Page 111 of I'll Keep Her Safe

It was his idea to get Kurt to meet at the ad agency he owns, under the guise of headhunting him for a new position. Wes called to set up a meeting at his offices in Midtown, waxing on and on about how the company had watched Kurt’s career trajectory and wanted to discuss the possibility of him moving into a more senior position at their company. Kurt ate it up.

That was last night, and now, the three of us crowd around Daisy’s kitchen island, drinking our coffee in the bright light of morning, eager to see the results.

“I’ve got the footage,” Daisy says, holding up her phone as she slides onto a stool at her kitchen counter. “Want to see?”

I hesitate. Actually,doI want to see? The idea of watching Kurt behave like his usual slimy self in front of Daisy’s husband makes me feel physically sick. Wes is such a lovely man, and I hate the thought of him witnessing the behavior I put up with for all those years.

For the hundredth time, I wish Wyatt was back from San Francisco, so he could hold my hand as we watch. He’s been gone all week, and it’s been hard. I called him late Monday night after getting a new phone and number—one Kurtdoesn’thave access to—and it was a relief to hear he’d smoothed things over with Bailey. She hasn’t reached out to me yet, and I don’t know what to make of that, but I’m telling myself she’s busy with her dad. Wyatt stayed on for a few days to spend time with her, and that’s great, but…

Ugh, I know it’s silly. After everything we’ve been through to get to this point, the conversations we’ve had about our future, I should be secure in our relationship. Yet, there’s this tiny voice in my head, questioning us. Questioning how solid we are, whether he still wants everything after what happened with Bailey. Whether he thinks it’s worth the trouble. IfI’mworth the trouble.

I push the thought away, annoyed at myself, because another part of me knows I don’t have to worry. That I can absolutely trust Wyatt, that he’d never hurt me. That the only reason these doubts nip at me is because of Kurt’s behavior. I’m not used to being loved by such a good man.

I focus on Violet, determined to see this plan through. Getting Kurt on video behaving poorly is only the first part; I still need to approach his boss. My stomach clenches with nerves, but that won’t stop me.

Once and for all, I’m taking back my power.

“I want to see,” Violet says gleefully, clutching her Joe’s to-go coffee cup as she leans over Daisy’s phone. With a sigh, I settle in, too.

Daisy presses play, and the three of us watch as Kurt struts confidently into Wes’s office. The footage is super clear. Wes must have set up a camera somewhere on a sideboard under a plant, or something.

The first few minutes are a little boring, mostly Kurt bleating on about how great he is, which Weston endures with great patience. If it were me, I’d reach across the desk and slap Kurt. But whatever.

Things really heat up when Wes pulls a bottle of whiskey from his desk and pours them each a glass, as if to signal how relaxed and casual the chat is. It helps that he scheduled it for after office hours.

When Wes leans back in his chair and starts listing off Kurt’s achievements—which we found on LinkedIn—Kurt’s mouth curves into the most pompous, self-important smile I’ve ever seen. Honestly, for such a smart guy, Kurt can sure be an idiot sometimes, but if he’s getting his ego stroked, that’s all that matters.

“So what’s it like at Baxter, Elmore, & Cross?” Wes asks, and Kurt wrinkles his nose.

“You know how it goes.” He sips his whiskey with an air of practiced contemplation. “In such a big company, it’s easy for my talent to be overlooked.”

“Absolutely,” Wes agrees, without missing a beat. He leans in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Look, you can be honest with me. You must be frustrated as hell being stuck in the same position for so long.”

“You’ve no idea,” Kurt mutters, taking another gulp of whiskey. He must be nervous because he doesn’t usually drink so quickly. “I’ve worked my ass off for that firm. I do more than all of them combined.”

Wes nods in sympathy. “And we all know how hard it is to get anything done when a firm is poorly run.” He lets the suggestion dangle there, and I hold my breath as I wait for Kurt’s reaction. Will he take the bait?

“Right?!” Kurt shakes his head, grinning as he polishes off his whiskey. “I’m glad someone gets it. It’s like, how many times does Walter Cross have to show up to the office drunk before someone gives a shit?”

Wes nods, wordlessly refilling Kurt’s glass. Kurt takes another deep sip, and I nearly choke on a laugh at the irony.

“I’ve heard Paul Baxter’s an interesting man to work for,” Wes says tactfully. “He’s been there for years.”

“He’s a fossil,” Kurt retorts. “Hasn’t contributed anything meaningful to the company in decades.”

Wes leans back in his chair again. “But John’s an alright guy, isn’t he?”

I have to hand it to him, Wes is good at this. He seems to instinctively know that if he pushes too hard it will be obvious, and while he’s not outright saying anything negative about the firm and the partners, he’s saying enough to lure Kurt into badmouthing them. And from what I can tell, Kurt’s determined to dig his own grave.

“John Elmore is too busy screwing his assistant to know what the hell is going on.” Kurt’s eyes gleam with barely-contained satisfaction. “Well, that’s the rumor, anyway.”

Wes balks at this over-share, but quickly schools his expression. “Well. That… can’t be good for morale.”

“Morale is in the toilet.” Kurt’s whiskey glass is empty again, his cheeks pink from the alcohol, and I feel a flash of guilt as Wes refills it for the third time. Are we pushing him too far?

But that thought vanishes when there’s a knock at the door, and Wes’s assistant enters to ask if the men would like her to order dinner.

“What’s on offer, sweetheart?” Kurt asks her breasts. Behind Kurt’s back, Wes frowns, mouthing an apology to his assistant.

---