AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’ll never know,” he said with a smile.
“How often do you play?” I licked cream cheese from my finger, happier than I had been in a long time.
“As often as I can.” He watched me carefully, his lips curled into a gentle smile.
“Well,” I said, finishing off the last bite of my bagel, “back to work.”
I gathered up the trash and took it with me, depositing it in the trash can near my desk. It was amazing, but after two nights of restful sleep, I could devote all my energy to my work. I was astonished at the amount of energy I had to devote to my spreadsheets and emails. Everything I wrote sounded much more coherent. Every time I answered the phone, I nailed the conversation, getting all the right information from the caller to pass on to Nate. I had his schedule locked in for the day and the briefings on his desk well before they were due.
His statement about me being a better secretary if I got my living situation figured out came back to me. He had been right. I had been devoting at least half of my brain power to hustling for food and shelter. Now that I had at least one of those necessities figured out, I could be fully present at work. It was a good feeling.
I knew I was competent but having the energy to really apply myself was novel. I sped through my typing chores and opened all the mail. One of the VPs’ secretaries asked me to help her organize a meeting. She was having trouble keeping track of all the RSVPs and there were two participants who never seemed to be available. I had extra time and energy, so I figured why not? I sent a few emails introducing myself and attached an online calendar poll to solicit information from the outliers.
By lunchtime, I had that extra project well in hand, turning it back over to the other woman. She was grateful, and I knew I had earned an important ally. In just two short weeks at this firm, I was fitting right in. Mariah had taken me under her wing, Nate was charmed, and the rest of the staff was appreciative.
Not only that, but I had finally landed on my feet. I had a place to stay until that first paycheck came through. When I had enough saved up, I could look for better digs, but until then, at least I had my own bed.
I took my lunch break, but I didn’t eat. I wasn’t entirely comfortable taking handouts, and I didn’t want Nate to think he had to feed me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He was clear about me taking my breaks, though, so I walked back to check on my car. It was right where I left it, all six windows intact.
Slowly, I walked back to the office, feeling revitalized by the fresh air. After lunch, Nate had a meeting with someone named Jonas Matthews. The man was all bluster. He breezed into the reception area as if he owned the place. I knew the type before he even said hello. He gave me that up and down look that said he would rather pay me for sex than for answering telephones.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to avoid as much of his attention as possible. I picked up the receiver to let Nate know that his two o’clock appointment was there. Jonas tried to make small talk with me as he waited. I remained polite but cold.
“You’re an improvement over the last secretary,” Jonas said.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, she was old.”
I gave him a tight smile.
“What do you think of Mr. Brockton as a boss?” Jonas leaned against my desk.
“I think he’s waiting for you,” I replied, looking up into his eyes as tactfully as I could.
The man glanced up to find the door open. Nate stood in the doorway, glancing our way. He pushed the door open even farther, ushering Jonas in. I rolled my eyes, and Nate caught it. I saw him suppress a smile before disappearing into his office behind the offensive guest.
It was my first experience with such an asshole. I hoped it would be my last. Despite the fact that everyone in the building was swimming in wealth, they were all by and large decent people. No one else made me feel like a piece of meat, and I appreciated that.
I forced myself to concentrate on my work, not worry about the end of Nate’s meeting. I couldn’t help going back to study the notes I had collected on Jonas Matthews. He was an entrepreneur who was trying to get into the fashion industry. He’d made some waves with good investments early on, so he wasn’t someone to ignore. I didn’t know what he wanted with Nate, though. If Jonas bought into another clothing company, he would be in direct competition with Nate. That alone should have scared him off, but he insisted on sitting down with the new CEO, and Nate reluctantly advised me to make space in his schedule. I hoped this would be the last such meeting. I had only just met Jonas, and already I didn’t like him.
I was so efficient that I had a few extra minutes with nothing to do. I had to stay by the phone in case it rang, but I didn’t have anything else in particular to work on. I opened social media on my phone and began to scroll, stalking a few of my old friends.
When Marcus and I were heavily involved, he’d encouraged me to drop all my other relationships. That meant ghosting women I’d gone to college with, people I had known since high school and everyone else in my life. It was nice to check up on them, to see where they were and how they were doing.
I put my phone down when I heard the doorknob turn. Both Jonas and Nate emerged at the same time. Jonas was talking and Nate was listening, but it was clear to me that Nate was just being polite. He wanted the other man out of his office, and he was taking matters into his own hands.
Jonas paused on the threshold, spotting me in the same place he left me. “You gotta watch out for this one.” Jonas pointed a finger at Nate.
I exhaled softly, forcing myself to remain calm. He was pushing all my buttons without even realizing it. I didn’t know if he could be more chauvinistic if he tried. It was like someone had collected all the outdated macho crap in the city and poured it into human skin.
“I hope I’ll be seeing you soon,” Jonas said on his way out, winking.
I turned to look at Nate and found him glaring openly. It was a relief to know that we were on the same page. I didn’t have to worry about him inviting Jonas back any time soon. I wanted to ask what that had been all about, but it was none of my business. Nate spared me an exasperated look before disappearing back into his office. I left my phone where it was on the desk beside me and went back through my emails to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. There were still two hours left in the day, but I knew I couldn’t play on my phone any longer.
Chapter 9
Nate
