Sadie
What an asshole,I thought to myself as I watched Jeremiah stride back to his desk with a pompous flair in each powerful step, trying not to notice the ripple of muscles in his back. I couldn’t believe I had slept with him. Had I known he was filled with such arrogance, I would never have lowered my inhibitions that night, no matter how in need I was for a male’s touch. Well, maybe. Hewasbeautiful to look at, even now as he sat down at his desk in another suit that was made for him.
Still, he was so rude and abrasive. He was already onto firing employee number four of the day, and it was not even lunchtime yet. It was probably only a matter of time until I was back on the chopping block. I was convinced I was fired the moment his sharp blue eyes found me at my desk, with not even a hint of surprise in them, unless he was good at hiding it. Me, on the other hand, stared at him like a gaping fish. My insides had squirmed under his gaze, and it wasn’t just for fear of losing my job. It was remembering how his hands had touched every inchof my skin. And his mouth. I blushed at my desk, thinking about it, hoping he didn’t see the color rise in my cheeks as he had addressed the office.
At least, it seemed that his rudeness wasn’t solely directed at me. It was directed at everyone in the office who was shaking in their boots, just waiting to be called into his office next to meet their demise. It felt a little more personal when he laid into me because I happened to be the only one here who he had slept with. I knew what he looked like naked. What his tongue tasted like. What he sounded like when he got off.God.I blocked the images and sounds from my head. How could I have slept with my new boss? I would never have known that the rich man who dwelled at the top of my apartment building would be waltzing in here like he owned the place. Oh wait, he did…
I peered up at him discreetly from behind my laptop, watching as he talked to someone on the phone. There was no light in his eyes and no happiness in his voice. He was all business, probably laying into someone else, the way he had with most everyone here. He really knew how to make an impression. As much of a prick as he was, it was hard to tear my gaze away from him.
His face was now clean shaven, and his large hands moved animatedly as his voice rose and fell with the intensity of the phone call. My eyes lingered on his mouth, remembering how soft his lips were in comparison to the stubble that grazed my skin that night. His hair fell across his forehead before he ran his fingers through it, pushing it back as he turned to face the view of Manhattan below.Focus, Sadie,I thought to myself. I shook my head as I looked back down at the glow of my laptop. I couldnot be distracted by him or the night we shared together. He clearly wasn’t letting it affect him.
He made it clear that I was to do my job without any distractions. I couldn’t afford to lose my job when I was so far in debt. Plus, who would hire me? Jeremiah basically just told me I was weak. It was a blow to my gut, even though I knew he was right. It was why some of my coworkers asked me to do things that weren’t in my job description, because they knew I wouldn’t question them. He must have seen it happen with the copies I made, which meant he was watching me. I swallowed hard at the thought, knowing my every move was being evaluated. My job wasn’t safe yet.
Speaking of, I was supposed to send Joshua, the junior associate who usually assigned me his copies, into Jeremiah’s office. I hesitated before picking up my phone and dialing his extension. It rang two times before he picked up.
“Hello?” answered Joshua enthusiastically, as if he had just been laughing at some joke.
“You’re needed in Mr. Mason’s office,” I said, my voice grim.
“Right. Thanks.” Any happiness drained from his voice before I heard the click of the phone that followed.
A few minutes later, I watched as Joshua approached Jeremiah’s office warily. I knew what was coming, but it was hard to tear my eyes away. It was like a car accident and I couldn’t look away. He avoided my gaze as he closed the door behind him. Momentslater, I heard their muffled voices rise and then fall before the door opened once more and Joshua stormed out. It looked like I wouldn’t be making copies for him anymore.
I watched wide-eyed as he quickly disappeared down the hall to his desk, likely to pack up his things. That was employee number five to get the boot. I sucked in a shaky breath before glancing through Jeremiah’s open door. I found him already looking at me, his lips pressed into a tight smile, as if he had just done me a favor. I quickly looked away. Had he fired Joshua for me? The thought made me sick to my stomach. I would never have wished that on anyone, no matter how some of my coworkers might have taken advantage of me.
I realized then that this guy was no joke. He did what he wanted to whom he wanted, and didn’t care about anyone’s feelings. If I were to keep my job, then I needed to bust my ass and do everything he asked of me. If I could do my job well, which I already did, then I could worry less about being fired. I just needed to show him that I wasn’t the weak woman he thought I was. The one I was growing tired of being. I could do it, even if it was all just pretend. Maybe if I pretended for long enough, I would eventually stand up for myself and take up the space he told me to.
I straightened my shoulders and began to go through the to-do list he had started building on our shared Google calendar. Any task he typed in, I checked off within twenty minutes of receiving it. It felt like I was on top of it, until more kept piling on. Anytime I checked something off, two more tasks piled on. There was no way this man could bethatbusy. Maybe he was testing me. Well, I wasn’t about to let him see me fail.
But when five o’clock rolled around, the list of things I needed to do was even longer than when I started. I sighed in defeat as I shut my laptop, telling myself I would get to it tomorrow. There was nothing immediately pressing anyway. I had put everything in order in terms of priority, and knocked out the must-dos. That was my system, and it had always been up to my old boss’s standards.
Everyone else was beginning to pack up and head home as I walked down the hall toward the breakroom, noticing that Jeremiah’s office was empty. I wondered when he had left for the day. I felt a moment of reprieve knowing he was gone, even though I would have to see him again tomorrow. And the day after. I hated to admit it, but a small part of me was strangely excited. The larger part of me terrified.
I opened the stainless steel fridge in the breakroom, rummaged through the takeout containers, and found my lunchbox. I pulled on the black handle until it broke free. I tucked it under my arm and shut the heavy door, sucking in a gasp to find Jeremiah standing behind it. He was leaning against the wall casually, his eyes watching my every move. I held my lunchbox even tighter as I gathered my wits.Don’t be weak.
“Jeremiah,” I said coolly, proud of myself for remembering to call him by his first name. “Is there something you need?”
Ignoring my question, he asked, “Are you leaving?”
“It’s past five.” I shrugged, thinking it was obvious.
“Yet you didn’t finish the tasks I assigned you.” He still leaned against the wall, but his gaze was cool. It was hard to get a read on him. I felt like a part of him wanted to chew me out and the other part of him wanted to consume me. I would opt for the latter. “Not a good start, I must admit,” he said.
Immediately, I felt defensive. It would be impossible for anyone to complete everything he had thrown at me. He had to know that. It was as if he wanted a reason to fire me. Maybe it would make his life easier not having to worry about me and our night together. But I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction, not when I was now over-drafting on an empty checking account while I lived in a place that wasn’t even mine.
“I did my best to get to everything that was time-sensitive. It was a lot for one person to handle. Anyone would have a hard—”
He put his hand up and shook his head. I closed my mouth tightly, afraid of what might come out of it because of the condescending way he was treating me. I wanted to smack his hand away. I swallowed down the words I wanted to say. Asshole. Prick. Jerk.
“I told you, if you can’t figure out a way to handle your responsibilities, then I’ll have to let you go,” he reminded me.
I blinked up at him, not knowing what to say. Was I being fired? No, I wasn’t going to let that happen.
“I’ve been doing this forfiveyears,” I said as boldly as I could. “I consider myself an expert at my job.” The last part was a lie, butI was confident enough in my abilities and experience. I had to sell this.
I watched as his lips pulled to the side in a condescending smirk. I wished he didn’t look so damn sexy when he was being an asshole. My eyes were drawn to his mouth where they stayed a tick too long. He noticed too because the corner of his mouth lifted even higher, revealing a glimpse of his straight, white teeth. I hated how attractive he was. I reminded myself that he was my boss, and on the verge of firing me no less. But still, being in this small breakroom with him, breathing in his familiar cologne and every inch of my body on edge by his presence, it was hard not to think about him as more than that. It was hard not to think about the way his bare chest felt against my sweaty palms or how the taste of his lips was a mixture of salty and sweet after they had grazed my skin.
“Expert?” he asked, the one word bringing me crashing back to reality.
