Page 20 of Apparently, I’m A B!tch

Chapter11

Nikki

I walked backinto the office, feeling the eyes of our administrators, associates and paralegals on me. The short T-shaped alleyway had never felt like such a long walk before.

Did they hear about my outburst? Did they shake their heads as I passed them? Whispering that it was so typical that The Cutter had snapped again?

I swallowed as I reached the end of the hallway and, as I took hold of my door handle, Harvey’s swung open. I paused; eyes wide as I watched him step out. His expression brightened as he noticed me, offering a smile as if nothing had happened.

“Back and ready to go, Nik?” He beamed, gesturing behind him toward Maggie’s office.

I took a breath and kept my gaze on his face. “Harvey, before I go in there.” I paused and lowered my voice. The whole office didn’t need to hear me say this. “I’m sorry I said those things to you. It was way out of line.”

He strung his brows together and tutted, leaning close and lowering his own voice. “Oh, Nik, don’t you worry about that. It’s alright. It’s the stress of the job, it gets to all of us.”

A surge of smothering irritation wound its way through my gut and up my throat. I swallowed it down and forced an apologetic smile. “It does, but it’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

He straightened and smiled, reaching out with a manila folder and tapping my shoulder with it. “Ah, Nik. Really, it’s alright. We don’t call you our little Cutter for nothing.” I pushed my lips together hard, trying not to let what I thought show on my face. I folded my arms and gripped onto my elbows. His smug, privileged, know-it-all stance didn’t help. I looked away as he spoke, knowing that if I kept my glance on him, I might lose control again. “Why don’t you go and hear what Maggie has to say?”

I ground my teeth, ready to spit fire. How DARE he order me into Maggie’s room.

He turned and walked to the admin area without another word, dismissing me. I took in a breath. Then another. And another. I thought of how I felt in Extra Shot only ten minutes ago, trying to bring that feeling back. The thought of Tristan’s laugh as I teased him spread warmth through my limbs until I felt I was ready to get in there and act like a normal person.

Walking into Maggie’s office, I shut the door and the overwhelmingly large room felt stifling. It was full of oversized dark furniture, shelves lined with photographs and awards, walls covered with degrees and certificates. It was a dark and masculine room, one that seemed more to Harvey Sr.’s taste than Maggie’s. I seemed to shrink in here, as if what I did and stood for didn’t quite measure up in this sort of place.

“Oh, good, you’re here. We can get started now.” Maggie stayed seated in her chair, looking almost childish among the thickly padded leather.

She gestured that I should sit in one of the chairs opposite her desk. But I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. The spark of Tristan’s laugh fled my mind as I locked eyes with Maggie, the sternness there making my stomach clench.

Did I do something wrong? Was that what this was about?

Harvey Jr. knocked on the door, letting himself in without waiting to be admitted. He meandered to Maggie’s desk and dropped a file on it, ignoring me as he let out a contented sigh. “Kelly found this for you, Mag.”

“Oh.” She looked from him to the file to me and back again. “Thank you. How was lunch, dear?”

He straightened and rubbed his belly. “It was the most amazing meal. Kelly convinced me to try the Italian place around the corner. Surgio’s, I think it was? It’d do you good to try it. Maybe Jake could pick a meal up for you the next time he’s out collecting your lunch.”

She grit her teeth and humored him with a semblance of a smile as I tensed. Jake was my paralegal. He wasn’t some lunch-fetching lackey. It was so typical that this was what Harvey thought of our paralegals.

“Well, that’s not really his job, Harvey dear. He does pick up the odd lunch for me here and there, but I don’t ask him to.” She looked up at me, her intensity wavering, replaced with an apology. “Nikki doesn’t ask that of him, so how could I?”

Harvey frowned as he processed Maggie’s question. “Oh. Well, I suppose it isn’t in their job description, but Kelly does pick food up for me on the odd occasion. I thought Jake did the same.”

I focused on slowing my breathing. Relax. Harvey and Kelly… what they did was none of my business.

“Well, thank you for the file, Harvey,” Maggie stated firmly. “I’d ask you to stay, but I’m afraid Nikki and I don’t have much time left to chat.”

Harvey straightened and looked at me over his shoulder, but I was focused on the concerned glance Maggie sent my way. She raised a questioning brow, and looked pointedly at the chair again. I gave a slight shake of my head. I just couldn’t sit down. Not now. Nerves were tumbling and rushing around in my belly, and as much as I tried to bring back that feeling of contented calm, I couldn’t.

Harvey excused himself, and as the door shut behind him, my mind raced.

Why did Maggie want this meeting? Was I about to get a slap on the wrist?

I wracked my brain over why I would be called into this meeting, and could only come up with negative outcomes.

“You’ve probably guessed this, but I thought it’d be best to voice the obvious,” she started, leaning back in her chair.

Obvious? This was supposed to be obvious?