Quarterback: Bad Boy Sport Star Romance. (13 page)

It’s been a week since the company outing, and the unforgettable stories and experiences from those four days are now long forgotten. It’s not because everyone’s back to the normal daily grind. Grant called for a company-wide meeting to be the bearer of bad news. To talk about eye contact, body shots, or flip cup would be shallow.

“Thank you for being here today,” Grant says, his voice resonating throughout the whole floor. The room is packed with all 1,000 employees, who’ve gone down to the fifth floor for the announcement. “I called you here today because I need to announce that due to reallocation of the budget, we’ll have to lay off some of you. I’m sorry this has to happen, but aside from market slowdown and budget cuts, I can’t say any more.”

The room becomes completely silent, and Grant can see the worried look on everyone’s face. Some look like they’re trying to hold back tears, and Grant feels like he’s been kneed to the gut; he doesn’t like to announce such things, but he knows it’s better news like this come directly from him.

“Some of you will be receiving your letters of retrenchment within the week. Rest assured that we’ll be giving you a more than reasonable severance package. Aside from getting one month’s worth of salary for each year of service, you’ll get another year’s worth in bonuses. I’m sorry this has to happen. I’ll be here to keep in touch, whether it’s for a drink, a letter of recommendation, or for other reasons...”

With a face void of emotion, Grant turns around and heads back to his office. Adelaide follows suit, and it’s only when he’s in the privacy of his four walls that he shows emotion – disappointment; it’s blatantly etched on his face.

“I feel like a complete fucking asshole,” he says, staring out at the view coming from his window. The day’s coming to a close, and purples, reds, and oranges paint the sky. Below him are little yellow dots, the ever-present taxi cabs, zooming in and out of the streets. “But the investors are right…the market’s been slow and we need to invest and expand to more profitable regions. But I still feel like shit.”

“Like you said, it’s just business,” Adelaide says. “And the severance package is quite generous.”

Grant shrugs his shoulders. His back is still turned to Adelaide when he says, “It’s the least I can do.”

“By the way…maybe you can give me a heads up in case I have to start looking for a new job?” Adelaide asks. Her voice sounds teasing, but deep inside, her heart feels like it’s about to thump right out of her chest. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if she finds herself without a job.

For the first time today, Grant lets out a small laugh before he shakes his head and looks at her.

“Lucky for you…executive assistants are not quite easy to replace,” he then says, noticing the way Adelaide breathes out a deep sigh of relief. “I’m very tempted to take a leave just to avoid a world war from happening here in the office.”

“Hey…” Adelaide begins, but she doesn’t really know what she’s supposed to say. “How about I treat you to a few rounds after work? It’s not a cure, but it’s the closest you’ll get to temporarily forgetting about earlier.”

Grant cocks an eyebrow up at her.

“This is the first time you’ve offered to treat me,” he says, his jade eyes smiling. “And I won’t say ‘no’ to free beer.”

And that’s how Grant and Adelaide find themselves sitting side by side at the bar. The pub’s quite busy despite it being a weekday night. With the dim yellow lighting and plush cushioning of the booths and bar stools, the interiors set the mood for a perfect lazy hangout place.

“Hey Ade,” says Tony, the bartender on shift tonight. “The usual?”

Adelaide tips her head up into a nod. “Make that two.”

Tony notices that Adelaide isn’t alone and stretches his arm out to Grant for a handshake.

“You know…Ade rarely offers to pay her part during dates,” Tony teases. “You’re one, lucky man that she’s treating you.”

Adelaide’s about to pipe up when Grant opens his mouth to speak.

“So it takes a shitty day for Ade to spend money on someone, huh?” Tony can’t help but let out a laugh, and he immediately likes Grant. “I think I’d rather pay for myself and have more happy days.”

“I’m right here,” says Adelaide, rolling her eyes.

When Tony hands them two giant mugs filled to the brim with Adelaide’s go-to draught beer, Grant and she clink their mugs together in ‘cheers’ before they take a long swig of the liquid.

“Ah…” Grant breathes out. “Just what I need.”

The night carries on with Ade and Grant in quiet conversation. She learns about how he started M-Tech, one of the leading technology and software businesses to date, and how big a part the investors played in getting his business off the ground.

“I wouldn’t be here without their funding,” Grant says, taking the last sips of his beer, before he orders another one. “So at the end of the day, I have to follow their decisions, and from a business standpoint, the layoff’s the most strategic one.”

“Your employees, all of us…know how you are as a businessman and a leader. I’m sure they understand your decision, and they know you would’ve done anything to stop the layoff.”

“I guess you’re right,” Grant then says, his eyes meeting Ade’s gray ones. There’s a brightness in Adelaide’s eyes that are lacking in his. “Didn’t know I hired both an assistant and a cheerleader.”

“Giving pep talks
is
part of the job description,” Adelaide replies, a hint of a grin surfacing on her lips. Slowly, her face breaks out into a wide smile, and Grant can’t help but return it. Her smile is infectious. “Another round?”

Unable to keep count of how many beers they’ve had, Grant and Adelaide decide to call it a night when they feel their heads about to fall off their necks. It’s time to get some sleep, and Grant asks his chauffeur to drop off Adelaide in her apartment.

“Tha…nks f-for to…night,” Grant slurs, as he stands a step below Adelaide. “I n-needed…t-this.”

“S-sure,” she says, keeping her statements short since she’s losing brain power by the second.

To her surprise, Grant gathers her up into a tight hug. With her breasts flushed against his chest, Adelaide tries to keep the blush from surfacing. With Grant’s chin on her head, she can feel his warm breath. It relaxes her senses despite it smelling of alcohol. After a while, Grant lets go of her and heads back to his car. When Adelaide closes the door behind her, it takes her a few minutes before she pushes herself back off the entryway and walks to her apartment floor. She can’t stop thinking of the feel of Grant’s chest against hers with the embrace. She heads to her apartment with an unwavering and foolish smile on her face.

“Hey Trent,” Adelaide says, walking up to his station. With Trent being laid off, most of his belongings are packed up in boxes. Gone are the stacks of papers and compilation of post-it notes characteristic of his desk. “I’ve talked to a few friends who have openings in their companies. I already gave them your number, so they should contact you soon.”

“Damn, Ade,” Trent replies. He’s trying hard not to grin but obviously fails. “One of them actually called me in for an interview already. Seriously, I can’t thank you enough…”

“Just promise me you’ll buy me lunch or dinner when you have a new job.”

“Of course.” He stretches his arms out towards her for a hug. “Come here.”

Adelaide walks up to him and returns the embrace. They start talking about Trent’s plans when he’s out of work. He tells her that he’s planning to take a week-long trip to the Caribbean since it’s been years since he took a vacation. He knows it’s not in himself to stay out of work for too long, so he’s decided to take a quick holiday before he gets back to the grind.

“Sounds amazing,” Adelaide gushes, her gray eyes brightening up at hearing the words sun, sand, and fun. “Don’t forget to send snapshots our way.”

“Definitely! And hey…Grant’s calling you.”

When Adelaide turns around, she sees the man waving to her in a ‘come here’ gesture. She makes her way towards his corner office then closes the door behind her. Grant’s looking restless, pacing back and forth in front of his desk.

“What’s wrong?” Ade automatically asks.

Grant walks up to her and hands her a piece of paper.

Reverse your decision or I’ll tell everyone. Adelaide’s not the only one who saw you that night transform…

“What-” Adelaide’s at a loss for words.
Is someone really resorting to blackmail?
“When did you get this?”

“I just saw it on my desk a few minutes ago…” Grant then says, still pacing around the room. “It was in a sealed envelope delivered by the messenger, so there’s no way I can track the sender.”

“Grant…I didn’t tell anyone,” Adelaide then says. She doesn’t want Grant to think she has a hand in this. “I promise.”

“I know,” Grant replies easily. “I called you in here because I need your help.”

“Anything.”

Grant
finally
stops his aimless walking and strides over to Adelaide. He’s looking at her with intense, also fearful looking, eyes. He places a hand on her shoulders, and she almost shivers at his touch. It’s so very easy for Grant to break her defenses.

“I can’t reverse the layoff…” Grant then says. “My investors will lose trust in me. But I also can’t tell them about the blackmail without revealing my secret,” he starts rambling, and Ade tells him to slow down. “They’re the most prolific investors in the country so saying ‘no’ isn’t even an option…but no one can also know…”

“Don’t you know a witch?” Ade asks, remembering their earlier conversations when she first found out about his abilities and the existence of other paranormal beings. “Maybe you can ask her to perform a memory loss spell?”

“Of course. But first, we need to find out who sent this. That’s why I need your help. Maybe you can talk to some of the employees…engage them in small talk…”

“Try to see who’s talking bad about you or the company?” Grant nods his head at Ade’s plan. “More or less, it’s someone who’s bitter and holds a grudge…”

“Exactly…if I do it, it’ll be too obvious I’m fishing around.”

Grant can’t stop running a hand repeatedly through his dark brown hair, and Ade’s trying not to stare too much. He’s just given her a task, and all she can think about is how sexy he looks.

“Well, it’s definitely not Trent. He’s sure to get a job soon,” Ade then offers.
That’s one down and many more to go.
“I’ll be on the lookout for you…don’t worry.”

“Seriously, Ade…thank you,” Grant then says, and when Ade meets his eyes, they’re staring at her with a brightness in them. “You’ve proven time and time again I can trust you.”

“Well you’ve kept your end of the bargain…” When Grant cocks an eyebrow up at her, she answers, “I’m still alive.”

That gets a good laugh out of Grant, and Ade’s humor provides a short distraction to keep his mind away from the blackmail.

When Adelaide leaves his office, she stops by her desk to get some work done. When there’s an hour left until the end of the work day, she speaks to a number of the retrenched employees. Being one of the darlings of M-Tech, she’s naturally talkative and sociable, so her chattiness is nothing out of the ordinary.

It’s been a week since Grant received the cryptic message, and he feels like Ade and he are getting closer to finding out who the culprit is. They’ve crossed out a number of people, but there are still a few more to go.

“Definitely not Seth,” Adelaide says, as she takes a sip from the straw of her coke. “He’s one of the more skilled developers, so I don’t think he’ll have a hard time finding a job. And his performance reviews are crazy good, so I don’t think he’s bitter…”

With work piling up on Adelaide’s plate because of the transitions happening from the layoff, she’s put in a number of overtime hours during the week. Grant, on the other hand, is always busy, so the two of them are eating take-out Chinese in Adelaide’s office before they get back to work. The dinner break is just the perfect time to discuss any updates and possible leads regarding the mission.

“I’ve also asked Nathan if he’s heard any…
negative
news on his end,” Grant then says, sitting on her desk while he forks the seafood noodles in oyster sauce from the box. “Maybe he can get something from Melissa…”

“I still don’t understand that, honestly…” Ade then says, looking away from Grant and turning her head to face her bookshelf. “I would never have thought Melissa would get laid off…” When Grant cocks an eyebrow up at her, Adelaide then continues, “Being that they’re in a relationship…”

Then, Grant’s face breaks out into a grin, and he’s shaking his head at her. “Seriously?” he asks, trying and failing not to turn the grin into a full-on laugh. “It doesn’t matter…” he then says. “None of us can save you if your work history can’t…”

“Well, it’s good to know that’s how you operate here…but yeah, I hope their relationship isn’t suffering because of Melissa’s layoff.” When Grant keeps the mischievous smile on his face, Ade chooses to ignore it and changes the conversation. “Anyway, I’ve talked to Rianna from the Dev team and Lianne and Dennis from Administration…”

“And…?”

“None of them is too happy with the boot…” answers Ade. “I’ve also talked to a few others from HR and marketing. I had around twenty possible leads for you…but now I’ve narrowed it down to ten. I crossed out those who don’t seem to be in dire need of money or a new job...” When Grant raises his eyebrows once again, Adelaide elaborates, “LinkedIn’s my BFF at the moment…I crossed out those who came from private schools, ivy leagues, and those with numerous connections in the industry. They don’t seem like the type to resort to blackmail.”

Adelaide then hands Grant a piece of paper with the names of the ten possible culprits. He goes over the bullet points, and then says, “So Rianna and Dennis are on the list?”

“Yes…” Adelaide says, with a nod. “Rianna’s scared of future job prospects…since there’s still a stigma today when it comes to female developers…”

“Ahh…” Grant walks over to the window. Adelaide’s view from her office is shit, but it still helps calm his nerves. “That’s definitely possible…”

By the end of their dinner, they’re able cross out a couple other names. It’s good, not great, progress, and Adelaide realizes she still has a lot of work to do.

“I’ll help you ask those five people, and the others you haven’t had the time to chat with,” Grant then offers. “You’ve managed to ask over three-fourths of them, so I’m sure you could use some help.”

“You only realized that now?” Adelaide teases back, and when Grant nods his head, she says, “Well, late help is better than no help at all.”

When Adelaide finishes cleaning her desk with alcohol, she follows Grant inside his office just in case he has additional paperwork for her. When Grant closes the door behind the two of them, he turns to face Ade.

He has a conflicted look on his face – biting his bottom lip and furrowing his eyebrows together. Adelaide’s mentally telling herself not to get distracted with Grant’s adorably handsome expression.

“Are you alright?”

“Just thinking…” This time, Grant looks away and starts running a nervous hand through his hair.

Does he have any idea he looks like he’s shooting an ad when he does that?

“Hey…” she says carefully, tempted to place a hand on his shoulder but not wanting to cross any boundaries. He is still her boss, hopeless crush or not. “We’ll get the person. Don’t worry. The worst that can happen is the whole world finds out you’re a lion and you kill someone in cold blood…”

“Thanks for helping,” Grant says, rolling his eyes at her, but there’s a tint of amusement in them. “But I wasn’t thinking about that…”

When Adelaide then stays silent, Grant lets out a throaty cough and then says, “I think we should go out on a date, Ade.”

“Is that an invitation or an order?” she says, trying not to grin at the way he phrased the question.

On the outside, she looks calm and playful. She has a small smirk on her face and her body is leaning towards him, but on the inside, there’s an emergency situation happening. Her stomach’s tightened and her chest and heart are beating at a million miles per minute. She feels like she’s about to have a heart attack, and she’s tempted to lean on Grant for support.

“Take it whichever way you want,” Grant says, slowly closing the distance between them. “As long as you go out with me.”

“Is this your way of saying ‘thank you’?” There’s no missing Ade’s skeptic tone. “For helping you out?”

Grant’s trying not to laugh, but he shakes his head and looks at her seriously.

“It’s my way of telling you I like you,” he says, still trying to keep the laugh from surfacing. He settles with a smile. “You helping me out is just the eye-opener for something I should’ve known.”

Adelaide tries to keep her composure. It’s not every day she has a crush on someone who admits to liking her back. All along, she’s been thinking Grant’s way out of her league, and here he is admitting he has feelings for her as well.

“Ade…?” he asks, breaking her train of thought.

“Yes.” She shakes her head to bring herself back to reality. “Yes, I’ll go out with you.”

The way Grant’s face breaks into a tender smile calms and relieves the tension in Adelaide’s body, but the nerves quickly come back when Grant closes the distance and gives her a kiss. She feels so small yet so protected against his hard body, and the way he kisses her, strong and light, has her moaning at a simple kiss. After a few quick seconds, she pulls away and places her hands on his chest.

“I’d love to enjoy the moment, but I can’t when there’s someone blackmailing you on the loose,” she says, stepping away from him, and Grant only laughs in return.