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“Bummer. I’ll save you one next time.”
I grab a ham and cheese sandwich and turn to her. “Thanks. I’m Paige. Today is my first day.”
“Congrats, and welcome to hell. I’m Rowan. I’m the P.A. to Samson Montgomery.”
“I’m working for Mr. Orlov.”
Rowan’s eyebrows rise to the roof of her forehead. “Whoa. The head honcho. That must be intimidating as hell.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well… um… because he’s intimidating as hell.”
“You’re not wrong there,” I admit. “To be honest, I’m a little nervous about this job.”
“Understandable.”
“No,” I say, taking a step towards her. “Not nervous like first day jitters. More like… um, how much do you know about Orion Enterprises?”
Rowan steps back, her friendly demeanor suddenly cautious. “Enough to know that it’s not your traditional company.”
I exhale slowly. “So my gut feeling is right.”
“I signed the same NDA that you did, Paige,” she tells me quietly. “Yours probably had a few extra clauses in it because of who you’re working for… but still, same thing. So my advice? Don’t break it.” There’s a warning in her eyes. “Misha Orlov is not someone you want to fuck with.”
“You make him sound like some kind of gangster,” I say with a bubble of nervous laughter.
Rowan smiles, but she doesn’t rush to correct me. “You know, this is a pretty nice place to work if you keep your head down and do your job. The pay is good, the benefits are fair, they give great annual bonuses, and the Christmas party always has a top-shelf open bar. Just… color in the lines they give you, you know?”
“It felt like a dream when I got offered the job. I’m starting to wonder if it was too good to be true.” I shudder and shake my head. “Not to be morbid or anything. Do you have any other advice?”
She leans close, voice low. “If you notice anything weird or out of the ordinary… pretend you don’t.”
I can’t help what escapes my lips. “Oh, God.”
Rowan smiles mysteriously. “Even if you believed in God, Orion Enterprises is the last place you’d find Him.”
12
PAIGE
“Paige.”
At the sound of Misha’s voice, I jump out of my seat and click my heels together like I’m in the military. It feels like an oddly formal way to greet my boss, but the last week hasn’t exactly given me a lot of practice.
Misha has taken the utmost pains to avoid interacting with me. The few times I’ve had to go into his office, I kept it short and to the point and he did the same. He barely even looked up at me.
Now, though, his eyes are locked on mine, and I notice the ghost of a smile on his lips. “At ease, soldier. You don’t need to stand when I enter a room.”
“You don’t usually come out here.” I smooth my skirt as I slowly sit back down. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”
“I’m on my way out. I figured I’d let you know before I head down.”
“Let me know what?”
“I have a meeting today at Ivanov Industries,” he informs me. “You will accompany me.”
The way he tells me makes it clear I do not have a choice. “Oh. Okay.”
