“The music,” Damian demands. His arms are crossed over his chest, his impeccably tailored suit stretched tight across him.
“It’s Boston,” I say, then add just in case he misunderstood, “The band.”
“I know who it is. Shut if off, or put in earbuds. Not everyone likes the same music, and it’s considerate to think of others before you foist your agenda on them.”
My eyes narrow as Erica’s gaze ping-pongs between us. I want to reply with something snarky, and if it were just the two of us here, I would. But with Erica here now, I don’t want to rock the boat… or make it seem like I’m too comfortable with him.
“Yes, sir.” I send him an obviously fake smile and pause the track I was listening to.
He spins around, nearly running into Rui.
“You’re late.”
I glance down at my computer to see 9:03 a.m.
Seriously?
“Don’t let it happen again.”
“Sorry, Mr. Edgerton. I won’t,” Rui says.
Damian walks away, Rui tracking him until he is officially out of sight.
“Just another day working for Satan,” he says, shaking his head.
“Yeah, that’s my fault. Sorry about that.”
“No way. Don’t even worry about it. He’s just like that,” Rui says.
Well… in this case, I’m pretty sure I had something to do with it. I know I haven’t stopped thinking about our dinner since we parted. It’s possible the same thing is going through his mind.
How in the world we are supposed to spend days together in a confined space and not bite each other’s heads off is a mystery.
“He could hear my music. Apparently, it bothered him.” I shrug.
“You should have seen the standoff when I came in. It was intense,” Erica says. “Watch out, new girl. We don’t call him Satan for nothing. That man has no qualms about firing people. You don’t want to be next.”
She’s right. I need to stay professional and distant. It wouldn’t do me any good for Rui or Erica to get suspicious that there was something more between Damian and me.
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”
The day moves on from our tense encounter, and I find myself going through the motions, reconciling balances and approving adjustments. Despite the fact that it isn’t my dream job, it’s actually a pretty cool place. Last week, Rui showed me the pod room, where people can chill out, either on break or with their computer. The kitchen is always fully stocked with everything the employees need. Even the bathroom is stocked with free feminine products. It’s only a small thing, but I’ve never seen that before.
The teams all work together, bouncing between each other’s offices to discuss ideas or just chat. It’s mostly the research and marketing employees, but since the research team office is right in front of the accounting office, I get to see it all.
I smile at one of the researchers, Devin, as he walks by, but all I receive back is a glare.
Everyone has been super welcoming so far… except for him.
“I think Devin hates me,” I say out loud to no one in particular.
“Don’t be dramatic. He can’t hate you. You’ve been here for a week,” Erica says.
“Okay,” I mumble under my breath. I have no idea what I could have done to him in a week, but I know what I see—and that’s Devin giving me the stink eye every time he walks past.
The rest of the week flies by in a blur. The days are long, and the evenings are cold, especially in the winter when the sun sets way too early. I refresh the weather report on my computer again and groan. Snow is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m., getting progressively heavier through the six o’clock hour.
Great. Just when I’ll be walking home. And on the day that I forgot to bring a change of shoes to work. These heels aren’t bad when I’m sitting behind a desk all day, but trekking home through the dirty snow in them is going to be a nightmare.
