Unfaithful - Natalie Barelli Page 0,90
just asked questions.”
I nodded, feeling lost.
“But you were with June, so it’s good, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s good.” I said. No, it’s not good. Not good at all.
On the way to work, I confirmed with HR that there are no claims against me, so that’s something, I guess. There never was, they said. Just as I thought, it was a hoax. Geoff must lie awake at night thinking up new ways to torture me, turn the screws that little bit tighter, just so he can watch me suffer.
I stand outside his office. The door is ajar and I can see him staring at his computer. He types slowly, looking at the keyboard, then at the screen then back at the keyboard. He types the next letter or two then he pushes his glasses further up his nose and does it again. I stand there, my eyes burning. I could walk in right now and tell him I know everything. That his career is over and he is going to die in a rat-infested jail where the only way to tell the difference between rice and maggots is whether it moves or not.
No wait, that’s me.
“What are you doing?”
I spin around. “June! Hi, I was day-dreaming.”
She looks toward the office.
“About Geoff?”
“You could say that.”
“Takes all sorts, I guess.” Then she leans closer. “What happened last night? Did you find him?”
I grab her arm and pull her into my office, closing the door behind us.
I sit her down and tell her everything. I have to go back to that day in the store cupboard for it to make any sense. I have to go back further than that, to Chicago. The conference Geoff and I attended together.
“You know, I really don’t want to make excuses here, I really don’t, but the next day Geoff kept joking about how drunk I was, how much I knocked them back. But I don’t remember doing that. Maybe I was tired. Maybe that’s why the alcohol went to my head. Not that it’s any excuse.”
She actually wipes a quick tear. “I can’t believe it. I mean, I can. He’s such a creep. He’s always trying to get me to go out drinking with him in a suggestive way that makes my skin crawl. And I hate the way he’s always standing too close when I’m in his office.”
“No! You never said!”
She shrugs. “What’s there to say? That’s what he’s like.” We’re both silent for a moment. “So what will you do?”
“I don’t know. What do you think I should do?”
“Will you report them to the police?”
“I don’t think much will happen if I do. It’s Ryan’s word against mine whether I was aware of him taking the photo or not.”
“But you can’t let him get away with it!”
“I’m trying, June. I’m just not sure how. The only way for him to be prosecuted is if he does something like this again. And then we’d still have to prove it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Say he and I were in a compromising position”—I make air quotes as I say this—“and he was taking a photo unbeknown to me. How could I prove I wasn’t aware of it? Or even that I wasn’t doing it willingly? I just don’t know the finer points of the law. I suppose we could find out.”
“You said Ryan used Geoff’s phone, right?”
I nod.
“So he must have the passcode.”
“True.”
“Ask him what it is. Then you can get rid of the photo.”
“He’ll have copies saved on the cloud, probably on a computer as well.” We’re both silent for a moment. “We should get to work,” I say. “But thank you for listening. It means a lot.”
She leans forward and blurts out, “He set you up.”
It’s like I haven’t spoken just now. “I know! I just—”
“You can’t let it go, Anna.”
“I know that! But what do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know! But you can’t let him get away with this! I mean, what happens when he becomes the dean? What if he does this to other women?”
I tilt my head at her. “What do you mean, becomes the dean?”
“He’s got his panel interview this afternoon. He must be in the running, especially with you and the prize. It might have been your work but you’re in his department. He’ll take credit for it, Anna. You watch.”
“He’s applying for Dean of School?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
She shrugs. “They’ll give it to him, Anna.”
“They can’t.”
“They will.” After a moment she says, “I could get his cellphone. We could take it