After Office Hours

by E Caroline Wilson

  Outside, a blue Toyota pulled up to the curb. David greeted the driver, confirmed his identity, then opened the back door for Devin. She got into the car gracefully, keeping her hips as close to the seat as she could, as she’d learned in an etiquette book.

  “Here are your copies of the letters I wrote,” David said, removing several pages from his briefcase and handing them to her.

  It was a nice briefcase, she noted, soft-sided and made of expensive-looking leather, with a strap so he could hang it from his shoulder. It had probably cost ten times as much as her fifteen-dollar cloth padfolio. “Thank you,” she said. She skimmed over the letter to Joe, her eyes lingering on David’s signature. “L. David Andrews?” She looked at him curiously. “Will you tell me what the ‘D’ stands for?”

  “Sure. Lamar. My family always called me David, because I’m named after my dad and he was Lamar. I’m proud to carry his name, but I also didn’t want to be saddled with ‘Junior’ for my entire career.”

  “Lamar David Andrews, Junior,” Devin repeated. “That’s a nice name.” A person with that name isn’t going to be driving a bus.

  She tucked the letters inside her padfolio and tried to settle her nerves. The Uber vehicle—which, she noticed, was spotless—was making its way up Madison, about to turn into the two-way traffic of Fifty-seventh Street for the drive across town. The closer they got to the JJ Demolition offices, the more reluctant Devin became. Would she actually have to face Ray Quinn again? What if he joined the meeting and denied her allegations? And what about Mr. Jessup? Would he be angry at her for leaving without notice and, on top of that, for threatening to sue him?

  She looked at David when she felt a poke in her arm, eyebrows raised in an unspoken question.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m nervous.”

  He wrapped his hands around her arm, a gesture that changed the source of her nervousness. Instead of fear about what awaited her at the office of her former employer, her breaths came out in short spurts at David’s touch, so sudden and unexpected…and incredibly exciting. The small car seemed even smaller as their eyes met and held.

  Devin swallowed. This is wrong, she thought. I shouldn’t be looking at him like this…and he shouldn’t be looking at me, either. She wiggled her arm free. “I’ll be all right, Mr. Andrews.” Did she imagine it, or did he wince at the formal way she addressed him?

  They didn’t speak for the rest of the ride. The driver followed Fifty-seventh Street to Tenth Avenue, then went north one block and finally came to a stop in front of an office building on Fifty-eighth between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. David got out first and extended a hand to help her out.

  Devin slid out as graciously as she’d gotten in, holding his hand as briefly as possible. It felt so strong wrapped around her own hand, and she hoped he didn’t feel it trembling.

  She was undeniably, hopelessly attracted to David Andrews.

  *****

  “Now,” he said when they were alone in the creaky elevator, climbing to the seventeenth-floor office, “I want you to let me do all the talking and negotiating. Jessup will likely make a lowball offer, hoping you’ll jump on it, but you won’t.” He lowered his chin to his chest and gave her a meaningful stare. “Got it?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you want to say anything, whisper it to me. I’ll make sure we sit next to each other.”

  Devin didn’t dare look at him; she didn’t trust herself. She told herself she’d better control her inappropriate reactions to him.

  He paused just outside the door to the offices of JJ Demolition. “Okay, this is it. Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “What are you going to say?”

  “Aside from hello, nothing. I’ll let you do the talking.”

  His lips curved into a smile. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

  *****

  It looked odd to Devin to see someone else sitting at her desk. Mr. Jessup must have called a temp agency, which was how she’d become his permanent employee.

  The temp was a pretty young woman with long, straight, side-parted light brown hair and blue-gray eyes. “Hello,” she said, focusing on David and all but ignoring Devin. “May I help you?”

  “David Andrews and Devin DaCosta to see Mr. Jessup,” he said. “We have an appointment for ten. We’re a few minutes early.”

  “Yes, Mr. Andrews. Mr. Jessup is expecting you. Won’t you come into the conference room, and Mr. Jessup will be with you shortly. May I fix you a beverage? We have coffee, tea, and bottled water. “

  “Coffee would be fine.” Apparently, David noticed that the temp was acting like she was invisible, for he turned to her and prompted, “Devin?”

  “Coffee would be fine. Cream and sugar,” she added in a droll voice.

  The temp poured the coffee and placed the cups in front of them, along with a few napkins and several packets of cream and sugar, plus stirrers. Devin added the desired amount, stirred it, and took a sip. She liked her coffee strong, and this morning in particular she found it steadied her nerves.

  She had just taken a second sip when Mr. Jessup entered the room, carrying a padfolio. David immediately rose to greet him.

  “Mr. Andrews, good morning,” Mr. Jessup said, shaking his hand. Then he turned a sad smile to Devin and extended his hand. She shook it without standing.

  He held her hand in both of his. “Devin, I’m so sorry about what happened. I want you to know that if I’d had any idea, I never would’ve hired Ray.” He released her hand.

  “I appreciate that, Mr. Jessup.” She glanced at David, who gave a barely perceptible nod.

  Mr. Jessup sat across from them at the rectangular table for six. “I was shocked to get your letter on Friday, Mr. Andrews,” he began. “I wasn’t in the office on Thursday, and I had no idea what had transpired. I immediately called Ray into my office. He didn’t deny having acted inappropriately, but he tried to make light of it, saying it wasn’t a big deal and that he’d only been kidding.”

  Fear gripped Devin, cutting off her air supply. What if Ray had told Mr. Jessup about the video Joe posted? He might use it as a means to get her to settle for less.

  “I told him that because of his behavior I was going to have to make a large settlement to avoid a messy lawsuit and unwelcome publicity. I told them to clean out his desk and get out.” A ray of hope shone in his eyes as he looked at Devin. “I was hoping I could get you to agree to return to work, now that you know Ray is gone.”

  Devin looked at David, saying nothing, just as he’d instructed her. At least Mr. Jessup didn’t seem to know about the video. Perhaps Ray didn’t want to reveal to his boss that he visited porn sites…

  “My client actually raised that possibility in a previous conversation we had,” David said to Mr. Jessup. “I pointed out, and she reluctantly agreed, that she would never again truly feel safe working in this office. Besides, just because you let Mr. Quinn go doesn’t mean he can’t come back to the office at any time…specifically, at times when he knows you won’t be here and that Ms. DaCosta will be alone, to harass her, or perhaps try to finish what he started.”

  Devin’s shoulders trembled.

  Mr. Jessup sadly nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. It wouldn’t work. I regret that very much. But I am prepared to offer Devin one week of severance pay for each of the six years she spent working for me, plus a lump sum payment of ten thousand dollars for her emotional distress.”

  With a shake of his head, David replied, “Mr. Jessup, that’s an extremely low offer. Ms. DaCosta has given you six years of exemplary service. She was quite happy being in your employ and is devastated that this experience has forced her to leave. She now faces a period of unemployment for an indeterminate length of time. I think at the very least she deserves to be paid two weeks’ severance for each year of her service, plus a lump sum of twenty-five thousand dollars.”

  Devin held her br
eath awaiting her former employer’s response. Twenty-five grand!

  Mr. Jessup looked startled. “That’s quite a bit of money, Mr. Andrews.”

  “That would be the minimum I have advised Ms. DaCosta to accept. It’s your choice, sir. The alternative would be that she’ll have to sue for damages. That will likely end up costing you quite a bit more, and the negative publicity won’t do you any good, either.”

  “That’s very true, Mr. Andrews, but you have to consider that I’m not the one who acted inappropriately toward Ms. DaCosta,” Mr. Jessup pointed out. “I understand that as the owner of the business, I may be held responsible, but there is still a big difference between having one of my employees misbehave and being the one doing it myself, and that difference should be reflected in the size of the settlement. I made you a good faith offer. I’m prepared to go up a little bit…” He paused. “Say ten weeks’ severance pay, to be paid out on a weekly basis, plus a lump sum payment of fifteen thousand at the end of those ten weeks.” He shifted his gaze to address Devin directly. “That certainly seems fair, doesn’t it? You’ll still have money coming in while you look for another job. Of course, I’ll be happy to write you a glowing reference, and someone is sure to snap you up quickly. Besides,” he added, “you have to think of your living expenses. The market rent you pay is much higher than the rent in public housing, and I’m sure your mother can’t afford to pay it on her own.”

  Devin shot David a panicked look, for Mr. Jessup spoke the truth. She cursed herself for having shared details of her personal life with him, but in six years’ time it certainly seemed like a natural thing to do. He might have even figured out that she’d fudged the numbers on the W-2 form she turned in to the rental office to reflect a much lower income than what she had, which had allowed her to continue to live in the projects and pay nominal rent for several years while she built up a bank account. If he reported her and verified her true income, she could be sued for back rent and possibly prosecuted.

  What a mess this was turning out to be.

  “It’s my client’s decision, of course,” David replied easily, “but I’m advising she not accept that offer.” He turned his head to look at her, and she nodded agreement, praying that he knew what he was doing.

  David gave a helpless shrug Mr. Jessup’s way. “It looks like she wants me to hold out for twelve weeks’ severance and twenty-five thousand. Let’s not kid ourselves, Mr. Jessup. I’m sure you can easily write a check right away for that amount.”

  “Just because I can doesn’t mean I should, Mr. Andrews,” Mr. Jessup snapped. “Besides, the problem of negative publicity actually is a two-way street. Before Ray left, he mentioned that he viewed a sex tape of Ms. DaCosta that was posted online.” He removed a sheet of paper from his padfolio and slid it across the table.

  Devin drew in her breath when she recognized it as a still from the video. A URL was typed across the top. So Ray had blabbed after all, and Mr. Jessup was using Joe’s deceit as a trump card.

  “It can be quite embarrassing,” Mr. Jessup continued, “especially when a woman is trying to get employment outside of the sex industry.”

  “I sent a cease and desist letter to the person who posted this, ordering them to take it down,” David replied. “I’ll contact the individual websites as well. Once the tape has been removed from all sites—and I have no doubt that it will—it won’t be available to the general public.”

  “Well, it’s available to the general public now,” Mr. Jessup replied, a triumphant smile on his face. “Perhaps they won’t be able to see it in another week, but the judge and jury will, because I downloaded a copy.” He leaned back, calmly rocking in his chair. “Somehow I don’t think Ms. DaCosta will be viewed quite so sympathetically after they take a look at the sex acts she’s performing on that tape.”

  Devin found herself unable to breathe for several seconds. She shot a panicked look at David, who seemed totally unruffled by the threat. “To the contrary, Mr. Jessup,” he said. “Ms. DaCosta was victimized twice. First by a vengeful ex-boyfriend angry that she broke up with him who sought to embarrass her by posting revenge porn. She had no idea she was being filmed during what should have been private moments. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, your Mr. Quinn came across it as he perused pornography sites—which I suppose he does on a regular basis—and felt that it gave him the right to sexually assault her in the office. She’ll come across as quite sympathetic to a jury.”

  He spoke so smoothly that Devin realized he had been prepared for this subject to come up.

  Mr. Jessup seemed to deflate. “I want some time to think about this,” he mumbled.

  “I think forty-eight hours is reasonable.” David sounded almost cheerful.

  Mr. Jessup nodded. “I’ll get back to you.” He rose. “My assistant will see you out. Good day.” He left the room without acknowledging Devin.

  She started to speak, but David stopped her. “Not now. Wait until we’re out of here.”

  Chapter 5

  The temp appeared to usher them out and to fawn over David, who tossed her a pleasant goodbye. Devin, following the temp’s lead, said nothing.

  “What do you think?” she asked him as they waited for the elevator.

  “I think he’ll come back with a counteroffer of twenty thousand and that he’ll give you the severance pay you’re asking for.”

  “I got so nervous when he said he’d downloaded a copy of the video. I didn’t even think that Ray might have told him about it until he just after our meeting started. The thought of his screening it for a judge—” she couldn’t finish.

  “It’s all going to depend on what his attorney advises him to do. The truth is, Devin, that despite all the attention sexual harassment cases have been getting, few of them are successful in court.”

  She turned an accusing stare on him. “Now’s a fine time to tell me that, Mr. Andrews. Why aren’t they successful?”

  The elevator door opened, and they stepped in.

  “Because,” David said after pressing the lobby button, “the guidelines for what constitutes a viable case have been put together by men.” He smiled at her. “You know, I’d feel a lot less like my father if you called me David. All my clients do.”

  That was what she was to him, a client. But Devin couldn’t help but entertain the lovely thought of her being the woman in his life rather than a client, walking down Fifth Avenue holding hands, taking out a rowboat in the lake in Central Park, catching a performance at a cabaret…“Does no one call you Dave?” she asked.

  “If they do, they don’t get an answer.” He grinned. “I like David. It’s two syllables. No one should feel it’s too much.”

  “All right, David.” His given name rolled off her tongue with surprising ease, probably because she’d already begun to think of him that way. “But if the odds suggest my case will be dismissed in court, why did you push that option do hard?”

  “Simple. I’m betting Jessup will consult the attorney who handles his company business rather than a sexual harassment specialist. The ‘Me Too’ movement has been in the news lately, but the average person isn’t aware of the high rate of dismissal among these cases, and that will likely include Jessup’s attorney. He’ll advise him to settle, and if he has insurance they’ll pay up.” He must have seen the skepticism on her face, because he added, “Don’t worry, Devin, it’ll be fine.”

  Her reply was lost when the elevator jerked so violently that she lost her footing. David quickly moved to steady her and keep her from falling.

  “What was that?” she cried. As if in response, the elevator jerked again, and this time they practically fell into an embrace, wrapping their arms around each other. “Something’s wrong,” Devin wailed.

  She’d barely gotten the words out when more violent shaking occurred, followed by a rapid descent. Devin screamed, stopping only when the elevator came to a rocky halt. David, one arm still holding her, used his other arm to reach for the alarm button, w
hich he pressed and held.

  A voice came through the speaker almost immediately. “How can I help you?”

  “We’re in one of the elevators, and it seems to be stuck,” David said. “Can you get someone to get us out of here, please? It was shaking pretty bad, and at one point it seemed to go into a free fall. Um…” he glanced at Devin “…I think a cable might have snapped.”

  “Oh, my God,” she moaned.

  “Don’t worry,” the voice said. “There are four cables. Even if one snaps, the others will hold the car up. We’ll get someone to you right away.”

  “The floor indicator has gone out,” David said. “I can’t even tell you what floor we’re on.”

  “We’ll be able to find you,” the voice assured.

  “Thanks. Make it as quick as you can.” David squeezed her upper arm. “I’m sorry to have scared you with that remark about the elevator cable, Devin. But I had to ask, for my own peace of mind. You heard what the man said. The other cables will hold us up.”