21. Callie

The most exciting thing about July finally rolling around was the celebration of Sawyer’s birthday.

To other staff, it was the one time a year that the tyrannical boss was nice, but Sawyer liked to use his birthday as an excuse to not only thank the staff for their hard work but also to rustle up some donations. Multiple businesses and people from the rich walk of life loved to be seen wishing Sawyer a happy birthday. So he used that against them and would often ask for donations toward the charity voted on by staff members. Last year, it was a breast cancer charity, and the year before that was a homeless charity.

The jury was still out on what it would be this year, but the current voting had a children’s charity in the lead, and its popularity was growing.

This was the only time of year when event planning would overtake my normal duties, but this year, I was leading the charge rather than being someone on the outskirts just helping. The perks of being Sawyer’s personal assistant now.

“I’m not sure a finger food buffet is really appropriate,” I mused, staring down at the files in front of me. Several assistants from other departments sat at the table with me, bringing ideas from their staff.

“Why not?” Hillary from accounting stared at me over her square spectacles. “It’s going to be for a children’s charity, right? So finger food is perfect.”

“The charity hasn’t been chosen yet, Hillary,” Amy from Human Resources said. “So we can’t base the meal around the charity.”

“The children’s charity is the clear winner,” Hillary snapped back.

“You’re only saying that because your wife works for them,” Adam from Marketing retorted. “You can’t try and fix this.”

“I’m not fixing anything,” Hillary responded. “The votes are speaking for themselves and my wife has nothing to do with it!”

“Your wife has everything to do with it,” Amy replied sharply. “I haven’t forgotten last year when she got so drunk she threw up over the photocopier!”

As the argument broke out between them, I focused on the details listed below. The thought of the buffet was oddly making my stomach churn. In fact, I’d been unwell for the past week and wondered if I had picked up something at the restaurant Bianca and I had gone to for dinner. The seafood there had looked a little gray.

The argument rose in volume, so I lifted my head and pushed some damp hair away from my forehead. With the nausea and the hot flush sweeping down my back, I was not in the mood for an argument.

“If you must know, Sawyer personally picked the charities this year, so that has nothing to do with Hillary,” I said.

Hillary’s face turned smug.

“However, I agree that basing the meal around the charity is pointless until we have a winner. So I propose that we aim for a buffet but keep the food on the back burner until we have a winner. How does that sound?”

The heads around the table bobble like figures on a car dashboard, and then I stand and tuck the papers under my arm. “Excellent. I will leave you all to finalize the guest list while I track down a caterer that can provide themed food at short notice.”

I hurried from the room, puffing out my cheeks to try and cool myself down. The last thing I needed was all this talk of food among such high tensions. Heading back to my desk, I plucked at my shirt and groaned. This was the second shirt I had sweated through and it was only the early afternoon. At this time of year, I always brought an extra with how the July heat baked the desks near the windows, but this was different.

Whatever it was, I hope it passed quickly.

On my way to my desk, I dialed up the number of the caterer we had used last year. They were kind and flexible so having them again felt like a good choice. They didn’t answer when I called so I left my details on the answering machine. The next call was my contact within the press to let them know the date and time of the party. Sawyer’s birthday was always in the news but only a few trusted reporters were allowed inside.

“Callie!”

Turning, I was just in time to crouch down before Marie collided with me and shoved a very fluffy bunny rabbit into my face.

“Marie!” Scooping her up, I balanced her on my hip with a soft grunt. She might be small for her age but she was growing fast. “How are you?”

“I’m good!” she sang. “This is Mr. Leg.”

“Mr. Leg?” I eyed the rabbit and spotted the blue patchwork on its rear leg. “Oh no, what happened?”

“Someone, and I’m not saying who,” Liam chuckled as he appeared. “May have given Mr. Rabbit a few too many spins in the washer so he needed a transplant.”

“Oh no!” I chuckled, admiring the fine stitching. “Well, he clearly had a good doctor.”

“The best,” Marie declared. “So I gave him a new name!”

“Awwh. What are you two doing here?”

“Sawyer,” Liam smiled. “Birthday obligations and I’ll actually be here this time, so I plan to make the most of it. How are things going with the uh… the committee…”

We both glanced down the hall to the glass room I’d just left. Hillary was on her feet, yelling at the others and it was clear negotiations had dissolved once again.

“People are so heated you would think they have a personal stake in it,” I chuckled, wincing as a bead of sweat rolled down from my hairline. Setting Marie on the ground, I quickly wiped it away and smiled.

“I’ll mark them all down as passionate, though. Can’t be accused of not being a team player.”

“Oh, for sure,” Liam chuckled.

My phone pulled my attention as it vibrated in my hand. I hoped it was a response from the caterer.

I wasn’t so lucky.

My heart stopped.

ELI: Time is ticking, darling, and if you don’t pay up soon enough, your mother’s next bill might get lost.

Shit.

“Everything alright?” Liam asked, his face pinched with concern.

I nodded and pressed my palm to my clammy forehead. “Yeah, I’m good. I think it’s the heat, y’know? Uhm…”

Fuck. I wracked my brain for a solution. Eli was getting impatient, and I had to do something. I couldn’t risk anything happening to my mother and I had no idea how facilities like that would handle late payments.

“Would you guys mind helping me out?”

“Yes!” Marie declared, bouncing up onto the balls of her feet.

“I need decoration ideas for Sawyer’s party but I also have to run and do a thing I forgot about. Would you guys be willing to put your heads together and come up with some ideas while I just go and sort something out?”

Liam looked a little apprehensive but luckily, Marie was on my side.

“Yes,” she squealed and turned to Liam. “Can we Daddy, pleaseeee?”

“Sure,” he chuckled, taking her hand. “We’ll set up in the cafeteria because I need coffee. Meet us there?”

“Definitely.”

Liam leaned in and pressed a chase kiss to my cheek, then I hurried away as they headed back down the hallway.

God. I had been putting this off because I only felt powerful in my mind. Each night before sleep, I would talk myself up and roleplay how to steal what I needed from Sawyer. That confidence always melted away by the time I turned up to work in the morning.

Now, I had no choice.

Sawyer’s office was empty.

I had been in here hundreds of times but for some reason, this felt like the first. Each step I took sent nerves pulsing through my stomach and the nausea worsened. Forcing a swallow, I made it to Sawyer’s desk and then hesitated.

Was I really doing this?

I glanced down at my phone, clutched tightly in my fist.

Yes. I had to.

Perching on Sawyer’s chair was strange. The leather was molded to his perfect ass and I slotted right into the grooves. It was almost like sitting in his lap. His computer was already logged in, and countless documents filled the screen before me.

I had no idea where to look. I didn’t even know what I was looking for. So much of this was kept private and I didn’t have access to anything beyond the basic legal things and whatever Sawyer had needed me to send to Kane, and vice versa. The important stuff?

I didn’t have a clue.

Closing a few tabs, I began my search while keeping one eye on the door. I had no idea where Sawyer was, but he could reappear at any moment.

Getting caught wasn’t worth thinking about. I had to succeed.

I clicked through countless folders and documents, getting myself into a tangle about what I was even looking for. The longer I looked, the worse my nerves grew and I became so focused on the computer that I forgot to keep an eye on the door.

In some twisted stroke of luck, I finally found something. It talked about patents and the drug, and had a few signatures. This had to be it. My heart beat so fast that my head throbbed and my stomach knotted into a ball.

It took a few painful minutes to email the documents to myself, then I deleted all traces of evidence just as the door creaked.

“Callie?” Sawyer’s voice reached me and I nearly retched there and then.

I stood up abruptly and forced my widest smile.

“Sawyer!”

“What are you doing?” His attention darted between me and the monitor as he walked closer.

I was frozen in place, sweat pouring down my back and my mind blank. I couldn’t think of an excuse. I could barely breathe.

“Why are you on my computer?” Sawyer stopped an inch away. The scent of his aftershave wasn’t enough to soothe me like normal. Under his gaze, I felt smaller and smaller as my heartbeat echoed around my skull.

“Uh… I was making sure your calendar was clear, silly.” Where the strength of those words came from, I had no idea. “It wouldn’t do good for you to end up busy on your birthday and I don’t want any of my carefully laid plans to get screwed up by you adding extra meetings that you don’t need.”

I held my breath, waiting for the excuse to land. Sawyer’s eyes drifted from my face to the monitor, but there was nothing suspicious on the screen. Finally, he smiled.

“What would I do without you?”

“Uhh, miss out on all the fun things in life?” My smile remained plastered to my face as he slid his hand around my waist. I didn’t even care that he could likely feel how damp my shirt was. I just needed him to buy the lie.

“It’s hot,” Sawyer said in a low voice, bringing himself close to my lips. His breath ghosted lightly over my lips.

“The July heat is dry,” I whispered, cupping the side of his neck. “Breaks are important.”

“Mhmm.” He pulled me close to his body. The heat pouring off him seared right through my shirt, burning my skin. His mouth closed over mine and he kissed me so deeply that, without air, my lungs were sure to implode.

My head spun and my stomach churned. Bile clawed up my throat but I kissed him back desperately.

Suddenly, the phone on his desk yelled into life, and we were forced to break apart. Sawyer held my gaze as he answered the phone and pressed the receiver to his ear.

“What?”

A low voice buzzed at the end of the line. Sawyer pressed a kiss to my nose and turned the receiver to his shoulder.

“Sorry Callie, I have to take this.”

I had no problem with that at all. Flashing him a smile, I ducked out of his grasp and hurried from his office. Closing the door behind me, I had a few seconds to catch my strained breath then I bolted for the bathroom.

I made it just in time. The stall door clattered and shook as I slammed it behind me, then I sank to my knees with a gasp.

Drenched in sweat, the remains of my lunch flooded the bowl as I threw up everything, including my nerves. Trembling, I gagged and hurled until there was nothing left inside me but a painful pull of muscles. Then I flopped down to the side and groaned.

“Fuck.”

That was terrifying and the guilt was going to eat me alive. It was worth it, though. For my mother.

With trembling fingers, I checked my email. There it was, innocently sitting in my inbox. I could delete it, pretend this never happened, and find another solution.

Who was I kidding? There was no other solution.

I typed out a short text to Eli and hit send.

CALLIE: I got it.