Free Revenge Sex by Jasmine Haynes Page B

before lunch, smelled acrid. Ruby was out
today. No fresh coffee for the meeting.
    “Why’d Bradley quit anyway?” David Farris
wanted to know. As VP of manufacturing, he’d worked extensively
with Bradley and Greg on the five-year forecast, an amazing feat
considering the man’s wife had been dying of cancer. She’d passed
on just before Christmas. At least his two kids had been home from
college at the time. Farris had been a military man, serving in
Desert Storm, and despite the fact that he’d been out of the
service for over fifteen years, he still had that military bearing.
He hadn’t displayed an ounce of emotion, yet fresh streaks of gray
had appeared in his sandy hair, and his eyes were bleak.
    “He was fine last week during our meeting,”
David went on. “Are we in for a lawsuit?”
    Farris was referring to the hostile work
environment. Clay quickly dispelled any worries about that. “No.
I’ve got Human Resources reviewing the details. Palmer never
reported a problem. The only incidents recorded in his file
regarded his tardiness.” In addition to the fact that the
accusation was crap, Clay was sure Palmer wouldn’t push the issue
for fear of his after-hours activities on company property coming
to light.
    “Fine,” Holt said, sounding bored. “Take care
of the controller business. Let’s move on.” He pointed to Spence.
“Marketing report.”
    The remainder of the meeting was somewhat
repetitive no matter how Holt moved it along. Clay already knew the
salient points. His mind didn’t wander so much as focus on two
things at once.
    It had all gotten fucked up. He’d had sex
with a subordinate, then he’d walked out on Ruby. He’d have
forgiven Ruby for bringing Bradley into his home. She was correct:
he’d let her change the rules. He hadn’t cared. He’d been sending
her mixed messages. But what he’d done with Jessica in his office
had been momentous. It had changed how he felt about Ruby. He’d
suddenly recognized that his relationship with her wasn’t enough.
Yet he wasn’t the type to simply throw in the towel on three years
without a by-your-leave. He needed time to think, evaluate,
regroup.
    Then there was Jessica. What he’d done was
unconscionable and against all his principles. Yet it didn’t change
the fact that he wanted her. She was no longer just his employee:
she was a woman he wanted badly. As her boss, he wouldn’t sabotage
her career at West Coast because he couldn’t stop thinking about
her. Which was why he’d apologized to her this morning. What they’d
done couldn’t happen again. He’d compromised her, his ethics, and
company policy.
    Yet he was still caught between the
proverbial rock and a hard place. Because he couldn’t turn off what
she’d turned on. The mix was like a match to a powder keg, ready to
explode.
    At this very moment, her panties were in his
jacket pocket. On Saturday, they’d been in his back pocket right
along with Ruby’s condom. He’d felt the soft cotton against his
hand just before he’ d tossed the condom on
the coffee table. He’d thought of Jessica almost every moment
since. He couldn’t stop.
    “Got a minute?” The meeting was over. Holt
stood at his elbow as the others filed out.
    “Sure.” Exiting the conference room, Clay
walked slower than the rest, letting the distance grow so they
wouldn’t be overheard. They passed human resources.
    “Is Ruby all right?” Holt wanted to know.
“She never calls in sick.”
    True. Ruby was as healthy as a horse. He’d
often wondered if it had to do with a good sex life. “I’m sure
she’s fine.”
    Holt raised one brow. “Don’t you know?”
    They’d stepped inside the annex to Holt’s
office. This was Ruby’s domain, a neat area that included two
comfortable chairs with a side table between them for magazines. It
was where Ruby stood sentry behind her desk, sequestering Holt when
he needed it, fielding his calls, vetting his visitors, getting
them coffee if it