Bind Me - Page 127

“What is going on here?” William asks.

The door opened right when Hunter started his little speech. William stands with Blake behind him. The tightness in my chest eases.

Hunter swallows and smiles before he turns to his father. “Maddy and I were just messing around. Isn’t that right, Maddy?”

He glares at me when he turns back around.

I look Hunter dead in the eyes when I say, “I’m sorry, Mr. Adams, but Hunter has been sexually harassing me since I worked here. I didn’t tell you because he’s your son. In fact, none of the women tell you. I’m not the first he’s cornered in the copy room, and I won’t be the last if you don’t do something about him.”

Hunter’s face turns red and his fists clench at his sides. He jerks forward like he’s going to grab me. I don’t dare cower from him. Not this time.

William blows out a breath. “Hunter, go to my office.”

He glares at me. “But?—‍”

“But nothing. Go.” William steps out of the way and Hunter stomps past the men. William takes a deep breath in, and as he releases it, some of that happy energy he always carries leaves him too. “Madison, I’m so sorry you didn’t feel you could come forward and tell me. We’ve lost a lot of really excellent employees that I thought had better offers. Now I need to review what really happened.”

“I should have told you.” Just because I got away doesn’t mean some other woman did too. “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

He gives me a partial smile. “Never, my dear. I’m just sorry you thought you had to endure that.”

I give him a smile as my gaze meets Blake’s. One thing is certain: Hunter isn’t the stalker, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t just create an even more potent enemy.

Chapter 39

Recoop

Coop

Dinner was quiet. Everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts. Afterward, Seth and Blake returned to the office to work on our employee problem. Noah and Madison are curled up on the couch in the library, reading together.

It’s an odd visual after how rough we got with Madison last night. The two of them look like the picture of domestic bliss. While I felt welcome in the depravity of last night, this moment seems sacred, like I’m disrupting something special.

I lean in the doorway, creeping on them. They haven’t noticed me yet. Noah’s hand trails over Madison’s hair. Her head rests in his lap. He has a book open in front of his face, and she’s got her tablet. As she reads, she plucks at her lower lip.

She’s wearing a pink tank top and a pair of pink-and-gray plaid pajama pants. The apartment is quiet. The TV would disrupt their moment. I don’t really want to watch anything, anyway. I sigh softly.

I can continue to creep on their time, or I can insert myself in their moment. Deciding on the latter, I stroll over to the couch. Madison lifts her feet with a smile. I sit, and she rests her feet on me before returning her focus to the book.

I’ve never been great at sitting still and entertaining myself. But I pull out my phone and scroll through some emails. Madison shifts against me. She’s still reading her tablet and plucking at her lower lip. She lets out a little sigh.

Noah glances down at her almost absentmindedly but then returns his gaze to his book.

“What are you reading, sweetheart?” I trail my hand up her calf under her pajama pants.

She bites her lip and looks over the top of the tablet at me. “An erotic romance.”

That draws my focus. I tuck my phone in my pocket and rub her foot. Noah’s eyebrow cocks up but he keeps reading. His interest is as piqued as mine.

“What’s it about?” I keep my hands moving on her calves and feet. She shifts beneath my touch like she needs more.

“A game of dare between two friends.” She meets my eyes. Her pupils are blown and her lips glisten.

“Are you enjoying it?”

She nods. “Very much.”

“Tell me about it.”