Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
“Okay, as in, I should head to your office now for the interview?”
“No,” he says. “Okay, as in, I’ve heard enough and I’ll think about considering you for the position.”
“That doesn’t sound like you’re giving me a true chance…”
“I’ve given you plenty of chances, Miss Barrett,” he says. “Ask your agent how many deadline extensions you have on the record.”
Silence.
“What was your favorite tie that I supposedly ruined made out of?” I can’t help but ask.
“Lotus silk, and you did ruin it.”
“Half a glass of vanilla mousse should come out easily,” I say. “It’s not ruined.”
“I hope you’re not calling me a liar, Miss Barrett.”
“Whoever washes your clothes is.” I have no reason to save face now. “It’ll come out with enzyme-free detergent.”
“Why should I trust your word on that?”
“Because I was fired from a laundry center weeks before the bartending job,” I say. “I remember the lesson on pricey clothes vividly.”
His lips curve into a smile that sends butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It makes my heart skip a step and I’m pretty sure my panties will be soaked if he keeps looking at me like this.
“I meant what I said about considering you, Miss Barrett.” He hits the down button, signaling for the elevator. “But we still have another conflict of interest.”
I shake my head, confused.
“And to be straight with you,” he says. “I’m not sure if this other issue is surmountable.”
“What other issue?”
He shoots me the most heated look of the day, slowly looking me up and down. I can feel him mentally undressing me out of my blouse and skirt, and I suck in a slow, unsteady breath.
“Oh…”
“Yes,” he says as the elevator doors open. “Oh.”
He gestures for me to step onto the car. “I’ll have Theresa meet you in the café on the fifth floor.”
“Can you give me a kind of timeline of when you’ll make your decision at least?” I don’t think his attraction to me would blur his decision in the end. “My next interview is at a pet store and the one after that is at Taco Bell…”
He doesn’t answer me, and his expression gives away nothing as the doors glide shut.
THE CEO
ADRIAN
That night
My penthouse is quiet, but my thoughts are roaring loudly with vivid scenes of the bartender I was just starting to forget…
I’ve been looking at “Heather Barrett’s” social media profile for several nights in a row, tempted to message her, but the last update on her profile was years ago.
A photo-less status: “Moving in with my mom for a bit so I can chase my dreams. Wish me luck!”
Alas, she left plenty of other photos up though, and it’s completely different from her “Allyson Harmony” online persona.
I’ve gazed at them far longer than I care to admit. And I swore last night would be the last night I looked, but seeing her in my building today ruined all of that.
I pour a drink in the kitchen, letting the heat settle low in my chest before sinking into my living room chair and pulling her up on my screen again.
I click on a beach album that features her in various dresses that cling to her curves, a bikini that bares the generous swell of her breasts, and tight shorts that leave little to the imagination.
I’m definitely not hiring this woman…
Scrolling to an album titled “Writing Retreat,” I stare at images of her posing with various colored notebooks. I’m so caught up clicking through them that I almost miss the text flashing across my screen.
George (main security)
Urgent issue. Please call when you see this, sir.
I sigh and call him. “Yes, George?”
“Sorry to bother you this late,” he says, voice crackling over the line. “I was reviewing all of today’s footage from earlier and… I found something. I sent you a screenshot.”
The image pings through a second later: Heather is standing in the corner of my café. Her hands are deep into a basket of new-release books she clearly has no intention of paying for.
The shot is blurred, but I can still make out the curve of her smirk, the tilt of her head like she knows the camera is watching and doesn’t give a damn.
“You want me to track her down and make her pay?” he asks. “She stole about ninety dollars’ worth of merch.”
“That’s okay.” I roll my eyes at her audacity. “I know who she is.”
“Next time she shows up, want me to trespass her?”
“No, I’ll handle it. Thank you, George.”
I end the call and set the phone down. I try to leave it there, to break my routine of staring at this woman I can’t have.
I last five seconds before picking it back up.
THE CEO
ADRIAN
Marcia
I don’t see Heather Barrett on the orientation list for tomorrow…
Because she wasn’t hired.
We just lost ANOTHER exec we have to replace.
Then tell Human Resources.