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I sighed. “I woke up really early to be here twenty minutes before my appointment. I’m rapidly looking less and less responsible as I get ping-ponged around this place. If you don’t send me where I’m supposed to go, how am I supposed to get this job?”
The guy looked genuinely empathetic, but he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I have two kids and we dropped everything to move out here. I can’t afford to lose this job. You should go try the front desk again.”
I was a happy person. A happy person who was starting fresh. I didn’t want to be the kind of person who jumped over counters and grabbed strangers by the tie until they were blue in the face. So I forced my best sweet smile, turned, and headed back to the damn elevator. I punched the button for the first floor, went back to the reception desk, and planted my palms on the counter.
The woman tried her best to pretend she didn’t see me until I made it obvious I was going to keep clearing my throat.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Hi, you may remember me from like two minutes ago. I’m the one who is supposed to be on the fifty-fifth floor. It sounds like you need to give me some kind of keycard or code. I’d like it if you’d do that.”
She ran her tongue across her teeth and shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
I felt what little patience I had left running thin. “I’d really like it if you would.”
“You can wait over there. I’ll try calling HR again to see if they can figure this out.”
With an overly dramatic sigh, I went over to sit in the waiting area. I spotted the chair where the PJ-wearing security guy had been and sat in it. I bet he would be able to get me where I needed to go.
I looked around but didn’t see any sign of him. All I could see was the woman at the counter shooting me looks while she spoke to someone on the phone.
So far, my fresh start was off to a rotten beginning.
3
CHRISTIAN
I glanced at the time and wondered what the hell she was doing. It was five minutes until our appointment and I hadn’t been notified of anyone being granted access to my floor. I pulled up the security cameras and started with the lobby. I flipped through the cameras until I spotted her sitting there, knee bouncing as she shot looks toward the front desk.
My nostrils flared. What the hell was she doing in the lobby? She should’ve been sent up immediately to my office. I’d altered the appointment this morning.
I tried to buzz the front desk, but the girl there was on the phone and ignoring the beep of a call waiting.
Heads were going to fucking roll. I got up from my chair, straightened my tie, and threw on my suit jacket. I went to my personal elevator and pressed the button for the lobby.
By the time I walked into the lobby, I saw several people who belonged on the tenth floor with HR crowded behind the front reception desk. I made it a couple steps toward them before they noticed me. Their faces all went pure white. A few of them looked like they were considering running.
“Mr. Stone,” The girl who worked the front desk squeaked. I glanced at her name tag. Kelly.
“Why is Miss Thorn sitting in the lobby and not on her way to my fucking office?” I growled.
I saw Lola’s head snap in my direction, but I ignored it for now.
“W-we” Kelly stammered. The HR people slowly backed away from her, as if that might save them from my wrath.
“What did the system tell you when you looked her up?”
“It said she was supposed to go to the fifty-fifth floor,” Kelly said. She looked like she was about to cry, and I fucking hated crying. It made me uncomfortable, and I didn’t like being uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t even enjoy being an asshole. I was just bad with people.
“And yet you sent her to the waiting area,” I said, voice as calm as I could manage. Instead of calm, it came out sounding more like the unsheathing of a sword. This was my problem. I didn’t know how to interact with employees without scaring the shit out of them.
Tears welled in Kelly’s eyes. “Mr. Stone, I–”
“Miss Thorn,” I said, turning away before I had to watch the tears fall. “With me. Now.”
Lola shot to her feet, smoothed her frilly little black dress over her thighs, and rushed over to me. She made it a few steps before she froze like a deer in the headlights. Realization was hitting her hard, and even though I wasn’t much of a grinner, I had to suppress a twitching of my lips.
