Corporate Assets

by Stephanie Brother

  Case

  Women weren’t the only ones who were intuitive. I had a sour feeling in my stomach all morning from the moment I walked in.

  I couldn’t specify the origin of the restless feeling in my body, just its presence. My appetite was indiscernible, and despite the workload, I was unable to focus.

  Then it hit me.

  Sage had been uncharacteristically quiet. She was fine when we’d parted ways this morning. I kissed her on the cheek when I walked her to the office, and waited to hear from her. But as time passed and she didn’t respond to any emails or texts, my anxiety grew.

  She wasn’t having second thoughts, was she?

  Last night blew my mind. This morning as well. I’d touched her in ways I hadn’t touched any woman. We were late for work, but it was worth every orgasmic moment.

  We were also only days away from my father’s wedding, where she was expected to be in attendance with me. Her mother was the bride, after all.

  Mike walked past my office several times, each time with that shit-eating look. It was the same one that taunted me to massage his face with my fist, but I controlled it as long as he stayed the hell away from my door.

  I sent another text message to Sage.

  - Babe, you good? Is your phone dead?

  Ten minutes later, she still hadn’t answered, and this was unlike her. I was thankful that we at least worked in the same building, because I was fed up with her unresponsive behavior, and couldn’t focus until I got to the bottom of it.

  “Hold my calls,” I instructed Lauren, wrapping my knuckles on her desk. I didn’t stop to answer questions on the way to the elevator. I’d even left my phone on my desk.

  No one would interrupt me until I got to the bottom of why Sage was so quiet.

  Her office door was closed. I knocked. No answer. I knocked louder.

  “Sage?” I called aloud. “It’s me. Open up.”

  Moments later, the door opened, but only slightly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Sage’s eyes were red, and her expression was somber. She shook her head, but tears fell like rain from her troubled eyes.

  I closed the door behind me and locked it. She didn’t protest, just continued to let tears fall.

  Her sorrowful demeanor upset me. “What happened?”

  She shook her head again, raising her hands and denying the answer once more. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Did I do something?” I didn’t think I had, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

  “No.” She whispered. She sat at her desk. It was littered with several tissues, balled up around the keyboard. From the looks of things, she hadn’t gotten much done.

  “Babe, I know you’re not okay. You’re crying. You’ve got tissues all over your desk. You’re not answering your phone. You’re not responding to emails. Your door is locked.” I spelled it out for her. “If something’s wrong, we need to discuss it. Is it your mom?”

  She bit her lip, and her chin trembled. “No.”

  I stooped down on my haunches and grabbed her hand. It was ultra soft, as always. I kissed and caressed it. “Baby, I haven’t been able to concentrate all morning. I didn’t know why; now I do. We’re connected.”

  She gave me a skeptical look. “I knew something was wrong, even when you weren’t responding,” I explained. “I gave you space because I didn’t want to harass you, but I’m not going to be able to concentrate on my own work until you talk to me — so tell me what’s happening. Why are you crying, and what can I do to help?”

  She inhaled a staccato breath, evidence that she was throttling her emotions.

  “Mike…”

  My temper flared at the mention of that asshole. “What about him?” Her face reddened, and her hand trembled in my palm.

  “Babe, talk to me.” I squeezed her hand. My heart raced as tears fell again. “What did he do? What happened?”

  I was scared he’d made another sexist, misogynistic, inappropriate comment, something that messed with her sense of inadequacy. She struggled with owning her position, especially as she was new to it. But she’d been getting rave reviews.

  My worst fear was that he’d grabbed her, groped her inappropriately where nobody could record him.

  “I can’t tell you,” she sobbed.

  “Why not?”

  She covered her face with her free hand and just repeated herself. Finally, after urging her, she confessed, “I just don’t want anything to ha-happen.”

  My jaw tensed, and red flickered at the corner of my eyes.

  “You can tell me, or I can call both our parents.”

  That’s when she told me.

  I wasn’t just upset; I was infuriated. There wasn’t any room in my emotional budget to consider how he discovered the truth. My energy was totally focused on the way he attempted to coerce my woman.

  It was the disrespect.

  He knew it would upset her, demean her. And even if she didn’t say anything now, it would have shown in her behavior.

  It would have made its way back to me somehow.

  “Fucking asshole.” I spat. “I should have known he would bother you.”

  “What do you mean?” She asked.

  I filled her in on our run-in yesterday, down to the lewd sniff and veiled threat. I didn’t know what he was talking about then, yet it was all too clear now.

  “I’ll take care of him.” My voice iced over, harsh and stony with pent up hate built over the years I’d worked with him.

  Sage’s eyes widened. She grabbed onto my wrist. “Case, no!”

  She attempted to assuage me, begging me to think about everything I’d done to lead up to this moment. To consider my career, and the hard work I’d invested to be more than just “the CEO’s son.”

  But I couldn’t stop. I didn’t give a fuck about my reputation. You didn’t disrespect women, and most especially, my woman.

  Mike didn’t deserve to work for this company, much less become CEO.

  “Don’t worry about me.” I commanded. “Type up a statement, a thorough, detailed statement of what happened, and email it to me, my father, and the HR director. CC Lauren as well.”

  “Case, if we do this, the truth’s going to come out.” Her voice was small, frightened. “Our parents will know. This could be the end for us.”

  I paused, and surveyed the floor. My heart pounded wildly, and blood rushed through my veins at breakneck speed.

  “Case,” she begged. “Please don’t do anything stupid on account of me. I’m not worth it.”

  I walked over to her. “Hush. I don’t EVER want to hear you say anything like that again. You are worth it, Sage, even if you’re too stubborn and hardheaded to see what you mean to me.”

  Her bottom lip dropped open; she was speechless. I grabbed her by the chin and crushed my lips against hers. I shoved my tongue in her mouth, tongue-fucking her with rough desire. I pulled away and walked out without saying another word, leaving her breathless.

  This might have been the end for us in terms of working at this company, and for me becoming its CEO.

  But she’d find out soon enough that it wouldn’t be the end of us as a couple. I wouldn’t force it on her - she’d understand it in due time.

  Later for that. I was focused on Mike.

  I’d last seen him walking into one of the conference rooms with some of the upper management.

  My heart pounded with tiger blood as I entered that room unannounced. Everyone greeted me, Mike included.

  “Case...”

  THWACK.

  I punched the oily look right off that motherfucker’s face.

  Sage

  “Based on today’s events, I have to place you on administrative leave.” The HR Director’s expression was firm, but her voice was compassionate. “You’re suspended, pending investigation.”

  “I understand,” I replied, quietly. Just hours ago, Case learned of Mike’s sexual harassment allegations. In anger, he stormed into a con
ference.

  Mike was rushed to the hospital with a broken nose.

  She gave me an apologetic look. “You have a few minutes to gather your things, and security will escort you out of the building.”

  Case was immediately removed by security. The building buzzed with curiosity, and the drama landed right at my doorstep before lunch.

  Needless to say, the melee was branded with my pretty little name on it. Mike turned over a computer log with Case’s internet activity, including the emails from other applicants. Piecing everything together, he’d somehow managed to reveal the true nature of our relationship.

  If Mike’s evidence wasn’t enough to prevent Case from becoming CEO, Case’s physical assault violated workplace policy. And, if Mike desired, could put him in jail.

  From what I understood, Case’s career was over. Just being in the building could present a liability for Mike, who was being praised by some as a hero.

  I gave the HR director my story, including the nauseating attitude he presented towards Jane, and the way he treated women in general.

  It was a shot in the dark to me. I was less than two weeks old here, new to Human Resources as a whole, and fucking the CEO’s son.

  As far as everyone knew, I was a little Jezebel stirring up trouble when the company needed it least. Why wouldn’t I be seen as the source of trouble?

  Either way, I’d accepted my fate; my days here, while pleasant and short-lived, were done. With just another week left until my second master’s degree was complete, I could put my energy into that instead of learning a new role.

  This didn’t even need to go on my resume.

  Lauren barged in. “I need to talk to you.” She didn’t even look at me. She stared resolutely at the HR Director. “Right now.”

  “Can it wait? I have —“

  “No,” Lauren shifted and put her hands on her hips. “Actually, it can’t. Because it has to do with what’s happened today,” she asserted, “and it corroborates her story about Mike being a threat to the workplace.”

  I stood to leave, and she placed her hand on my shoulder. “No. Stay. You’re going to want to see this.”

  Case

  My phone rang off the hook before I made it back to my condo. I didn’t want to answer it.

  I wasn’t ready to talk to my Dad. I also didn’t give a shit about tradition, ethics, or a lawsuit that would follow if I came back on the company property.

  Mike Schwarb was a bastard, and he deserved every ache and pain that came from breaking his nose.

  I wasn’t concerned for my father’s reputation, my reputation at the company, or even myself.

  I wasn’t a billionaire, but I’d amassed my own level of wealth. Mike was an asshole. He’d press charges if it meant comeuppance on his end. I didn’t give a fuck. I had enough money to buy the best lawyer’s to get me out of this shit.

  Between that and my clean record, there was nothing for me to lose.

  Except Sage.

  She was the only person who mattered. The only person whose opinion would break me at the moment.

  I did this for her. I cared about her. I wanted — no, needed — to protect her.

  Goddamn it, I loved her.

  I wrapped my hand, which had started to swell, and called her. She wouldn’t pick up her phone, nor would she answer her text messages.

  I hoped she could see I did this for her.

  For us.

  Sage

  “What’s going on?” The HR lady asked.

  “I’m here to file a formal complaint against Mike Schwarb also.” Lauren declared. Her flawless features were tight, and her body language demanded blood.

  An anvil dropped on my chest. “He harassed you too?”

  “Yes, over a period of months.” Lauren asserted. She tapped several buttons on her phone. “Check your email.” She tilted her head back to gesture toward the HR director’s computer. “You,” she said, turning to me. “You’ve been CC’d too.”

  “But I’ve been placed on —“

  “You’re here, and until you leave the building, you’re technically still in the HR department.” Her eyes were steely with conviction, but I could see the hint of a smile in them. “Check your email on the company phone.”

  I looked at the HR director. She provided a resigned look as she slid the phone over to me. The action was accompanied by an uncomfortable swallow.

  Lauren walked over to the door and locked it. “We are going to need full space to take this in.”

  The HR Director pulled up the email on her computer screen and gasped. I tossed the phone back on the desk. Lauren and I peered over to watch with her.

  On the screen was a video of a young woman. She appeared alone in one of the company conference rooms.

  Her body tensed, and she appeared comprehensive as Mike entered. Every step he took toward her, she took a step back, until she was in the corner.

  By the body language, you could see he was intimidating her, dominating her with his stature.

  “That’s Jane,” Lauren declared. “You remember, your previous Acting Lieutenant Executive Technical Manager of Human Resources?” Her eyebrow raised emphatically.

  There wasn’t any audio to accompany the video, however, it wasn’t necessary. The footage was shocking enough on its own.

  Mike grabbed against Jane, who appeared hesitant. She pushed him back and resisted, while balancing on her heels. There appeared to be an exchange of words, and Mike’s fly unzipped. He exposed himself to her and appeared to say something vile before tucking himself back in, and walking out.

  The HR Director’s face paled with shock. “How did you get this video?” She inquired.

  “The source of my acquisition is not relevant at the moment.” Lauren replied. ‘What is relevant is that Jane was dismissed after attempting to file a complaint.”

  The Director was silenced by Lauren’s continued assertion. She took control of the conversation, one word at a time.

  “What’s also relevant? There are more videos, statements, allegations, and a history of company dismissals tied to Mike Schwarb and the women who’ve accused him of workplace misconduct.” She gave a rueful, calculated laugh and drove the nail in the coffin. “What’s most relevant of all, however? Is that Charles Williams has been made well aware of this evidence, as well as your corroboration with Mr. Schwarb, and particular members of corporate security, to suppress this damaging info. And in exchange for what? Your job security.”

  The Director’s face reddened. She stuttered and stammered. “Y-you need to leave,” she said, pointing to the door. “Right n-now.”

  “Is that your final answer?” Lauren’s question was cool, as if she expected that response.

  “Yes.” The woman said, her eyes pinched as she glared over her. “You and I will have a word later.”

  “Fine,” Lauren replied, casually inspecting her nails. “Suit yourself.” She turned to me and squeezed my shoulder. “I’m sorry about everything. I’ll talk to you later.”

  She headed toward the door, and didn’t look back once on her way out. As she exited, several security guards and police officers poured in.

  The HR Director’s eyes widened as she was asked to stand and placed under arrest.

  “Ma’am,” one of the security officers greeted me. “Do you have time to answer a few questions?”

  Case

  I spent the afternoon calling Sage like a bill collector. She ignored me just as fervently.

  My adrenaline rush dissipated, giving way to frustration.

  I’d just sacrificed everything for her, down to my career. Everything. And she didn’t even have the decency to answer the phone?

  Fuck that. I needed to see her. She would have to speak to me, come hell or high water.

  Events of the day pummeled through my head, taunting me along with thoughts that I’d made a foolish mistake.

  I went to the bathroom, changed my shirt, and grabbed my keys. There had to be an explanat
ion for this.

  None of this — from meeting her to assaulting Mike — happened without reason.

  Heavy knocks wrapped on the door. My heart stopped. I hadn’t expected any company. And there were only two possible answers as to who was on the other side of the door.

  My father.

  Or the police.

  I looked through the peephole carefully.

  Sage.

  I released a huge exhale. She was a better option than either of them.

  “Why have you been ignoring my calls?”

  “I’ve…” Her shoulders slumped, and she was holding her shoes in one hand. I noticed her feet were in slides. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day.”

  She looked every bit of exhausted as she claimed to be. But she was still beautiful and angelic to me. Relief flooded my system.

  She did care.

  She wasn’t avoiding me.

  “I came straight from work. May I come in?”

  I stepped aside, locking the door. “Did anyone follow you?”

  “No. Why?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to my dad yet.”

  “What about Lauren?”

  “I haven’t heard from her either.”

  She gave me an inquisitive look. “Have you been hiding under a rock all day?”

  “Just about.” I groaned lightly as I plopped down on the couch. “I kept calling you, but you weren’t taking my calls.”

  She fidgeted and swallowed. “I’m sorry. At first, I was just busy. And I didn’t know what to say or think.”

  “Okay.” That still didn’t tell me anything. “You could have texted me to let me know you needed space.”

  “That was kind of impossible also.”

  “Why.”

  “Let’s just say things…” Her lips pursed in a slight grimace. “Spiraled completely out of control.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Apparently, I wasn’t the only one Mike harassed. Jane, the last woman in my position, was dismissed after she attempted to file a complaint.”