“To be honest, I didn’t believe it at first, but I did my homework. It’s my job to keep the people who work here safe, and I take that responsibility seriously. I checked your numbers against the report. Your whale called you nearly every day for over a month. Then he stopped out of nowhere a few weeks ago. I cross-referenced that with our security log. We make a record whenever an unknown is spotted near the building. This unknown showed up the same day your whale stopped calling. That could be a coincidence, of course, but there were other things as well.”

“Like what?”

Colette gave him an odd look. “Well, I don’t know how to say this, but you seemed . . . happy.”

Zack frowned. “Huh?”

“I’m not the only one who noticed. There’s been some gossip around the office about it. You know how some PSOs like to listen in on other people’s calls for fresh ideas?”

Zack made a face. “I always hated that. It’s so invasive.”

“Welcome to the sex industry. Anyway, some of them caught sessions with your whale, and they all said you seemed to have more than a professional investment in it. You were showing up early and staying late, and when he stopped calling, you didn’t seem upset at all. I expected to hear you whine about losing the money, but instead you were floating around like you were on your own personal cloud. I almost thought you were on drugs. Or worse, in love. Honestly, it was that more than anything else that convinced me something was going on.”

She sat back in her chair. “So, ready to confess?”

“No,” Zack said flatly. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I never said you did.” Colette rearranged the papers in front of her again. “Formally, you’re being accused of moonlighting, and you can thank your lucky stars we’re not adding prostitution to the list. You understand the severity of these accusations?”

“Yes.” Icy calm drifted over Zack like mist. Perhaps it was bravado that kept him cool, or the fact that Colette looked as unruffled as he felt. Either way, he was starting not to care what happened to him.

Colette pinned him with her sharp gaze. “I’m obligated to ask. Did you sleep with a client for money?”

“No,” Zack said, staring back at her.

She searched his face. “I believe you. The evidence against you is all circumstantial anyway. None of this can be proven.”

Zack felt a tiny spark of relief in his chest.

“However—”

The air left Zack’s lungs.

“—just because you didn’t sleep with him for money doesn’t mean you weren’t still seeing a client outside of work.” Colette ran a hand through her blonde hair, and Zack caught a glimpse of the beauty she typically obscured with her austerity.