The Devil You Know (The Devils #3)(63)

He pulls me closer and presses his lips to the top of my head. “You want to burn the whole world to ash, just to make sure every path she walks is cleared for her. I know the feeling.”





The following day, I locate Lauren, the employee Leona told us had been invited to the strip clubs but only if she got on stage. I convince her to meet with me—she can attest to being sexually harassed at work and name employees who participated in the strip club outings—but she insists she won’t testify. Even though she’s no longer with the company, and doesn’t even live in the area, she still can’t afford to piss them off.

Ben enters my office just as I’m hanging up the phone.

“You look way too happy,” he says. “Let me guess: some guy you’re taking to court just sent a dick pic to a small child?”

“Even better,” I reply, and he laughs. “I located the woman who was harassed at Fiducia and she’s willing to talk to me. I’m flying to Seattle on Friday.”

“Let me see if I can move some stuff,” he says, pulling out his phone.

I lean back in my chair, bracing for a fight. “I think I should take this one on my own. It’s hard for women to discuss harassment with men, especially if it was bad, and she’s really skittish.”

His tongue prods his cheek and his nostrils flare. He’s still my boss and this is his case. Of course he wants to be there.

But—astonishingly—he puts his phone away. “Okay,” he says. “We’ll celebrate when you get back.”

“I don’t even know if I’m going to get anything from her.”

He laughs. “Of course, you’re going to get something from her. You’re Gemma Charles. You always figure it out.”

I smile. He didn’t even remind me I haven’t made partner.

Later that evening a notification pops up on his phone while he’s in the bathroom. He’s made a reservation this coming Saturday at Ardor, an insanely expensive Michelin-starred restaurant. Romance Package for Two.

It’s too much. Too serious, too romantic, and the idea of eating dinner at a table strewn with rose petals while everyone stares at us makes me wince. Yet a little thing in me just…relents. He believes in me in a way no one else ever has. He supports me, and he has waited. If he still wants to go to HR, to sign the form and have the whole goddamned office gossiping about us, then so be it. I’m ready.





37





On Friday, I wake before he does to catch my flight to Seattle. In the shower, I plan out what I will wear to Ardor—maybe the dress I wore to the retreat, with the Louboutins he bought me for Christmas. Perhaps, for once, the night will end at his place rather than mine. And when it does, I’ll tell him we can go to HR. He’ll be pleased by that—I suspect he wants it more than he lets on.

I perch on the side of the bed when it’s time for me to head to the airport. “I left a key on the counter so you can lock up,” I tell him. I guess that’s a step, too, giving him a key. Doing it this way makes it feel like less of a big deal. “I’m not sure when I’m getting back, so maybe I’ll just plan to see you tomorrow? Hopefully there will be something to celebrate.”

“Oh.” He blinks up at me, still half asleep. “Let’s do it Sunday. I’ve got a family thing tomorrow night.”

I freeze. “You’re seeing your family Saturday night?”

“Yeah.” He isn’t quite meeting my eye. “The pains of being a local.”

Is he lying to me?

How could he not be? That reservation at Ardor was not for us, and the romance package for two sure as hell isn’t a family thing. The brunches he didn’t invite me to, the friends I didn’t meet, the house he never wanted me to see…were those lies too?

How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so stupid again?

I rise, holding myself stiffly, as if my bones will crack with any sudden movement.

“Okay,” I tell him. I can’t help the iciness in my voice, and why the fuck should I help the iciness in my voice? “Don’t forget to lock up.”

He nods. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“We’ll see,” I reply. Which is easier than telling him this is done, but it definitely is.





It hurts in ways I never expected it to.

I’m tempted to storm dramatically into Ardor tomorrow night, but what could I even complain about? We aren’t official, at my insistence.

I barely notice the ride to the airport. Keeley calls while I’m waiting for my flight. “Convince me a five-thousand-dollar purse is a good investment,” she says.

“Well, Birkin bags hold their value,” I reply listlessly.

It’s the best I can do. Keeley wastes too much money on garbage. She’s never going to be able to retire with the way she spends.

“Your heart really is not into helping me blow five grand on stupid shit the way it normally is.”

“My heart is never into that, Keels,” I say quietly, resting my face in my free hand. “I worry about you.”

“What’s wrong with you today?”

I hold a hand to my throat. It’s hard to get the words out. “That reservation I told you about?” I whisper. “It wasn’t for me. He told me he has a family thing tomorrow night.”