“No reason. Anyway we should get to work, because I don’t know if I can stop us all from getting fired for not doing any actual work.”
“Fine,” Cora says. “Everyone have a seat. I’m going to pass out the files equally so we can go through them and make notes.”
“Sounds good to me.” My phone beeps, and I see I have a text message from Jack. I look at it, and all I can do is smile. It had been fun pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend, but I’m trying to put the memory behind me. I knew it the evening had just been an act, and while it had been fun, it wasn’t like our relationship was going anywhere. He was still my enemy, and I was going to keep it that way. My phone beeps again.
Come to my office.
I stare at the screen in surprise. I have no idea what he wants.
“Hey, guys, Mr. Heathcliff wants to see me,” I say nervously. “You guys didn’t do anything again, did you?”
“No,” Cora says. “I swear I didn’t send any more emails. I went home, told my husband I wasn’t touching the computer or my phone. We got burgers, then went to the movies, and we?—”
“It’s okay, Cora,” I say. “I don’t need a rundown of everything you did. I just want to make sure Jack’s not going to be asking me any questions I don’t know anything about.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Marina says. “All I’ve been doing is practicing for my role.” She sings loudly. “Petrolia, the new bed is ready to be?—”
Xander rolls his eyes. “And it wasn’t me,” Xander says. “I had a hot-ass date this weekend. And when I say hot, I mean hot. The hottest man you have ever seen in your life. Take the hottest man you’ve ever seen and multiply it by two.”
“Wow. How did it go?” Marina asks as she stops singing.
“Not well. Apparently he didn’t like the fact that I used AI to make my photograph a little bit better.” Xander tilts his head. “I mean, I posted a topless photo, and in it I had a six-pack. And yes, it’s true, I don’t have a six-pack yet, but that doesn’t mean I never will. I told him everyone uses AI, and he was like, ‘I don’t use AI.’ I was like, ‘But how was I supposed to know that?’ Anyway, the date didn’t go so well, so I took myself to Atlantic City and did a little gambling.”
“So you had a hot date, or you didn’t have a hot date?” I ask, confused.
“I mean, it was a hot date. It just didn’t last very long.”
“Right.” Sometimes I wonder if my workmates are real people or part of a simulation trying to drive me crazy.
“Anyway, I was crying over the fact that I let this man slip out of my fingers. So, I certainly wasn’t sending anything to Jack Heathcliff.”
“Okay, good. I’ll be back, guys.”
“Good luck. I really, really hope he’s not going to ask you about the PowerPoint again,” Cora sounds nervous.
“Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of that already.” I hurry out of the office before: Marina starts singing again, Xander starts talking about his date again, or Cora starts moaning about the PowerPoint. I head toward the elevator, my heart racing. I wonder what he wants. I wonder if he’s going to ask me to be his fake girlfriend again. I know if he does, I’ll say yes—even though I should say no. I get off on his floor and head to his office. His secretary isn’t there, so I walk inside.
“Hi,” I say. “You messaged me.” I hold my phone up, and he ushers me inside. I try not to gawk at how hot he looks.
“Hey,” he grins as he stands. “Close the door behind you.”
I raise a single eyebrow as I do what he asks. What is going on? My heart races as he steps toward me. He’s so tall, so dark, so handsome. I can see the tattoos on his wrist. He’s such a bad boy, and I hate and love him for it.
“What’s going on?”
“I just wanted to see how things were going.”
“Things are going fine. I just got to the office.”
“Did you see I got you a hotel project?”
“Yeah. That was your doing, huh?”
He grins. “You came to work for me so you could learn more about hotels. There are a number of different hotels we’ve got our eye on, and I’m interested in seeing your feedback.”
“My feedback as well as Cora, Marina, and Xanders.”
“Honestly, I couldn’t care less what they think,” he says. “I want your feedback. Look through the folders. Tell me your recommendations. Tell me which one you would invest in.”
