Chapter 12
I couldn’t believe it. I was going to tell him why I ran.
I was going to apologise. I wouldn’t have given him every gory detail, but enough to make him understand.
Instead, Aiden made it very clear that it was a mistake he regretted, a mistake he was worried about causing scandal to his company.
It wasn't even fair to call it disappointment.
It was so much more. I cursed myself for making such a mess of things.
I should have stayed and had a bit more courage about it.
It had been hard. No one had been able to even remotely create a glimmer of passion in me since Tim.
Friends had given up pushing available attractive men in my direction, knowing full well that there was nothing that they could do to spark any interest in me for them.
And then I walked into this office that first morning, and I met Aiden Munroe.
I didn’t see it then, but it had become more apparent to me as time went on.
I was instantly attracted to him, and as more than a picture-perfect man.
There was something about how he carried himself, and the respect he had for his family as I came to find out later, that really spoke to me of the quality of the man beneath the gorgeous exterior.
But then he went and ruined it all, and my sense of disappointment over it ran a lot deeper than I realised it would.
I stood there, shell shocked, listening to him tell me that I had every right to go to HR and complain.
That I had every right to take him to an employment tribunal and ruin him with a sexual harassment case.
All I had wanted to do was explain myself and try to get back to what had happened the night before and see exactly where that would have gone.
I ran through his schedule for the day and left his office.
He barely looked at me the entire time, and I felt like some cheap little blemish that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
I sat at my desk and thought about calling Liz and telling her she needed to find someone else to fill the position, but then I remembered something Tim used to tell me about giving up when I had a really bad day at work.
Nothing worth having ever came easy . I wondered if that applied to Aiden as well.
* * *
Things settled back into their same routine, and I started to feel not as humiliated as I had been. Not perfect, but far from a disaster worth quitting over. My mobile rang and I saw Sylvie’s name on the screen. “What’s wrong?”
“Jesus, son. Why does anything have to be wrong?”
“Sorry. It doesn’t.”
She sighed. “I take it I need to come down there and slap someone’s fine arse for you? I will, you know?”
She meant it too, she really did. It cheered me up to hear someone so willing to fight my battles for me. “Will you put the daggers away, woman?” I laughed. “I’m a big boy, I’ll live. Now, what did you want?”
She laughed back. “Not too big for me to take over my knee for cheek. Anyway. You know that lovely fella, Rodney?”
I thought about which profile pic had been Rodney’s. Decent looking bloke from what I remembered, and he seemed to be a gentleman too. I knew she’d been out to coffee with him and all had gone well.
“I remember him,” I answered.
“Well, he’s asked me out on Thursday night, and I’ve accepted. But that means that you have no one to keep Addison if you need to work late, and I thought that since you have been, I should give you a heads up, so you know you can’t that night.”
“Not a problem. I wouldn’t want to be the reason you didn’t get your end away with some older piece of ass, now, would I?”
She howled with laughter. “I’m telling you now, son, you’re in trouble when you get home. Now, go and do some bloody work.” I shook my head and laughed.
“Love you.”
“Love you too, Ellis. See you when you get home. I’m making your favourite tea tonight.”
I didn’t have a chance to reply. She had already hung up, so I couldn’t argue with her. Sly old bag.
* * *
“So, are you going to tell me what happened with him or not?” She was staring. I knew I wasn’t going to get away with not telling her. Bloody infuriating woman .
I sighed. “I don’t know where to start. To be honest, I was going to go in and tell him I was sorry, and tell him why I needed to run, and hope that he would understand. But he just kept talking over me and not letting me get a bloody word in, so there wasn’t much point in trying.”
“So, what exactly did the silly bugger say?”
I explained everything he said. The comments about going to human resources and tribunals, and all of it. When I was done, Sylvie just stared at me.
“Are you stupid?” she asked.
What the fuck?
I stammered. “What? Where did that come from?”
“Honestly, you have so much to learn for a man who has been married and has a child of his own. He’s panicking.
I think he likes you too, but he’s a rich and powerful man, and, sweetheart, you gave that man’s ego one hell of a kicking.
He’s probably not used to that at all. Powerful men get what they want.
He wanted you. You didn’t give it to him. ”
I shook my head.
“Ellis, don’t shake your head at me. I am your mother-in-law. I know how the world works. Not to burst your little bubble, but my Tim wasn’t exactly a virgin when you and he got together.” She laughed, and I sighed a laugh in reply, shaking my head.
“I know. But…”
“But you’re a bit like him, and his need to push you away has bruised your pride just like you bruised his.”
Damn, I really couldn’t argue with her. She was driving me insane. She was too damn smart for her own good, and I was defeated.
“So, what do I do?”
“Oh, that’s easy, my lovely boy. You just keep being you. He’ll come around eventually.” She nodded at me, patted my hand, and got up off the sofa. “Now, I’m off to Skype with Rodney in my room.”
“No video sex, lady. This is a family household.”
She gave me the middle finger and walked out of the room as I sat laughing.