way you’re feeling right now.”
“Yeah.” I don’t really want to talk about it. Not ever.
“Listen, Veronica.” Andrews is very close to me right now. My instinctive reaction is to shuffle backwards and regain some space, but when I do he shuffles forwards with me. “Messing around with David Shepard… well, it was never a good idea.”
“I see that now,” I hiss. He isn’t helping me feel any less stupid.
His hand is still on my leg. “You deserve to be treated better. Way better.”
I sniff. “Thank you.”
“You know,” he says, and suddenly I notice his hand is creeping its way up my leg. Getting more and more intimate. “You’re a beautiful woman, Veronica. I’ve thought it since the day I made you my intern.”
I freeze. “What is this?”
“What do you mean?” he asks innocently. He doesn’t move his hand.
“What’s… going on right now?” I push, still shaking. Maybe it’s the shock of everything that’s happened, but it almost feels as if… Andrews is coming onto me. “I think I should go. No, I think you should go.”
But instead of taking the hint and backing down, Andrews smiles. “I think you know exactly what’s going on, Veronica.”
And then he places both hands on the sides of my head and kisses me.
I lash out instantly, trying to back away. But he holds me in the kiss, his arms far more powerful than my own.
When I finally break away, I gasp for air. “What the hell is this?”
Andrews looks me up and down. “You don’t want him, Veronica. He isn’t good for you.”
I stare at him, mouth open in disbelief. What the hell is going on?
“Kiss me, Veronica,” he murmurs, leaning in again. “Teach Shepard a lesson.”
I shake my head. “No, I-” I swallow. “Get away from me.”
“Kiss me,” he says again, this time with more intensity.
Shaking my head, I scramble backwards to try to get away. Andrews isn’t my friend. I don’t know why he told me all that he did… but I don’t think it was to help me.
I swallow. “I-”
The door burst open with a bang. We both swivel to the noise’s source, trying to get a good look at our intruder. To be honest, there are very few people in the whole world that I wouldn’t be happy to see right now. Anyone joining us would be better than being alone with Andrews.
But I’m wrong. Because the person who walks through the door… is the last face I want to look at.
David strikes through the doorway, walking forwards with intent. His eyes meet mine for a moment, but I recoil back. If he notices the tears running down my face, they don’t give him pause.
Instead, he walks up to Andrews. And in one swift motion, he punches him in the face. Hard.
David
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Veronica shouts at me. “You might be the President, but that gives you no right to-”
“It was him,” I cut in. My hand is pulsing. “Andrews is the piece of shit who has been leaking this whole time.”
I look down at him cowering on the floor. He’s lucky Veronica is here, or else I might not have constrained myself to a single punch.
“Is he?” she asks angrily. “Cause this is some awfully convenient timing for you to figure that out.”
“What do you mean?”
“He told me the truth,” she replies, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “He told me that you’ve just been using me. That your feelings aren’t real.”
I take a step back. I’ve never felt hate for someone before like I feel for Andrews now. As if he couldn’t sink any lower from stabbing me in the back for the last year, now he’s trying to ruin my relationship with Veronica?
“Oh come on, you know that isn’t true,” I reply. “He’s just trying to drive us apart.”
“Prove it,” she replies. “If it’s true, prove it to me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Veronica. You’re-”
“Not good enough,” she says, pushing me out of the way. “Don’t follow me, David.”
The door slams behind her and I’m left alone with the man who might have ruined my life.
“I think it’s time for some answers,” I say turning around. As much as I want to go after Veronica, there will be time for that after I deal with Andrews.
He’s crawled to the back of the room, behind a couch. I walk over and drag him out by one of his legs.
“Okay, okay.” He’s raising his arms