Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
VIOLET
Isaac stalks past my desk in the makeshift bullpen we’ve turned the sitting area of the office into.
It’s not a big office, as Isaac sits fairly low in the political hierarchy. It’s a place where a lot of politicians like. Good money, better perks, and an easy ride, sometimes upwards, but mostly people tend to sit in small pools like this one.
Isaac, however, is one politician with drive.
Hence the panic bullpen of everyone who works for him to pool ideas to quash the whole scandal in the making.
We’ve been at it since yesterday, and I’m on the outer edge, in more ways than one.
No one really seems interested in hearing from a student.
And most seem to pick up on the ice air coming from Isaac.
Which makes the men give me predatory looks, and the women give me knowing ones, some of them with scorn, others with empathy.
They know something happened, and most of them are thinking I fucked him.
Not all of them. Just the majority.
So, I keep my head down and work, offering ideas when I can get them in, and most of those are snatched up by others and taken as their own. Blatantly.
I don’t even mind that part. It’s a given in this world.
I have to put up with it until I climb on an actual rung, and then put up some more until I don’t.
Which means hard work. Keeping myself clean and not sleeping with the boss. In fact, not sleeping with anyone in the office.
Even if I wanted to.
Which I do not.
They know I’ve got a boyfriend. They’ve never met Jack, and I’m not about to say we’re no longer together. My boyfriend myth stands as a buffer.
But Isaac is making it horribly clear something went wrong with us and of course, everyone thinks it had to do with sex.
To make it worse, he keeps stalking by me with a ship full of ice whenever he can.
I count at least fifty times so far today.
Yesterday? He had a lot of meetings, so I escaped the brunt. But now we need to present him with ways to deal with fallout from the hacked ad.
And I still have an assignment to do and no computer.
He calls everyone but me into a meeting, and I can’t stand the looks cast my way.
I keep my head down and work, compiling data from the feedback coming in.
They’re going to try to play the victim, which is wrong.
I think he should weather it out, make light of it without insulting the community.
I get the fact Isaac comes with buried sleaze that lurks beneath his surface, but it’s also something he could twist. He could stand for the communities that are continually sidelined.
He shouldn’t say a word, or he should say it’s not the way he thought his weekend would go, but everyone needs to have some fun as consenting adults.
There are big politicians who sleep with underage girls, who do all kinds of things far more sordid than that.
He could claim as a single man, he’s allowed to let his hair down.
There are so many possibilities.
I’m not saying any of these will fit his bill, but something will, and he needs to find that, put pieces together to find a voice that gives his detractors nowhere to go.
But I’m just the student.
“Violet?” a voice says.
I look up, and Miriam stands there, his private secretary, a Brooklyn grandma who’s been with the office longer than Isaac.
Bipartisan and known to keep her mouth shut.
Every politician who’s worked with her has wanted to take her with them, whether it’s upwards or into the private sector, but she likes it right here.
From the look on her face, however, I’m not sure I’m going to like whatever it is she has.
She hands me some papers, and I can see immediately they’re legal in nature. “Isaac wants you to sign this.”
It’s a non-disclosure, but a harsh one, with all the penalties thrown at me. Boiling oil, head on a spike…after I’m hanged, drawn and quartered.
“I’m not going to say a word. And it’s out there.”
She frowns. “It’ll go a long way to making nice. He…” She sighs. “You’re a very pretty, very young girl, and right now I’m going to say he might feel you could have taken something he did the wrong way. Or the right way. And…”
“Put that hacked ad out? How?”
But apart from all the harsh penalties for speaking out or giving an interview, I’m familiar with NDAs. They’re part of this world. And while there isn’t a course on them, we were drilled that they’re normal and to make sure they always pertain to the workplace and what you might see or hear there.
Not him trying one on me.
Not his harassment.
But this doesn’t even touch on it.
This is about work.
I take a shuddery breath, and I look at her. “On a scale of one to ten, if I asked for this to be looked over by a lawyer?”
“I wouldn’t.” But Miriam smooths a hand over her pearls.
“It’s just standard. The only difference is for some reason, he wants to scare you.
And as I said, you’re a very pretty girl, and politicians have egos.
His is hurting. But you’re also smart and level.
I don’t think you did anything, and this isn’t about sex or misconduct. I’d sign it.”
“Okay.”
I pick up a pen, and Miriam relaxes. “Don’t worry about the rest of them.
Those who know can see you have a bright career, and you’re not about to throw it away on someone like Isaac.
We’ve all signed NDAs today. I guess his attorney figured it’s smart so everyone, including Isaac, can speak freely. ”
“I’m not even in there.”
“Your ideas are. Trust me, I’ve been around long enough to know those with a bright future. You have one. Isaac…he could go places, but whether or not he deserves it…whether or not any of these politicians do is another story.”
I stare at her. “Miriam,” I whisper. “You’re an anarchist.”
“No, I’m a realist. I don’t ever work for those I believe in. Too hard to take when they fall or fail. Or get held back by the system.”
“Okay, I can see that. But there needs to be a place where passion, belief, and success meet.” I sign the NDA in all the relevant places.
Then she says softly, “When you finish your studies and begin your career, I’ll be open to working with whoever you suggest.”
And she smiles.
It brightens the darkness that’s been pervading my day.
I take it with a pinch of salt, obviously. She likes me, that’s all. But with that salt, I’ll take the good feels and hold them close. I’m sure I need all the help I can get.
The thing is, the longer it takes for Isaac’s team to put out a statement, the more power the rumors get.
My suggestion of saying something simple was shot down yesterday, and I’m not sure it reached Isaac’s desk.
I sigh as Isaac pokes his head out from his office and gives me a death stare and barks, “Coffee. Now. Send the girl. The place I like.”
It turns out the place he likes is a twenty-five minute walk or a cab or Uber ride there and back.
But I go, knowing it’s his way of inflicting punishment for the whole smear campaign.
My phone’s inundated with local news stories about it all.
If I was in charge, I’d use the data of the growing interest in the story to his advantage, and not say why it took him a couple of days to respond, unless pushed, and say that he had more important things to do, such as his job.
But I’m not in charge, and all I can hope is they use some of my ideas.
As I wait at the coffee shop for the order, I scroll through my messages and check to see if The Ghost has responded in the past second.
He hasn’t.
I suck in a breath.
Me
Hi. I hope I didn’t scare you off.
I stare at the half message, then delete it. Because what the hell am I doing?
Idiot might be the right word, and I’d pair it with too young. Because if I send that, I’ll sound like a na?ve high school student, and I don’t want that.
This is grown-up shit. Real life.
If The Ghost wants to ghost me, it’s on him. I volleyed the ball back to his court.
But why the hell hasn’t he replied?
Maybe he didn’t mean it and was bored. And my over-eagerness turned him off.
“Violet?”
My coffees are up, and I take the one for Isaac and the box of super-expensive coffee for everyone else out to the Uber and head back to the office.
It looks like everyone’s in for an all-nighter. Everyone, except me.
I sit in the main office and tap out boring emails, my mind somewhere else entirely.
On The Ghost.
On Cade.
Sometimes, I wish I could have two people. The one for my dark sexual urges and the other for the sweetness that’s there. It sounds strange, and Cade sees me as a little sister, or his brother’s young ex, but I don’t think I’d have broken up with him if we were together.
Then again, I’m not his type.
I frown.
What even is his type?
He’s no hermit. There are nights I’ve been there where he hasn’t come home, but…
“What are you doing?” I mutter under my breath. It’s none of my business.
Actually, thinking of Cade, he hasn’t contacted me either, and I know he’s doing me a huge favor, but I need my computer for tomorrow.
I’ve already left it a little late to ask for an extension, but if I don’t hear from him in the next hour, then I’ll have to ask, and Professor Short is the least understanding person ever.
I send him a message.
Me
Hi Cade. Any word on my laptop?
I get back to work. It’s almost five when Steve pops out and tells me Isaac said I can go.
I thank him, and pack up, rushing out the door.
My phone beeps in my pocket, and I pull it out. But the excitement dies.
Jack
I’m moving out. You need to get over here to Cade’s and get your shit.
Me
Are you all right?
Jack
Like you care
.
I roll my eyes because I do care. And I wish I didn’t. I could see us as friends, down the line. But right now, I wonder…did Cade kick him out?
He must have, because I really can’t see Jack giving up free accommodation easily. He loves being at Cade’s. Loves the location, the size of his room, the fact Cade’s got a great projector set up for TV.
I check my phone again, but there’s nothing from The Ghost, Cade, or Jack.
Great.
Me
Just got out of work. I’ll jump on the subway and be there shortly.
I know that Jack might be doing this to get me there. But I really don’t think he actually wants me back. He just likes having someone there, and I’m easily replaced. Find a gamer girl, and he’ll be golden.
Cade will hang on to my stuff for me, not that there’s a lot of it there.
But I’ll go, even if it’s just to see how my computer’s doing.
And that’s the only reason.
Jack buzzes me up.
For a moment, I stare, taking him in. His eye is puffy and bruised, and he looks like he’s nursing a hangover.
Clearly, Jack’s been fighting and drinking, but I push away the concern that wells up as I follow him into the kitchen area, where he picks up a bottle of booze.
It’s got to be Cade’s, as Jack usually only springs for cheap wine or beer.
“Where’s my stuff?” I keep my tone cool.
He glares and takes a swig. “You’re not going to ask how I am?”
“I can see you’re all right.”
“I got abducted.”
“Sure you did. If you’d gone with a fight, I’d believe that.”
“They beat me up. Because I’m the hacker. It’s why I was there.”
“You’re not the hacker or even a hacker, Jack.” I sigh.
“I told you I took care of your boss. I had to meet a client in Vegas…” He comes up to me and slips an arm around my waist before I can move. “You know, I could move in with you. Protect you.”
“Gross.” I push him back. “You got with a hooker.”
“She was a stripper, and I wasn’t with her.” He shakes his head and takes a step toward me, but I step back, and he takes another swig. “Look, I don’t want to break up with you over something so frivolous. It meant nothing.”
I glare at him. “You call cheating on me frivolous?”
“Things got out of hand, but I never fucked her, Vi. You have to believe me.”
A weird part of me does, but it still doesn’t excuse him sucking her breasts or fingering her. Cheating’s cheating, and I don’t want Jack anymore.
“No, I don’t.”
“We can work through this.”
“You’re not the hacker, Jack, and I don’t want to be with you.”
He nods, takes another big swallow. “You sure sounded like you wanted to be with me in those texts, Vi.”
“What are—”
“I never knew you were so kinky.”
My face heats, and he smiles.
I want the floor to eat me. Right here and now.
“What?”
“Your texts. To the hacker. To me? Come on. How else would I know unless I was the hacker?”
I stumble back, “I’m not doing this right now. I’m not.”
What if Jack is telling the truth? But if so, it’s another betrayal on top of the first. Not telling me who he is, that’s lying. He’d just be a lying, cheating scumbag of a hacker…
“Violet,” says a rich voice behind me, making my pulse leap.
Cade.
I close my eyes a moment, and then I turn.
He smiles, and I can’t help it, I smile, too.
“Glad you’re here. I was about to call and let you know your laptop’s fixed.”
“Excuse me?” Jack snarls. “You’re running around with my brother?”
“Thought you knew everything. And no. I’m not. I asked him for help with my computer.”
“Behind my back.”
I hold up a finger. “One. We’re not together. Two.” I hold up another. “You went to Vegas and got your rocks off with a stripper.”
“Whatever.” He mutters what I can imagine are a few more choice words under his breath.
Cade goes over and takes the bottle from him. “Mine, Jack.”
He glares and storms out of the room, across the living area, and then on to his room, the door slamming hard.
Cade winces. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t. I’m glad you walked in.” I stare after Jack, then glance at Cade. “He told me he’s the hacker, that he hacked Isaac’s ad. Do you think he’s telling the truth?”
For a moment, he doesn’t answer. “It seems unlikely, but who the fuck knows? Too bad you can’t ask the hacker directly.” He shrugs. “I mean, if Jack confessed in person, he'd have no reason to lie as the hacker, right?”
I nod slowly. “That's a good point.”
Cade sets the bottle down. “Give me a moment.”
He disappears and comes back with my computer and what looks like a new power cord.
“What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Take care, Vi.”
I don’t want to go, but Jack’s thumping things in his room, like he’s smashing it up. I’m not sure even Jack would go that far, but I’m not getting my things today. “I… I’ll get my things another day. Jack seems…busy.”
Cade frowns. “He’s acting like a child. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your things are all safe, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
And then, with nothing else to keep me there, I turn and go.