Would she file a sexual harassment claim against me? Could she? It wasn’t at work, so did that count? Damn it all to hell, I should probably know these things.

Jude would.

I’d let that dark thought ping-pong back and forth in my mind as the city crept by my taxi window.

Jude seemed to have an answer for everything. When Dad had gotten sick and was scared of the company tanking, whom had he reached out for? Jude. It hadn’t mattered that Jude had basically disavowed us and the family name when his fiancée died in a car accident, choosing to live in California rather than where he belonged. No, when things got rough, Jude was always the man everyone trusted.

It was for that reason alone that I would not call my brother. Despite what many might think, I didn’t hate the guy. I might roll my eyes at his outdated beliefs on love and the gag-worthy family he’d created, but he was my blood, and as much as it pained me to admit it, I respected him.

No, I would figure this out by myself.

I just needed a plan—and a fucking shower.

After several glasses of whiskey and a few laps around my apartment, I was still drawing a complete blank.

“What a complete clusterfuck,” I sighed under my breath, ending my mini marathon around the sofas as I sank into one instead. My head fell against the soft cushion behind me as I let the dull buzz of the alcohol work its way through my tired bones.

I’d worked major multi-corporation deals. I had sat at the head of conference tables, arguing over hundreds of millions of dollars, and never once had I broken into a sweat.

But this?

This incident with a temporary employee had caused me to flee the office, like a scared little girl running from the bogeyman.

I needed to get my shit together.

And fast.

I just had to approach this like any other problem in my life—with rational thought and little emotion. It was emotions, after all, that had gotten me into this mess.

Sitting up straight, I took another large sip from my glass, nearly emptying it.

I could involve HR and contact them before the girl did.

But what if she didn’t? Then, I’d just be compromising myself for no good reason. Best if I just stayed quiet. If it ever did come up, I’d just feign innocence. She’d be gone in a few months anyway.

I could ignore her for that long.

“Okay, problem one solved. Moving on,” I said out loud to no one. I thought back to the days leading up to the night before… the endless nights, the forgotten meals. “Too much stress leads to irrational decisions,” I told myself.