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“Hello, Aiden,” he says when I take a seat, like no one here knows he’s my father. I nod at him and open the pile of papers stacked on the placemat in front of me. The packet is nicely stapled in the corner, and everyone reads through it quietly.
After the last person walks in and takes their seat, my father stands. “Thanks for meeting me here on such short notice. I have a few things to discuss and didn’t want to wait.”
He reads through the company’s agenda and the papers we’ve all been skimming over, then starts to review the company’s status. Nothing about this meeting feels different or urgent, and I’m beginning to wonder what the hell he’s called us here for when suddenly the door opens.
I don’t think anyone from our floor is missing from this meeting, so I don’t know who could be joining us. The heels walking on the floor toward me sound familiar. It intrigues me enough to look up to see the late arrival.
Holy shit. You’ve got to be kidding me,I think. It’s all the motivation my father needs to finally make his big announcement.
“Everyone, here is the newest member of our company. Her name is Ada. I’m sure you’ve seen her around here at some point, but I’d like you all to give her your warmest of welcomes. You’ll be seeing her on a daily basis now,” he says as everyone around the table smiles and murmurs greetings.
Jesus, Dad, are you actively trying to ruin my life? Is it not enough for her to harass me every day by phone? Now I have to see her and deal with it here too?
I sit in my chair, not knowing what to do. I can feel her staring at me. Everything in me wants to crawl under the desk just to get her eyes off me. I’d do anything to get myself out of this awful situation my father’s putting me in again.
Is she really so desperate to be with me that she’s willing to talk my father into giving her a job here? Just to be around me every day? She can’t stop me from screening her calls and messages, so she weasels her way into my workplace.
Everyone else is welcoming her with open arms and congratulations. I can’t even look at her. All I do is stare at my father as he bullshits his way through meaningless conversations with people he doesn’t care about.
I know he’s an asshole, but I didn’t realize he would stoop this low. I can’t take the fake conversation and admiration for her anymore. I slam my chair against the table and walk out of the conference room.
I can feel the stares of my fellow employees as I walk away, but I don’t give a damn. My door slams behind me as I storm into my office, and I angrily sit back at my desk.
That shit news is what I let interrupt my visions of my night with Josephine?Hardly a fair trade, if you ask me.
I’m switching between angrily flipping through files and reading through my emails when my door bursts open. I look up to see my father rapidly coming toward me and slamming his hands down on my desk.
“What makes you think you can storm out of my conference room in the middle of a meeting?” he yells.
I scoff at the way he feigns innocence, like he doesn’t know exactly what he did to make me so upset. Like he didn’t do it on purpose. He’s always like this, setting me up in an impossible situation and then using it as a reason to blame me for failing.
“Really? Don’t you know why I wouldn’t want to be a part of whatever stupid scheme she’s cooked up with you? I figured it would look better if I just left rather than causing a scene. I did you a favor because if she had looked at me one more time, I would have lost it,” I say angrily.
“Who do you think you’re talking to? Scheme? You won’t talk to me like that, especially after having a tantrum and storming off like a child. This is the only solution to our problem, so you will just have to put up with it. Not everything is about you. Get over yourself!”
He doesn’t give me a chance to respond before turning around and storming back out. He slams the door, and I jump as it rattles the glass.
What the hell is his problem? Now, what does he expect me to do? Am I just supposed to act like nothing’s wrong and let her harass me all day?
It’s bad enough the way she acts in the first place, but at least at home, I can shut my phone off. Here, he will force me to be nice to her, which will only send the wrong message. What does he think I’m going to do when there’s nowhere to get away from her?
I let my thoughts wander back to the only place I feel happy, which is in Josephine’s presence. Reflecting on her sunshine personality and gorgeousness brings me out of my anger and bitterness long enough to make it through my long list of to-dos for the day. It’s better than thinking about the unpleasantness that is Ada.
The idea of her being my safe place scares the hell out of me, but I don’t have the desire or will to try and stop myself. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to get me through the day. If thinking about Josephine is the only bright spot in a cloud of gray, so be it.
33
JOSEPHINE
Going back to work after making love to Aiden only a few days ago has left me titillated and incredibly distracted. I have no idea how I am going to get through this, pretending that our union is something of fiction.
My attraction to him is palpable. Judging by his behavior in bed the other night, his interest in me is growing, too. At least, I hope it is.
I have a million questions I want to ask him, but I worry it will disrupt our agreement. But the sex in itself likely disrupted a few previously set rules, so why am I worrying myself sick over clarification? Why am I so afraid to ask him what it means?
I stand at the register, my mind drifting in and out of the amazing memories. The strength of Aiden, the passion, the pleasure that engulfed my body once I finally let go. I don’t even notice that I’m biting my lip while daydreaming until my coworker comes up to the counter.
“Hey Josephine.”
