That was not your fault any more than it was Cassidy’s fault about David.
Cassidy
Logically, I know that. Emotionally…
Naomi
Preach, sister.
Audrey
Just one rule… please, for the love of all that is holy, do NOT include my grandmother in this chat.
Cassidy
Seconded.
Yasmine
I can agree to that. She’s already part of one with Sarah, Grace, Karen, and Mary.
Cassidy
She is? Oh, thank God. I was worried she was sexting Mick again. She’s been on her phone like nonstop, and I have seen things I can never bleach from my eyes.
Audrey
Stop! I don’t want to know!
Claudia
I hate all of you.
Setting her phone to Do Not Disturb, Claudia set her jaw as she considered getting a new phone number. The elevator doors opened in front of her, and she got off. Behind the glass, Jennifer looked up, met her gaze, and immediately ducked her head back down. As if that helped anything.
God, Claudia hated group chats. Now she was in two of them, both non-work chats. Which meant they would be constantly chatting. And if she didn’t keep up with them, everyone would know things she didn’t. Which meant she couldn’t leave either of them. She hated not knowing things.
Mother fucker.
This was all Mason’s fault.
Shoving open the door, Claudia stalked through the lobby, past Jennifer at the desk. The younger woman lifted her head tentatively.
“Um, Claudia?—”
“Not now.” Claudia cut her off, holding up her hand as she walked by. “I don’t want to hear it right now.” It wasn’t Jennifer’s fault, and she’d even been the one to point out they were going to be in trouble for starting the group chat, but right now she was guilty by association. Still, it wouldn’t be fair to take it all out on her.
“It’s not about?—”
“Not now!” Turning the corner, Claudia kept stalking down the hall, wishing that she had her heeled boots. And a crop. Something she could hit somebody with.
She paused outside Mason’s office, but he wasn’t there for once. Lucky bastard.
Which, of course, just meant her irritation kept growing without anywhere to go. Nothing to focus it on. Maybe she should go to the club tonight. Take it out on some eager submissive who would thank her for the privilege afterward. It had been a while since she’d done a scene. It couldn’t hurt.
Her door was closed, which was the way she liked it, whether or not she was in the office. Claudia barely paused as she gripped the knob and shoved it open, walking through it as quickly as she’d been walking down the hallway.
And grinding to a halt when someone stood up from one of the chairs in front of her desk.
