Page 45 of Wild King
“The problem our girl seems to have is she goes through money like it’s water, so she needed to find another job to make another score. She got the job at King Industries last year right after the old man died and the oldest son took over. I’m guessing that’s the reason nobody looked into her past because they would have found out about one of these, I’m sure. Yes, there areNDAs for both, but a good investigator working for companies that big can dig anything up.”
I smile as I jot down in my notes what may have happened when she was hired at King Industries. “Not everyone is you, Ivan. Maybe they wouldn’t have unearthed the details.”
Looking over at me, he grins like a Cheshire cat. “Nobody is like me, sweetheart. Still, I think King spends at least a little money to check out their people before bringing them on. Whatever happened, though, they didn’t with Miss Gina.”
I sigh, happy to know Kellen wasn’t the first Gina tried her ploy with but unsure what I can do with this information. “Thanks, Ivan. I appreciate you finding all this out for me.”
He sits back on the sofa and laughs. “Of course, Salem. Your boy walked right into that spider’s web, didn’t he? The first guy lost his job, by the way, but he still swears he didn’t do a damn thing. He wouldn’t tell me much because of the NDA, but he swears they only went to the movies once and nothing happened. I’m telling you he’s still a virgin. As for the second guy, that poor fuck thought she truly cared for him. She was his first love. That’s a guy who’s going to have a hard time believing in love after that. Not that it’s something I would suggest for any man. You women are always our downfall.”
“Spoken like a true romantic.”
Ivan stands up and stretches his arms over his head. “Nothing about that woman is romantic. Gina views men as prey. Nothing more.”
I walk him out as I thank him for all his great work. “You never disappoint, Ivan. Thanks.”
He looks up at the façade of the house and shakes his head. “You better not give up your life to become some billionaire’s gopher, Salem. I know this is tempting, but you don’t belong out here. You’re a creature of the city like me.”
Rolling my eyes, I tap him on the forearm. “Nobody’s staying out here for any longer than they have to. Trust me on that. Take it easy on the way back home.”
He starts walking to his car, that ugly maroon sedan he’s had forever. “I’ve got a big night to look forward to, so you don’t have to worry about me. Take it easy, honey. Keep in touch.”
I wave goodbye and turn around to walk back into the house. Kellen is standing in the doorway, and I get the sense he’s got something on his mind.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Salem
As I passhim on my way back to my office, Kellen says, “I heard what that man said. This is exactly what we need to show she’s a liar.”
“That’s for your attorneys to decide. I don’t have a say in that. I simply wanted to know what her behavior was like before she came to work for King Industries, and now I have my answer.”
He follows me back to my office and asks, “You’re going to use this information somehow, aren’t you?”
As I sit down at the desk, I shake my head but avoid looking at him. “Not if I can help it.”
“Why? I thought you were trying to help me with this whole mess. Why wouldn’t you use this? It’s exactly what we need to show she’s a serial liar. She didn’t get sexually harassed by those men any more than she did with me. Now the world can know that and stop acting like I’m the son of fucking Hitler.”
Even though I can understand his point of view, I don’t like the idea of throwing up anyone’s past to defend a client. Thereare better ways of making the public see someone’s not a bad guy.
“I prefer not to attack victims when I can highlight more positive areas in my clients to help them.”
His eyes flash rage at me. “She’s not the goddamned victim here! Everything I heard says she’s the criminal I’m being made out to be, not the victim. Put it out there and let those media vultures go after her.”
“That’s not how the world works now.”
He begins to pace around my office, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. “That’s bullshit! Just because a man and woman sleep together doesn’t mean it has to be sexual harassment. Fuck, if anyone’s the victim here, it’s me.”
I study his face to see if he’s serious. It’s clear by his tortured expression and body language that he is.
“So a billionaire son of a billionaire who grew up in a mansion on a huge estate and went to an exclusive prep school is the victim? You, a man who’s never had to worry about where you’re going to find the money to afford college and drives a one hundred thousand dollar car, you’re the victim?”
Kellen stops dead in front of me and shakes his head. “Don’t pull that populist crap on me. I’ve never claimed to not know how fortunate I am. The happy circumstance of my birth as the son of Maximilian and Elizabeth King doesn’t dictate that I must be a villain. All I have doesn’t change the fact that I never sexually harassed her or anyone else, and the fact that you have proof that she’s done this before makes me wonder.”
“Wonder what? I’m working my tail off to make you an upstanding citizen in the eyes of the public. Maybe I should let you sit in here while I hustle to reach out to anyone and everyone who will listen to my pitch to look at the rest of your life instead of this one glimpse of it,” I snap.
“She wanted me and I wanted her, Salem. It’s that simple. We had a few good times. It never affected her job. Hell, I rarely spent any time in the office, so how could it?”
Frustrated, he begins to pace again as his words echo in my head. “Why? Do you mean you didn’t interact with her at work?”