Hisleg!
Moskins had been cool as a cucumber the entire drive to my place, telling me not to worry about people finding out I’d all but humped him like a dog in heat. Those were his words, of course. To which I’d flipped him off, got out of his Nissan Rogue that I’m still surprised isn’t a fancy Mercedes, and ignored the way he laughed.
There is no way Farrah could know something happened between him and me. She wasn’t there. I’d been able to make a clean exit without anybody noticing, thanks to him distracting everybody inside. And unless the brunette staring at me was hiding in the bushes, that means she has zero clue what occurred.
“You have nothing to say?” Farrah goes on while I have a mini meltdown internally. Her hands go from her hips to her chest, crossing pensively.
I rub my eyes. “I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to say,” I admit to her. “Did I do something?”
Something other than letting our client give me the fastest orgasm of my life?
She scoffs. “You got Cody suspended!”
“I—” I stop myself, trying to figure out if I heard her right. “I’m sorry. Wait. What are you talking about?”
She throws her hands up. “Have you not noticed that he’s been gone? Seriously, Winter. Open your eyes. Whatever you said to Janel and HR got him put under investigation while they dig into claims made against him.”
And she thinksIdid it? “I didn’t say anything to Janel or HR. Did somebody say I did?”
Farrah sighs heavily. “We all know you don’t like him.”
Everybody knew that except for him, apparently. I lock that comment away, though.
“And sinceIdidn’t report him…” she adds, staring at me accusingly.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. It’s too early for this. My brain isn’t computing the information. I haven’t had coffee yet. Or my potentially stale croissant, which—
Dammit.
I left my pastry in the car. Even if it was one of their older ones, I was going to eat it. The chocolate-filled goodness is a weakness of mine, and I need a boost today.
“I didn’t report him, Farrah,” I repeat, finally looking at her again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If someone spoke up about him, then clearly it’s for a reason.”
She has to know how slimy he is, doesn’t she? I’ve seen him around her cubicle before. There is no way she welcomes all his creepy come-ons and bad pickup lines.
Farrah does not look happy with my response. “We were working on a big case together. Now I’m stuck doing all the heavy lifting because Janel is too busy with her own load. So thank you very much for making my life harder.”
Before I can reply, she storms off with the sound of her heels clicking against the floor the entire way back to her workspace.
I stare at the empty spot she occupied.
Then I walk over to Janel’s office, where she’s eating her usual yogurt bowl from the organic smoothie shop down the road, and knock on the open door. “Do you have a minute?”
She lowers her breakfast. “Sure. What’s up?”
I look behind me at the open cubicles facing us. Including Farrah’s. Then I close the door behind me and lean on it. It doesn’t really matter, given the huge glass wall that separates us. But I’d rather have a private conversation that nobody can listen to. “Did something happen to Cody? I just heard he’s under some sort of investigation.”
My boss’s eyebrows dart up. “Who told you that?”
I don’t bother lying. “Farrah. She seems a bit…stressed about the work he left her to deal with.” It’s as kind as I can put it without calling her out for being a total bitch.
Janel sighs. “I can’t go into details, of course, but yes. He’s on a leave of absence at the moment. We’realla little busier because of it.”
Even though I know she can’t tell me, I ask the obvious question anyway. “Who brought it to HR’s attention?”
Her lips rub together as she sets her bowl down on the desk and folds her hands together. “I did, actually.”
My eyes are about to pop out of my head. Had Cody been harassing his own boss? “Did he…” How do I even ask that? “Did he do something? Say something?”
