need anything,” his mom said before hooking arms with Mom and leading her inside.
“Please come to work with me,” Konni said pleadingly.
I gave him a look, knowing full well why he wanted me there. He was being clingy in his dragon, rubbing away again. The sex last night had been particularly impressive because of all the petting, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Under one condition.”
“Name it.”
“We maintain the professional boundaries I set when we’re around other people.”
“I’ll follow your lead.”
He agreed too easily. I didn’t trust it. He knew it, too, based on his slow grin as he opened the car door for me.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are today?” he asked.
“Yes. Twice.”
He leaned into the car and took the seatbelt from my hand to buckle me.
“You’re right. We should just stay home,” he said softly before kissing me.
I pushed at his chest after a moment and won a little space.
“No. We shouldn’t stay home. You need to go to work so everyone knows I haven’t kidnapped you. I’ll tag along so everyone can see I haven’t been fired and that I’m there to work, not have office sex.”
“We could have office sex.”
I scowled at him. “Are you going to get into your own seat or crowd me all morning?”
He sighed, kissed the tip of my nose, and withdrew.
Once he was driving, though, he reached over and held my hand.
The feel of his fingers threaded between mine…
the heat of his hand…the way he used his thumb to stroke my skin…
it all made me realize how much I’d been missing out on by saying no to PDA. Not that I was ready for that yet.
Once we arrived, he didn’t attempt to hold my hand outside of the car, thankfully. We walked into the building together, with me just half a step behind him. He glanced at me but didn’t slow down to force me to walk beside him. He followed my lead as he’d promised.
We didn’t make conversation in the elevator, and no one was waiting for him when the doors opened. But I still veered off to make his coffee so I wouldn’t be seen walking through the department with him.
The people in the break area left right after I arrived, which didn’t surprise me. I was going to be the center of gossip for a while.
Edi found me while I was adding the required sickening amount of syrup to Konni’s cup.
“Hey, Sophia,” he said. “I’m sorry about your house. How are you doing?”
“Just surviving the shit tsunami that life’s been throwing at me,” I said.
He nodded and started making a coffee for himself. “It’s been a lot, hasn’t it. First, the data leak, then your mom’s car accident, the assault last week, and now a house fire. I can’t imagine anyone else handling all of that with as much grace as you have.”
The recap and his understanding poked at my composure a little.
“Careful, Edi. Too much compassion, and I might hug you. Not sure the public is ready for yet another illicit relationship scandal headline.”
He chuckled and side-hugged me.
“We’re here for you if you need anything. Don’t let the talk get you down. The people who matter know who you are and who you aren’t.”
“Thanks, Edi.”
He released me, and I left with Konni’s coffee, startling two people who were hovering outside the break area.
“Hi, Sophia,” one said. “I’m sorry about the house fire. Do you and your mom need anything? Clothes? Bedding?”
“We’re actually okay for now,” I said. “Mrs. Steele felt horrible about the article claiming she paid me to leave Mr. Steele and took me shopping yesterday to buy some clothes for my mom and me. She’s a really sweet person, but if you ever have a chance to meet her, make sure you smile the whole time. There might be hidden cameras around.”
Their laugh held a tinge of uncertainty. Whether due to their doubt that they would meet her or that there might be cameras, I wasn’t sure.
Konni was waiting for me at his desk when I arrived with his coffee. He wasn’t alone. The VP of finance was sitting with him. Since the reinstalled lockable door hadn’t been closed, I continued forward and set the coffee on his desk.
“How many cups of coffee in a day are considered unhealthy?” Konni asked, looking at me.
“There are five pumps of syrup in that cup. So, one.”
The VP chuckled as Konni frowned at his coffee.
“Can I get you anything?” I asked the VP.
“I’m fine. Thank you, Ms. Elmantas.”
I left and shadowed Edi for the rest of the morning. The pariah feeling faded as I noticed fewer people avoiding me.
It wasn’t until lunch that I realized I’d been subtly managed since the second I left Konni’s side this morning.
Edi’s appearance in the break room when I made Konni’s first and only coffee.
The conversation with Edi that just so happened to be overheard.
The conversation with the VP to explain why Konni hadn’t asked for another coffee.
How one of the Snack Pack always happened to need the restroom at the same time I did.
The sudden team lunch, which included Konni, finally tipped me off. I wanted to tell Konni that he was being ridiculous, but realized I was. I’d told him I didn’t want to be smothered, and he’d arranged for me never to be alone in a very non-smothering way.
After lunch, I focused on improving existing projects. Specifically, the boutique project near our old house. The plan was good, but I saw additional opportunities within their budget. So I started mocking up a new plan.
Engrossed in my work, I didn’t notice how quickly the time passed.
“What are you doing?”
The sharp question pulled me out of my little world of design, and I looked up at Lianna.
“Working. What are you doing?”
My response triggered her in ways she couldn’t hide. Her face flushed under the perfectly contoured makeup, and her hands fisted.
“Lianna, get in here,” Konni called from his office.
She whirled away from me and stormed in. The door slammed hard enough to vibrate the glass windows beside it.
I looked at Edi. “Mr. Steele doesn’t want the door closed.”
He didn’t even hesitate to get up and open it wide, enabling all of us to hear Lianna’s raised voice.
“—sitting right outside your office.
“What hold does she have over you? First, you turn a blind eye to the data leak. Now you’re letting her do whatever she wants? What’s next, Drake? Do you even care about Steele anymore?”
Since Lianna hadn’t noticed the open door, none of us made a sound as Edi returned to his seat.
“What exactly is Ms. Elmantas doing?” Konni asked.
“She’s rewriting a marketing project that’s already been approved!”
“And?”
“And she’s not in marketing, Drake. Why are you letting her do whatever she wants?”
“Reviewing projects, finding areas to improve with the budget given, and redesigning aren’t what she wants to do but what she needs to do to better understand the process, which is crucial if she wants to keep her position.
Didn’t you also give her more challenging tasks when she was with you to help her grow her skill set?
Those reports were what caught my attention. ”
Lianna didn’t say anything, and I heard Konni’s chair creak, a sign he’d leaned forward.
“You seem very focused on Ms. Elmantas, Lianna. Why?”
“I’m not focused. I was coming to talk to you about the Riverfront project and happened to see her in my team’s design application.”
“Again, an application that everyone on my team knows how to use. Basic knowledge of all Steele Corp’s department applications is a requirement for my team. If she learns more while reviewing projects, that’s a benefit to my team, your team, and the company as a whole.”
“Then why isn’t Edi learning it? Or Bomir? Or Marius?”
“They already know it. And Marius is reviewing your team’s latest proposal for the Riverfront project. I’ll have his summary before he leaves today.”
“Already sent,” Marius called. Then he leaned around his screen to grin at me.
The silence in Konni’s office was deafening.
“Was there something specific you wanted to discuss about the Riverfront project?” Konni asked.
“I wanted to see if you had any questions.”
“I’ll let you know tomorrow. It’s late, and my team had to work extra hours this weekend, so I’m not going to keep anyone past five tonight, including myself.”
Again, there was a long beat of silence.
“This isn’t like you, Drake. You’ve always put Steele first.”
The sound of her footfalls had me spinning around to face my monitor. She left our area without a word.
I popped out of my seat and poked my head into Konni’s office.
“You owe everyone breakfast tomorrow.”
Kaya and Mom radiated happiness as they made dinner and recapped what they’d done while we were gone. Online shopping, meal planning, which included sending Harlow out with a grocery list, and reorganizing Kaya’s fall closet.
It was like Mom had found her best friend. She’d had friends before the divorce, but they’d quickly stopped talking to her after.
“What’s Konni doing?” his mom asked.