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“Why did you get fired?” I decide to ask.
“Because my boss is a bitch,” she states and immediately I can tell she regrets what comes out of her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I just mean that she fired me over something stupid. It was because I was late.” She rubs her elbow sheepishly while I lock my eyes on her, not knowing if I should laugh or pretend that I wasn’t fazed by what she just said.
“Well, I’ve got a position open for an assistant.” I lie, I don’t. Or I didn’t, because Cora was going to get the promotion due to seniority and she was really the only one who was interested. But I guess she’s no longer running unopposed.
“But seeing as I’d be your boss, I don’t know how I’d feel about you calling me a bitch behind my back.” She looks at me for a second, her eyes finally catching mine. She’s been avoiding direct eye contact all day. And until now, I didn’t know what it felt like to want to drown in someone’s gaze. Her eyes are like elusive crystals, brilliant and rare. I see a small grin thaw on her face.
I continue to watch her with great interest and wait for her response. But she doesn’t give one. She just forces her stare back to the ground.
I stay leaning on my desk, allowing her the time she needs to reply to me, but also allowing me the time I want to keep eyeing her. I mean it when I say I’ve never seen someone so attractive. Maybe it’s got to do with the way she’s acting. The girls I’m used to are stuck up, entitled, and rude. She doesn’t seem like that at all.
“On second thought, I don’t think I’d qualify for… this.” She waves her hands in the space around her, breaking the silence.
Suddenly the lights behind us all power down as the team closes up shop for the night, leaving my office as the only room still illuminated. She looks over her shoulder, caught off guard by the sudden change.
“I have to say, I’m not used to women running out on me. And today, you’ll have done it twice.” I straighten the watch on my wrist as her face turns red.
“An interview won’t hurt,” I tell her as I walk over to meet her at the door frame and wait for her to make her way fully inside my office.
Am I wrong for entertaining the idea of possibly making this girl my assistant? Not because she has me hanging on to every word, the little that she gives. No, that’s not why. It's because she just lost her job and I feel sorry for her. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
You don’t date coworkers.I remind myself, but then she lets out a small hum as she takes another step inside my office and like clockwork my mind starts wondering what other sounds that pretty mouth of hers could make.
“I guess you’re right,” she agrees, breaking me from my dirty thoughts.
I motion her into my office and close the door behind us, stopping my mind from spending any more time debating between right and wrong.
five
Sterling
IwatchCallanashe prints out the job application. I can tell he doesn’t think I’d qualify for this job; I can see it on his face. Maybe he’s just being nice. But honestly, I’d clean toilets at this point. I just really need a job.
He hands me the papers, still warm from the printer, and tosses me a pen.
“I’ll be back in a few moments, I have to make sure everything closed down okay,” he says, “Fill out what you can, and we’ll go over it together when I get back.” He turns to leave the office and closes the door, leaving me by myself in his fancy ass office.
I look over the application and start filling in the blanks. I get all the way down to the job experience and reference sections freeze. I’ve held one legit job, the café. Other than babysitting, I don’t have anything else to put down. And references? You can forget it. Giselle would laugh and Dakota, well of course she’s going to praise me, she’s my best friend. But I feel silly listing my one and only friend as a professional reference.
I stare at the paper, the ticks of the clock loud and present reminding me that time is of the essence. The fact that I even came back here surprises me, as if I didn’t make the choice myself.
After I panicked and ran out of the dealership earlier, I took a bus back into town. I didn’t walk far before I was standing on a bridge, looking out at the river below. I hesitated for a second, thinking about dramatically throwing myself into the water first. I laughed at the thought, knowing the river is only a few feet deep and my fear of heights would never let me make the jump even if I actually wanted to. So, I tossed that stupid envelope of money over the edge, instead.
Yeah.
All of it.
I know, it was stupid and probably really irresponsible but I concluded that I’m not the kind of person who wants to live with the fact that I took a bribe. It stung to watch the money flutter in slow motion down the wavering river, but I never want to know what the consequences could have been, what my karma could have been, and it almost started feeling like the money was controlling me. That’s not who I am.
Callan comes back into the room and sees that I’m struggling.
“Everything okay?” he asks, standing over the desk from behind me, his body towering over mine as I stay seated. I can feel the heat from his body, and it makes me squirm uncomfortably in my seat.
“Thank you so much for the opportunity, but I think I’m gonna go.” I pick myself up from the chair and start to head for the door, but he grabs me. By my wrist. His fingers are touching my skin.Did someone turn up the heat?
“Are you hoping that the third time’s the charm?”
