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I nearly spill my coffee when I process her words. “Excuse me?”
“You haven’t heard?” Her voice lowers, dripping with a venom that surprises me. With all the people I’ve had contact with at work, I thought she would at least be on my side given our history starting three years ago. My breathing picks up at her insinuation anyway.
“Heard what?” I ask, deciding to play dumb.
“There’s a rumor going around that you fucked Doug Bannon for your promotions.”
I stare at her blankly. “And you believe them?”
“I want to hear it from you. It’s interesting how we started at the same time, yet you got three promotions, and I haven’t even had one.”
“So, you’re blaming me for your lack of promotions?”
“Come on, Megan, I saw how you were with Doug. With his history of sexual harassment, what was stopping you from blackmailing him for those promotions?”
I resist the urge to dump my coffee in her lap. “How dare you imply that I had sex with him for advancement! I got those because of the work I did. Do you think I also fucked Dr. Revere?”
“Maybe,” she sneers. “How do I know which way she swings? Clearly, you would do anything to get ahead.”
“Cindy, you should watch yourself. I am still your superior.”
“Yeah, but for how long?” she taunts with a nasty smirk.
“You’ve known me for three years. Do you honestly think I would stoop to doing such a thing to get ahead?”
She shrugs. “I also heard that you fucked Dr. Pearce. Is that not true? Were you looking for another promotion? Who’s the father of CJ and what does CJ stand for? Chase Junior?”
Her bombarding questions makes me sick. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“I think you owe me the truth.”
Hastily wrapping my bagel up, I no longer feel like eating. As I stand up, Cindy grabs my sleeve, and I give her an icy stare.
“Let go, Cindy,” I command. “You’re just jealous.”
“Of what, a whore? All those stories you told me about your friends with benefits… was that how it was with Doug and Dr. Pearce? You fucked them to get what you want?”
I yank my sleeve out of Cindy’s grasp and walk into the building. I throw my bagel in the garbage and take the elevator to the top floor. I need to talk to Dr. Revere because I see that the rumors are getting out of hand. Fortunately, she’s eating lunch in her office when I knock.
“Megan, how is it going?”
“Not good. I need to take a leave of absence.”
“Why? What’s going on? Does this have anything to do with the rumor we spoke about on Friday?”
“Yes. I can’t work this way. I already have a situation in my personal life that is stressful enough, so I can’t come to work and have to deal with more. It’s so ridiculous.”
She sighs. “I can’t afford to give you up over rumors, even if it’s just for a month or two.”
“I just got an earful of what people are saying. It’s just like I imagined—that they would accuse me of sleeping with Doug for promotions! I worked hard to get where I am. If he gave them to me because I looked good, that can’t be helped, but I had no physical contact with him.”
“I know that, and you know that. Are you going to let whispers behind your back push you out of a good job, though?”
“I don’t want to leave. I want to take some time. Even if it’s for a week, please.”
“I need you, Megan. How much vacation do you have?”
“I have seven weeks accumulated.”
