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She tried not to think about it much, focusing instead on work. Val had been a life saver. She had been his intern previously and had been passed over for a permanent position with him but nabbed one in the marketing department.
“I actually made it through the whole program. I thought I did a damned decent job, but then the H.R. Department called me in and said he didn’t want to keep me on. I was surprised. I thought I did an excellent job of keeping up with his insane pace. It’s crazy. I mean, even in the brief time you’ve been here, you see what he’s like. I was sick about it.”
“I bet you were.”
“Yeah. I went home and cried. I had worked so hard, invested so much time, and he shit on me. Then, after a few days, I got a call from Marilyn saying that marketing wanted me. I had done some work with them on a cross-platform project and they liked me. So, that’s my advice. Do the best you can with him but take any opportunities you can with other departments. The chances of you pleasing him are slim, but not everyone here is a dick, and if they see you’re doing a decent job, they’ll latch on to you.”
“Back up plan then?”
“You can look at it like that, but in all honesty, it should be your first priority. You’ll be a lot fucking happier in another department than you will ever be working for that douche bag.”
“Jaycee, I need to see you in my office,” Nasteau barked at her from his office.
She and Val had been speaking quietly in her office, but she thought he had been out. Now, she was mortified by how much he might have hear of their conversation. Val shrugged and walked out, using the door leading directly to the hallway rather than the side door that led into his office.
“Yes, Sir,” she said.
“I need my dry cleaning picked up before two p.m.”
Jaycee glanced at her watch. It was one forty already.
“Okay. Where is it?”
Instead of answering her, he handed her a couple of ticket stubs and waved her away. She looked at them on the way back to her office. The cleaner was all the way across town. She hurried out of the office and made her way downstairs, rushing out the front door to see if she could catch a cab. There was no way she could make it that far on public transport and stripping down and running the alleys as a wolf presented its own obstacles.
She was surprised when a dark sedan that looked oddly familiar pulled up to the curb and Thad stepped out onto the sidewalk, looking at her with just as much confusion as she was him. Was he stalking her at work?
“What are you doing here,” he asked.
“I work here. You know that,” she snapped.
“Oh, right. Right. You’re with Nasteau.”
“I don’t have time for whatever game this is right now. I have to get a taxi to the other side of town before his dry cleaners closes at two.”
“Here. Take my car.”
“Don’t be absurd. I’m not going to take your car.”
“Oh. Well, good thing there is a driver in it. He’s safe. He actually lives in your building.”
“No, thanks.”
“Come on, Jaycee. I’m not a stalker. I have a meeting upstairs with one of your real estate brokers regarding a new building I’m funding for his client. I’ll be here for a couple of hours, minimum. Let me help you out. I know what a dick Nasteau can be to women who work for him.”
She didn’t ask how he knew that but didn’t want to know. It irked her that she might even feel a shred of jealousy at the thought someone who worked here or might still work here had perhaps been with him.
Fuck. You don’t have time for this, Jaycee.
“Okay. Thanks,” she replied, heading for the car.
Though he had emerged from the front passenger side and that door was still open, he reached over and opened the rear door for her. She climbed inside, though she had no doubt she looked just as uncertain and awkward as she felt.
“Barron, she needs to get across town as fast as you can get her there. Do what you have to do to make sure that happens. She’ll give you the address. Have her there well before two. Wait for her and bring her back.”
“Will do,” the driver replied.
She started to protest that she just needed to get there before it closed and could get back on her own, but Thad was already closing the door and turning to go into the building.
“Where we headed?” Barron asked.
She gave him the address off the dry cleaner slip, and he pulled away as she added, “but I just need to get there. I can get myself back.”
