Chasing Desire

by Jennifer Domenico

  “I think the answer to that is obvious.”

  “I thought we agreed to have some professional courtesy between us.”

  “Yeah. You could’ve helped me the other day when your girlfriend attacked me in the staff meeting.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend and your outburst was out of line.”

  “I think she thinks she is better than me.”

  “So?”

  “I didn’t get to this department by being a slacker. Just because she does a lot of business doesn’t give her the right to talk down to me.”

  “This really isn’t my issue, Angelica. It sounds like a dispute between you and Mackenzie. Why don’t you talk to her?”

  She sighs. “She’s obviously your favorite. What’s the point? You will take her side anyway.”

  “I don’t know why you think there are sides. I treat Mackenzie the same as I treat all of you. She has my respect because she works hard and produces results. You’ve had a rough quarter and maybe it’s because you are too focused on what she is doing and not enough on your own work.”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  “I think you could benefit from an attitude adjustment.” She rolls her eyes and I leave her with one more warning. “I don’t want to hear you call her my girlfriend or my favorite again, either. It’s disrespectful and I won’t tolerate it.”

  “Hypocrite,” she mutters.

  “I’m not a hypocrite. People change, you know. I take my new position seriously.” I am extremely clear right now that Angelica is behind the stalking. She is taking all of this way too personally. It has to be her.

  “Fine, Brayden. I’ll let it go. Are we done now?”

  “Yeah, we are.”

  I walk away and finish talking to the rest of the team. My eye catches Mackenzie’s and I know we both know what I’m thinking. It’s gotta be Angelica.

  I leave the area and go upstairs to my office. The windows in the conference room have been repaired and all the broken glass is gone. Two workers are in the stairwell repairing the bent doorframe. Macy is sitting at her desk, already busy at work.

  “Morning, Macy. How’s everything going?”

  “Good. You?”

  “Fantastic.”

  “I imagine it is based on what I found under my desk this morning.” She laughs and holds up a pair of panties.

  My face actually turns red as I snatch them out of her hand and stuff them in my pocket. “Shit.”

  Macy laughs. “So things went well while you were trapped in here?”

  “Um, yeah. We talked things out.”

  “I would say that is evidence there was more than talking.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you happy, Brayden?”

  “Incredibly.”

  “Then I’m happy, too. It’s all I’ve wanted for you.”

  “I know.”

  “So, how long do you plan to keep your relationship a secret?”

  “At least until I can find out who is trying to cause problems between us. I’m convinced it’s someone who works here.”

  “Who would do that?”

  “I don’t know. I have a suspicion, though.”

  “Who?”

  I look over my shoulder even though I know that no one can hear me. “Angelica.”

  “Why her?”

  “She hates my guts and she really hates Mackenzie. I think she feels threatened by her.”

  “Hmm. Pretty risky for her if she gets caught.”

  “Yes, it is. Not only will she lose her job, but I will press criminal charges.”

  “Is there anyone else it could be?”

  “That’s the thing, Macy. It could be anyone for a multitude of reasons. The only thing I’m clear on is who it’s not.”

  “Well, don’t be too trusting. You might be surprised.” She grabs my hand. “You know it’s not me, though, right?”

  “Oh, god, Macy. You are the last person on this planet who would ever do something like this. Whoever it is doesn’t want me to be happy or doesn’t want Mackenzie to be. I know it’s not you and there are a few other people I’ve ruled out. Other than that, I’m keeping my eyes open.”

  “Good idea.”

  “I should get to work. There is a lot to do after missing yesterday.”

  “With a whole unplanned day off yesterday, what did you do?”

  “Mackenzie,” I say with a wink. “See you later, Macy.”

  “That’s awesome.” She laughs. “See you later, boss.”

  I sit down and turn on my PC, then pull out my phone to text Kenzie.

  Me: Watch your back with A. I don’t trust her.

  Mac: Okay.

  Me: I have your panties in my pocket.

  Mac: How? I’m still wearing them.

  Me: Not the ones that were under Macy’s desk.

  Mac: Oh my god. Did she find them?

  Me: She did.

  Mac: I could die.

  Me: Please don’t. I need you later. I love the fuck out of you, babe.

  Mac: I love you too.

  A few seconds later she texts me again.

  Mac: PS- it feels awesome to tell you that.

  Me: Feels awesome to hear it.

  I change her name on my phone to Kenzie and smile.

  A few hours later, Macy appears in my doorway looking pale. “Boss. You need to see this.”

  “What is it?”

  “Just come with me.”

  I stand and rush to her desk. She points at her monitor and I feel sick at what I’m seeing.

  “How the fuck…?”

  “I don’t know. It’s a blind copy, too, so I have no idea who got it besides me.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Call Mackenzie and tell her to come up here, stat.”

  “On it.”

  I pace back and forth as Macy makes the call and wait impatiently for Mackenzie to arrive. When she steps off the elevator, I see the confusion in her face.

  “What is going on? Everyone is staring at me.”

  “Fuck,” I say again.

  “What is it, Brayden?”

  “Mackenzie,” Macy starts. “You should come over here and see this.”

  Mackenzie walks behind Macy’s desk and covers her mouth when she sees the screen. “Shit,” she whispers.

  “It’s definitely not a secret anymore,” Macy says.

  I slam my fist down on the credenza in front of me. “I am so fucking pissed. Who is doing this?! And why?”

  Mackenzie runs her fingers through her hair. “The whole team must have received this email. They were looking at me so funny just before you called.”

  I walk back and look at the offending email filled with pictures of me and Mackenzie in various embraces and kisses. The worst ones are showing us walking in and out of each other’s apartments. It wouldn’t take a genius to realize we are in a relationship.

  “Brayden, there’s one at the wedding,” Macy says.

  I look at an image of me and Mackenzie talking in the corner. I can see the pain on both of our faces and I know it was just moments before she ran away. We were being watched in what I thought was a private moment.

  “Where did this come from?” I ask.

  “The email says unknown sender,” Macy says.

  “I’m calling Theresa.”

  “Who is that?” Mackenzie asks.

  “The investigator.”

  I dial her number and explain the whole situation including the anonymous call to the firemen after the earthquake. She tells me she is on her way to my office.

  “She’s on her way.”

  “We need to do damage control, Brayden,” Mackenzie says. “How do I go down there now and face everyone? Especially knowing one of them might be responsible for it.”

  “What do you want to do?” I ask. “Do you want to go home?”

  She shakes her head. “I won’t run and hide. Not anymore.”

  “We haven’t done anything wrong,” I sa
y. “It’s not ideal that people discovered our relationship like this, but we are allowed. It’s not like we’re having an affair or something.”

  “True,” Mackenzie agrees. “It’s just uncomfortable. I feel very exposed.”

  “So do I.”

  “May I make a suggestion?” Macy asks.

  We both turn to her and I nod. “Why don’t you get Matt up here and get him to run interference? I imagine he could be a little upset finding out his boss and his star performer are in a relationship.”

  “Good point,” I say. “Can you call him up here, please?”

  “Of course.”

  I rub Mackenzie’s arm and she smiles. I just want to hold her and kiss her and tell her it’s going to be okay. In fact, I’m happy it happened. Now everyone knows she is mine. The elevator doors open and Matt steps out looking more than a little pissed off.

  “Hey,” he says. “You wanted to see me?”

  “I did,” I say. “We’re sorry you had to find out like this. We wanted to keep it under wraps for everyone’s benefit.”

  “I don’t care about that, Brayden. I’ve suspected for ages you two were an item. It’s kind of obvious based on how often she comes to see you alone and all the private calls.”

  “You knew?” Mackenzie asks.

  “I suspected,” he repeats. “And I don’t care. Not at all. If you guys are happy that’s fine with me. I’m just pissed because I feel like an idiot right now. Everyone down there is asking me if I knew and if I’m mad. I liked it when I could just ignore it. Now I have to acknowledge it.”

  “We feel the same way,” I say. “Obviously, we are not the ones who exposed our relationship this way.”

  “Obviously,” he agrees. “Who did?”

  “I wish I fucking knew.”

  “This isn’t the first incident,” Mackenzie says. “We’ve known we were being stalked, but we didn’t know how much they knew or how far they would go.”

  “Stalked?” Matt asks. “That’s crazy.”

  “Yeah, it is,” I say.

  “We just wanted to explain it to you,” Mackenzie says. “I hope it doesn’t affect our working relationship.”

  “Not at all. Like I said, it doesn’t bother me. It’s obvious that it’s not like Brayden’s other escapades.” He stops talking and slaps his forehead. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “It’s okay,” I say. “Mackenzie is well aware of my scandalous past.”

  “Yeah, I mean, I could tell it was lasting. It wasn’t just a fling before he moved on to someone else.” He looks at Mackenzie. “I mean that respectfully.”

  “I know,” she says. “I get it.”

  “So what now, boss? Do you want me to say anything? I’m sure the team knows where both Mackenzie and I are right now.”

  “I trust you to handle it as you see fit.”

  “What would you do if you were me?” he asks.

  “I’d tell them to mind their own business and focus on their work.”

  “Yeah, I was more worried about Mackenzie.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” she says. “I can handle myself. If someone has the balls to say something to my face they should be prepared to be hit with some serious attitude. My work speaks for itself and Brayden has nothing to do with my success. Who I fuck when I get home at night is my business.”

  I smile at her crassness. That’s my girl.

  Matt smiles, too. “I don’t think anyone is stupid enough to mess with you.”

  “Angelica is,” she says. “She should stay away from me. I’ll chew her up and spit her out, no problem. If I find out she has anything to do with this, she’ll be sorry she ever met me.”

  “Whoa,” Matt says. “You suspect someone who works here? Angelica?”

  “We don’t know that,” I say, looking at Mackenzie. “We think it is someone who works here because the person knew we were trapped in the building during the earthquake. She brought up Angelica because we’ve both had some run-ins with her lately.”

  “Oh yeah, and after you and her…” he stops abruptly.

  “I know about that,” Mackenzie says and then sighs. “Former flings come with the Brayden James territory.”

  I frown. I wish she didn’t have to deal with all of this.

  “I just want you to keep an ear out, Matt,” I say. “We really have no idea who is doing this at this point, but we know that they don’t intend to stop. They outed us today and who knows what else they have planned.”

  “You got it, boss. Frankly, I don’t even see why people care. There are romances going on all over this office. It’s not really a big deal. I think it’s just because of your past and that Mackenzie is…” he pauses again and smiles. “Well, you’re smoking hot and you take your sales goal every month and knock it out of the park. It’s uncomfortable for people. They want to find a flaw or an excuse because it sucks to admit you are just better than everyone.” He smiles again. “I don’t have a problem admitting it. I think it’s great. You make me look good and I’m glad I’m the lucky one who got you on his team.”

  “Thanks, Matt,” Mackenzie says.

  “I’ll handle the team downstairs. Are you coming back, Mackenzie?”

  “Yes. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Okay. See you soon.”

  “Can we speak alone in your office, Brayden?” Mackenzie asks then turns to Macy. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Macy says.

  We walk in my office and close the door and Mackenzie immediately presses her body up against me. She kisses me and holds me tight.

  “Whoa,” I say, chuckling. “What is this all about?”

  “I don’t know. I just wanted to be close to you for a minute.”

  “It’s a weird feeling, knowing that everyone knows about us now.”

  “Yeah, I thought it would suck, but I actually feel very liberated.”

  “Liberated enough to fuck me on this desk?” I ask, grinning.

  “Yeah, but not now. The investigator is coming, remember?”

  “You said coming. It’s all I heard.”

  Mackenzie laughs. “Very mature.”

  “I’m like a horny teenage boy around you.”

  “I like it.” She kisses me again and slides her hand down the front of my pants, rubbing the raging hard on I have for her. “Save this for me.”

  “Definitely.”

  She moves away, but I pull her back one more time and kiss her lips. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  “Everything is going to be fine.”

  “I believe that now. Because of you.”

  I smile just as Macy rings my intercom. “Theresa Green is here to see you.”

  “Send her in.”

  The private investigator walks in and I have to struggle not to laugh out loud. This is not who I envisioned I was talking to on the phone. Not only is she much older than I thought, but she looks like she stepped out of an eighties movie with her bleach bond hair and fake tan. Her nails are super long and hot pink. She’s wearing too tight jeans and a black top spilling over with cleavage and high heeled boots. She doesn’t exactly blend in with the natives.

  “Hello,” she says extending her hand and shaking mine and Kenzie’s. “I’m Theresa. I’m glad we could meet today.”

  “Thanks for coming,” I say.

  “Okay, so can you show me the email you called me about?”

  “Yes, it’s out here on my assistant’s PC.”

  “So you didn’t get it?”

  “No.”

  “Neither did I,” Mackenzie says.

  “Curious,” Theresa says. “Okay, let’s see it.”

  We walk out to Macy’s desk and she shows Theresa the emails. “Do you have an IT department here?”

  “Yes. On the first floor.”

  “I think we should start with seeing if we can get an IP trace on the email address. That will give a clue at least of the location.”

  “Oka
y, we can do that.” I look over at Macy and she smiles.

  “I’ll call now, boss.”

  “Thanks. I suspect that it is someone we work with.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. Her name is Angelica Baker. She actually works for me.”

  “Why do you suspect her?”

  “She hates me and feels threatened by Mackenzie.”

  “Okay. Can I get a description of her?”

  “Here she is,” Macy says, showing Theresa the company website.

  Theresa makes some notes. “Okay, this is good. I’ve had a car watching your place, Brayden, and we haven’t seen any unusual comings or goings. I haven’t figured out yet how they are getting this information. Was there anyone unusual at the wedding?”

  “No, but see, the whole team was there. That’s why I’m sure it’s someone who works here.”

  “Angelica was there?” she asks.

  “Yes.”

  “Why does she hate you both?”

  Mackenzie speaks up. “She’s competitive with me and she and Brayden had a prior relationship.”

  “It wasn’t a relationship,” I correct. “It wasn’t to me, anyway.”

  “Oh, I see,” Theresa says. “A woman scorned.”

  “Basically,” Mackenzie says.

  “Alright. Can I check out your office for bugs?”

  “Please do.”

  Theresa goes in my office and checks all over the desk, the phone, and the corners. “I don’t think there is anything in here. It seems like most everything is in the form of pictures.”

  “Yeah, but the texting is weird. She got the phone number of a girl I know, plus Mackenzie’s. It also looks like it’s coming from my phone.”

  “That’s easy to do. It’s called spoofing,” Theresa explains. “They can copy your number to their own phone. It’s a popular form of ID Theft.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I say. “I hope we can figure this out quickly. I don’t know what else this person is willing to do.”

  “I know it’s distressing. I hope the person stays relatively harmless,” Theresa says.

  “I don’t think her actions have been harmless,” I say.

  “Brayden, I deal with cases where someone’s life is at stake. I don’t think your stalker is dangerous. I think they want to cause you trouble and maybe some embarrassment, but based on my experience, they don’t plan to physically harm you.”

  “That’s good to know.”