Bullied by the Boss(17)

"Promise not to tell him?"

"I promise."

"I'm at my parents' house."

"You're all alone?" he asked.

"It's what I want. I need time to think."

"You'll always be accepted here, Nora. You're an asset to the company,  and everyone likes you. You can have proper maternity leave, and we'll  help find a daycare for your child. We will take care of you."

She knew it was true. Other companies would still employ her, but she  would be in that early stage, which meant they could fire her. She  didn't know how her pregnancy was going to go. She could end up being  ill with it. Some women ended up bed bound during their pregnancy, and  she couldn't do that. She'd have to come home, and she didn't want that.

"Please know that it is an option for you."

"Thank you, Frank, you've always been so good to me."

"I'll continue to be so. Call me if you need anything." He ended the  call, and she dropped her cell phone as tears began to fall.

Stupid hormones.

Stupid pregnancy.

Stupid men.

Stupid fucking asshole bosses.



"How is she? Is she okay?" Rex tried not to sound impatient as he  listened to Frank talk to Nora. She wasn't answering any of his calls or  texts. He didn't even know if she was listening to his messages. He had  poured his heart out in those calls, and it hurt to know that she may  not care at all.

You did this, you fucking loser.

It didn't matter what he called himself. There was nothing left to do  but wait. Wait and hope that Nora would forgive him. When he went to see  Alaric, he'd not told his best friend that he was going to be a dad.  He'd kept it a secret.

"She's fine."

"I heard you say all alone. How can she be fine if she's alone?"

Frank turned toward him and saw the disappointment in his eyes. "She's a good woman."

"I know that, which is why I need to tell you me where she is. I've got  to fix this. I love her, Frank. I promise. I'm not going to hurt her."

"Your words and your actions hurt her, Rex. Why don't you get Arleen to  give you the new password so you can check out the employment file to  give you an idea? A clever man like you can figure it out."

Rex stopped. "You knew about that?"

"Do you really think I got to the top of my game without knowing what  the hell my staff was doing? I feel somewhat insulted. I might not be as  techno as you guys are, but believe me, in this place you reference  more books than anywhere else."

"If you knew, why didn't you stop me?"

"Why would I do that? I was curious as to why you wanted it. You were  always doing strange things, so I didn't see the harm. I'm an old man, I  have to get my entertainment somewhere."

Frank made his way toward the office door.

"Is she coming back?" Rex asked.

"I don't know. She knows that it's going to be difficult for her."

"I'll pay her salary. It won't come at any cost to the firm."

"I know, Rex. Nora, she earned her keep ten times over."

"How?" Rex asked.

"We win cases with her. She's one of the best researchers I've ever  known, and because of her, we've had plenty of new clients come here.  They adore her, and when they enter those doors, they want to know that  they're being taken care of. We're not a completely bad firm. We have  our moments. Nora, she's one of our moments." Frank left Rex's office.         

     



 

Rex didn't wait around, and called Arleen for the new password. Entering  Nora's employment file, he couldn't see anything that would give him a  clue as to where she was. He'd called the local hotels and motels. He'd  even gone to a couple, paid them cash for information. Going to the  police was out of the question.

Staring at her picture, he flicked his pen between his fingers. "Where  are you, babe?" He stared at her parents' names and address. Her parents  were away on a cruise. Their home would be empty. She would have  privacy and time for her to get her head around being pregnant.

Writing down the address, he canceled all of his appointments, and  headed toward his car. He needed to fix this problem and fast. Alaric  had his own problems, and Rex couldn't help his friend either.

Climbing behind the wheel, he headed out onto the road. He didn't admire  the view. Instead he thought about Nora, about her pregnancy, about the  two of them being together.

He didn't see a future without her.

He also didn't know how he was going to fix this. Was there any way to  fix his assholey behavior toward her? No matter what he said, it was no  excuse for what he'd said, and how he'd spoken to her. He was  …  mean,  and he had promised her he wouldn't be.

"Asshole." He growled the word as he hit his steering wheel.

I'm going to be a dad.

Holy crap. I made a kid.

There is going to be another human being around like me.

He wanted to be a parent. He wanted to have children. He wanted Nora.

There was so much that he wanted, and now he was afraid he wouldn't have it because of his fuck-up.

The journey toward her parents' house was filled with doubts, and he  hated that. He was an optimistic person, and didn't like filling his  mind with doubts.

Parking outside of the house on the address, he knew it was the one as  he saw Nora putting some trash bags out in the trash cans.

She turned toward him, and they both just stopped, looking at each other.

Nora moved first, heading in his direction. Her arms were folded, and she was just staring at him with a blank expression.

"Did Frank tell you where I was?" she asked.

"No. He didn't. He told me that I had to figure that out on my own. I did." He smiled, and she still stared at him.

"You can leave now."

"Nora, we've got to talk."

"Why talk to someone who is a stupid child, Rex? We've got nothing to say to each other."

"You're carrying my baby. We have a lot we have to say to each other."

She was on the steps leading up to the house. She spun around, and folded her arms once again.

"I'm an asshole, but I don't want you to go through this alone. We are  in this together. What I said last night-I was an ass. Didn't you get my  messages?"

"I got them."

"Did you listen to them?"

She shook her head. "Not all of them. They said the same thing."

"You don't believe me."

"I'm pregnant, and you're suddenly telling me that you love me that you  always loved me. Rex, you hated me. Most of the time I've worked for  you, you've been an overbearing prick."

It was the first time he had heard her call him a name.

"I know. I'm every single horrible name you can think of and some more.  I've earned that. Nothing I say can forgive what I said last night."

"I didn't want to be pregnant. I didn't want to be tied to you in  anyway." Tears filled her eyes, and her words were like a kick in the  gut. He didn't know if she really felt that way or if she was just  saying it to hurt him. He didn't mind either way. There was no chance in  hell that he was going to give her up.

"Regardless of what you want anymore, babe, you're pregnant, and I know  you wouldn't get rid of it. Even if you hate me right now. You don't  hate me all the time."

She sucked in her top lip, and nodded. "You can come in if you want."  She didn't wait around for him, and entered her family home.

His heart was breaking, and it was all his fault. Walking up the steps,  he entered her home, and followed the noise into the kitchen.

"I know you were talking to Frank. I won't do or say anything. You can work with whoever you want."

"Providing I get credit, right?" she asked.

"Again, I don't like Carl. He's a prick."

"Kind of like you." She shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, that seems to be my deal. That's the kind of men I help."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for exactly? Are you sorry for being mean to me? Are  you sorry for being an asshole? Are you sorry for sleeping with me? Are  you sorry for getting me pregnant? What exactly are you sorry for?"         

     



 

"I'm sorry for being mean and an asshole. I could never be sorry for  sleeping with you, or knocking you up. I consider that an achievement."

"Your ego knows no bounds."

"I wasn't lying on the phone. I'm in love with you, Nora. Have been for a long time."

"But you still slept with other women."

"I'm not a monk. I'm not a virgin. I didn't think for a second that I  would ever know how amazing you were in my arms. You never looked twice  at me."

"Yet I gave you my virginity, and I was totally lost in the moment. I  didn't think about it. I just  …  I was caught in the moment. I loved how  being with you felt. I was happy. Condoms, protection, it was the last  thing on my mind. This is my mistake. I shouldn't blame you. This is my  body. I'm an idiot."

The scent of lemon filled the air, and coffee.

"How did you not know?" he asked. "I came inside you all the time."

She placed the coffee jar on the counter with a hard slap. Her cheeks  were bright red. "I thought it was me." She laughed. "I thought I was  that turned on. I've spent so much time with my head in a book, or in a  cookbook, I didn't even give it a thought, and I never saw you put one  on, and during it, it was the last thing on my mind. Condoms. I guess I  just figured you were taking care of it. You hate women who get pregnant  and use kids in divorces, so I didn't expect you to be so careless.  Especially with me. Again, this isn't your fault. This is mine. I should  have gotten my head out of the clouds, and stopped daydreaming."