And Then She Was Gone(6)

“I couldn’t let you do that.” She slid her hand under her thigh and scrunched up in her chair.

“You can’t—but I can.” He leaned against the cubicle wall. “Think of it as a ‘welcome on board’ bonus.”

She crossed her arms tightly. “I’ve been here almost three months now.”

“Happy anniversary.” He opened his hand as if he were giving her a gift. “It’s only an hour, and really, you’re doing great work. I believe in rewarding a job well done.”

Maybe it was his choice of words—happy anniversary—but as her thoughts shifted to her beloved husband Michael, she was certain he would warn her not to go anywhere near this kind of guy. “Thank you,” she said, “but I really have to be heading home. I’m just going to finish up the Right-A-Way Shipping report and call it a night.”

“But—”

She wiggled her mouse and tried to change the subject. “I noticed they were spending a large amount of money on insurance.”

“The Right-A-Way Shipping report?” Mr. Chambers repeated.

“Yes. At my last job, this same level of coverage was a quarter of this amount—”

“That report is done.” Mr. Chambers’ tone changed. He stepped forward and glared at her monitor. “What’re you doing with it?” He pressed against her chair, pinning her in place.

“I’m supposed to review the report and—”

“No,” Mr. Chambers snapped, “you’re supposed to review your section of the report, and you assured me that you had. Are you changing what you submitted?”

His sudden change in demeanor caught her off guard. She’d gotten a glimpse of Mr. Chambers’ “other side”—as they called it in the break room—before, but it had never been directed at her. She cleared her throat. “No. But I found a discrepancy with—”

Mr. Chambers scoffed. “You should have nothing to do with that. I’ve already reviewed and approved the report myself.”

“Umm…” She shuffled some papers around on her desk, unsure what to say next.

“Is this why you’re working late? When I approved your overtime, I thought you were catching up on tasks, not just making busywork for yourself so you can get paid time and a half.”

“I’m not! I was just—”

He thrust a finger at the monitor. “Close the file and send me what you’ve done to it.”

Stacy nodded. She pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and opened the mail program. “I haven’t changed anything.” She swallowed.

Mr. Chambers spun his keys around his long finger like an outlaw gunslinger twirling his pistol. “I’ll take a look at it in the morning.” His voice had softened somewhat, but he stood with both feet planted wide just behind her chair. “You couldn’t know, but once these reports are submitted, it’s a nightmare to make corrections. I’d rather get a public flogging than have to request to change it.”

Despite his new tone, she kept up her guard. She sat rigidly, focused on the monitor. “I’m sorry. I…” She wanted to bolt, but he hovered so close to her chair that it was impossible. “I only highlighted the line. I didn’t alter the report.”

His keys chimed as they spun round again. “I’ll review it later. I’m sure it’s fine. No harm, no foul. Like you said, you didn’t change anything.”

Stacy nodded demurely, but didn’t turn around.

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider? O’Flaherty’s makes a heck of a Long Island Iced Tea.”

Mr. Chambers’ Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality frightened her. “No thank you.” She opened up her calendar. “Have a good night.”

“I’m sure we’ll be at O’Flaherty’s for a while if you change your mind. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Feeling like a prisoner in a cell, Stacy sat there and listened to his keys jingle as he walked away, tapping each cubicle wall as he passed it. Her heart thumped in her chest and her hand trembled as she moved the mouse. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. She wanted to call Michael, but she wasn’t sure whether he was having dinner with clients. He had called earlier from his hotel room to let her know that he’d arrived and that their old car had held up on the long journey. And considering nothing had really happened, she thought there was no reason to get Michael upset, too.

She pushed the incident with Mr. Chambers aside and got back to work. The requests in her inbox were dealt with quickly, and it took only another forty-five minutes for her to finish her reports. After clicking the last report closed, she triumphantly sent it off.