Surprise Delivery(7)

“Who said it’s an idle threat?” I counter. “I think I’ve got a pretty strong case.”

“First of all, you need proof to win your case. You need corroboration of sexual harassment,” he says and gestures vaguely to the office behind him. “Do you really think any of the other girls in the office are going to back you up?”

“I can still –”

“Or surely, you have another form of evidence of this alleged harassment?” he goes on like I wasn’t speaking, his eyes boring into me. “Video? Emails? Anything?”

Slowly, that steel core that was building inside of me begins to melt, leaving behind nothing but a puddle of ruin. I don’t have anything corroborating my claim, and he’s right – none of those other catty bitches are going to back me up if I file a lawsuit. I’m pretty sure most of them actually believe they can turn the partners they’re screwing from fuck buddies into husbands.

“Look, you and I both know you need this job a lot more than we need you. In some ways, we’re humoring you by letting you stay. If not for Preston, I probably would have canned your ass a long time ago,” Tyler says, his tone arrogant and smug. “I know you’re hanging on by a thread, financially speaking –”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

He chuckles. “I do background checks on all of our employees. It’s part of the normal vetting procedure, Lexi. So yeah, I do know your situation. Which means, we both know that you’re not going to do anything to put this job in jeopardy,” he sneers. “And oh yeah, you can’t afford to hire the sort of top-flight attorney that could actually give us a little trouble. You know that we’d bury you in court. Or, barring that, we can drag it out for so long, you’ll be living on the street begging for change long before you ever see a dime of settlement money. Take my word for it, even if you do file suit against us, it’s not like you’re going to destroy this firm. Sorry, but that’s just the facts, kid.”

The embers of my rage are still burning, but they’re fading faster with his each and every word. Everything he’s saying is right and it’s true. I hate it – and him – but he’s unfortunately not wrong. He has me over a barrel and he knows it – a fact that he absolutely loves.

“So, let’s just cut to the chase,” he says, his eyes growing as hard as his voice. “It’s kind of cute and a little bit of a turn on, honestly. Eventually though, I’m going to get tired of this little hard to get game you’ve got going on. I’m amusing myself with some of the others at the moment, but I still plan on getting a taste of you.”

“I’m not going to –”

“Eventually, we’re going to find ourselves at a point where you’re either on your knees like a good girl, doing what I tell you, when I tell you to do it, or you’re going to find yourself hitting the bricks looking for another job. And do you really think you’re going to find a job that pays what we do with your background and your limited – education?”

The tears well in my eyes and my heart stutters in my chest. I want to punch him in the mouth and storm out the door. But I can’t. If I do that, I may as well just start panhandling the moment I do because I’ll be broke. I have no backup plan. No safety net. I have no family or friends I can fall back on for help and I can’t be a burden to Sabrina.

If I give in to my desire to exact my revenge on this asshole, I’ll pay a heavy price – a price I can’t afford to bear.

“Good morning Alexis. Tyler.”

I look up at the sound of Preston’s voice as he strides toward us and try to compose myself quickly. I don’t want him to know I’m on the verge of tears, nor do I want to cause a scene and put myself in an awkward position with Tyler. That would only lead to a lot of awkward questions and a tense situation for all of us.

All the same, Preston’s timing couldn’t have possibly been better.

“What’s up?” Preston asks.

“Oh, just saying good morning to Alexis here,” Tyler says, his eyes flashing a warning to me.

Preston nods. “Good,” he says. “Looks like you’ve done that, so you can probably head to your office now.”

The air between the three of us is tense as Preston and Tyler stare each other down for a long moment. Preston isn’t stupid – he’s probably the smartest of all the partners – and he knows what’s going on. He knows exactly why Tyler is looming over my desk and is letting him silently know that he knows. Tyler doesn’t look like he cares a whit, not with the cocky smirk tugging one corner of his mouth upward.

Without a word, Tyler turns and heads to his office, closing the door behind himself with a little more force than is necessary, the boom of it slamming, echoing around the office. Tyler’s a partner, but because Preston is one of the two founding partners of the firm, he outranks him – a fact that never fails to irritate Tyler.

I have no doubt the others have been searching for ways to oust Preston from his own firm, but as of yet, they haven’t made a move. And it probably has something to do with the fact that Preston is the one bringing in the lion’s share of the money. Each and every month, he has the most billable hours and he wins far more in settlements and jury awards than the others.

If I were him, I’d consider leaving these fools to rot and hang out my own shingle without them. But then, the fraternal brothers’ bond is a strange and mysterious thing – something I don’t and will never understand.