Gone - Part One by Deborah Bladon Page A

it's barely past noon, I'd venture a safe guess that talking about what happened between us is more difficult for him than I imagined it would be.
              "We can chalk it up to a stupid decision." I don't want my voice to crack as much as it does when I say the words. "We don't have to talk about it again. I just don't want to lose my job."
    He pivots quickly on his heel until he's facing me directly. "Your job?"
    "I need this job." I drop my hands to my side. "I don't want to lose it."
    He steps towards me. "You should have thought about that before you did it."
    I recoil physically from the words, stumbling backwards. "I'm going to lose my job because of what we did?"
    He stops mid-step to stare at me his hand flying wildly in the air. "You think you're going to lose your job because we fucked?"
    I rest my forehead against my fingers trying to find a way to salvage the only job that's ever held any meaning for me. "I can't change what happened, Mr. Parker… Clive," I pause. "I know you think I'm the kind of woman who just jumps into bed with anyone. I don't blame you for thinking that after you saw that picture and read that letter, but…I'm not like that."
    "Stop." His hand darts into the air between us. "Just stop."
    I clamp my left hand over my mouth for good measure. My natural inclination is to fight tooth and nail to hold onto this. It's how I've lived my life up to this point. Standing idly by while something this important is taken away from me is taking every ounce of strength I have.
    "You crossed a line." He takes a heavy, determined step towards me.
    "What line?" I say into a small breath. "I have no idea what line."
    "I know about your latest personal project, Lilly." He reaches to grab my arm. "I know that you're developing an organ donation app. You think you can use what happened to my sister to further your career."
    "What?" I bark the word out as I try to take a step back. "How do you know about that?"
    His eyes scan my face, stopping to drink in the confusion that has to be clouding my expression. "Who do you think you are? You can't just waltz into my life and use the death of someone I love to make a few dollars."
    The words bite through me so ferociously that I feel a physical ache within my chest. "You don't know what you're talking about."
    "I know exactly what I'm talking about." His hand finally drops from me. "You got the idea for the app when Parker told you about Coral, didn't you?"
    "Parker never told me about Coral." The words are sincere. Parker's sole focus during our exchanges had been finding a way into my bed.
    "I'll ask him right now." He takes a few long strides towards his desk. "I can call him this minute."
    "Go ahead." I move back until I feel the welcome oasis of the couch pressed against the back of my knees. I lower myself onto it.
    I watch as he dials a number. He waits patiently before slamming the phone back into its receiver. "He didn't answer."
    I don't respond because I have absolutely nothing to say to him. I'm stunned that he's accusing me of trying to garner some sort of financial gain by using the fact that his sister's organs were harvested after her death in a car accident. My relentless need to create the app has nothing to do with him at all. I should tell him that but my curiosity about how he knows about its existence is too overwhelming to ignore.
    "How do you know about the app?" I look directly at him. "Tell me how you know."
     

Chapter 19
     
    He leans against the desk, his voice a harsh whisper. "Your employment contract gives me unlimited access to any computer you own."
    My gaze narrows as I feel a dull pit forming in my stomach. "I have the files for the app on my laptop. I've never brought it to the office."
    His jaw tightens. "I was visiting Rebecca on Saturday while you were here with Jordan. I accessed the files then."
    My eyes close as I take in a deep breath. It's why he wanted me to live with her. He hasn't trusted my motives