Not Scared Anymore

Chapter 44 - Stephanie

Stephanie was talking to Kevin on the phone while enjoying lunch at her desk, when she could hear shouting coming from down the hall. Kevin could hear it through the phone.

"What's happening there?"

"I'm not entirely sure..." She followed the sounds to investigate.

Charlotte was in a teary rage, crowding Andrea backwards into her own desk. "How could you do this to me? You knew he was mine!"

"No, I didn't! He told me there was nothing between you two!"

"He took me out for lunch on Friday."

"And we went out after work." Andrea retorted just as fast as Charlotte could snarl at her.

"I saw him again on Saturday. Stay away from him, or I will make your life hell."

Andrea's voice took on a desperate tone. "You said you were going out with a guy named Dan!" 

Charlotte stomped her foot. "UGH! Dan is David. We were keeping it quiet. He didn't want his boss see that he's dating a client. He's still on probation there. It's not explicitly stated that he can't, but he doesn't want to risk losing his job over this. It won't be much longer until that changes."

They had lowered their voices from a screaming pitch, but still speaking loud enough everyone could hear. Anita came out of the washroom, and rushed over with a horrified look on her face.

"What are you talking about?" she cried.

Charlotte turned her head over her shoulder and scoffed. "Go away Anita. This doesn't concern you."

"It sure sounds like it does. How did you hear what David said to me?"

The silence in the office was deafening. Charlotte and Andrea turned to face Anita fully. Charlotte's voice was ice when she finally found it. "What?"

"Oh my god it's happening!" The glee in Kevin's voice was palpable over the phone, and Stephanie lowered the phone from her ear so he could hear better.

Anita answered Charlotte. "I've been seeing David. It was supposed to be a secret. We met at a bar a few weeks ago and we hit it off. What is going on here?"

Andrea found her voice again, barely above a whisper, but everyone could hear. "He said the same thing to me."

Charlotte looked like she was about to breathe fire "What. The. Actual. F-"

Stephanie interrupted that thought before Charlotte could finish. "Ladies, I think it is pretty obvious what's been going on. He's been seeing all of you. Telling you all to keep it a secret so he doesn't get in trouble... he's just making sure none of you talk about it with each other, so that this doesn't happen." She gesticulated between all of them with her phone. 

"Have you also been sleeping with him Stephanie?" Charlotte was not about to mince her words anymore.

"Ew no."

"If you knew all of this, why didn't you tell us?" 

Stephanie wanted to run and hide at Charlotte's tone, but stood her ground. "How was I supposed to know what he was telling any of you? Or apparently, all of you" 

Charlotte pulled her shoulders back, and set her chin. "Well then. Ladies, I think we've got a lying piece of shit to bring down. First, we find out how many other women he's been doing this to. Then, we march up to his office and give him a piece of our minds."

Ahem. Stephanie cleared her throat. "You know, he's going to be here at 3:00 for the meeting. Why not do it here? We'd have the upper hand. Let's send him scurrying out of here like the dog he is, tail between his legs."