The Tale of the Almost-rape

It takes Gabriel's housekeeping staff a few minutes to clean up Claire's mess, who is inconsolable on the big boss chair. Gabriel is standing in a corner, watching her, trying to make up his mind. How does he tell the entire thing?

"I don't even remember drinking it," she says, her voice still quaking. Claire couldn't wrap her mind around the fact of it, what a close call it had been.

Gabriel says nothing. Who could blame her? Claire is as innocent as they come; she probably has a picture of reality in her head where justice and fairness exist, where people mean well. She never could have imagined that someone like Jake exists, and one so near.

Gabriel also had no idea about Jake's secret persona. There were rumors of what a womanizer he was, but Gabriel had dismissed that as being of a sales executive's reputation. You wouldn't be so successful selling stuff if you couldn't make up sweet lies to seduce people.