A Fluffy Tale 2: Warm & Fuzzy (14 page)

“You’d be welcome over there too, you know.
Any time. Doesn’t have to be when the kids need to stay.”

“Thanks. There’s just always so much to do
at home.”

“Is it me? Because
Mum would love to see you and I can go somewhere else.”

“Don’t be silly, Spen. I’m having lunch with
you.”

“Yeah.” Spen laughed a little. “I guess
that answers me. What time are you leaving? And what’s the hotel? A nice one?”

“At four, and I have no idea. ‘Lilyvale’,
it’s called. I’m meeting Tony at seven.” Spen grunted. “I’ll be back here by
lunchtime tomorrow. Half day for me.”

“Good for you.” He checked his watch.
“Bugger. I’ve got to run. No, don’t rush. I’ll catch you soon. Good luck
tonight.”

“And tomorrow.”

Spen stopped. “Yeah. Tomorrow
too. I’ll see you.” He squeezed Daniel’s shoulder, a gesture from that
Daniel secretly adored as much as he hated the exact same thing from Tony.
Unfortunately, Tony did it a lot more often than Spen did.

He had very little to do when he returned
from lunch—nothing compelling or important, for sure—so he played
with Kani and did some web-surfing to kill time before he had to catch a taxi
to the train station. He felt very little guilt about skiving, another way this
job had changed him. He even understood why some of the other PAs were so
disgruntled. You had to have a particular personality as well as intelligence
to do this job, and he now knew he wasn’t PA material. Unfortunately, he wasn’t
engineer material without the requisite degree. He wondered if he’d ever find a
niche in which he felt comfortable and qualified.

At five to four, he picked up his overnight
bag and headed for the lifts. He garnered a few disapproving looks from the
usual suspects. He had learned to ignore them, though the unfairness of the
hostility never failed to sting. He kept his head down as he walked across the
foyer, hoping to avoid any more company staff.

“Daniel?”

He looked up and recognised the voice’s
owner. Kani squeaked with excitement when he saw Pyon, his erstwhile partner in
crime. “Julian? Hi. Are you here for a meeting?”

“Yes. With you.
Come over, I’d like you to meet someone.”

“Uh, Julian, I have a—”

“Yes, I know. Don’t worry, it’s all been
sorted out. Daniel, this is my boss and good friend, Leo Underwood.”

Julian indicated a quite elderly gentleman
with smiling eyes and a cute little white kem in his lap, sitting on one of the
leather armchairs. Kani chirped in greeting and the little kem sat up and
meeped. “Hello, Mr Underwood. Nice to meet you.”

“Same here, young man. Julian told me so
much about you.”

Daniel flushed. “Oh. Nothing bad, I hope.”

“Of course not,” Julian said. “And this is
my husband, Zachary Ledbetter.”

One of the most extraordinarily handsome
men Daniel had seen outside—or inside—the pages of a glossy
magazine, stood and held out his hand. “Daniel.”

Daniel shook his hand. “Mr Ledbetter.” The
man’s enormous tawny kem, draped around his shoulders, yawned delicately. Kani
chirped, and won a lazy tail flick from the big kem.

“Zachary’s my nephew and legal advisor,” Mr
Underwood said. “Julian?” Julian helped the man stand. He leaned heavily on a
stick once he was upright, but despite the frailty of his body, there was
nothing weak about his voice or his intent gaze. “Daniel, I’ve arranged with Mr
Stern for you to go over some of the details of the projects your Mr Noble
showed Julian.”

Mr Stern was the head of the office, and
his word was law. “Yes. Uh, but I was just—”

Mr Underwood held up his hand. “Yes, you
have a meeting. Don’t worry. You won’t be late. I’m afraid this can’t wait.”

As the man was an important potential
client, Daniel hoped Tony would understand. “Uh, there’s a room near Mr Noble’s
office where we can talk.”

“That would do splendidly. Here, take my
arm. Julian does like to cling to Zachary. Can’t understand the appeal myself.”

Julian grinned, and Ledbetter’s icily
gorgeous features admitted a small smile. “Leo, you’re awful,” Julian chided.

“Quite so. Daniel? Lead the way?”

Still confused by all this, and wondering
why on earth Mr Stern hadn’t told him anything about it, Daniel took them all
up to Tony’s office, and ushered them into the interview room. “Would you like
tea or coffee, Mr Underwood?”

“Water, please, and call me Leo, dear boy.
Zachary and Julian will have green tea, if you don’t mind.”

Kani stayed behind to play with friends old
and new, while Daniel prepared the drinks. He found his unexpected visitors
chatting with each other and petting kems when he returned. “Thank you,” Julian
said. “Leo would like to see the financial reports for the last three years,
and if I could see the updates on the city projects Tony mentioned last time? I
believe he said he was expecting them any day.”

Daniel went to fetch the files. All of this
could have been done anytime. What was the tearing hurry about four pm on a
Thursday afternoon?

Leo went over the financial reports
carefully, passing each to Zachary and Julian for their perusal too. Daniel had
to do nothing but pass over the occasional folder, and once, fetch another
file. Mr Stern or his secretary could have done this just as well, and often
did so. Half past four went, then five. That was his train missed then. “Excuse
me,” he said. “Would you mind if I just made a call to Tony? To let him know
I’ll be late.”

“Now Daniel,” Leo said, pinning him with
his sharp eyes. “I told you not to worry. I assure you what we’re doing here is
much more important than meeting Mr Noble on time. Or do you think you know
better than Mr Stern?”

“No, sir. I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Now, tell me about the
company. How do you like working here?”

Daniel did his best to sound positive. Leo
wanted to know about his background, his education, and without even trying,
managed to elicit the facts about Daniel’s parents. Zachary Ledbetter listened
intently as Daniel told that part of his story, nodding with apparent sympathy from
time to time. When Daniel was done, Julian took his husband’s hand. “Zachary
lost his parents when he was seven.”

“I’m sorry,” Daniel said.

“So am I,” Zachary said, sadness briefly
clouding his brilliant green eyes. “You’re one of the few people who knows the
truth of that, I’m sure.” He looked at his watch, and something passed between
him and Julian. Julian looked at Leo.

“Not long now,” Leo said, apparently
apropos of nothing. “Perhaps another cup of tea, Julian? Daniel, I would love a
fresh glass of water.”

After half past five now. Daniel suppressed
a sigh. “Certainly. Tea, Mr Ledbetter?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Even with the fresh drinks consumed, and
all the files gone over in minute detail, his visitors were still in no hurry
to leave. It was now after six. Daniel began to wonder if Leo was a little
dotty, or if he’d been set up for a particularly elaborate practical joke.
“Will Mr Stern be joining us?” he asked.

“Yes. In fact, now, I believe. Edward, how
nice to meet you finally.”

Daniel scrabbled to his feet as the company
head walked in. “Leo, you too. Sorry about the circumstances though. Daniel.”
Daniel jerked, not expecting to be addressed. “I need you to come with me.”

“And that’s our cue to depart, Julian.
Daniel, Zachary will stay a little longer for reasons that will become clear.”
Julian helped Leo stand, then Leo laid his hand on
Daniel’s arm. “I want you to know that you have my full support, and that of my
family.”

“Thank you, sir, but support for what?”

“Daniel, this way, please.”

For tuppence, Daniel would have stamped his
foot and yelled “No!” He really didn’t appreciate not being told what was going
on, or being ordered about like cattle. But with Mr Stern in front of him, and
Zachary Ledbetter behind him, he had no choice but to let himself be taken up
two floors to Mr Stern’s office, and into the adjoining meeting room. Another
shock awaited him—a man he didn’t know stood there, along with Spen. Kani
squeaked excitedly when he saw Spen and Myko, but Daniel made him shush.

“What’s going on?” he demanded. “Spen? Why
are you here?”

“Daniel, this is Detective Inspector Shah,”
Mr Stern said. “He needs to talk to you. Spencer will explain, and Zachary has
offered to be your legal advisor if you so wish it.”

“Legal....” He gripped the back of a chair
because his knees had gone weak. “Am I under arrest?”

“Absolutely not,” Detective Shah said.
“Please, Daniel, do sit down. Mr Reardon will explain. Thank you, Mr Stern.”

“I’ll be in my office,” Mr Stern said.
“Daniel, you are
not
in trouble.”

“Thank you,” Daniel whispered. He slid into
the chair he’d been using as support, and held Kani protectively close to his
chest. Everyone else took a seat, then Zachary spoke
quietly to his beautiful kem who then disappeared. “Has something happened to
Dee and Alex? Spen?”

“No, no. Daniel, everyone’s okay. Dee and
Alex are perfectly safe with Mum and Dad. This is about Tony and the
conference.”

Daniel started to stand, but Zachary placed
his hand on his arm, so he stopped. “I told you I didn’t want to pursue that,”
he growled.

“I know, but things have moved on.
Inspector?”

Shah coughed. “Daniel, Tony Noble’s just
been arrested at the hotel where you and he were to meet.”

“What? Why?”

“Because he’s been buying GHB over the
internet, using his office laptop,” Spen said. “I asked Jyoti to check the disk
image backups and it’s all there. Not just his internet
searches, but also the emails confirming purchases. He’s a fucking
techno-idiot, thank god.”

“We found a Class C substance in his home,”
the inspector added, “and doctored bottles of mineral water in the hotel room
which we suspect also contain this drug. We also, uh, found pictures on his
phone. Pictures of you. Naked.”

Daniel covered his mouth, wanting to puke. Kani meeped in concern, nudging his arm. “I’ll get some
water,” Spen said, rising to fetch it from a metal jug standing on a tray at
the side.

“Daniel, I just need to ask this to rule it
out,” Inspector Shah said. “Are you in a sexual relationship with Tony Noble?”
Daniel shook his head. “Have you ever had sex with him? Did you give him
permission to take photos of you naked?”

“No, never,” Daniel whispered. “It was him?”

“Yes, we believe so. Security footage at
the hotel doesn’t back up his version of what happened that night. We’ve got
him on the drug charge, no question. We can get him on administering a toxic
substance and sexual assault, if you give a statement.”

“I don’t remember anything.” Spen returned
with the water, and nudged the glass towards Daniel when he ignored it. Daniel
took a sip, but nearly gagged on it.

“I understand. All we need from you is what
you do remember, and whether or not you consented to photographs and the sex.”

“I can’t. I don’t want to drag my family
into this.”

“Daniel,” Spen said. “He’s done it before.
His last PA left because Tony pressured him into sex and took photos of him.
The one before him left because Tony made advances. They didn’t want a fuss
either, which is why you were victimised. Do you want this to go on and on?
Another young man who needs a job badly enough to ignore what’s been obvious
for some time?”

Daniel glared with the full force of his
sick betrayal. “You lied to me. You said you’d drop it. I told you I didn’t
want to pursue it.”

“Yes. But I wanted you not to be drugged
and raped tonight more than I wanted you to like me.”

Zachary interrupted the staring match.
“Inspector Shah, I believe you need Daniel to make the statement at the
station. Daniel, if you consent to this, I can sit in with you to advise you or
answer any legal questions you may have.”

“I haven’t consented.”

The inspector sighed. “At the moment,
Daniel, the drug charges will probably result in a fine. Mr Stern is prepared
to sack Noble for that alone, but he’ll just move on to another post and carry
out his harassment elsewhere. With your statement, and the supporting evidence
we have, we might be able to make sexual assault stick, and that puts him on
the register. He won’t be able to find another job without disclosing his
record. No more victims.”

“My duty is to my family first, not strangers.”

“What if it was Alex in his first job?”
Spen said.

Daniel stood, holding his stomach. Kani,
who’d been very quiet all this time, licked his cheek to comfort him. “My
brother and sister. The publicity. They’ve already been through so much.”

“Your name will be kept out of the media,”
Detective Shah said. “That’s standard in a sexual assault case.”

“What if he gets off?”

“He’s still on our radar. And he’ll still
have a conviction. I want this guy, Daniel. He’s a rapist. Don’t let him walk.”

Daniel turned to Zachary. “What do you
think?”

“He’s correct about your identity being
protected. I can’t promise Noble would be convicted of assault charges, but Mr
Stern is certainly going to fire him. He was simply waiting for confirmation of
the drug purchase. He’s formally suspended without pay, and I believe the usual
disciplinary proceedings will proceed quite quickly.”

“You knew,” Daniel said, staring at Spen.
“This afternoon, you knew what was going to happen.”

“Yes. We had to lull him into a false sense
of security. Daniel, there was no breakfast meeting. He had drugged mineral
water waiting for you. He was going to do it again. He was going to attack you.
He’d do it as often as he could get away with it.”

Daniel sat again, not sure if he could
prevent himself from vomiting. He shook his head as Zachary offered him the
water.