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She nods slowly. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, you didn’t know. Just next time... we have to be cognizant of security around here. There is a lot of expensive equipment that can be stolen on this floor.”
Jeff looks at her, confused, then at me. “What happened?”
“I locked up Thursday night and she was still here, but I wasn’t aware anyone was still on the floor so I secured the elevator and left. She texted me later she had to use the stairwell and left the door unsecured. She should have been briefed on this when she was hired. I’ll talk to Lisa about it for future employees, but it would be good if you did a briefing as well when we hire someone new, Jeff.”
He nods and says, “It won’t happen again, sir.”
“I hope not,” I reply, turning back to my computer, essentially dismissing them.
Jeff leaves and I can still feel a presence so I turn in my chair to see Taryn standing there, glaring at me with her hand on the doorknob.
“You’re an asshole,” she mutters loud enough for me to hear but too low for anyone outside in the hall.
I have nothing to say to that. I’m already well aware I’m an asshole. She leaves out the door and I decide it’ll be business as usual for the rest of the week. Nobody can know how much I want her. Nobody can know how I need to have her in my bed every night. It’ll have to be my secret. My self-punishment and torture that only I need to endure. She’ll understand when we talk later. It’ll be a little game we play at work.
I check the app again to see no more RSVPs. I leave the screen open to remind myself to check periodically. It would be awful if we had to turn people away. Not to mention, Jim would have my head.
That reminds me that I have a lunch meeting with him today. I’ll have to comment again on him finding buildings that can accommodate at least 900 people in case those other users decide to start showing up. A large warehouse or something. If I had it my way, I’d be the one finding the locations, not him. But he insists on doing it himself. He is the one collecting a hefty cover charge on top of the yearly $1,500 app fee, so that’s on him.
TWENTY
Taryn
––––––––
I’m absolutely fumingas I sit at my desk, staring at my half-eaten spaghetti. I’m not in the mood to eat. I bounce my stylus off the desktop as I stare blankly at the screen. I have a lot of help tickets to get to but I’m too pissed off to be nice and helpful right now.
I knew this was going to happen. I knew Carter was going to go back into jerk mode. And the fact that we didn’t sleep together doesn’t make it sting any less. In fact, it’s almost worse. There are ways to be intimate without sex, and I thought the honest conversation we’d had on our date—yes, it was totally a date—had me feeling like he was opening up to me.
But just like that, the cage around his cold heart slammed shut. I can keep it professional at work, I don’t need to be belittled in front of my supervisor. There’s a difference. He could have done it privately. Hell, he could have mentioned it yesterday. Like casually. But no, grumpy, asshole Carter was back in full swing.
The intercom on my desk phone beeps (why do we even have these?) and I listen to Lisa’s voice telling everyone to meet in the breakroom for a celebration. I’ve been here for over a month and this is the first time I’ve been to one.
Maybe this will help my mood.
