The One of Many

by M. Jane Early

  I laughed. “No, and I’m not about to start today.”

  “I don’t think you understand how much I want you right now.”

  “Oh, I understand.” I darted my eyes down to the bulge in his pants and raised my eyebrows.

  He chuckled, then got serious again. “Just promise me, whatever happens today, you’ll spend the night with me tonight.” He closed the space between us and ran the back of his finger down my cheek.

  “I promise,” I whispered, then leaned in for a kiss. I pulled away, then pressed the ninth-floor button.

  I SAT IN MY office, unable to accomplish anything of importance concerning work. I kept checking my phone for an update from Jeremy. David and Gwen both gave me hopeful looks when I came to my door to get some air. I shook my head subtly at each of them.

  Nick walked by my office a few times, giving me an obnoxious grin and tapping his watch. I tried to look more scared than pissed at his cockiness.

  Yvette came to my open door at noon. “Hey girl, are you ready for lunch?” I hadn’t told her anything that was going on. I figured it was safer to keep her out of the loop for now.

  “I’m sorry, I meant to text you. I can’t make it today.” I took a deep breath, picking up my phone again.

  She inched in my office more, her head cocked to the side. “You okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, just…a lot going on. Are you okay?” I couldn’t help my fluster.

  She furrowed her brow and stared at me. “Peachy.”

  David came up behind her. “Farren?” His concern met my eyes. Then he looked at Yvette. “Hey, Yvette.”

  “Mr. Powers.” She acknowledged him but kept looking at me. I tried to give her a genuine smile, but the hand on her hip and narrowed eyes showed she knew something was up. “I’ll talk to you later, Farren.”

  I nodded as she turned and left out the door, shutting it behind her. I exhaled and rubbed my forehead with my fingers.

  “You look like you’re about to throw up.” David came towards my desk.

  I sighed. “I just want this to be over.”

  “Nothing from Jeremy?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I texted him an hour ago. The servers are still down.”

  “Okay. He said it wouldn’t take that long once they were up. We have time.” His calm demeanor was admired but annoying. I needed him to be as freaked out as I was.

  “Nick keeps walking by my office with a shit-eating grin on his face,” I said, irritated.

  “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to punch him in that grin today.”

  I relaxed and laughed. “Don’t do that. Not yet, anyway.”

  He leaned his hands on the back of the chair in front of my desk, staring at me. “This will work, Farren.”

  “If it doesn’t, you’re gonna give me a good letter of recommendation, right? Actually, never mind. Probably not a good idea to give that to a new employer. ‘Here’s praise from the CEO I was sleeping with.’” I put my elbows on the desk and let my head fall into my hands.

  David came around the desk and kneeled by my side. “Don’t talk like that. You’re not going anywhere. I’ll leave before you do.”

  My hands flopped to the desk. “You leaving will not make this situation any easier on me.” I turned to him and put both hands on the sides of his face. “But I appreciate it.”

  The ease he had walked into my office with quickly dissipated. The need to undo the crease in his brow was hard for me to let go. Instead, I took his hand and set it onto my lap. He glanced down, then met my eyes. He lifted the corner of his mouth, then suddenly shook his head and looked away.

  “What?” I asked.

  He inched closer. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  My skin prickled. “That’s quite an admission from someone who didn’t think they could be good at a relationship a few weeks ago,” I whispered.

  He smirked. “Yeah, well, what can I say. You bring it out in me.”

  We continued to regard each other. I couldn’t believe this man in front of me was mine. There was still so much I didn’t know about him, but what I did, I was obsessed with. I wanted him to trust me, to get to know him completely. I would give him whatever he needed to let his walls crumble.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m too nervous to eat.”

  “Not even the taco stand?” He smiled.

  I laughed. “I’m good, but thank you.” I backed away and faced my chair forward again. “You’d better go. The troops might talk.”

  He stood and walked around my desk. “I told you, I have no problem letting them know I’m completely captivated by you. You’re the one that wants to hide us. I’ll go out there right now and make an announcement.”

  I tilted my head and smiled. “Go,” I said as I widened my eyes.

  He walked farther away from me. “I can tell them?” He pointed towards the door.

  “David, stop.” I chuckled.

  He put his hand on the brass handle. “You sure? I could do it now.”

  I stared at him and folded my arms over my chest—daring him with the arch of my brow.

  He nodded at me once and asked, “Do you feel better?”

  I looked away and smiled. “Yeah, I do, actually.”

  He opened the door and gave me one last look. “Good.” Then he walked out the door.

  THE CLOCK READ 4:30 p.m. as David entered my office to wait on Jeremy’s texts. My nerves rattled in my chest, and the butterflies David usually caused were now thick bricks sitting at the bottom of my stomach. Jeremy said the server was back up, but the updates were causing a delay.

  My hopes of keeping my job were dwindling. I would not allow Nick to blackmail Gwen or let David get ousted from the company. Unless this plan worked, I would quit, regardless of what David said.

  David watched me for a few moments, then stood and grabbed his jacket, walking towards his door. “Come with me.”

  I followed behind. “Where?”

  He didn’t answer, just walked to Nick’s door and opened it without knocking. I peered back at Gwen, who was watching us.

  “Nick, hang up the phone. We need to talk,” David demanded.

  Nick looked between David and me. He hung up the receiver without a word. “About what?” Nick’s tone was curt.

  David sauntered forward. “Your dismissal, Nick.”

  Nick stopped all movement.

  David sat in the chair in front of Nick’s desk and leaned forward on his knees, watching him. “I’m sorry, did you think I would just let you get away with blackmailing us?”

  Nick smiled. “You seem to forget about the hard proof I have about your financial dealings, Dave. With your father fighting to get his company back, your shaky ground with the new branding, the stockholders, and the board…not a good time to have something like that come out, is it? The entire company will go down. And you, well, no one wants to be associated with an embezzler.”

  I felt a buzz in my pocket as Nick’s email dinged. I pulled out my phone to see the lock screen.

  Jeremy: I’m in, email sent.

  I drew in a shaky breath. Nick’s attention was on his email, and David looked at me. I gave him a single nod. We just needed to stall.

  Nick looked away from his screen, his brow furrowed. I hoped it was because Jeremy did what I asked and made the email as technically confusing as possible for Nick to understand.

  “I’m not convinced you have any documentation about the financial records, Nick,” David said, interrupting Nick’s thoughts. “No offense, but you’re not exactly the most trustworthy guy. How do we know you have anything? You showed us the video, but you left out the records. Why is that?” David’s tone was dismissive, daring Nick.

  “Based on your reaction earlier, I’d say you damn well know I have those records, Dave. I may not be ‘trustworthy,’ but I know how to play my hand.”

  David shrugged and sat back. “Not good enough.” />
  Nick’s eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened.

  “He’s got a point, Nick,” I interjected. “You’ve been taking my ideas for years. How do we know you didn’t just hear a rumor in the elevator or the cafeteria?” I crossed my arms over my chest, my eyebrow raised.

  “True. It’s not like there haven’t been wild rumors about my father before. You must have heard your fair share.” David’s voice became quiet.

  Nick glared at David, then at me. He lingered on his company phone facedown on the desk. He took one last look at David, then grabbed his phone, searching through it.

  I glanced at David, who gave me a slight smirk.

  Nick reluctantly handed the phone to David, and David audibly inhaled through his nose, hesitating to take it. Once he did, David stood from the chair and walked to the window overlooking Santa Monica. His head was down, scrolling through the phone. He finally turned back to where Nick and I were. A plethora of emotions crossed his face at once.

  Nick watched David. “So, there, you see it. All the proof I have to show you and your father are liars and thieves. Everything I need to set up my place in this company,” Nick said, rather pleased with himself.

  I leaned on the chair David had just stood from and glared at Nick.

  “I love your delusions of grandeur, Nick.” David faced the window. “Just because you think you have shit on us, you’d get promoted?” He shook his head.

  Nick scoffed. “This company was much better under Samuel. I believe he could make it better again. With my help, of course. Samuel and I saw eye-to-eye when he was here. I understand you’re not the closest with your father.” Nick paused. “Something about old wounds?”

  I looked sharply at Nick, then glanced at David, who had turned to face us again. The storm lingering under his façade of calm was punctuated by the tightness in his jaw. Nick was about to make a colossal mistake, and so was David.

  I stepped in between them. “That’s unnecessary.”

  Nick removed his stare from David and looked at me.

  He nodded towards David. “I thought he didn’t mean anything to you?”

  I looked behind me and sighed, then faced forward. “Okay, you caught me. I have a crush on my boss. You win, Nick, okay?”

  “Then it was you in Mexico?” He laughed once.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket again. I walked backwards towards David, pulling it out.

  Jeremy: Done.

  I looked at David and exhaled. He walked forward and read over my shoulder.

  “Yes, it was me.” I looked up from my device to Nick. I chuckled with relief. “And I am sleeping with the boss.”

  Nick tilted his head. “Couldn’t keep it a secret, huh?” He walked around to his desk.

  “Guess who else couldn’t keep a secret?” I answered.

  Nick looked up at me.

  “Gwen.”

  Nick’s smug expression fell.

  I walked closer to him. “About how you were going to use her text messages against her.”

  He straightened his posture and tensed his shoulders.

  “She admitted everything, Nick.” I stopped at the edge of his desk. “She also mentioned the size of your dick.” I tilted my head and looked at his pants. “Shame.”

  David moved beside me and opened Nick’s work phone. “Jesus, man, you don’t even have a passcode on this thing?” David went to the photos app and showed Nick. “Farren’s video?” He tapped his thumb on the trash icon. “Gone.”

  Nick’s smirk appeared.

  “Easy enough.” David tapped on the screen, then put the phone in his pocket. “The video is erased, I now have the financial records, Gwen’s texts…and you’re fired.”

  Nick looked at me. “So that’s your answer, Farren? You’re not quitting?”

  I looked him in the eye. “No.”

  “And Powers, I imagine that means you’re not going to fire her then?”

  “Hell no,” he said forcefully.

  The sly expression on Nick’s face was more pronounced as he sat in his chair. He grabbed his mouse and began clicking. “If you really think I would have given my phone up without a backup plan, you—” Nick’s eyebrows pulled together as he rapidly clicked. His eyes traveled around the screen, and his nostrils flared. “Where is it?” he whispered.

  David walked to the desk and picked up the receiver on Nick’s phone, then dialed.

  “Where is it?” Nick asked louder.

  “Something wrong, Nick?” I approached him. Nick’s head snapped up to meet my eyes. I gave him a smirk.

  On the other side of Nick, David spoke, “This is David Powers. I need Nick Dumas escorted from the building immediately. We’re on the ninth floor.”

  Nick slowly stood and stared me down. “You bitch.”

  David slammed the receiver and grabbed Nick roughly by the arm, dragging him towards the door.

  “You think that’s the only copy I have? I have more,” Nick yelped.

  “What? With your 2001 flip phone? Better save up for a decent device and take a class in twenty-first-century technology if you’re going to continue to try and blackmail people.” David threw him into the wall and turned Nick to face him. David lingered in his space. “If I see you anywhere near this building, I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life.”

  I rushed to David and pulled him back. There was a knock on the door. David was still eye-to-eye with Nick—neither moved. I opened the door to two burly men in blue security uniforms. I said David’s name to get his attention.

  When David saw them, he backed up, never taking his eyes off Nick, who was now seething, recognizing his defeat.

  “Gentlemen, could you escort Mr. Dumas off the premises and make sure he never enters the building again?” David adjusted his clothes.

  The two men collected Nick as I moved outside the door and watched the scene from a distance. Gwen rose from her cubicle and looked at me in horror. I motioned with my eyes to move away from the area. The last thing I wanted was for Nick to lunge at her. She left her desk and buried herself deeper inside the bullpen.

  The guards brought Nick out, and he glared at me, his hair disheveled and his shirt untucked. He stopped in front of me and sneered. The two men pushed him forward towards the elevators. I watched until he was no longer in sight.

  Most of the employees had gone home, but the ones still around lingered and whispered to each other while watching Nick, David, and myself. I exhaled and walked back into Nick’s office, where David was leaning against the wall. I closed the door.

  “You need to have a meeting with everyone on Monday.” I walked closer to him. “They’re probably all texting each other—” David grabbed me and kissed me, pinning me against the wall. He pushed his body into mine as his lips held me captive.

  His intensity was both frightening and sensual. The adrenaline that rushed through my veins intensified with his touch. He poured his emotions into me, telling me with his kiss how irritated and frightened he was. The worry flowed through him, and a sadness rose within me.

  His arms wrapped around my middle as he pulled me closer. When he stopped kissing me, he hugged me tightly.

  He pulled back to look at me. His eyes read he wanted to say so much but couldn’t form the words. He traced my lips with his thumb. “I’m sorry.”

  “About what?” I asked, breathless.

  “All of this.”

  I furrowed my brow. “You didn’t make Nick do this, David. Nick and I haven’t gotten along for a while. Trust me, this is years of built-up tension coming to a head.”

  He closed his eyes. “If I hadn’t kissed you in Mexico—”

  “Then we wouldn’t be together,” I interrupted. He turned pensive then looked away. The doubt that lingered in his beautiful eyes made the panic rise in my chest.

  “Are you regretting this? You and me?” I whispered.

  He turned to me quickly. “No,” he uttered.

  I searched his eyes for m
ore context. I wanted to know what he was thinking. Everything we had endured with Nick was still fresh in our minds and had both of us on edge. I tried to convince myself that was the reason he looked so defeated and torn.

  He exhaled. “I should get you home.”

  “We need to talk to Gwen first.”

  “You’re right,” he said, nodding, his face still bothered. We left the office without another word.

  Gwen met us in the conference room a few minutes later. I sat across from her, while David stood beside me.

  He slid Nick’s company phone over to her. “I deleted Farren’s video, but not your texts. I thought you should be the one to do it.”

  Gwen picked it up and searched for the content, holding her breath. Her jaw tightened when she found it. Once she finished, she sat the phone facedown and turned her head away.

  “I’ll make sure we wipe the phone clean so it won’t show anywhere, not even in the deleted files,” David said, and Gwen nodded. He came closer to her and lowered his voice. “I need to know you’re okay with everything that’s happened here. That because Farren and I are a couple, you won’t go back on your word and pull out the embezzlement card anyway.”

  She scoffed. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “And if I can ask a favor?” I said, and she turned to me. “There’s only one person on this floor that knows about David and me. I know I can trust that person.” I paused. “Can I trust you to not say anything about us? Not even to Julie?”

  Gwen exhaled. “Yeah, I’ll keep your dumb secret. I owe you that much.” She looked at her hands on the table.

  David glanced at me, then leaned against the table by her. crossing his arms. “You’ve been through a lot. I think some time away might be a good idea.”

  Panic covered her face. “Are you firing me?”

  He smiled at her. “Absolutely not. But you will take a vacation from the office. Paid vacation. I don’t want to see you back here for at least a week.”

  She smiled in return. “Really?”

  “Yep. And if a week goes by and you’re still not feeling up to it, let me know. We’ll work something out.”

  She sat back in her chair and shrugged. “I think a week is good.”

  He nodded once. “Excellent.”