She snickered. “I bet you’re relieved that Tommy is finally out of here, yeah?”
I giggled. “I’m sure many of us are.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how you dealt with it. I would’ve come down here so quickly it would’ve made my head spin.”
I clasped my hands in my lap. “Well, I am down here to talk about something, but it’s not about Tommy.”
“And what is it you need, Miss Becca?”
The second I heard JoJo’s voice, I froze. I kept my smile plastered on my face, but when I felt him come up behind me, I knew I was done for. I knew I was in trouble. Even though I hadn’t said anything yet, I knew the punishment just for me stepping into this place would be severe.
Probably enough to make me want to quit altogether.
Glasses smiled up at him. “Hi there, Mr. Ryker! What can I do for you?”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Just making my rounds to make sure everyone is all right. Do you have the inventory sheet for me?”
The woman opened her pencil drawer and pulled out a small file. “There you go! I got everything charted that we’ll need for the quarter, so you only need to do one run of supplies.”
He chuckled. “I always appreciate you working ahead.”
He squeezed my shoulder as if it were some sort of signal for me to heed his words, but I didn’t chance a look up at him. I simply sat there until his hand slid off my shoulder.
But, I watched him walk further into the H.R. department with his eyes locked onto my face.
“So, what can I do for you?” Glasses asked.
I cleared my throat and pulled my gaze away from him. “I, uh…”
JoJo folded his arms over his chest, waiting to see what I’d say. And even though I knew I’d regret every action I had taken that had gotten me to this point, the smallest part of me wanted him to punish me. This dark, disgusting, confusing part of me wanted to do anything in my power to get him to dominate me again. I wanted him to own me. To take me. To fuck me into submission before proclaiming to the world that I was actually, really his, and no one could do a damn thing about it.
And as I drew in a deep breath, I covered my tracks as best as I could. “I have a co-worker of mine that believes there’s something going on that isn’t. She’s threatened to come down here and make a report herself, so I’m trying to stop her.”
Glasses nodded. “What kind of report is she wanting to make?”
I leaned back. “She believes that I’m still being harassed, even though Tommy got hauled off in handcuffs the other day.”
“By who?”
I rolled my eyes. “Mr. Ryker, of all people. Like I see him enough during the day to justify it.”
“Mhm. And what gives her the impression that he’s harassing you?”
I felt JoJo’s eyes boring a hole into my soul as I crafted yet another lie on his behalf. “I’ve been working a lot of late hours since I got hired. She’s worried that I’m not taking care of myself, and she blames JoJo for that.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “JoJo?”
He’s going to kill me.“Can you keep a secret?”
She leaned forward. “Of course I can. I’m H.R., remember?”
I smiled softly. “JoJo was something my sister and me called him in high school. We grew up in the same hometown.”
She gasped. “That’s so awesome! What was he like back then?”
I shrugged. “Rebellious, as always. A class clown, of sorts. He kind of kept to himself. Wore his heart on his sleeve a bit too much. But, don’t we all when we’re teenagers?”
She waved her hand in the air. “I got my heart broken I don’t know how many times because of stuff like that. I’ve learned to be more cautious about who I let in now.”
