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Chapter 6
Kathy
When people said this was going to be a high-pressure job, they really weren’t kidding. It had been a week since I’d started, but it felt like two months had passed. There was just always so much to do. Everyone in the office was rushing to complete their deadlines. I would find myself working overtime every day, trying to get everything done before the big presentation I had this Friday.
“Hey, it’s time for a break,” Caitlyn came over to me that afternoon. “You’ve been hiding behind this desk for the last four hours. Jeff and I are going to go grab a coffee. Come with us, Kathy.”
I stretched out my fingers, wriggling them to loosen up. They had begun to cramp because of endless clicking and typing.
“Alright,” I found myself agreeing, and followed Caitlyn out to the common area where Jeff was already waiting.
“You look exhausted,” he said when he saw me. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
I shook my head, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the dark circles under my eyes. “Work has really been kicking my ass lately.”
“No kidding, right?” Caitlyn chimed in. “Dylan is really going insane with this Johnson project.”
“Gosh, did you see what he said to Kevin earlier this morning?” Jeff asked.
I nodded. This morning, Kevin had once again complained in front of everyone about just how much work there was to be done this week. Dylan had heard the entire thing and given him a real piece of his mind. He had been quite authoritative and stern, and I would be lying if I didn’t find it a bit attractive.
When Dylan was in the office, he was a real leader and knew exactly what to say to get the work done. His power was intoxicating.
“He had it coming,” I mused as I made myself a fresh cup of coffee.
“Look at you,” Jeff nudged me teasingly. “Sticking up for the boss already. If you keep this up, you’re a shoo-in for a promotion.”
“Stop it,” I reprimanded him. “I’m just saying that it’s okay that he’s being a bit harder on us than usual. I mean, the deadline needs to be met somehow.”
Suddenly, the front door of the office opened and the sound of heels clacking against the cold marble floor echoed through the room.
“Who is that?” Caitlyn asked as all three of us turned around to see who the person was.
“Whoever she is,” Jeff raised a curious eyebrow, “—she definitely doesn’t look like she belongs here.”
The woman who walked in had her hair and makeup done up perfectly and was covered in flashy jewelry. Holding a large, quilted Chanel bag she walked right by us leaving a heavy trail of perfume. It seemed that we weren’t the only ones to notice her. I saw some of the men in the office gawking as she walked by.
“I think she’s lost,” I commented as I observed her from a distance.
It wasn’t as though people in the office had a bad sense of style. Just that ever since the new deadline was announced, no one had any time to look after their appearance, and she stuck out like a sore thumb in a crowd of over-worked, underdressed, and exhausted employees.
“I don’t think so,” Jeff grinned and then pointed his finger in the direction of Dylan’s office. The woman sauntered right in without even bothering to knock first.
“Whoa,” Caitlyn remarked. “Am I seeing this right? Never in my two years of working here have I seen a woman come visit Dylan in his office.”
“She must be his girlfriend,” Jeff replied.
“Score for Dylan,” Caitlyn chuckled. “She seems pretty.”
I felt a flush of heat in my cheeks and my stomach dropped.
“Shouldn’t he be focusing on business?” I retorted with a slightly bitter edge to my tone.
“Oh, he’s pretty focused on business,” Jeff grinned. “The business of love.”
“Must be serious if she can just walk into his office like that,” Caitlyn added.
I felt a surge of jealousy shoot through my veins and I suddenly wasn’t interested in hanging out with them anymore.
