Penny For An Italian Thought

Part 13: The Date

     I would first like to thank harshadlr for making a lovely cover for this book. Thank you so much! ☺ To all other readers, thank you for all the reads and votes.

Brianna's Pov

Sneaking up to people isn't polite, but I really didn't want to talk to Jack in the corridor, so I had to follow him quietly to the copy room on our floor. Each floor had its own copy room and each had its own copy guy. We reached the room without him turning around and I patted myself on the back for wearing flat heeled boots. He turned the doorknob around and entered the room, looking down all the while. I entered after him and closed the room behind me and looked up at him just in time to see the expression on his face. His face was pink and eyes were wide.

"I'm sorry, I won't tell anyone, I swear," he muttered. The man was sweating bullets.

"What are you talking about Jack?" I asked, utterly confused.

"That you and Mr. Armenti were... um, hugging or something, I don't know, I shouldn't have peeked."

My face flushed and I tightened my fists at my sides.

Shit, he saw! He freaking saw! But the door was closed! Or was it, really? Think of something, Bree! Lie to him.

"I really don't understand what you're talking about." I didn't know what else to say.

"I'm sorry, the door was ajar - and instead of knocking first, I peeked through the gap in the door and I could only see your back and Mr. Armenti's arms were around you and...," he kept talking and making absurd hand gestures while I stared at him scarlet faced and wide eyed and my nails had probably made prints on my palm.

Think of something! Lie to him. If the word got out...

I shuddered at that and waved my hands in front of him.

"Jack, Jack! Calm down. There was something in his eye. I was just helping him get rid of it and he was holding me for... for his own support, to remain still while I was cleaning his eye."

He's not gonna buy that! You told him a load of bullshit and he's gonna think that you're sleeping with Alex!

His expression changed to relief after my idiotic story telling.

"Oh, oh, then its fine. I thought that you were going to have me fired. But I'm really sorry for peeking. That was definitely out of line and I wish I could do something to make up for it."

"No, come on, you didn't do it on purpose," I reasoned, trying to calm him down.

"No, Miss White, I'm really sorry. Please tell me what I can do to make this better." He was fidgeting with his fingers and he seemed genuinely sorry. I was beginning to feel sorry for him.

"Really Jack, there's nothi..."

Maybe I could ask him to...

"Actually, there is something, but can you just do it as a little favour? I'll really owe you one."

"Yes, sure, anything you want."

*****

I was sitting in my cubicle, wondering whom I can get the CCTV footage from. The pictures from the footage that Burke had shown, had only me in the frame. I had to find the one that had us both in the frame, which could prove that I sent those emails in his supervision. I could prove that his allegations hold no ground in this case because he lied about his involvement. I had a week to prove myself innocent and I had one lead - the email printouts. I needed them since the ones on the email account were obviously deleted and I was hoping that Burke had let the print outs slip his mind because Jack always consulted me over disposing the emails. I made him create files containing all the print outs as a safety measure, in case we needed reference for our deals. When I asked Jack to find those files, he gladly obliged, oblivious to my propaganda. It was the thinnest ice to skate on but I had no choice. I had to have something over him. Getting the time stamp would help me find the needle amidst the years of recorded haystack. He said that he would search for those files at high priority and give them to me within two days. Meanwhile, finding the CCTV footage would be a priority.