Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
ADRIANNA
I am a ball of nerves.
When Elijah called me into his office earlier, I had no idea what would come of it. I didn’t expect him to ask me to stay late and work with him.
Instinctively, I lied to him and told him I had plans. Why I said it was a date, I don’t know. I didn’t miss the spark of jealousy in his eyes when I said it, though. It gave me a little thrill knowing that he didn’t like the idea of me going out with someone else.
Maybe that’s why I gave in so easily. That and curiosity. I’ve been dying to know what would require me to stay over. Especially since he rarely lets me do anything outside of fetching coffee or pushing papers.
I’m hoping he’s come to his senses and wants my help with the gala. I’d be willing to give up the bet if he’d just let me help. Helping others is what’s important.
This petty shit we’ve been doing is small in comparison to what some of these women are dealing with on a daily basis. For them, I can put our differences aside.
Checking the time once more, I want to punch the asshole.
At four, I walked in and asked what he needed me for.
He said he wasn’t ready and told me to wait at my desk until he called.
It’s now six in the evening, two whole hours after closing time, yet I’m still sitting here doing nothing.
I watched the last employee walk out fifteen minutes ago.
Tapping my foot, I determine whether or not I should confront him. This is most likely another one of his sick games. He wants to waste my time. I’m getting paid either way, so I don’t know why he would go to these lengths.
By six fifteen, I’m about to get up and go into his office, but his voice comes over the intercom.
“Ms. Baker, please come here.”
My body shivers at his cool tone. Standing, I smooth down my blouse and pencil skirt. Then I grab my notebook and head inside his office.
Elijah isn’t behind his desk, though. My eyes scan the room, finding him on the lounge that Gloria loved. I’ve never seen him utilize this area before.
“Shut the door, Ms. Baker.”
“Why? There’s no one else here.” I fold my arms over my chest.
“Always defiant.” He tsks his tongue, shaking his head. “Close the door. I don’t want anyone privy to this conversation should they have forgotten something at their desk.”
Rolling my eyes, I slam the door shut.
“One,” he barks out, startling me.
“What?” I ask, moving close to where he sits.
“I’m getting tired of your attitude. If I get to three, I’m going to do something about it,” he warns me.
Licking my lips, I ask what I’ve been dying to since the first time he threatened to spank me. “Are you some sort of dom?”
He snorts. “No, but I can see why you would think that. Sit. We aren’t discussing our sex life right now. I have a game I want to play with you.”
Moving closer, I see the bottle of tequila on the table with two shot glasses. Taking the seat next to him, I watch warily as he pours a shot.
“I need some truths. Are you brave enough to take on the challenge?”
I tense at his tone. I don’t know what he wants to know, but I’m not backing down. No matter what he asks, I will tell the truth because I have nothing to hide.
Picking up one shot, I toss it back. “Bring it on.”
I cough from the burn of the alcohol.
He smirks at me, taking a shot as well.
“Very well. How long has Gloria been stealing money from the company?”
My stomach drops at his words. Was she stealing? How could I have missed it?
I frown, feeling like I failed this company.
“I didn’t know she was. She’s truly a terrible human being,” I murmur.
“Hmm. Why are you still working here then? If you think she’s so terrible.”
I shrug. “She wasn’t always so bad. When she hired me, she still had some sense in her head. At least, I thought she did. I don’t have a degree, and I knew that working for a Williamson could open doors for me. I should have just gone into debt and got the degree.”
Reaching for the bottle, I pour another two shots, handing him his. He clinks his with mine as we take it together. I shake my head at the sour taste of the alcohol. I never did like tequila much.
“You had to know something was off with her, though,” he continues.
“Oh, I did. What could I do, though? She is a powerful woman. All I could do was keep steering the ship back on course whenever she would come and derail everything we worked hard for. I really don’t think I’m the best thing that graced this Earth, but I do know that I am the best thing that happened to this company.
I became the gatekeeper to Gloria, but instead of keeping people out, I kept her in.
Trust me, I’ve earned every dime over the last six years. It’s been miserable.”
“Why didn’t you leave? When you realized how bad she was?”
I sniffle a little. “How could I? These people had come to rely on me. On top of that, I knew Gloria would blacklist me from any other company. I wouldn’t have been able to use this place as a reference. She was petty like that.”
He nods for a third shot. I don’t even hesitate. I take a swig straight from the bottle, foregoing the glass completely. He looks a little shocked as he takes the bottle, taking his own also straight from the bottle.
“I need to know it all. Tell me everything about Gloria.”
I nod. “I wondered how long it would take you to ask. Like I said, when she hired me, she wasn’t that bad.
Sure, she wasn’t a nice person, but she wasn’t so unpredictable.
She would be here more often than not and was involved in a lot.
After that first year, she started handing more of her responsibilities over.
I thought it was evidence of the work I was doing.
It felt good. That is until I realized she did it so she could be away more.
She came by less and less until the only times she showed up was to cause chaos.
Her mercurial moods were so bad that people would see her and make themselves scarce.
It was great when she was gone, but toxic when she was here.
She was constantly making impulsive decisions that I would have to change as soon as she left. ”
Taking a deep breath, I look over to him. “I know you hate me, and honestly, I deserve it. I didn’t know she was serious, but I should have reached out anyway.”
“What do you mean?” he asks, moving closer to me.
“About a year ago, she came in here all upset. She said that she wished Mason had never been born. She was talking about some girl he got pregnant and how she made her go away. She said she needed to make her go away again. I swear I didn’t think she’d do something so reckless.
When I asked her what she planned to do, she said she was going to offer the woman money.
If I had known, I would have called the police. I swear.”
I swallow hard, tears starting to fall down my face. I haven’t spoken any of this out loud before. Not like this. It’s as if there’s a weight being lifted.
For better or worse, Gloria is no longer a dark cloud hanging over me.
ELIJAH
I sit in shock at the revelations from Adrianna. I knew Gloria was off her rocker, but I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten.
Watching as she bawls her eyes out, my chest hurts. I can’t stand seeing the woman cry. I didn’t want to be attached to her, but I am.
Pulling her into my arms, I let her cry as I rub up and down her back. “It’s okay. No one blames you,” I tell her.
“You didn’t know to blame me. You’ve been looking for a reason to fire me. I’ve given you the best one.” She sobs.
“No, you didn’t. You couldn’t have known what she would do.
The police wouldn’t have done anything at that point, and you would have lost your job.
Even if you had reached out to Mason, he likely would have blown you off.
Stop taking that responsibility on yourself. You’ve done enough of that for Gloria.”
She nods against my chest as she continues to sob. I let her keep going until she settles down. When she pulls back, she wipes at her face.
“Sorry, tequila isn’t my drink. It makes me emotional,” she admits.
I chuckle. “I can tell. I need to know if you saw anything suspicious with Gloria.”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m shocked that she was stealing. It’s horrifying.”
It has me questioning if she really was stealing. Did I make all of this up in my head?
“Anyone she would meet with regularly?”
“Mr. Lind. He was the only one she ever wanted to see when she would come in. She stopped attending meetings and all that years ago.”
“Why would she meet with him then?” I ask.
She leans forward, taking another swig from the bottle.
“No idea. It’s not like she looked at the budget.
I did that for her too. I even signed her name most of the time.
” She says the words, then her eyes widen as she looks at me.
“Oh fuck. I shouldn’t have admitted that. Please don’t send me to prison.”
So she was signing Gloria’s name to the paperwork?
That’s how things kept running with her not around.
The budgets are where the money is. I would bet my left nut that when I look into it, I will find the discrepancies.
I know just who is going to help me with it too. My cute little drunkard next to me.
Not tonight, though. My heart aches as I see the dark circles under her eyes. She really is exhausted.
“Don’t worry. I will pretend I didn’t hear that. Anything else you want to admit to me?” I ask her sweetly.
She snorts. “You are such a dick, but fuck if I don’t dream about the cock in your pants. I think you’ve ruined me for all other men. Seriously, I’ve never had it as good as I did with you.”
Leaning forward, I cup her face. “The feeling is mutual, Adrianna. You’re the sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted.”
Her breath hitches as her eyes struggle to focus. She’s beyond drunk. I shouldn’t have let her take the last shot.
“Come on. Let’s get you home.”
Leaving the bottle, I pick Adrianna up in a bridal hold. Stopping at her desk, I grab her purse.
“You’re too handsome for your own good, you know that?” she mumbles against my neck.
“I didn’t. Why do you think that, Ms. Baker?”
“You draw people in with your good looks, but you don’t know how to handle them once you have them. Why aren’t you married?”
I snort. “I don’t want to be.”
She hums as the elevator doors open to the lobby. “That’s too bad. You’d make a terrible husband for some poor gold digger.”
I chuckle, heading toward the man waiting at the door.
“Mr. Samson, your car is waiting.” Edgar, my normal driver, greets me, holding the door open.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
I knew with us both drinking we would need a ride home. I should drive her to her place and put her to bed, but I can’t fathom leaving her alone.
So as we get settled in the back of the SUV, I find myself calling out, “To my place.”
Adrianna snuggles closer to me, sniffing me.
“You even smell good.” She hiccups.
I shake my head, letting her have her fill.
“You’re doing the gala right, aren’t you?” she asks after a moment.
“Of course. Why?” I ask her.
“It’s so important. The gala does so much good. It’s one of my favorite parts of working here. Seeing what good can come from all the wealth and privilege of the upper class when applied right.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Why is the gala so important to you?”
“I love giving back.” She shrugs. “But this one hits close to home for me. My mom survived domestic violence, so if I can help women like her, I will. That’s why I want you to do it right.”
I feel guilty listening to her talk about it. I pegged her all wrong. Adrianna Baker is a good person. She cares about others. This gala was important to her, and I took it away to be petty.
“I will do right by it.”
She doesn’t answer me, though. She’s already asleep. I spend the rest of the ride in silence, loving the feel of her heat against me.
How could I have been so blind? Adrianna was never the monster. I let my prejudice against Gloria and my guilt that I didn’t protect Mason and Ari cloud my judgment.
I owe her an apology. Not tonight, though.
As we pull into my drive, I gently shake her awake.
“We’re home,” I tell her.
She nods, her eyes falling shut once more. I slide out my side of the vehicle before going around to collect her from hers.
I say a quick thank you to Edgar, heading up the steps of my home. Unlocking the door with a passed-out woman in my arms is hard, but I manage.
Once inside, I carry her to my room. I take off her shoes and leave them on the floor. Then I tuck her inside my blankets.
Leaning down, I press a kiss to her forehead.
“You know if you weren’t such a dick, I could see myself falling in love with you,” she murmurs, burrowing deeper beneath my blankets with her eyes closed.
I wait for her to settle before I whisper, “Me too, Adrianna. Me too.”
Slowly, I back out of the room, leaving the door cracked.
I want nothing more than to climb into bed with her and hold her all night, but I have a new mission. I need to prove that it wasn’t Adrianna stealing with Gloria all this time.
It was Bill Lind all along.