Flirting with the HR Girl

Chapter 53

Jennifer returned to the HR office and found Selena and Ellie gone. Cynthia asked her to come in and shut the door. Jennifer held her breath hoping that no one saw or overheard her with Austin on the sales floor.

"I'm going to need your help with the investigation now," Cynthia said. "Ellie is involved in the investigation. She asked to speak with me privately."

"She is?" Jennifer asked, the relief that she wasn't in trouble fading at the terrible idea that such a young girl was caught up in some sort of sexual harassment.

"Yes, but no one can know about it," Cynthia said putting the file away. "Selena doesn't know and won't until I need to bring her in."

"Okay," Jennifer said.

"Are you going to be fine keeping that from your friend?" Cynthia stared right at her.

"Yes, it's something HR managers have to do," Jennifer said as much to assuage any guilt, as to assure Cynthia.

"That's right," Cynthia said returning her glasses to the bridge of her nose. "I will have more for you tomorrow but, for now, I just need you to let me know if you hear anything suspicious in the store."

"I will," Jennifer said feeling the tension in the air. She gathered up her things and was relieved to drive home. The drama from the store wasn't just silly drama now. One of her friends was hurt along with others. She didn't know how she was going to be around Todd the next day and not say anything about Selena. She knew she couldn't. Cynthia only had a small window to investigate before the perpetrator would catch wind of it. Gossip spread through a retail store like crap through a goose. If Todd was the culprit, that meant that they needed to make he didn't know they were on to him. And then she wondered if there were any other managers in the store causing trouble. The old men's manager, Mike, probably hadn't been the only one.

Jennifer fed the cats and was eating pizza when her doorbell rang. She had completely forgotten about Austin. She jumped up and glanced in the mirror seeing her messy bun and stained T-shirt, deciding she only had time to fix one. She ripped off the T-shirt, straightened her hair, and went to the door in her sports bra.

"Well, hello there," Austin said as she pulled him inside. He put his hands to his belt and asked, "Should I just start getting naked, too?"

"I thought you were here to help my cat?" Jennifer asked as she took the little kitty straight jacket from him.

"Pussy, I'm here to help with your pussy," Austin said looking ready to go.

"Then help me," Jennifer said nodding to Zack Morris and Austin grabbed him. She stuffed one paw in the jacket but as soon as she moved on to the next, it was back out again. It was like a game, going round and round until Jennifer gave up in a fit of giggles with Austin laughing right beside her. She threw the cat's straight jacket on the floor and Zack ran off.

"I think my tackle method works better," Jennifer said when she could talk again.

"I can attest it works on me," Austin said pulling her to him.

Jennifer loved the taste of him. The scent of him. Her body craved him. But she immediately felt too guilty to have sex with him. Selena was still hurting and here she was living it up with a sweet guy that totally respected her.

Jennifer pushed Austin away and he had a perplexed look on his face.

"Can't we just have a little fun?" he asked, looking up at her when she sat up.

"No, we can't just have a little fun." She bristled at the word Todd had used on Selena and stood up. Over her shoulder, she saw the confusion on his face. She crossed her arms, knowing that she sounded irrational. "I think you should go."

"Did I do something wrong?" Austin said standing up and looking hurt. "You said it was okay to come over. Do you want me to go? We can stay away from each other until after your interview but are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad at you," Jennifer said stepping to him and putting her hands on his chest. She looked up into his eyes and knew that she couldn't tell him. She knew that she could trust him, but Selena trusted her. "I just had a really shitty day and there's nothing I can do about it."

"There's always something we can do about it," Austin said sitting on the couch and pulling her into his lap. She loved that he said we. He was there with her. He would help her friend if she could tell him. But she couldn't

"It's just that," she paused wishing she could explain. "It's something I promised not to tell anyone."

"Does it have to do with something that happened between Todd and Selena the other night?" Austin asked.

"Why? Did Todd tell you something?" Jennifer's words were just above a whisper. "I thought he told you nothing happened."

"He did but then later he mentioned that she was pissed at him," Austin explained leaning to the side so he could face her. "I asked why, and he said that she kissed him when he dropped her off. Then she invited him inside and he told her no."

"And you believed him?" She was horrified.

"Well, I figured it was none of my business either way." He shrugged.

"I'm going to tell you something that I promised I wouldn't but that's not what happened at all," she said, anger building. "He came on to Selena. And then he threatened to get her arrested for taking cosmetics from vendors if she didn't have sex with him."

"What?" Austin said, appalled.

"Yeah, so Selena said no and now she's afraid he'll retaliate." Jennifer knew she should stop talking but the need to defend her friend was too strong.

A range of emotions flitted across Austin's face but then something different came across. "Are you sure that she just didn't misinterpret him?" he asked looking innocent as he doubted Jennifer's friend.

"How could she have misinterpreted that?" Jennifer asked, staring at him.

"I don't know. It just doesn't sound like something Todd would do," Austin said looking uncomfortable.

"It doesn't sound like something Todd would do?" Jennifer said, pulling back from him in dismay. "Todd is the biggest man-whore on the planet. What do you mean it doesn't sound like something he would do?"

"That's just it. He's a man-whore, he's got all these women out there coming after him, why would he force poor Selena to do something with him she didn't want to?" Austin shifted underneath her.

"Are you saying that Selena is lying?" Jennifer said jumping up and out of his lap. "Because I know Selena and she would never lie about something like this!"

"That's not what I'm saying," Austin said standing and holding his hands up. "I'm just saying that maybe there was some miscommunication and Todd was just joking around. Maybe he didn't see her like that and when she kissed him-"

"She didn't kiss him! He kissed her!" Todd already spreading lies was rage-inducing. And Todd wasn't there to yell at. But Austin was. How could he, of all people, not believe her or her friend? Jennifer was outraged. "Was it all just a little fun then? Who cares what Selena thinks as long as Todd says he was having a good time?"

"Woah, woah, woah," Austin said trying to take a step closer to her. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?" Jennifer asked, crossing her arms across her chest. She forced herself to bite her tongue and wait for him to answer.

"All I'm saying is, we weren't there, so we don't know exactly what happened," he said, taking another step toward her.

"I know what happened. I didn't have to be there. I believe my friend," Jennifer said putting a hand on his chest and pushing him away. "If you want to believe your cousin, that's up to you. But I think you need to get out."

"Jennifer," Austin said, still trying to take a step towards her.

"No, get out!" she said pointing towards the door.

Austin dropped his hands, stuffing them in his pockets.

Jennifer marched to the door behind him and held it open. He looked at her as if he was about to say something, but she turned her face away. She slammed the door once he was gone. She was furious and vowed that she was going to get Todd to prove her friend right.