By that time, her little meltdown was beginning to attract attention. People poked their heads out of their offices and cubicles to see what was going on.
“Madison,” I said, trying my best to calm her, “you need to keep it together. Everything is going to be okay. Just take a deep breath, and we’ll go in my office and—”
“Okay? Nothing is okay, Della!” she shrieked, ripping the tissue I gave her into a million pieces and tossing it on the floor like the unhappiest confetti of all time. “Do you have a hearing problem? Billings, Della! Billings, the man who made up a third of our entire European account.”
I took a careful step back, looking at her the way one would look at a rogue tiger that found its way out of its cage. I wasn’t sure if she’d bolt for freedom or rip my head off, but either way, I needed to keep my distance.
“If only I knew what I did,” she cried again, her voice crumbling to a fraction of its original volume as her tiny shoulders wilted with a sigh. “Everything was perfect before—”
In what had to be the best timing ever, the elevator doors opened, and Caleb Hart walked out. After one look at the broken girl in the hallway, his mouth fell open in silent surprise, and he instantly dropped everything—quite literally spilling folders, clipboards, paperclips, and a wayward highlighter—then crossed the room in three swift steps. “Hey, it’s all right,” he soothed, pulling her into his arms without any sign of hesitation. He wrapped one arm tightly around her back and cupped her head gently with the other, holding her against him as he rocked her. “Just breathe, honey, and tell me what happened.”
“Not here,” she sputtered.
Caleb looked around at all the shocked faces, those prying eyes and ears, and he realized the show had gone on long enough. Without another word, he led her down the hall to his office.
By the time I slipped into Caleb’s office and shut the door behind me, the two of them were already sitting side by side on the couch, very close to one another. They weren’t exactly entwined, but there was an obvious intimacy to the way they were touching, a tender reassurance that was impossible to miss.
I pressed myself discreetly against the door and watched as Madison’s breath gradually slowed, calming to a pace normal enough for her to speak. She didn’t even seem to realize she was clutching Caleb’s hand as she said, in a voice so soft that I almost couldn’t hear it, “I lost Billings.”
The fact that Caleb was able to so effectively rein in his reaction was a testament as to how much he secretly cared for her. His eyes widened as his lips parted in surprise, but other than that, he was a rock. “Go on,” he carefully urged.
“I-I don’t know what happened. When I left last night, he was completely onboard, even excited to sign the contracts for the Eastern expansion. When I got here this morning, though, I found the unsigned contracts on my desk, with a short note mentioning Aegis. It didn’t explain why. It just said he’s had a change of heart.” A trembling shudder shook through her slender body, and her face fell into her hands. “I say the bastard doesn’t have a heart! I really think I’m going to be fired over this. Robert won’t let it slide, and... Shit, how could Billings do this to me? Why?”
She broke down once more as Caleb gathered her into his arms, soothing and consoling her as he rested his chin on the top of her head, gazing out the window with a troubled frown on his face.
“What is it?” I asked quietly. I hadn’t known him that long, but I knew it was the look of a man who was harboring a secret.
He shot me a quick glance before pulling back slightly to look at Madison. “Babe, what time did you leave last night?”
She sniffed miserably and bowed her head. “I don’t know. Around nine, I think. Why? What does that matter?”
The frown on his handsome face deepened. “After I left last night, I remembered I left a client file I needed to work on, so I doubled back to the office to get it. That was around eleven, and the only person left in the building was Robert.”
Madison’s head snapped up. “Really?” she asked.
I peeled myself off the door, overcome with a surge of rage. “What are you saying, Caleb?”
“I’m not saying anything,” he tempered carefully, one arm still wrapped around Madison’s back. “It’s just... Well, she said things were fine when she left, but everything was gone to hell in a handbasket this morning. If Robert was the only one here, it stands to reason that—”
“It stands to reason that I’m gonna fucking kill him,” I interrupted, far louder than I intended.
Chapter 15
IN SPITE OF MY HEATED threat, I managed to regain my composure and keep it together until everyone left. I held on to the last fragments of my shredded temper until ten till seven, at which point I marched into the elevator and punched the button for the top floor.
Madison was right: Billings was her responsibility, and there was a good chance she would be fired by the end of the week, due to the loss of the account, a strong blow for Cross Enterprises and a big boost for the competition. The most horrible part of it all was that she and I both knew she was not the one who lost him. It was someone else’s fault, the man whose office door I practically kicked down in a fit of rage.
“What the hell is the matter with you!?” both Robert and I shouted at the same time.
While he leaned back in surprise and slowly rose from his desk, I stormed in the door and slammed it shut behind me. “What the hell did you say to Billings?” I demanded.
“You would do better to use your inside voice, young lady,” Robert said, infuriating me all the more.
“I don’t give a damn how loud I’m yelling,” I said. “We’re the only two left here anyway.”
“Not very professional of you, Delilah. I’ll be sure to add that to your review.”
“Screw professional! We crossed that line a long time ago,” I barked.