“I’m not showing,” I answer, wrinkling up my nose. “Because I’m not pregnant. But I have other reasons for not getting on the elevator and they’ve got nothing to do with you.”
He lifts his eyebrows and makes a face that says he thinks I’m insane. “Okaaayyy, see you up there.”
I check my watch again. 7:59. Shit. The doors are already sliding shut. I reach out and stick my arm between them, only to have them press against it before bouncing open again. I get on and turn to face the front. “Now, it’s time.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lyle grin. “Oh my God, are you setting boundaries, Chadwick?”
“None of your business,” I say, as the elevator zips up to the thirty-second floor.
“You are! You’re setting boundaries with Mr. Guy Prescott, the Ad King of New York. That’s adorable.”
I give him a glare and lean toward him a bit and grind out, “It’s not adorable. It’s necessary. And strong.”Okay, Paige, leave it at that. You don’t have to explain yourself to Lyle. Be a woman of few words, who walks tall and carries a big … stick? I can’t remember. Whatever. Be silent. Stoic.“You know why I look different? It’s because I’m not the same pushover I was when I left here. I’m strong now. I survived a freaking plane crash and weeks in the wild. I learned to fish and forage for food and … and I’m not putting up with any crap anymore.”
Okay, apparently I haven’t reached stoic just yet. Baby steps, Paige. Baby steps.
Shrugging, he says, “All right. Good luck with that because Guy’s the same megalomaniac he was when you left here, and he’s not going to like the new Paige at all.”
“He can not like me all he wants. I really don’t care.”
The elevator doors open, and I step off, striding toward my desk with my head held high, even though inside my stomach is churning and I’m regretting that second cake pop I had at Starbucks.
As soon as I set my handbag down, my desk phone rings. It’s Guy. Instead of answering it, I turn to look at him through the glass wall to his office. I give him the ‘do you want me to come in there?’ gesture, and he nods. Immediately the phone stops ringing.
I grab a pad of paper and a pen, then walk in, ready to take notes. Guy stands and hurries over to me, giving me the first and only hug in the years since we’ve worked together. It’s completely shocking, awkward for both of us, and I know he’s regretting it immediately. If I had to guess, I’d say he planned that ahead of time, assuming it’s what a normal person would do. Pulling back, he smiles at me. “What a relief! It has been anightmarewithout you.”
“I’m glad to be here,” I tell him, meaning I’m glad to be alive, not necessarily here in his office.
He sits back down and glances at his clock. “I notice you didn’t make it in early.”
“I’m right on time,” I tell him, sitting in the chair across from his desk. “As we agreed to. Now, you wanted to talk to me about some changes in my position here?”
“Yes,” he says with the dazzling grin he gives his biggest clients. “As you know, you’ve become quite the sensation, and we need to capitalize on that. So, the big news is that you, Missy, are going to be brought in on all the big client meetings as our newest junior executive!” He switches to the open-mouthed smile with wide eyes. “Hey? What do you think of that?”
“What does it mean, exactly?” I ask, taking note of the fact that he said I’ll be ‘brought in as’ and not that Iama junior exec.
His head snaps back. “What do you mean, what does that mean? It’s a good thing, Paige. Smile.”
I run my tongue over my teeth before I answer—total power move. “Are you formally offering me a position as a junior executive? Because the way you said it could mean that we’re going to make itlooklike I’ve been promoted, but I’m still an assistant.”
He shakes his head and chuckles. “God, you’re smart. Too smart. I mean, obviously you’re getting the promotion, but for now, I need you to stay in your current role.”
I open my mouth but he lifts his hand to stop me from speaking and says, “But obviously only until I find someone.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I say, “When will you start actively looking?”
His expression is one of confusion, his cheeks pink andhis eyes darting from side to side. “Well, not today or anything. I told you, we’re way behind because of your unplanned absence.” Guy narrows his eyes at me. “Paige, you seem to have come back, I don’t know … more distrusting somehow?”
Okay, that’s it. I’m going to let him have it.“Six years, Guy. I’ve worked my ass off for you for six years—days, nights, weekends. Missing out on having a life so I can prop yours up and keep things running smoothly. Buying gifts for your wife, packing your things when she kicked you out, draining your dog’s anal glands?—”
“You said you didn’t mind, and you know I have a strong gag reflex.”
“Everybody has a strong gag reflex when it comes to anal glands,” I say, then continue my list. “I stay on top of every project at the agency so you don’t have to and the entire staff basically hates me because of it. They call me Little Miss Hitler behind my back. Do you know what that feels like?”
He shrugs and opens his mouth, but I cut him off, growing angrier by the second. “Handling angry clients so you don’t have to deal with them, and there are a lot of angry clients, Guy, because some of the teams you’ve got here are, frankly, incompetent. I keep track of your medical appointments, your medications, have bought, wrapped and shipped every Christmas and birthday gift to every member of your family for years. I wrote a hit rap song, Guy. About erectile dysfunction medication. And my salary is a joke. I barely make enough for rent and food.”
Shaking his head, he says, “That can’t be true. You live in a nice building.”
“My roommate pays most of the rent, because unlike me, she was smart enough to go to work for herself,” Ianswer, my face hot with shame. I take a deep breath and shake off that feeling, sitting up taller in my chair. “So, no, I don’t accept your plan to have me being paid an assistant’s salary while doing two jobs. It’s time to show me that you appreciate everything I’ve done for you, and that you see my true value. Because I see it now. I didn’t before, but I am fucking awesome. You said it yourself—this place is falling apart without me. And you can’t say I’m not versatile. You can’t say I haven’t paid my dues. You certainly can’t say I haven’t earned my spot as an executive here, because I have more than earned it.”
