disorganization to a new level, and it was always my fault if he couldn’t put his hand on something, even if I’d never laid eyes on it. But it was good experience, and he didn’t treat me like I was a complete idiot, so there was that.”
“What happened?”
“We got to the last week, and it was time for him to fill in my evaluation for the college. Turns out, he wasn’t above a bit of blackmail.”
“Blackmail?”
“He wanted something in exchange for signing off on my experience.”
Riley was avoiding his eyes again. Under his blush, his skin had gone pale.
Brendan read between the lines. “He tried to extort sexual favors from you in return for accrediting your experience.”
He hoped putting it in as technical language as he could might help the omega keep a level of detachment. Riley didn’t owe him a sharing of his pain or trauma. All Brendan needed were the facts.
“Yeah, I guess that’s what you’d call it.”
“You said no?”
“Very forcefully.”
Brendan could believe it. Now and then, he’d caught a spark of fire in the omega’s eyes.
“I’m guessing Mr. Smith didn’t want to take no for an answer.”
“He tried to force the issue, so I broke his nose and got the hell out of there. Went straight to the police and reported him, but that almost wound up getting me, and only me, in trouble. It worked out okay in the end.”
Brendan had seen the way those cases could go, especially a powerless intern pitted against a seasoned lawyer. He was curious as to what had happened to resolve it.
“How so?”
“I figured it wasn’t just me, you know? I mean, I’m not so attractive that an otherwise normal person would suddenly become a crazed blackmailer. It took me a week to find half a dozen students who’d had the same experience as me. Once Mr. Smith and the school realized I wasn’t bluffing about tracking down every single one of them, Mr. Smith agreed to drop the assault charge and sign off on my experience. And the school removed him from their approved employers list.”
It wasn’t the outcome Brendan would have liked, but it was probably the best Riley could have gotten, given the circumstances.
“That’s quite the story.”
Riley's shoulders sagged. “I’d tell you to check with the school, but I know they’ll deny it. They’re worried about lawsuits from former students. Do you want me to stay to the end of the day, or leave now?”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t make my decisions for me,” Brendan said, torn between amusement and irritation. “Besides, all you’ve told me is that you know how to handle yourself, and that you’re not half bad at tracking people down. That just makes you more employable, not less.”
Riley stared at him wide-eyed, then laughed.
“Are you serious?”
“Completely serious. Now, about the filing…”
It didn’t escape his notice that Riley had a smile on his face for the rest of the day.
Chapter Four
Riley took another look at his face in the mirror and winced. All the concealer in the world wasn’t going to hide that bruise. With a sigh, he stepped out of the bathroom and back down the corridor to Brendan’s office. He was very conscious of the fact that he was twenty minutes late, his hair was tangled, and his clothes were disheveled. All in all, he did not look like the office assistant he was supposed to be. And if he wasn’t mistaken, Brendan had a client scheduled first thing.
He slipped into the office and hung up his coat, hearing the murmur of voices from behind Brendan’s door. There were footsteps a moment later, and the door opened. Riley kept his back to it, pretending to search for something in his bag.
“Riley, can you get some coffee for myself and Mr. Gleeson? Black, no sugar.”
“Sure thing, Brendan.”
He didn’t turn around, ensuring that the alpha couldn’t catch sight of his face, but as soon as the door closed behind him, he realized his mistake. He could have kicked himself. If Brendan had seen the state he was in, he would have known to avoid parading Riley in front of his client. But now, unless Riley wanted to make a big deal of getting Brendan to come out and collect their coffees, he was going to have to go in there. If there had been any chance that Brendan was going to overlook this, he suspected he’d just lost it.
Forcing down the urge to cry, he stomped into the kitchen and made the coffee.