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“Thank you for coming in so promptly, Amelia,” Clara said.
I slid into the seat opposite her. “No problem. What was it you wanted to talk about?”
She leaned forward, steepling her manicured fingers under her chin. “The reason I asked you here is that a staff member informed me they saw you out to dinner with Neil Kingston on Friday evening. They were concerned it didn’t look... work-related. Would you care to comment on what happened?”
Cold sweat bloomed across my shoulder blades beneath my blouse. I resisted the urge to tug at my collar. “Thanks for your concern, but it was a coincidence that Neil and I ended up dining alone. It was supposed to be a work dinner. A few other people were meant to attend, but they all had last-minute cancellations. Ask Winston Ramsey or James Campbell. Both of them could back this up.”
Clara’s narrow eyes fixed unblinkingly to mine. “Even so, this staff member said you and Neil looked rather close.”
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance even as my heartbeat thundered in my ears. “Well, Neil and I have developed a more casual relationship since we work so closely together. Plus, we live in the same apartment building now. It’s easy for things to get misconstrued.”
Clara regarded me a moment longer before she sank back into her ergonomic chair with a creak of caster wheels across the carpet. “I see. Well, that does help explain the context, and Neil did already inform me about your living arrangements, so I was aware of that.” Her slender shoulders slumped beneath her blazer. “But I’m sure you understand why I had to address such concerns.”
“Of course. Thanks for looking out for me.”
Clara rummaged in her drawer before sliding a glossy brochure across the desktop. I scanned the serif font heading. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.
“I want every woman at Luxmore to feel safe and empowered here. So if you ever feel coerced or pressured by a superior, you can come forward in confidence.”
“That’s reassuring to know.”
We exchanged a few more pleasantries before Clara sent me on my way. The pamphlet crinkled in my white-knuckled grip as I power-walked back to the lift. When I rounded the corner, I nearly collided with a mail trolley. “Oh! Excuse me,” I yelped, jumping aside.
The mail clerk shot me an odd look before continuing down the corridor. I punched the button until the lift door lurched open.
When I stepped into Neil’s office, he was standing in front of a window, his hands clasped behind his back. At my approach, he turned, face impassive. “Well?”
I gave him the rundown without stopping for breath. His expression remained fixed throughout.
“We can discuss this later,” he said.
Later. My insides performed a backflip. I knew he must mean tonight.
I stood on tiptoes to greet Neil with a kiss at his apartment door. But my lips grazed air. Neil pulled away from me. “Let’s talk first,” he said, an undertone of steel in his voice.
My stomach knotted. Neil strode inside and braced himself against the back of the couch. I followed him. “What’s wrong?”
He turned, dragging a hand over his jaw. “I’ve been thinking. Maybe continuing a physical relationship isn’t wise right now. Not while we’re under so much scrutiny.”
My pulse stuttered. I sank onto the other couch, hands twisting together in my lap. “You want us to stop?”
Neil shook his head, then began to pace in front of the fireplace. “Not permanently. Just until things settle down. It will make maintaining professionalism easier if we... detach emotionally.”
Detach emotionally? I understood Neil’s need for discretion, but the thought of losing our newfound intimacy wrenched my heart into my throat. I couldn’t let this happen without a fight—not after the bliss we’d shared these past few nights.
I perched on the edge of the cushion, fighting the quaver in my voice. “Not even here in your apartment?”
“It’s for the best.”
There had to be some way to make him reconsider, some flaw in his logic I could seize upon. I chose my next words carefully. “We’ve tried that kind of restraint in the past and look where it got us.” I rose from the couch and crossed the short distance between us. I placed a hand on Neil’s forearm, feeling the heat of his skin rise through his shirt. “Don’t you think keeping it all bottled up will increase the tension and make it more obvious to everyone around us?”
Neil swallowed. After a long pause, he took my hand, thumb tracing the veins on my inner wrist. “You raise a good point. I suppose fully cutting things off would only increase temptation...”
I stepped closer, tilting my chin to look up at him. “So, you’ll reconsider?”
He toyed with my fingers, his eyes darkening. “Perhaps we can find an alternative solution. Something that will reduce the scrutiny while allowing us to meet freely. I’ll give the matter more thought.”
I sagged against him, my chest unclenching. “Thank you.”
