Chapter 4

JACK

Gavin’s voice breaks through the speaker on my desk. “Conference room in five. Heather wants to go over damage control.”

“I’m handling it.”

“You sure? Because my mother already texted me three times and it’s not even nine.”

Of course she did.

Vivian Thatcher might not technically run VT Global anymore, but she’s got her fingers in every polished glass surface we own. And her best friend Heather—the CHRO—is her eyes and ears. Always watching. Always judging. Always waiting to yank the reins if things get too messy.

I press the intercom. “Tell Heather I’ll be there.”

Then I press another button. “Call Danny Nguyen to my office.”

Danny’s the head of security. Ex-military. Sharp. Loyal. But if someone on his team leaked that audio, it means our house isn’t in order.

A few minutes later, he walks in. “Morning, sir.”

“Don’t ‘sir’ me. Shut the door.”

He does.

I turn my monitor so he can see the blog post. “How the fuck did they get this?”

Danny sighs. “I’m not sure. I’ll pull badge logs and camera access. But we had issues that night with the rolling grid outages. Could’ve been stored locally and off-loaded by someone working late.”

“Then you fire everyone who had access that night.”

Danny raises a brow. “You want me to clean house?”

“I want you to clean house,” I say, my voice flat. “If one of your team sold us out, they’re all suspect.”

He doesn’t argue. Not at first. But then he crosses his arms. “Wasn’t my guys having sex with an employee in a glass building.”

My eyes cut to his. “What did you say?”

His jaw works. “Just saying what everyone’s already thinking.”

“If you want to keep your job, I suggest you stop thinking out loud. Fire them. Now.”

He nods, jaw tight. “On it.”

When he leaves, I press my fingers to my temples. It’s not like I didn’t know this would blow up. The second I touched her in that elevator, I knew.

And I did it anyway.

I’ve never been able to forget how she sounded in my arms the first time. And I never imagined she would look at me the way she did in that moment—like maybe she wanted me back.

Now it’s a PR nightmare. Not the worst we’ve dealt with, but bad enough. Especially when it involves Phil’s sister. Especially when it involves me.

Gavin’s probably already spinning it as a consensual after-hours “intimate moment” between high-level staff. Harrison’s likely brooding in the gym, pounding a heavy bag and blaming himself for not yanking the emergency override.

Me? I’m trying not to destroy everything that matters. My phone buzzes. It’s a calendar update. Sent by Parker.

Project Kickoff: Spring Gala Proposal – 2 PM Today (conf room B)

I click it open. She’s already outlined logistics, guest list targets, potential venue options, and a proposal doc titled “VT Looks Good Doing Good.”

Smart. Polished. Already leaning into the kind of spin we need. It gives me an idea. I buzz Gavin. “Loop Heather in. I’m naming Parker Simon project lead for the spring gala.”

There’s a pause. “Isn’t that a little…”

“Optical? Risky? Yeah. It’s also smart. She’s organized. She already started the damn doc. And if Heather wants proof we’re taking advantage of our position, this is it. Parker just started here as your executive assistant, but if we’re already grooming her for a higher position, Heather can’t say too much about a role differential.”

Another pause. “Right, so today is the day we’re redefining the term ‘thin excuse’?”

“Does it matter?”

He huffs. “I’ll let her know.”

A few minutes later, Heather calls.

“Jack.”

“Heather.”

“I was just about to request time on your calendar.”

“Don’t bother. I’m ahead of you.”

“Really? Because the elevator footage⁠—”

“Doesn’t exist,” I cut in. “And if it does, it won’t be leaving this building.”

She hums. “Still, we need to follow protocol. I’m scheduling conduct reviews with everyone who was in that elevator. You understand.”

“I do.”

“And Parker?”

“Project lead for the gala. Smart, visible, controlled. Let the story become about charity, not scandal.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“Vivian would be proud.”

“I’m not doing this for Vivian.”

“No. But you’re playing it her way.”

The call ends, and I don’t move for a minute.

Parker is going to hate this. She’s the type who wants to blend in, not stand out. But there’s no hiding now. She’s the most visible employee in the company.

And somehow still the one thing I want most.

Which means I need to keep my hands to myself. Again. But God help me, I don’t think I can. Not this time. Not now that I know how she tastes when she moans my name. Not now that I’ve felt her again.

And not when I’m pretty fucking sure I never stopped wanting her. I don’t know how.