When Monday morning rolls around, and I’m back in the office, everything goes back to normal. Mostly.

I still can’t get Wes out of my mind, and I swear I can still feel him between my legs, all over my body, in my mouth. I do my best to push away the thoughts. I have a meeting with Leon, Clive and the rest of the team and I must be on top of my game. Leon is looking for any reason to make trouble, and I can’t afford to give him any ammo.

I can’t believe Wes knew about my plans all along. And that he was gunning for me too in the beginning. But I’m so relieved that my secret’s out. It was starting to weigh on me. And now I know that everything that’s happened between us has been real. No games or false pretenses. It’s a relief. If only we can find a way to continue without putting our jobs at risk because I’m really loving this new job, way more than I ever expected.

When I walk into the meeting room, most of my team has already arrived. Tanya nods encouragingly at me, even though I’m a lot more comfortable now that I’m a bit more settled in my new position. I think she will always be the mothering type.

Leon comes in last and glowers at me. I try to ignore him, but it makes me stressed all the same.

He joins me in the front of the room and then my presentation starts. I run through a summary of what we’ve managed so far and then I put my ideas on display. I am proud of what I’ve done. Being a project manager allows me so much freedom, and I get to use my creative side, which I love. Being a receptionist was a complete snore in comparison. Everyone seems enthusiastic about it except Leon.

Surprise, surprise.

He stands next to me biting his tongue, looking sour.

“That’s pretty much what we have so far,” I say when I wrap up. “Any questions or something you would like to add?” I ask and look around the room. They all shake their heads. My team seems happy.

“Well, that’s it, then,” I say. “Thanks, everyone.”

They get up and start filing out. The meeting room clears bit by bit. I stack my papers and files and pick them up, ready to return to my own desk.

“Miss Jordan,” Leon says. “Stay behind, please.”

I don’t like when he talks to me like that. He’s ordering me to stay when he could have asked, and I would have said yes. But I do as he asks. I put down my papers and files again and turn to look at him.

Leon waits until everyone else has left the meeting room. I don’t like being alone in a room with him – he doesn’t like me, and I feel uncomfortable around him.

“That was quite a performance today,” Leon says.

“Thank you.” I’m not sure if it’s a compliment, but I’ll treat it as one.

“It seems like a lot of work for a career that’s going down the drain, anyway.”

I frown. “That’s a very pessimistic outlook,” I say. I don’t want to respect him after how he’s been treating me, but I must. I don’t like the way he talks to me, I don’t like the way he acts like I can’t do anything for myself.

“I’ve been around for a while,” Leon says. “I can see when people aren’t going places, and you’re not going anywhere.”

I’m getting angry. “What is your problem with me?” I ask. “I have done nothing to you.”

Leon laughs. “Of course, you have.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He shakes his head, a smile still on his face but it’s not a friendly one.

“I know women like you,” he says. “All too well. You use your looks to get where you want to be in life. You don’t need to do anything other than look pretty and the world fawns at your feet when people like me have to work every day of our life. And then you come in and use sex and end up ruining lives.”

What the fuck? Leon has seriously lost it.

“I’ve been working hard,” I say. If this is some sexist bullshit, I’m not going to stand here listening to this.

“Yeah, you have. Working real hard on sleeping with Wes Wagner.”

My blood runs cold, but I don’t show the shock on my face. I have a damn good poker face. I just blink at Leon.

“I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from,” I say when he just stands there, grinning at me like a fool. “But I can assure you it’s wrong.”

“Really? Does the word Paris mean anything to you?”

My stomach turns to stone. If she said something to Leon – how on earth would she do that – then I’m fucked.

“The city?” I ask, playing dumb.

Leon rolls his eyes, irritated.

“Don’t be a little snip,” he sneers at me. “I mean the person. Your friend? She bragged to Bradley all night long about how her best friend is fucking her boss.”

“Who’s Bradley?” I ask.

Leon scowls. “Your dumb-blonde routine isn’t going to get you out of this,” he says. I don’t bother correcting him that my hair is light brown, not blonde. “He’s my son.”

It still doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know why someone would talk to their dad about who they’re sleeping with, but to each his own, I guess. He knows enough that his facts are accurate if he knows Paris’s name. But I’m not going to let him know that.

“Well, maybe she was talking about another friend. Did she give him a name?”

Leon doesn’t respond, which is a no.

“Paris has a lot of friends, not just me,” I continue. “I’m pretty sure all of her friends have bosses.”

Leon pulls back his lips, baring his teeth in a weirdly animalistic gesture.

“You’re lying,” he snarls at me.

“It’s your word against mine, at this point.”

“Wes ran away when I asked him about it.”

I know what he’s talking about, but I’m not going to let on to that, either.

“How Wes responds to accusations really has nothing to do with me, does it?” I ask. Leon is stumped again, unable to answer me. I keep going. If I can shut him up, I can get out of here with my job and my dignity intact. “Do you have any proof of this alleged affair?”

“Of course,” he says.

I bark a laugh. “I’m sure you do,” I say. “I’m sure you have all the evidence you need to prove something that isn’t happening.”

I’m calling his bluff. I hope to God that’s what it is. I’m acting confident, but I don’t know for a fact that he doesn’t have evidence.

“What I have can screw you over, both of you,” Leon threatens.

“Fine,” I say. If I’m going to call his bluff, I’m going to do it properly. I know he can’t have any footage of what happened at Wes’s place – that would be a crime – and Wes would have known if he had cameras in his office. Leon is a pain, but he’s not that crafty. I’m willing to take a gamble. “Why don’t you call the board members together? We’ll sort this out.”

Leon narrows his eyes at me. For the first time, I see uncertainty in his eyes, but it’s gone almost immediately.

“That’s a ballsy move,” he says.

I shrug. “Maybe that shows you that you’re wrong.”

Leon shakes his head. “I know I’m right. You’ll be notified.”

I shake my head.

“This is all good and well, Leon, but what the hell is your problem with me? Surely, you don’t think I’m sleeping with someone to get where I want to be in life?”

Leon is angry now, and I’m not sure why. This whole situation with him is so irrational. I don’t understand it.

“I don’t get to coast through life based on my looks. Bringing women into the workplace was the biggest mistake anyone could have made. Give any man a pretty face and open legs and women make fools of them. This is no different and don’t think for one second I don’t see right through you.”

I can’t understand what he’s so angry about. It’s not like I took his job when I got promoted or anything. I’m not only confused, but I’m also furious. I hate it when people assume I would do something so underhanded to get what I want in life.

“You know what, Leon?” I say. “Shove it up your ass.”

I walk out of the meeting room with my files, not looking back. I’m not sure if I’ll get in trouble for talking to my superior that way, but I’m furious. My blood boils beneath my skin. Where the hell is he coming from? I know he’s older than I am, obviously from a generation that has different views about gender equality than I do, but that gives him no right to treat me like the enemy. It’s not my fault I’m a woman and I sure as shit worked my ass off to get where I am now and not end up like my mother, dependent on someone else.

The nerve!

It takes me most of the day to calm down after what he said to me. I’m furious most of the time. When I finally manage to calm enough to think about the rest of the conversation, nerves bunch in my stomach. I challenged Leon, told him to tell the board. But what if his evidence is real, and I lose my job?

What will I do then? I was so focused on taking down RidgeCo in the beginning, but now all I can think about is losing my job. Who would have thought things would have flipped like this?

I take out my phone and text Wes. I explain myself briefly to give him a heads up. When he replies it’s only to say thank you for the heads up. I don’t know how he feels about it. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

What I do know is that I’m going to have to go ahead with this and see the board because I’m the one that suggested it. I’m going to go in there – whenever it is – and I’m going to stand my ground. I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t know to what lengths Leon will go. All I know is that I must go down fighting this because I can’t admit that Leon is right.

Yes, the guy hates me because I’m a woman in a good position, and that’s unfair. Yes, he’s a dick. But his hunch is right. His guess about me fucking Wes is correct. He might be going about it wrong, but he’s right. That scares the shit out of me. I’m fighting him on a lie. Wes is fighting him on a lie. Everything in this career seems to be based on a lie.

Even if I didn’t use sex to get where I wanted. Does it make me any better if I’m breaking the rules for other personal benefits than a promotion? I try not to think about it too hard. I’m scared about the conclusions I might come to.

Why does sex make things so complicated?