23.
VIKRAM
It was the last day of the conference and everyone was either vying to get a word in before the IU representatives decided on whether they were likely to legislate, or not following the debates at all. Vikram sat with his arms folded watching the room and resisting the urge to fall asleep.
He hated listening to these people talk about something as though it wasn’t affecting the lives of millions. It was all so dehumanizing.
Cassie sat on the edge of her chair, though, eyes glued to Qugrom’s hand, waiting for him to press the button and give his speech. Vikram wasn’t surprised when he saved himself until the end of the day again. He seemed like the kind of man who needed to have the last word on everything.
He was surprised when he didn’t change his stance, though. He toed the same line he had been doing the entire week. He didn’t look at Cassie once, though, and Vikram knew there was some fear there.
He was scared of the consequences, but not taking action to stop them from happening.
He must have something else up his sleeve.
Vikram tensed and resisted the urge to sit closer to Cassie as she looked at Qugrom, completely aghast. “I can’t believe it,” she hissed under her breath. “That bastard.”
Miranda put her pen down. “I guess it’s time to dig out the press contacts, then.”
“I can’t believe it,” Cassie said again, shaking her head. It was beginning to wind down. The IU wouldn’t announce their intentions for a couple of days, maybe even weeks, and it would be after the delegates were long gone.
All that came now was the after-party, the schmoozing and drinking. He hoped Cassie wasn’t planning to attend any of it; he didn’t think she would.
Miranda pulled out her phone and began tapping away, before she frowned and handed it to Cassie. “It’s not front page or anything, but you should see this.”
Cassie’s face paled, and her eyes quickly scanned over the article. “Shit,” she muttered. “Shit, shit, shit.” She looked at Vikram, and he had no idea how he could be connected to something in the press. “Let’s go back to my room,” she said. “I’m done with this shitty conference, and I need to figure out what I’m going to do about Qugrom. I should probably ring the Director again. He’ll be better placed to deal with this now. He’ll know what to do.”
Miranda put a hand on her arm. “You’re rambling.”
Cassie flushed. “Right. Thanks.”
She stood up and looked around, as though she was paranoid everyone was staring at her. They weren’t of course. Everyone was occupied with excitement that the conference was over, even the people who were clearly on the losing side.
They hurried toward the elevator and she even opted for the stairs when there were other people from the conference taking the same ride. “You can take the elevator,” she told Miranda. “I need to speak to Vikram anyway.”
“Sure?” Miranda checked, holding the door to the annoyance of everyone inside.
“Sure.”
And then he and Cassie were starting up the ten flights of stairs to get back to her room. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Not here. Wait until we get back.”
He frowned. “Really, what’s going on.”
“Not here.”
He didn’t bother arguing after that, but stuck especially close to her side, and kept looking over his shoulder. Had she seen something that had put her in danger?
Eventually they got back to her room, and her shoulders slumped. She tapped on her tablet and then handed it to him.
His rage was immediate.
It was a picture of them from the day before, his hand on her cheek as he tried to comfort her. It wasn’t a kiss, and it wasn’t even sexual, really, but it was so far out of the professional boundaries he was supposed to adhere to that he knew he was in deep shit.
“Fuck,” he cursed, barely stopping himself throwing the tablet at a wall. “Fuck.”
He pulled out his phone and saw five missed calls from his boss.
Cassie was chewing on her lip. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
It was his own fault. He’d thought that he could get away with fooling around with a charge without it having on repercussions on his career. He was an idiot. He deserved to get the chewing out he was about to. “I have to ring my boss,” he said. He wanted to do it in private, but he couldn’t leave her alone, either.
Cassie grabbed her keys. “I’ll go and sit with Miranda. We’ll be locked in her room, and I won’t open the door for anyone. I’ve got the panic button.”
“Fine. I’ll walk you there.”
It was only down the corridor, but he wasn’t taking any more chances than he had to. He kept her too-close and resisted an urge to wrap an arm around her shoulders as they walked. He’d fucked it up now, why not go all the way and just give in to his instincts?
Why not just cup her face and kiss her in front of everyone like he’d been resisting since the first time he saw her?
They paused outside Miranda’s door, and Cassie’s hand hovered between them for just a second. “I’m really sorry,” she said. “If I hadn’t had a breakdown, none of this would have happened.”
“You didn’t coerce me into anything. I can face the consequences of my own actions.”
She flinched at that, and he knew it was colder than he’d intended. It had to be, though, because otherwise he was going to punch something.
She knocked on Miranda’s door. “Hey,” Cassie said to the aide. “Fancy a drink?”
“Sure.”
Vikram hovered in the doorway. “I’ll be in your room. Let me know if you need anything.”
Her smile was strained. “Of course.”
“Don’t answer the door for anyone.”
“I won’t.”
He couldn’t put it off any longer. He shut the door and walked back to Cassie’s room, taking out his phone and calling his boss.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Rosen, his boss, demanded. “Have you seen the papers?”
It was hardly front page news. “I’ve seen.”
“What were you thinking? Do you have any idea of the damage you’ve caused our reputation?”
Vikram gritted his teeth. He wasn’t sure whether to believe Rosen or not. He was just one guy caught in a slightly compromising situation. “The picture is misleading.”
“Is it? It looks like you’re touching your client. It looks like you’re breaking all the professional boundaries we’ve worked centuries to build our reputation on.”
“I was helping to protect my client’s reputation, and provide a good service.”
“I couldn’t give a shit about some lower-down in some stupid charity’s reputation. She’s unimportant.”
He bristled, pacing around the room to stop himself blowing up. If he did that, it would all be over. “I’m sorry,” was all he could say. “I made a mistake.”
“You sure as hell did. I’m pulling you from the job, and putting you on suspension for a month. Unpaid. Report back to Suytov immediately.”
“What about Cassie? She still needs protection.”
“Her protection will be looked after by someone else, and you won’t have any more contact with her. At all.”
“I’m not leaving until my replacement has arrived.”
“You will do as you’re told.”
“Rosen, she’s in danger. I want to do my job.”
There was a long pause, and then a concession. “Fine. A replacement will be there within the hour. And then I want her out of your life. For good. You can rest assured you’re never going to get put with a female client for the rest of your life,” he finished on a mutter. “Dismissed.” He hung up before Vikram could respond.
Vikram did throw his phone across the room now. It hit the wall above the headboard of their makeshift double bed and he saw the screen crack. He didn’t care.
He hadn’t been fired and he should have been grateful, but he resented that losing his job for following his heart was even an option. He hadn’t done anything Cassie didn’t want. Their relationship was personal not professional, now.
He knew he was being stupid, and that he was wrong, but it turned his stomach that what he and Cassie had felt over this past week could be bad in any way.