“Can you corroborate your statements?”
“Do you understand the seriousness of what you have revealed, because some of it could be considered criminal?”
“What do you expect in return for your reportage?”
She answered without hesitation.
Yes, she pulled from her purse itineraries of their trips, with ticket information for the flights with Eric, and even receipts for some of the gifts he’d bought. But he need not take only her word for it. “Ask Doris Butler. I overheard her say last week that I’m not the first woman Mr. Coates has taken on his trips.
“And yes, I understand I have implicated Mr. Coates, and possibly myself, in what could be criminal offenses. But I did not understand that what Eric was doing was illegal until recently. He always said the trips were our little secret, so other employees wouldn’t be jealous. But last night when I pulled out the paperwork I’d kept I noticed Eric never paid for a single thing. It was always charged to this bank, or a customer. I never handled or took any funds from the bank, or Eric.
“Finally, I don’t want Logital Solutions to suffer for my actions. I take full responsibility. I do want the harassment to stop and for everyone to know what an asshole Eric Coates is. And, though you didn’t ask, it’s important for me to say it. I didn’t know Mr. Coates had a fiancée. Poor woman.”
“Amen,” the secretary murmured under her breath.
*
The elevator doors whooshed open onto the main floor. Ahead of Shay three men were trying to wedge a twenty-foot live Christmas tree through the double doors of the lobby. There was already a stand erected for it in the center of the marble floor. It smelled heavenly of deep woods growth and the tarry turpentine that reminded her of the holidays. It would be lit Thanksgiving week, she had been informed in the Monday-morning bulletin. She wouldn’t be around to see it.
She took her seat and picked up her earphones. Only then did she glance at the clock. It was 10:17 A.M. Cadwallader Jones had directed her to resume her job until further notice. How long would it take until others knew what she’d done?
It did not take long.
At twenty minutes to eleven, Doris Butler, Eric’s executive assistant, came up to Shay’s desk, clutching a cardboard box of belongings. Her face bore a hectic complexion of anger barely contained. “Spreading lies that cost me my job. How dare you!”
Shay looked up slowly in answer to the angry whisper. “You covered for your boss, didn’t you? You made all his arrangements. Knew what was going on. I only told the truth.”
“Shut up! You, you just shut your vicious mouth!” Doris raised her hand as if to deliver a blow.
Shay stood up, narrowing her eyes. “You touch me and I’ll take you to the floor.”
The older woman’s eyes widened and she began to back away. She turned, her shoulders hunched as if expecting a blow from behind, and hurried toward the exit.
Laughter gurgled up out of her that Shay couldn’t completely still with the hand she pressed to her lips. She was close to seriously losing it. There was nothing remotely funny about what she’d done, or what might happen to her as a result.
You won’t get away with this. Eric will see to that.
Shay sat down, fear trickling in behind her amusement. What had she set in motion?
Exactly nineteen minutes later, Eric burst out of the elevator.
He came straight toward her, nearly knocking over one of the men who was gauging whether the Christmas tree was straight in its stand.
“Excuse me. I need to put you on hold for a moment.” Not waiting for a reply from her customer, Shay pushed the hold button and rose to her feet just as Eric reached her.
His eyes were half crazy with rage. His lips were bloodless. He came right up to her, skirting the desk until they were a foot apart.
“You calculating little slut!” His voice was low but his eyes were bloodshot with the strain of containing his rage. “You’re trying to fuck me over. I won’t let that happen.”
Shay flinched with every word. It was as awful as if she had not tried to prepare herself for his reaction. She grabbed the edge of the desk with both hands to steady herself.
“You should have listened to me when I said we were over. You gave me no choice.”
His eyes widened way past pissed off. For a second she thought he would, unlike Doris, actually try to strike her. But then he seemed to realize where he was. He was a senior bank official. Customers were watching, even if they couldn’t hear the exchange.
“You think you’ve won? You have no idea of the size of the shitstorm that’s about to dump on you. Cadwallader Jones and my father are fraternity brothers. I fucked up bad, but that isn’t how it’s going to end. I won’t be bested by a little bitch with a GED and secrets that make her cry at night. I will find a way to destroy you.”