“Mr. Rossi will see you now.”
I spin around to find Cressida standing there with a sympathetic smile.
“For introductions,” she adds, like I might have forgotten why I’m here.
Right. Introductions.
Hi, I’m the woman whose fire escape you sat on while we watched the sunrise. Remember how you sucked my pussy and told me I was beautiful?
Fun times.
I grab my notepad and pen, even though I have no idea what I’m supposed to be taking notes about. My hands are shaking so badly I nearly drop the pen twice.
You can do this. It’s just a meeting. A completely professional first-day meeting with your new boss.
Just pretend Friday night never happened.
He’s probably going to pretend it never happened.
You can both be adults about this.
I walk the twelve feet from my desk to his office door and knock.
“Come in.” His voice is different.
All the warmth from Friday night has been removed.
I take a breath and then I open the door and step inside.
We lock eyes.
For about ten seconds, neither of us moves.
His jaw clenches.
My face goes hot.
I can feel the blush spreading from my cheeks down my neck and probably continuing all the way to my toes.
In my head, I’m back in my studio apartment with his hands on my hips and his mouth on my—
“Ms. Dawson.” His voice cuts through the memory like ice water. “Please, sit.”
The way he says “Ms. Dawson” feels like a slap. So... distant.
But this is what I wanted, isn’t it?
I sit in one of the chairs across from his desk, crossing my ankles and trying to remember how to be professional.
He doesn’t sit. Just leans against thefront of his desk with his arms crossed, looking down at me like I’m a problem he needs to solve.
“I assume HR went over your basic responsibilities,” he says. “But I have specific preferences you’ll need to accommodate.”
“Of course,” I manage. My voice sounds almost normal.
Almost.
“My calendar is color-coded,” he says. “Green for internal meetings, blue for external, red for calls, yellow for personal appointments. You’ll maintain that system exactly as outlined. No deviations.”
