to my house because he was upset and needed someone to talk to. He said he was feeling lost.
My heart did an acrobatic little flip-flop sensation in my chest. He was lost… and he was hoping for someone to find him. And he wanted that someone to be me.
I texted him back with my address, warning him that my place was nowhere near as nice as his. He replied simply, okay .
I quietly shut my laptop and packed up my belongings, even though it was the middle of the day and all my coworkers were sitting at their desks. I rarely left during the work day and I knew they would all be gawking at me, confused. I braced myself for the peanut gallery as I stood up and slung my bag over my shoulder. Brett, the eternal thorn in my side, nearly snapped his neck looking up at me. A dark smile formed on his lips and I tried my best to evade his eyes.
“Where ya goin’?” he piped up, loud enough to make everybody look. I froze for a moment, closing my eyes and inhaling slowly to maintain my precarious final nerve, as he was poised to stomp all over it and make me lose my dignity.
But I wouldn’t give in. Not even to him. Especially not to him. I had somewhere to be.
“For the millionth time, none of your business,” I quipped lightly as I walked toward Chuck’s office to let him know I was heading out.
Once he saw where I was going, Brett added snidely, “Time for a little afternoon delight with the big boss?”
I swiveled on my heel and shot him a warning glare. However, he just stared back expectantly, his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed on his chest. He was baiting me, and I knew it. He wanted to watch me fall apart. He was desperate to humiliate and discredit me in front of all our coworkers because he hated me, hated what I stood for, what I represented in his world. Because I could never just be his teammate, his fellow reporter. Not when there wasn’t a cock between my legs. Brett couldn’t stand the fact that in this male-dominated field, I stood out and above him. I shined where he fell flat. And it was more than he could take. So he resorted to playground bully tactics in an attempt to drag me down and intimidate me into dimming my light. But I would never lay down and shut up for the likes of him, especially not with the added boost of confidence Kieran gave me.
So I merely gave him a sickly sweet smile and said, “You are supremely preoccupied with Chuck’s sexual exploits, I’ve noticed. Is there something going on there, Brett? You have a crush or something? If you wanted my help asking him out, all you had to do was ask. Want me to pass along the message that you’re available?”
Brett’s face went scarlet and he stood up, balling his fists. “I don’t like what you’re insinuating,” he growled. I cocked my head to the side and pursed my lips in faux sympathy.
“What? That you’re sleeping with the boss? You mean the same exact thing you accuse me of almost every single day?” I clarified, taking a dogged step forward. Brett glowered.
“Yeah, but I’m not gay and neither is Chuck,” he said. “I got this job fair and square, while you just waltz in here with your tits and ass and suddenly you think you’re a real reporter ‘cause you got your own cubicle, too. The only reason you’ve gotten anywhere is because you’re a whore, sleepin’ your way to the top. How’s it feel to be called out for what you really are?”
I almost had to laugh at what he was accusing me of. I was very nearly a virgin, after all. I didn’t know how Brett had come to the conclusion that I was some wily
My heart did an acrobatic little flip-flop sensation in my chest. He was lost… and he was hoping for someone to find him. And he wanted that someone to be me.
I texted him back with my address, warning him that my place was nowhere near as nice as his. He replied simply, okay .
I quietly shut my laptop and packed up my belongings, even though it was the middle of the day and all my coworkers were sitting at their desks. I rarely left during the work day and I knew they would all be gawking at me, confused. I braced myself for the peanut gallery as I stood up and slung my bag over my shoulder. Brett, the eternal thorn in my side, nearly snapped his neck looking up at me. A dark smile formed on his lips and I tried my best to evade his eyes.
“Where ya goin’?” he piped up, loud enough to make everybody look. I froze for a moment, closing my eyes and inhaling slowly to maintain my precarious final nerve, as he was poised to stomp all over it and make me lose my dignity.
But I wouldn’t give in. Not even to him. Especially not to him. I had somewhere to be.
“For the millionth time, none of your business,” I quipped lightly as I walked toward Chuck’s office to let him know I was heading out.
Once he saw where I was going, Brett added snidely, “Time for a little afternoon delight with the big boss?”
I swiveled on my heel and shot him a warning glare. However, he just stared back expectantly, his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed on his chest. He was baiting me, and I knew it. He wanted to watch me fall apart. He was desperate to humiliate and discredit me in front of all our coworkers because he hated me, hated what I stood for, what I represented in his world. Because I could never just be his teammate, his fellow reporter. Not when there wasn’t a cock between my legs. Brett couldn’t stand the fact that in this male-dominated field, I stood out and above him. I shined where he fell flat. And it was more than he could take. So he resorted to playground bully tactics in an attempt to drag me down and intimidate me into dimming my light. But I would never lay down and shut up for the likes of him, especially not with the added boost of confidence Kieran gave me.
So I merely gave him a sickly sweet smile and said, “You are supremely preoccupied with Chuck’s sexual exploits, I’ve noticed. Is there something going on there, Brett? You have a crush or something? If you wanted my help asking him out, all you had to do was ask. Want me to pass along the message that you’re available?”
Brett’s face went scarlet and he stood up, balling his fists. “I don’t like what you’re insinuating,” he growled. I cocked my head to the side and pursed my lips in faux sympathy.
“What? That you’re sleeping with the boss? You mean the same exact thing you accuse me of almost every single day?” I clarified, taking a dogged step forward. Brett glowered.
“Yeah, but I’m not gay and neither is Chuck,” he said. “I got this job fair and square, while you just waltz in here with your tits and ass and suddenly you think you’re a real reporter ‘cause you got your own cubicle, too. The only reason you’ve gotten anywhere is because you’re a whore, sleepin’ your way to the top. How’s it feel to be called out for what you really are?”
I almost had to laugh at what he was accusing me of. I was very nearly a virgin, after all. I didn’t know how Brett had come to the conclusion that I was some wily
Similar Books
