by JA Huss
“From where?” Her eyes are darting around wildly. “Where did they get a video?”
“Your office.”
“No.” She looks like she might cry. “No! Fuck that! How?”
“Cameras.”
“Obviously, Mac,” she snaps. “I’m not an idiot. Tell me everything you know. Right now.”
“It was all from this morning. Everything we did this morning. The fight, the sex, they even have you walking out of your office. But hey,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “Everyone clapped for you.”
“You think that’s funny?”
“No,” I say. “Sorry. The good news is, we know who did it. Jennifer saw Ellen—”
“Ellen Interoffice-sexcapades?” Ellie exclaims. “That fucking bitch!”
“Jennifer saw her taking a video of you leaving your office. I’m so sorry. Ellen’s been fired. She’s already been escorted from the building and her company phone has been confiscated. We found the file on there and we’re definitely bringing charges for felony trespass, invasion of privacy, and maybe some others. She won’t get away with it.”
“She already did,” Ellie says. God, she looks so sad right now. And it’s all my fault. It’s one hundred percent my fault for letting this happen at work. “Is this why your father wants to talk to us?”
“Yeah,” I say, turning away to look out the window. “Yeah. She emailed it to a bunch of people at Stonewall. Including my father.”
“Jesus Christ. This is great. Just fucking great. So your father saw a sex tape of us? I cannot believe this.”
“I’ll take care of it, Ellie. OK? I will. I’m so sorry this is happening. I don’t even know what to say. I’m just so fucking sorry.”
We’re quiet the rest of the drive to the airport. Something about this is wrong. Something about this is all very, very wrong.
We have private terminal access, so the car takes us right out to the dropoff and we exit the car and make our way across the tarmac towards the waiting plane. The pilot is running out from the terminal behind us and he apologizes as he boards and takes his seat. Wasn’t expecting us back so soon, I bet.
We settle into our seats and I wait until the attendant asks for and serves us drinks before trying to engage Ellie again.
“I’m sorry,” I say again. What the hell am I supposed to say?
“It’s not your fault,” Ellie says as she looks out the window. “I’m just as much at fault as you are.”
“Still,” I say. “I know better. You’re just… just so damn cute, Eloise Hatcher.”
I finally get a smile as she glances over at me. “I’m leaving the company anyway. It’s not like I need to see these people every day or anything. I’m pretty much out of there. But it’s not good to start my new, very public, career with this, is it?”
Shit. “No,” I say. “I’m sorry.”
She searches through her purse for a few seconds, and then says, “Oh, no!”
“What?”
“I think I left my phone in my office. This is Heath’s phone. I must’ve picked up the wrong one. You don’t think she got to it, do you?”
“Aw, fuck. Can this day get any worse?” I get my phone out and text Jennifer to go look in Ellie’s office for her phone. Ellie and I wait anxiously for the return text and when it buzzes in, I let out a breath of relief. “No, it’s there. Right on your desk.”
“How did I not see it?” Ellie asks.
“You were distracted?” I smile and shrug.
She lets out a laugh and then seems to relax a little. “It’s not your fault, Mac. So really, don’t feel bad. I’m not blaming you for what happened.”
“Well, I’m not sure Senior will see it the same way. But thanks. And I’m still sorry.”
“Was he mad? He should be. I’d be mad if my employees pulled this kind of stunt.”
“Probably, but like you said, you’re leaving. There’s not much he can do to you.”
“He could give me a bad reference.”
“He’d never do that, Ellie. Seven years of exceptional work is not wiped away by an office romance. It’s not your fault Ellen Abraham is a cunt.”
She laughs at that and I start to relax too.
“I don’t get Brutus. Do I do something to lead him on? Why was he acting that way with me?”
And get stressed again. That fucker. What the hell is he up to?
“I mean,” Ellie continues, “why call us all the way out here? Did he really think I’d trade my body for an interview?”
“Probably,” I admit. “That’s the kind of guy he is. We’re never having that guy on our networks. And it’s good that Senior is coming today. We can discuss what a monumental mistake it was to try to reschedule him as well.”
“Don’t tell him about me, Mac. Please.” Ellie’s eyes plead with me.
“Why not? I bet Brutus does this to everyone. People need to know what a dick he is.”
“I’m sure everyone knows what a dick he is. I certainly figured it out early.” She smiles. “Maybe the reason he’s never being interviewed is because people just can’t stand talking to him?”
“Yeah, you could be right.” We brace ourselves for takeoff, and when we’re finally in the air and on our way home, we chat about other things. Regular things. Her book and when she might publish it. She’s not sure. She’s still hoping to sell it to a publisher instead of publishing it herself.
She talks about Ming and I even tell her a few things about Nolan. His club, his meeting with Andrew and the virtual reality thing. And by the time we make it back to the Stonewall hangar, we’re feeling a little better. Things might not be so bad.
That feeling lasts until we get off the plane and Ellie’s friend Ming is waiting for us just inside the hangar, hands on hips and looking like she wants to kill me.
Chapter Twenty-Six - Ellie
“Oh, shit,” I say.
Ming is running up to me waving her arms around. “Don’t go in there! Don’t go—”
“I already know,” I say, putting up a hand. “We know.”
“Shit! What the hell happened?”
“Ellen Abraham,” I say.
“That fucking cunt.” Mac laughs, but Ming shoots him a warning look and he stops. “Why would she do that?”
“She saw us that day I went down the slide.”
“Well,” Ming says, hands on hips as she stares up at Mac, “I hope you’re happy. My girl’s reputation is now tainted because of you! What are you going to do about this?”
“Ellen has been fired,” Mac says. “We’re pressing charges.”
“You better be, mister. That’s all I have to say. She needs to go to jail for this!”
“Ellie,” Mac says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t want to rush you, but we really have to go.”
“Mr. Stonewall is waiting to talk to us over at the Atrium,” I tell Ming.
“Shit,” Ming says. “He better not blame you or I will have to have a talk with that man. I’ll sic Adeline on him!” I let out a small laugh but then Ming gets serious as she pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Ells. Really. This sucks.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I’ll be OK. I’m quitting anyway. It could be worse, right?”
Ming nods, pouting her bottom lip in sympathy. “Right. Call me later and let me know how it goes.”
There’s a car waiting for us, so Mac and I get in, silent all the way over to the Atrium building. As soon as we walk through the doors the place goes quiet. I look at my feet as we walk over the elevators and when we get in, all the talking starts up again. “Well, that was fun,” I say.
Mac says nothing. Great.
We exit the elevator and I can already hear Stonewall Senior yelling inside Mac’s office even with the door closed. Stephanie isn’t here, so there’s no one hanging out by our offices, thank God. But my heart starts thumping wildly as soon as Mac opens the door and waves me forward.
I want to hide under Senior’s stare, but I don’t. He
’s sitting behind Mac’s desk, talking on the phone. So I take a seat in front of the desk and Mac follows suit, unwilling to tell his father to get out of his chair.
Stonewall Senior hangs up and steeples his fingers under his chin and he stares down at the desk. “Well, you’re fired.”
“What?” I say.
“Not you, Miss Hatcher. My… son.”
“Um,” Mac says. “Yeah. It’s probably for the best. OK.”
“OK?” I stare at Mac with an incredulous look. “You’re just going to give up? What the hell? We didn’t do this, Mr. Stonewall. Ellen Abraham did.”
“And I fired her too,” Senior says, staring hard at Mac. “But look, McAllister, you and I fought over this position in the first place. I wanted you here, you promised you’d do the job, and then you go and sabotage it with an office romance with one of my best employees.” He redirects his attention over to me. “I’ve been informed that you gave two weeks’ notice, Miss Hatcher? The day my… son arrived?”
“Um—” Shit. That really does look bad for Mac. “It wasn’t because of him. It was really Brutus who pushed me over the edge that day. And the whole… well…” Dammit. What am I supposed to say? I was having a delusional textual relationship with Heath? And then started a sexual one with your other son the same day? What the hell is wrong with me? I really do need professional help, Mac was right.
“Which we also need to talk about,” Mac says. “Brutus sexually harassed Ellie during our meeting. We won’t be doing interviews with him. Ever.” Mac stares back at his father. “If you want me to back away from the job I’m happy to do that, but I’m not backing away from that.”
Stonewall Senior leans back in his chair, making it creak. I just want to get the hell out of here. But then he looks at Mac with a stern face. “Do you like her?” He motions to me with his head. “Miss Hatcher?”
“I do,” Mac says, shrugging his shoulders. “I like her.”
“He did buy me this dress,” I offer up as proof. “It’s a Victoria Beckham.”
Mac shakes his head, but I catch a smile. “I like her, OK? More than I like this job. So I’m perfectly fine with stepping back. Heath can take over again.” Mr. Stonewall lets out a huff of air. “Hell, Camille is perfect for this position. Give it to Camille if you don’t want Heath. My point is, I’ve never been the guy you need, Alexander.”
Alexander. He calls his father Alexander?
“You were just…” Mac stops and sighs. “Just trying to get me involved again. And it’s not worth the bullshit, you know? Why bother?”
“Why bother?” Senior asks. “Why bother? Do you have no feelings for the twenty-five thousand people who depend on Stonewall Entertainment for a paycheck? Do you really think you can just hide from your past? You can’t, Mac. And you, Miss Hatcher,” Senior says, redirecting to me. “I knew your father as well.”
As well as what? I feel like I’m missing half of this conversation.
“I liked him. He was a good man. And so when you came looking for an internship I gave it you. Not because of our relationship, but because the minute you sat down with me for the interview I saw him in you. So much. And I was right. You’re one of the best employees this company has. I don’t want you to leave, but if you’ve got bigger plans I certainly understand.”
“Thank you, sir,” I say. “I do have plans. But I do like it here as well. I don’t really want to leave. I just don’t want to miss out on an opportunity.”
“So you have another offer? Who is it with?”
“No, sir,” I say. “Not another offer. I wrote a book. About the celebrities I help here at Stonewall. I’ve kind of started a small life-coaching business on the side. Like… a motivational speaker. I want to do that, I think. At least give it a try, you know? Take a risk and see what happens.”
“You wrote a book?” Senior asks.
“I checked with legal,” Mac says. “She didn’t violate her contract.”
“When is your book being published?” Senior asks, ignoring Mac.
“Well, I don’t know yet. I’m still trying to find a publisher to take it. No one seems very interested in some nobody celebrity coordinator. Maybe I’ll self-publish?” I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Hmm,” Senior says. “Well, I like risk-takers, Miss Hatcher.” He looks at Mac for this though, not me. “Life is all about managing risk. Knowing when to take it and when to back away. Some people,” he stresses the word, still looking at Mac, “have an aversion to risk. Some people,” he goes on, “lose big once and then back off. Isn’t that right, McAllister?”
“Look,” Mac says, “we can have that conversation if you like. But not here. Not now. Not in front of Ellie.”
“Hmmm,” Senior says again. And then he looks at me. “Miss Hatcher, your resignation is not accepted. Stay here with us. We need you. Go part time if you like. We’ll get you an assistant. Make you the president of celebrity relations. Delegate things if you need to. But stay.”
He gets up from the desk, both Mac and I rising with him, and then comes over and extends his hand to me. “It was good talking to you again. I hope you and Mac work out whatever it is the two of you have started and I hope you stay with Stonewall.” He turns to Mac. “We’ll talk about your plans later.”
We watch him walk out and close the door behind him.
“Holy shit,” I say. “That just stressed me out so bad. Are you really going to leave the company, Mac?”
“Are you?” he asks back.
“Well, I don’t know.”
“He made a good offer.”
“He did,” I admit.
“Think about it at least.”
“I will.”
“OK,” Mac says with a sigh. “Well, we got through that minefield. Wanna get the hell out of here?”
“Together?”
“Of course together,” Mac says. “He’s wrong, you know. He’s wrong about me. I’m not against risk. I risked this job for you. That’s worth something.”
“True. And yes. I really want to get the hell out of here. Like bad.”
“Let’s go then. It’s Friday. Let’s have a nice weekend and forget about work until next week. We have time to make decisions. Plenty of time.”
He takes my hand and leads me out of the office. No one is really around when we come out. Maybe Senior threatened everyone when he left? But Jennifer is, because she’s been holding my phone for safekeeping since Mac texted her. We don’t stay for small talk, just tell her thanks and I make our way down to the parking lot and I get in my car to follow him over to a local restaurant for lunch.
But I can’t help wondering about his last statement up in the office. About risk. Did he really risk his job for me? Or did he never want the job to begin with? It kind of nullifies the risk if you don’t really want one of the two things you’re taking a chance on, right?
Who am I to question his risk? I mean, look at me and my book. I’m already hedging my bets thinking about Senior’s new offer. I’d probably get a fat raise too. I’d get everything I thought I wanted. But I don’t really want the job, do I? I want to publish this book and be a life coach. So is staying at Stonewall while I take a half-hearted shot at a new career really risk?
I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it anymore, so I drop it and just get out when Mac is there at the restaurant opening my door.
And after the morning I’ve had, I just have to agree with his last statement. No more thoughts about work until Monday.
Chapter Twenty-Seven - Ellie
The restaurant is not one I’ve ever been to before. It’s past lunchtime now, so there’s only a few people still hanging around. Mac and I are seated at a large semi-circular booth in the back and it’s nice because we’re sitting next to each other.
“I’m sorry,” he says again.
“I know. You don’t have to keep saying that.”
“No, I mean I’m sorry that all the plans I had for this weekend got messed up. I wante
d us to have a nice time. Do things together. I was going to fly you to Aspen where my family has a house. Make it real romantic. But now…”
“You’re having second thoughts?”
“No,” he says. “Not that. Not about you, if that’s what you were implying. I’m having second thoughts about the weekend I planned though. I just want to know more about you and I thought we needed time away. But this trip today, that meeting, everything. The mood is just all wrong. Maybe we can just stay home?”
“You know how I love to stay home.”
“No, Ellie. I mean, we can stay home. Me and you. At my place. My home. Just forget about everything for a couple days, take some time to get to know each other. Make no decisions until Monday.”
I get a thrill up my arms. “A weekend away, only not away.” Yes, I quite like the sound of that. I’d like to snoop around his stuff. Peek into his fridge. “When do we start?” I laugh.
Mac’s blue eyes are smiling at me. They are bright and happy even though we just had the most fucked-up morning ever. “You’re incredible, you know that? Most women would’ve walked out after that whole Brutus fuckup. Most women would not have even given me a chance after I accosted them in the stairs that first day. Most women would’ve hated my guts if I embarrassed them—humiliated them, as you said—in front of all their peers. But you’re so forgiving.”
“I just like you, Mac.” I shrug. “That’s all there is to it. When you like people you forgive their faults and look past their mistakes. It’s not as big a deal. And yeah, I was pretty pissed off at you that first day, but not nearly as pissed as I was at Brutus this morning. I don’t like him. Hating him is easy. Not forgiving him is easy. But you, well… I’m just not interested in hating you, Mac.”
He leans into me, places both his hands on each side of my face, and gives me a kiss. It starts off small, but once I open my mouth, it’s more demanding. His fingertips slip under my hair and grab a fistful. “Thank you,” he whispers into my mouth. “For liking me.”
He pulls back when the waiter comes and clears his throat. “What can I get for you folks?”
