Despite my every effort, my mind refuses to focus on the slides.The next few minutes pass in slow torture as I avoid my ex-stepbrother’s stare.Hot and cold flash through me in waves.His attention is too much.
Before he abandoned me thirteen years ago, his touch was always and only comforting, but at the wedding and today, his powerful hands and hungry eyes are anything but.
He’s studying me too intently.I can’t breathe.
When the man finally ends the presentation and hands the meeting over to Ms.Baker, the woman who gave me my renewal contract, sweat trickles down my sides and back, and every nerve ending buzzes with electricity.My nipples chafe in my bra, and tightness plagues my lower abdomen.
Brennan thumbs his lip.My chest tightens, and heat pools between my legs.
Self-disgust roars through me.I bite the inside of my cheek and ignore the unwanted desire pulsing through my veins.
Ms.Baker clicks to a new slide and explains the upcoming company-wide announcement, press conference, and order of events for the next few days.She emphasizes critical meetings and expectations before turning to her boss.
Without taking his eyes off me, he nods.Ms.Baker thanks everyone for their cooperation and ends the meeting.
Trapped in the corner like prey by his gaze, I don’t dare move despite my instincts demanding I escape the room.Even as the people around us begin to break free, the tension between us keeps me rooted to the spot.
He stands, breaking my immobility, and I flee like the coward I am.
The day has been too much already, but it’s nowhere near over.
No one stops me as I slip into the hall, but even without the tension emanating from the room, my senses remain on high alert.I rush to the bathroom and lock myself in a stall.
After a few deep breaths, which do nothing to calm my mind, I check my messages and confirm my mom is settled in her new facility.Her dreamy smile as she lies in her freshly made bed while looking out the window squeezes my heart with bittersweet emotions.
She’s safe.Her ex-husband—Brennan’s father—can’t reach her now.
I’m not safe.The longer I hide in the bathroom, the more time my new boss and coworkers have to form a negative opinion of me, but I can’t go back out there without a bit more confidence, so I open a new tab on my phone browser and run a quick search.
Taking a GED is free, but since I haven’t studied in thirteen years, I don’t trust my knowledge, so I find official online study materials, email a free printable GED practice test to my work address to print later, use the restroom, wash my hands, and step out into fresh upheaval.
New and old faces navigate the space like predators sizing each other up for the best hunting spot.My tablet dings with an email marked as important.The notification shows it’s the company-wide announcement.
I smooth a hand over my hair and glance into the conference room as I pass.Two small groups chat at either end of the table.The discussions seem cordial enough, even though tension still emanates from the room.
I continue past the reception area and down the hall toward the CEO’s office.
A cardboard box sits on my desk.The few items I kept on top—my name placard, ergonomic desk mat, a clock, pens, and a notepad, are nowhere in sight.
Ms.Baker rises and dumps an armful of items from the left drawers into the box.She flicks unimpressed eyes my way before shutting the drawers and moving around to the other side.
“Ms.Baker, may I help you?”I ask.
She opens the second set of drawers and rummages through them.
“This is the closest desk to the CEO’s office,” she says.
I curl my fingers tighter around my tablet as she lifts my purse out of the drawer and tosses it into the box.
“Yes, it is.”I manage in a somewhat neutral tone.“I’ve worked from this desk for three years, but if you need—”
“I always use the desk nearest Mr.Diamond’s during an acquisition,” she interrupts.
I take a deep breath and resist the urge to smack her as she lifts my zippered tote out from underneath.
“That’s fine, Ms.Baker, except those are my—”
With an annoyed huff, she drops my tote on the desk so hard the sound makes me flinch.She lifts her hard, hazel eyes to mine as she reaches for the zipper.
