If The Shoe Fits (Some Girls Do It #8) - May Sage Page 0,23

not have been rat droppings. Helene was desperate, but not nearly that desperate.

Then, like every Sunday, she had the family dinner in Long Island. She was late for that, too. Usually, Cassie and Carter were here as a buffer, but they'd skipped today, no doubt because of the previous night's party. For the first time since the fire, Helene had to endure the full scale of their parents’ interrogation, and two hours of painstaking advice about the mess that was her life.

She didn't even have the strength to defend herself today.

By the time she made it back to the city, it was time for her volunteer shift at the animal rescue she supported once a fortnight.

Getting home at eight, after grabbing a dollar slice of pizza pie, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and pretend the universe didn't exist.

"Helene, that you?" Cassie called from the media room.

Cursing under her breath, Helene nonetheless made her way to greet her sister.

Being a guest sucked.

Cassie and Carter were cocooned under a thick, fluffy blanket, watching what looked like a horror movie.

Oh. Never mind, that sounded like a wonderful idea.

"You wanna join us? We've ordered Chinese."

"Actually, that might be exactly what I need right now."

Tomorrow. She'd adult tomorrow.

Cade

"Mr. Lawson, the report you requested has been sent up." His assistant, Ben, was walking on eggshells around him today. The entire office was. He'd been in a hell of a mood all morning.

Make that all weekend. Even his sister, self-absorbed though she could be, had noticed that there was something wrong with him.

That sort of thing happened when the partner of the best sex you've ever had in your life practically runs out on you like hellhounds were on her heels.

Maybe he'd sucked Saturday night. Maybe the mind-blowing sex hadn't been all that good for her, and she couldn't wait to put some space between them. But no, he couldn't believe that. He'd seen her face as she came, again and again. He'd felt her tighten around his cock. It had been incredible, and Helene Franklin had panicked because she didn't want something like that. Not with him. Not when he was a greedy rich guy—something she'd made no secret she despised.

Cade should have stayed home and worked on his office today, but he had a few things to sort out that could only be done in person.

He thanked Ben, more curtly than he'd intended to be, and opened up his messages.

There it was. Another reminder of the weekend. Of her.

A report on the earning levels of his subordinates. Seeing the five-figure salaries made him wince. He'd spent more on a lunch than what they earned in a year. He kept reading the report that showed comparisons with earning levels in similar firms. He paid his admin staff more than some, less than others, but the difference seemed minimal. Put together, the annual salaries of the fifty-two assistants in the main office were risible.

He pinged Ben again.

"Have HR sent up, please."

Ben's eyes widened. Panic was plain in his features. Gosh, Cade was such a dick today. "I'm not firing you, Ben."

The assistant's shoulders sagged in relief. "Yeah. Of course. Right away, sir."

Before he could leave, Cade halted him. "Are you happy with your level of income here, by the way?"

Ben hesitated.

"Come on, speak plainly. I've been looking into it, and I have a hard time seeing what's a good income level in this city."

The assistant nodded. "You pay me very well, Mr. Lawson. I'm an executive assistant." He said so with a degree of pride. "Plus, the benefit package includes lodging, which is amazing."

There was a “but” somewhere.

"Go on."

"Well, I was just going to say, we do well here on the exec floor. But I have friends in the general admin office who struggle a little—particularly those who need childcare, or have health issues. Some have a second job to pad their income. I mean, most people do."

Fuck. Cade didn't know what was worse: realizing that Helene didn't want him because she believed he was the embodiment of what was wrong in the society, or seeing that she was right.

"Thank you for your honesty, Ben."

He needed to fix it. He needed to start caring about people who worked for him—even those he never saw. And that had nothing to do with wanting to see that damn brunette come apart again.

He glanced down to his phone again, for what must have been the hundredth time today.

Cade had debated all weekend, but resisted his impulse