A wolf whistle came from the back of the room and I pointed. “Hey! No harassing me.” More laughter.
Essie, however, was not amused. “All right, everyone, we need to take this seriously. I know these comments are all in fun, but we’re here to be educated on how to have the safest, most comfortable and efficient work environment possible. And I know your CFO is very interested in efficiency.”
I cleared my throat, sobering, and the room quieted down. Essie glanced around for a long moment before turning to me. “Okay, we’re going to role-play a situation between me, the boss, and my employee, Mr. Fawkes.”
A guy from playtesting snickered before I sent him a sharp glare and he quieted down. “So, here we are. You’ve just arrived at work.”
Essie stepped forward and put her hand on my upper arm. “Hey Mr. Fawkes, how are you today? You are looking really good in those trousers and that shirt.” She ran her eyes up and down me like she was checking me out at a singles bar. I’m sure it wasn’t the response she wanted from me, but I grinned and straightened my tie. The group laughed again.
Essie’s smile faded. “Now clearly this isn’t a problem for Mr. Fawkes, but what if Mr. Fawkes is the boss and he says that same thing to an employee? And touches him or her in the same way?”
She glanced around and no one said anything, though people whispered to each other. A few looked incredibly bored. Essie pointed a finger at April. “Miss, didn’t you ask about the boss-employee power dynamic before? Could you come up and help out, please?”
April’s face went scarlet and she didn’t move. “Uh…”
I muttered to Essie. “She’s actually really shy.”
But that other intern with all the blond hair—what the hell was her name?—started shoving April out of her chair. To keep from falling on the ground, April stood, giving her friend a well-deserved scowl. Essie continued encouraging April to come forward, and she reluctantly moved to stand beside me.
I shifted my weight from one leg to another, trying to distance myself from her without looking like I was distancing myself from her. There was only one word for this situation right here.
Awkward.
April stared at the floor in front of her, self-consciously tucking some strands of her hair behind her ear. I remembered having that delicious lobe in my mouth last night when I’d been engaging in some very unbusinesslike behavior with her in the alley behind the martini lounge. The way she’d moaned my name…
I tore my eyes away and scowled at the room as a whole. This wasn’t so funny anymore.
“Mr. Fawkes, why don’t you make a similar comment to this young lady like I just did to you?”
I cleared my throat and tried hard not to roll my eyes. “Good morning, Miss Weiss,” I droned. “You are looking very nice today in your—uh—”
And then I looked at her to see what she was wearing. A pencil skirt and a silky blouse that hugged her curves. Jesus Christ. What kind of God up there didn’t like me that he gave me a gorgeous intern—one I already knew was hot as a chili pepper in bed, too—that I wasn’t allowed to touch? I’d have to continue to fight to keep my hands off of her, and if last night was any indication, it was a losing battle.
No, this was Karma, and she was biting me in the ass right this very minute. This was for every one of the women I’d dated in the past who had told me some day the Universe would get even with me for being a callous asshole.
It took me a second to realize I was standing here gaping at her and had not continued my sentence.
“Go ahead and put your hand on her arm,” Essie coached.
Instead, I rested it lightly on her shoulder. I could feel the delicate bra strap through her silky top. It reminded me that last night I’d finally gotten a taste of what was underneath that bra. The memory of her succulent nipple beading in my mouth almost made me sprout wood right then and there. I jerked my hand away as if it had been burned, then took a step back.
April was beet red again, eyes on the floor.
“So, uh, how does his behavior make you feel, Miss Weiss? Do you feel comfortable telling him that he is being inappropriate?”
Self-consciously, she flicked her dark hair over her shoulder. “Mr. Fawkes, you are being inappropriate,” she muttered.
Essie nodded her approval. I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Uh, I’m terribly sorry about that, Miss Weiss. It, uh, won’t happen again.”
“Feel her up!” someone called from the back of the room.
Shocked, my mouth fell open, but before I could say anything, Adam was on his feet, his face flushed red. “All right, I’ve had enough of this bullshit,” he said, his narrowed eyes skimming the group in the room. “I’ve been through three meetings, and this is by far the worst of the lot. Don’t you realize the reason we are here in the first place is because of wildly inappropriate employee behavior? Do you think I like wasting my time and yours sitting through stuff you should have learned in grade school? Keep your hands to yourself—one of the basic rules of human behavior. But we’re here because someone obviously doesn’t have a damn clue how to do that.”