Chapter 93 – Pleasing the Boss

“Losing my job?” My tone says yeah, duh, but that reaction came automatically. Once upon a time, I couldn’t imagine anything more awful.

Now I can think of other things. Losing Brystin. That would be the worst thing in the world.

“It’s not too late to switch gears.” Scott’s gone into full work mode. “You could still put out a statement. Better yet, you could do an interview.”

“And say what? Admit that I sexually harassed her and then let her out of her contract so she wouldn’t sue me?” When Tessa raises an eyebrow, I add, “It’s more complicated than that.”

“It always is.” She gives me a look that says she understands.

Scott’s more shocked by the statement than his wife, or shocked that I said it out in the open anyway. “You might want to keep your volume down, and I was thinking more of a focus on the emotional component.”

“Ah, admit that I’m in love with her and let people think she left because it was too complicated of a situation?”

“It’s an option,” he says.

It’s an option that puts me in a vulnerable position in front of the entire world. For a second, I wonder if that would prove my love to Brystin, but then realize that I’d still end up gaining from the situation with better ratings. “I don’t know.”

“Is Elvis Endlich still harassing you about it?”

Scott had given Elvis instructions on how to handle any questions, but the man still called my office no less than once a day until I agreed to see him personally. I managed to put him off for almost three weeks. “Broke down and talked to him yesterday. Turns out he just wanted reassurance that I wasn’t going to fire him. Told him if he says one word that he shouldn’t, I’ll fire him for cause, and that will be the least of his worries.”

As much as I wish I could terminate the f**ker now, his contract holds.

I’m pretty sure he also wanted to know what was going on with me and his soon-to-be ex. Apparently, Brystin has kept our business to herself because she’s a decent person. I, on the other hand, was very tempted to throw our relationship in his face with a tour of every place I f**ked her in my office.

I kept my mouth shut in the end, which felt more gratifying than I expected. Especially when it riled him up enough to trash talk her. She’s easy to get, he said, suggesting she was an easy lay. Wait and see how hard she is to keep.

I asked if he’d ever just tried loving her.

Very grown-up of me, I know. Really, I wanted to punch him in the nuts, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he’d gotten to me.

“That would be one good thing about getting fired.” I’m only half joking. “All contracts made under my time as CEO have the ability to be terminated.” Mentally, I make a note to tell Adly to make sure he’s sacked too if I’m ever canned.

“See? Always a bright side.” Scott wr*ps an arm around Tessa’s waist. It’s the second time I’ve felt envious in half an hour.

I have the whole world at my fi**gertips, but money can’t buy what I want most.

With that, my thoughts are back to Brystin. “Tell me something, Tess—how does a guy go about proving his love?”

She grins like she’s glad to be asked. “Oh, good. I was afraid I wouldn’t get a chance to follow up on that bit where you said you were in love.”

“If you’re going to make a deal about this, I’ll take my question elsewhere.” Not really, but I’m not interested in hearing all the I’m so glad you finally…and didn’t you say you’d never…bullshit that usually follows these sorts of confessions.

“Not making a deal. I swear. Hm.” She looks adoringly at her husband, which makes me both want to puke and also wish I was looking adoringly at Brystin. “Choose her,” she says finally.

“Choose her?” An image of a Miss America type of pageant flashes in my head, except the women are vying to be my wife.

“Above everything else,” she clarifies. “Above yourself and your job and your family and your money. Above everything.”

“Ah. So simple,” I say, with obvious sarcasm.

But it’s all I can think about as I go on with my day. Well, that and all the other shit that I’m currently dealing with, and it all starts to form together into a potentially really good idea.

Tomorrow, I’m calling Jessa.

If I’m going down, it might as well be in flames.

Brystin POV

I turn my voicemail on speaker so I can clean out my inbox while I’m getting my face put on. It’s a quick job since I can delete almost all of them within five seconds, which is how long it takes to determine that they’re someone looking for the scoop on my relationship with Hadrian or my departure from Our Nation Now.

“You’re still getting that many calls?” Shiloh still has her job at SNC, but the show airs in the evening so she can do my makeup for SHE too since the interviews I’m helping with are midday.

“The phone calls aren’t as bad as the in-person badgering. Someone followed me all the way to Edison the other day, and there’s someone with a camera almost every time I leave Hadrian’s, even when I leave before dawn.”

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