Kaitlyn

  “Did the Chinese food help at all?” I lean on the bathroom vanity and cross my arm tightly under my bust, and Owen chuckles softly. The fine hairs on my cheek bristle at the sweet sound and I hold my breath as anticipation races through my veins.

  “Yeah, it did. I’m sorry you couldn’t stay. It ended up being something stupid, so really feels like I got cheated outta a meal with you.” Smiling with a weak chuff of a laugh, I hum softly as my heart beats more regularly against my ribs. “I wanted to wait for you to call me. Did you go into work today? I know you probably called out yesterday since it was so late.”

  “I’m here now, yeah. I just went home and got some pizza and watched some medical drama show. I don’t even remember what it was. Um, I’m pretty sure Dan’s gonna be announcing our next project tomorrow, and then my mom and dad are coming up on Friday, so . . .” Trailing off, I lick my dry lips anxiously. “If you wanted to meet tonight? Otherwise, it might not be until next week.”

  “You know those guys that came to see me yesterday? They’re the ones that’re buying Rowlan’s company, and they sprung a meeting on me, so tonight won’t work for me, unfortunately. The good thing is the deal’s happening on Monday, so this is the only meeting I’ll have to attend since I’m still Rowlan’s loss prevention contractor.” Disappointment twinges in my chest, and I can almost picture him rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry, Kaitlyn. I think it’s probably a good thing, though, so you can figure out exactly how you feel. You went through a lot last night . . . you should take some time for yourself and with your parents.”

  “You’re not gonna stop doing that, are you?” Wryly posing my question, I unfurl my arm to rub my head absently before turning to the mirror behind me. “You’re so worried about what I’m thinking and feeling.”

  “I’ve had my whole life to come to grips with it, remember? You’re just learning about it, and it wasn’t even something you could prepare for. I know you were traumatized and in shock.” Prodding under my eyes, I blink when Owen pauses to take a breath. “I’m not gonna wear you down while you’re at work, though. We’ll see each other next week, okay? I’ll let you go, but feel free to call me any time. I’ll answer.”

  “I know. Okay, I’ll talk to you later, Owen.” I hang up swiftly and brace my palms on the vanity to sigh, staring at my reflection in the mirror. The bags under my eyes aren’t visible under the light makeup I wore, but I can still see them. Blinking lightly, I dab under my eyes and pull my hair into a low bun to tie up before heading out of the bathroom. Shouldering my purse, I take a big breath before walking down the hallway to my section of cubicles.

  “Oh, Kaitlyn, there you are.” Dan makes a beeline for me, holding up a hand, and I raise my brows slightly in interest. Concern lines his face, and he meets me at the end of the aisle to flash me a warm smile. “I’m gonna be announcing the next project tomorrow. You’re feelin’ better, I hope?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I just needed a personal day. I think my parents coming into town on such short notice, and what I saw at the bar the other night,” I trail off as my excuse fails me, but Dan pats my arm understandingly before I shake my head. “Thanks for asking, though. I’m good. I actually just got off the phone with Owen, but I didn’t get a chance to ask how it went talkin’ to Mike about your daughter’s birthday party?”

  “He was really accommodating, yeah. I can see why Owen would open a bar with a guy like him, seems like he can do everything pretty well.” Nodding as Dan echoes Owen’s own words, I glance around the office briefly before he continues. “I’ll let you get settled in, but I’m gonna call you in before lunch, so we can talk about the details of the project before the meeting tomorrow.”

  “No problem,” I say, and Dan goes to his office as I walk down the aisle to my desk. Plopping down heavily in my chair, I pull my keys out to unlock the drawer and stuff my purse inside. A strange sensation of normalcy washes over me as I turn on my computer, and I sit back to watch the monitor flicker.

  I’ve been living in Seattle for three years, but one decision had changed everything in an instant. Memories bombard the backs of my eyes. I close them to flop my head back and stretch out my legs under my desk. All it took was one suggestion, to go to a different bar off the main drag, for my whole perception to shift.

  Owen had such a horrible home life, but he turned out to be a great man. At least, a great man to me. He treats me with so much respect; sometimes, it is uncomfortable how he caters to me so hard. Reaching to palm my shoulder absently, I inhale deeply and hold my breath as the other night plays in the abyss behind my lids.

  I’ve had my whole life to come to grips with it. You’re just finding out about it. I know it traumatized you. Am I really so sheltered that I didn’t pick up the hints Owen had unwittingly dropped the entire time we’ve known each other? He spoke about his father and brother with such contempt, but I hadn’t heard a single word about his mother.

  “There must be a reason,” I mutter to myself, straightening when my computer chimes diligently, and I type in my password with sluggish fingers. Holding my hands, I rub my fingertips together as they tingle with the phantom roughness of his scars. The ones in front, he’d clearly explained, but the ones on his back . . . “I’m not gonna ask.”

  “Did that guy not call you back after you slept with him?” I jump with a surprised squawk at the voice that sounds right in my ear, and I whirl around. Aleesha’s eyes are bright with excitement as she straightens. For a brief moment, my scrambling mind couldn’t decipher her words, but she watches me with such expectation that my skin crawls. Goosebumps blanket my entire body, and I jump up to rear my hand back and slap her cheek. Hard.

  The hard clap of skin-on-skin echoes through the low-sitting cubicles, drawing eyes and gasps of surprise as Aleesha stumbles back. Clutching her cheek, her bewildered eyes flash with tears and hurt as she pulls back her hand to stare at it in utter confusion.

  “What the Hell is wrong with you, huh?” I shout, uncaring of who is watching, or maybe because everyone is. Throwing my arm, I point an accusatory finger at her as Aleesha’s mouth opens in shock. “Why would you think it’s appropriate to ask that! How dare you! I’ve tried to ignore you and how you’re always runnin’ your mouth, Aleesha. But for the love of God, shut the fuck up already! Nothing I do is any of your damned business, you understand? So, stop eavesdropping on me hoping to catch something, take it out of context, and rush around the office telling everyone something you don’t even know about!”

  “You hit me!” she shrieks, her voice crackling harshly in surprise, and I cross my arms tightly over my chest as a scowl darkens my expression.

  “Yes, I did, because I’m tired of you always sticking your big nose in my business! From now on, if you talk to me at all, I’m recording it! I’m saving every e-mail; I’m documenting every comment you make that reaches me, because this is going too far. You literally snuck up behind me and listened to me make one comment that could’ve been about anything and assumed I had sex with someone, and then you ask me about it? What’s wrong with you? I seriously wanna know what the fuck you think makes anything I do is something you should know about!” Wide, brown eyes glisten with tears as Aleesha opens and closes her mouth like a fish out of water. I scoff, pointing a trembling finger at her with a harsh glare. “That’s right! You don’t have an answer, because you’re a fucking nosy bitch that no one likes. We only put up with you, because we don’t have a good enough reason to make you someone else’s problem!”

  Blood drums furiously in my ears, and I pant as my angry rant comes to an end. Sweeping back my hair with shaking, hot hands, I jut out my chin and throw my shoulders back before she runs away towards the bathroom. Glancing around at the curious, slightly horrified expressions staring back at me in shock, my mouth dries as my irritation boils over. “What’re you all looking at?”

  Hastily, the attentive weight on my shoulders lifts, and I sit down in my chair heavily to take heaving breaths through my nose. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and I yank open the bottom drawer of my desk opposite my purse to take out a water bottle. Flexing my fingers, I struggle to unscrew the cap, and tiny, angry tears prick my eyes before a hand shoots out to grab the bottle. Dan leans against the flat of my desk lightly to twist the cap, his expression grave, and I take a few large gulps before finding my voice again.

  “Fire me, I dare you. I’ll find another job tomorrow, but you won’t find another me so quick. And before you tell me you’re gonna write me up, I don’t care as long as you write Aleesha up for-for-for . . .” I stammer wildly as my heart makes a bid to escape my body from my throat, I clutch my chest with my free hand. My voice is so loud to my ears, and my legs quiver with all the anger that’d built up the last three years from having to deal with Aleesha. “I don’t even care what for. Creating a hostile work environment. Unprofessionalism. Being late from lunch several times a week.”

  “Wait, what, Dan, you can’t fire her.” My head snaps at the almost panicked call from over the cubicle wall, and Martin pops up to grip the top of the partition. “We start a new project tomorrow, and—”

  “Everyone relax. Kaitlyn, come with me.” I stand obediently, my knees creaking as I force them to bend and follow Dan to his office. He shuts the door behind us, rubbing his face with both his palms and heaving a massive, rough sigh. Nervousness gnaws at my gut, but a lightness lifts up from my chest now that I gave Aleesha a piece of my mind. “I’m gonna have to write this up, Kaitlyn. Assaulting another employee, I should terminate you immediately.”

  “Why aren’t you?” I ask, and an almost amused interest raises his brows and lips as he rubs either side of his mouth with his thumb and forefinger.

  “Martin just said it . . . we start a new project tomorrow, and it’s a doozy. It’s big. We need you, and you know that. That’s leverage, because I bet Aleesha’s already heading over to HR to report you. So, tell me what happened?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kaitlyn

  Pinching the bridge of my nose, I slump over my purse and knees to groan softly. Sitting outside a meeting room, unable to hear or see whatever tale Aleesha could spin, is maddening. Anxiety turns my blood to slush in my veins, and my heart struggles to beat.

  “Miss, are you okay?” The hairs on the back of my neck bristle, and I look up to catch recognition flash in keen, blue eyes. The man is tall, lean and something about him reminds me of Owen. I straighten as he pushes his glasses up his nose. “You’re Owen’s girlfriend, right? What’re you doin’ here? I thought you worked two floors up?”

  “How’d you know?” I ask defensively, tightening my grip on my purse, but he smirks and sits a chair away from me. Eyeballing him warily, the tip of my tongue tingles with familiarity even as my instincts scream at me to avoid him. “Who’re you?”

  “I was at the bar the other day. We briefly saw each other, but I didn’t have the opportunity to introduce myself. Ryan Harmon.” My eyes widen as he sticks out his hand, and my palm sweats cold. Harmon, as in . . .? “I heard through the grapevine you struck another employee, and I wanted to come see how you were doing. It seemed out of character for you.”

  “Harmon, as-as in Harmon Promotional Services?” I ask tentatively, and his smile widens a little wickedly as he nods. Suddenly, it hits me, and I suck in a sharp breath as I squint at him. “A-are you one of Owen’s cousins? You can’t do this.”

  “Nonsense, of course I can. I own the place. But you are correct in that Owen would blow a gasket if I interfered,” Ryan chuckles lightly at his own admission, and it ends in a sigh before he leans back to take off his glasses. Staring down at them, he shakes his head slightly while my apprehension skyrockets. “I may own this company, but I don’t involve myself with employees. It’s all over the office, you know. All three floors. According to what I heard, your coworker tried to strike up a conversation, and you exploded on her. I find that incredibly unlikely.”

  “It’s always something with her. Aleesha’s been bugging me the past couple weeks after seeing me on a date, and she will not leave me alone about it. I’ve brought it up with my boss, I’ve asked her publicly and privately to please not ask me about my personal life.” Understanding flickers in Ryan’s eyes as he lets out a breathy ‘ah,’ and I shake my head harshly before I start rambling. “Anyway, so this morning she sneaks up on me and listens to me mumbling about something, and she just straight up asks if I was upset Owen didn’t call me back after sex? And I didn’t know she was there, so I was kinda shocked, and I just . . . hit her. And yelled at her . . . some really, really nasty things.”

  “I see. That does seem like an unsavory position to be in.” I lower my head in shame at Ryan’s agreement, his tone gravelly and serious. Regret sours my tongue and dribbles along my inner cheeks to pool in my mouth.

  “I know I screwed up, and I know I’m gonna be fired. I just . . . I feel bad, you know? Because my whole team is gonna be in trouble, and we’re just starting a new project, and I’m the one that does the foundation,” I bluster a huge sigh through my lips, covering my eyes with my palm before sweeping my hands through my hair. Straightening in my seat, I glance over at Ryan as he twirls his glasses thoughtfully between his fingers. “You’re not gonna say something stupid, like ‘I’m the boss’ or whatever, right? Because I don’t want you doin’ me any ‘favors.’ If I’m gonna get fired for this, I’ll find another job easy. As much as I feel bad about leaving my team stranded, I’m not going to beg to keep my job.”

  “I would never, but you’re probably not going to be fired. Your team will back you up if they haven’t already, and you’re walking into this with all the cards to play, as you just mentioned.” Putting on his glasses as he reiterates what Dan had told me, Ryan casts me a reassuring smile that does nothing to ease the tension thrumming through me. “You’ll be written up, but Aleesha will be the one reassigned, if not worse. I assure you.”

  The door opens a few chairs down from us, and I stand up swiftly as Aleesha comes stomping out with tears ruining her makeup. She looks mightily unhappy, but I can’t worry about her feelings when she blatantly crossed my boundaries so many times. Glaring at me as she storms past, she mutters something under her breath that I don’t catch before the HR guy steps out into the hallway to shut the door behind him.

  “Mr. Harmon? Did you need something?” Ryan stands to shake his head, raising his hand in a wave before wandering away down the hall. My nerves tingle wildly, and I turn to the HR guy to hold my breath in anticipation. He clears his throat, and my own closes as apprehension grips me in a vice. “So, I’m sure you know by now that I’ve talked to everyone who witnessed what happened.”

  “You don’t have to take my statement or something?” He shakes his head, and relief surges through me to unknot my shoulders from my ears. Shouldering my purse, I fiddle with the tassel on the zipper before he opens his mouth again.

  “I’ve gotten the story, and they said you’ve admitted what happened. This incident will go in your employee file, but considering your entire team threatened to quit, I’m not going to escalate this situation any further. However . . .” Surprise knocks the wind from my lungs, and he pauses to smile knowingly before continuing. “You do understand that because of this, you’re going to be on promotional probation, and you won’t receive your quarterly bonus.”

  “That’s it?” I ask, gobsmacked, and he chuckles with another nod. Discomfort slithers up my sternum, but . . . I can’t really argue with getting off so lightly. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “Off the record, if you were going to pick a moment to blow up, this was a perfect one. Your team’s next project is global, and we can’t afford to have anyone less than our best on it. I will suggest you take some time to thank your team. It’s not often people get so lucky. You can go back upstairs.” Global? Blinking hard, I’m stunned into silence before I reach to grab his hand and shake it wildly.

  “Thank you, thank you. Okay, I’m gonna go. Thank you again!” My eyes sting as I turn on my heel to walk fast towards the elevator, my previous negativity vanishing instantly. Giddiness morphs from nervous shakes, and I cover my mouth with both my palms to smother a laugh. Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, my hands quiver with excitement. Global. I’m gonna be involved in a global marketing campaign.

  The elevator doors slide open arduous and slowly, and I jab my floor button to navigate to my sister’s contact. The line rings twice, and an excited squeal escapes me. “Jessie, Jessie, you’ll never guess what—”

  “If you’re gonna say ‘how awesome a guy I just met,’ I already know about that, Kaitlyn,” Leaning heavily against the wall, I roll my eyes as my sister giggles. “So, what is it?”

  “I’m going global!” Immediately, Jessie starts yelling gleefully in my ear, and I shimmy around the elevator in victory. “I’m go-o-oing global! I’m going global! Yeah-huh!”

  “Wow, Kaitlyn! That’s amazing! I didn’t know your company was pushing for a global scene. I can’t believe you’re gonna do something that awesome!” The elevator slows to a stop, and I nod vigorously before stepping off onto my floor. “Congratulations! I’m so proud of you! We need to celebrate!”

  “No, we can’t. It hasn’t been officially announced, and then we have to actually mount a successful campaign. I just had to tell someone, but I’m still at work, so . . .” I take a few calming breaths, and my sister starts to protest before I cut her off hastily. “I gotta go, but I’ll call you, okay? Later!”

  Hanging up before she can tie me up on the phone, I sniff harshly and stuff my phone back into my purse. Rounding the corner, I slow down as the somber atmosphere of my part of the cubicles reaches me to crawl up my back. Beyond the low partitions, Aleesha is furiously gathering up her things with a security guard hanging behind her, watching her intensely. She cries silently as she gathers up her desk decorations and empties drawers, and my giddiness fades in the wake of confusion.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14