Chapter 36 Scarlett
SCARLETT
Oh my God, so many thoughts were racing through my head. First of all, this NDA, theoretically, protected me against losing my job or suffering unfair consequences if I revealed the name of the sexual harasser. Even if Jace turned around and believed him over me. But that was theoretical.
Practically speaking? Jace had an army of lawyers and HR experts at his disposal.
He was Goliath, and I was David with a slingshot loaded with accusations that had bounced off men like him a thousand times before.
If Jace believed his best friend over me, I was, to put it bluntly …
screwed. Royally screwed. Majorly screwed.
Like update my résumé while crying into a pint of ice cream screwed.
And let’s just talk about that for a moment.
Sure, so far, Jace had seemed like a really good guy, and if the bad guy was anybody else, I would venture to say he would believe me.
But he’d only known me for a few days. This was one of his best friends.
Best. Friend. If someone accused Tessa or Dakota of something, you bet your ass it would take more than a few days with her accuser to ever make me question or second-guess my best friend’s integrity.
So, chances were, Jace would absolutely side with his best friend.
Or, even worse, what if Jace knew that his best friend was shady as hell?
In which case, had Jace been, or currently was, complicit in Grabby Hands’s behavior?
Maybe I didn’t really know Jace. I mean, sure, he’d swooped in and protected me from my father and protected my mother, but I’d learned the hard way that people could have multiple faces.
Hero in one moment, but covering for his bro the next.
Not only did that spell very bad news for me and my prospect of not getting fired over this, but also that kind of guy would be somebody I wanted nothing to do with.
“Follow me,” Jace demanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.
“Mr. Lockwood”—his assistant rose from her desk, pen hovering in midair like she was about to conduct an invisible orchestra—“I’m afraid Mr. Camdon has to leave shortly for a flight.”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Jace replied, his tone clipped.
“Sir …” she persisted, her eyes darting nervously between the office of waiting leaders and Jace, who continued striding in the wrong direction.
“A minute,” Jace repeated so firmly that she said nothing more.
He led me to the small conference room, holding the door open until I walked inside.
My pencil skirt felt suddenly too tight as I squeezed past him, the fabric brushing against his perfectly tailored pants.
Even in my highest heels, I barely reached his chin.
He shut the door behind him with a soft click that sounded like a prison cell locking.
“What do you mean, you’re unwilling to sign the NDA?” He turned to face me, his broad shoulders blocking the exit like the world’s sexiest bouncer.
I swallowed, trying not to notice how his custom suit curved his body perfectly.
“You have people waiting for you. We can talk about this later.”
“They can wait.” His eyes darkened. “Explain.”
“I mean …” I cleared my throat, attempting to look anywhere but at the way his jaw clenched.
“After careful consideration, I have opted against legally binding myself to this document.” Look at me, using big lawyer words, like I hadn’t been fantasizing about fleeing the country five seconds ago.
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t talk about our relationship to anyone in the office.
In fact, if you draft another NDA that strips out the paragraph where I have to report who harassed me, I’ll happily sign it immediately. ”
“So, that’s what this is about.” Jace folded his arms across his broad chest, his biceps trying to stage a prison break from the fabric locking them in. “You’re refusing to give me the name of the man who harassed you.”
“That’s correct.” I lifted my chin, trying to summon confidence I absolutely did not feel.
“Why?” The single word sounded like it had been chiseled from granite.
The door cracked open, and his assistant poked her head in. “Mr. Lockwood, they—”
“I will let you know when I’m ready,” Jace cut her off, his voice glacial. “Do not interrupt us again.”
Based on the widening of her eyes, she wasn’t used to him taking this tone with her.
“Yes, sir.” The door closed with a snap.
I took a deep breath. “The why doesn’t matter.”
“Like hell it doesn’t.” He took a step closer, and I caught a whiff of his musk cologne that made my knees wobble. “Did he threaten you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “In fact, he doubled down.” Okay, great job, Scarlett. Why the hell did you say that?
Jace’s expression darkened. “He did what?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I glanced at my shoes, suddenly fascinated by the scuff on my left heel.
“What did he do?” Each word was measured, dangerous.
“Look, the point is, if you draft the NDA without that paragraph—”
“So, this happened today then?” Jace’s voice sharpened. “He did something else today?”
I opened my mouth, but wasn’t sure what to say.
Especially not when Jace took another step forward, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
My heart and hormones betrayed me, buzzing with electricity in his presence.
These feelings needed to stand down ASAP.
This was officially way too complicated.
“Scarlett,” he said, “I have been patient. I have been understanding. But there is a predator in this organization. You will tell me who it is.”
“Why?” I blurted out.
His eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
“Why, exactly, do you want to know who it is?” I forced myself to meet his gaze.
“Is that a trick question?” Jace looked genuinely bewildered. “He doesn’t belong in this organization.”
“Have you ever had someone in your organization accused of sexual harassment before?” I asked, surprising myself with my boldness.
“The CEO doesn’t field complaints of harassment. That’s HR’s department.”
“So, you don’t know then.”
He said nothing, the silence stretching between us like a ticking clock, counting down to something I wasn’t sure I could stomach.
“Have you ever been aware of someone in your company sexually harassing anyone before?” I pressed.
My rebellious heart waited with bated breath for his answer because his answer would determine if, in my eyes, Jace was a good guy or a bad guy.
And I needed him to be a good guy. Even if nothing else ever happened between us, I needed to remember him as the guy who heroically showed up and protected me and my mother from my father.
Not a wolf in sheep’s clothing because, so help me, I couldn’t handle that.
Not after what we’d been through. Not after I’d unwillingly given him a fragment of my heart.
“Where are you going with this?” His voice was dangerously soft.
“Information flows two ways, Jace.” I crossed my arms, mimicking his stance. “You want to know his name, and I want to understand why you want to know it and if he’s the first or if he’s just the first in a long line of harassers that you’ve ignored.”
His eyes flashed. “Are you accusing me of fostering a toxic work environment?”
“I … no. I …” I stammered, suddenly aware of how far I’d pushed.
“Then what exactly are you accusing me of?” He stepped closer still, the heat between us ratcheting up several degrees.
“I’m not accusing you of anything! I just want to know if …” If you know that your best friend is a total slimeball. If you’re in on it. If you’ve been covering for him.
“Let me make this perfectly clear. HR handles all complaints in my organization, and they have protocols and procedures. But if you’re asking about me specifically, about where I stand on this, I do not tolerate harassment of employees in any of my companies.
If I was ever made aware anyone had done that, they would have been escorted out by their ear without severance. ”
After studying him for several seconds, I realized, with immense relief, that I believed him.
I could see it in the fire in his eyes and the anger in his posture.
He would not be complicit in it, and he would not cover it up, which left one option: he had no idea that his best friend was a complete douchebag.
It was the best option because it meant that Jace really was a good guy.
But that didn’t make this any easier. Good guy or not, Jace would still require a lot of convincing to believe his best friend was a predator. Especially when said predator knew Jace well enough to sow seeds of doubt.
Plus, I’d done some research on Grabby Hands and discovered he’d been a leader in Jace’s organization for years.
And let’s be clear: a leader in a billion-dollar private equity firm made bank.
His entire identity online was wrapped up in it—from the sports car that he drove to the models and actresses that he dated.
Grabby Hands had everything to lose.
And so did I.
“Scarlett.” Jace’s voice softened just enough to remind me of how he’d spoken to me in bed. “I understand you’re afraid, but I will not accept no for an answer. You will give me his name.”
“I won’t.” I straightened my spine, trying to ignore how his proximity made my skin tingle. “There is nothing that you can do to make me tell you.”
His jaw moved from side to side, a muscle ticcing in his cheek. Something in his expression shifted, and his lips flattened into a firm line that was both challenging and devastatingly sexy.
“Then you’ll force me to get that information from you some other way.”
Heart hammering against my ribs, I managed to ask, “Such as?”
With one last glare—and, dammit, how could angry look sexy?—he turned and left me alone in the conference room, the door clicking shut behind him with finality.
I sank into the nearest chair, the realization hitting me like a hangover: this was far from over.
In fact, this was just the beginning of a war.