The guys spin around at once to face our audibly annoyed boss. I somehow find the strength to not look away, hoping they can explain the situation.
Mason is the first to respond with, “Andy is being a baddie.”
“She’s about to beat Nammota’s score!” Brian chimes in.
There’s a moment of silence, and I wish I could see Alexander’s face. I have no idea if he’s impressed, angry, unfazed, or about to fire my ass.
“Does she have to do it during work hours?” he eventually asks, and from his tone, he is definitely angry.Shit.
“She started early during the lunch break,” Oliver intervenes. “She hasn’t died since. But she said she’ll make up for the lost time.”
“What about all of you? Will you stay as well?” our boss asks. “What about everyone in the open space being disturbed by all your ruckus? You’re supposed to work during work hours and relax during your breaks. This machine is here to entertain you, not distract you. If you can’t see the difference, it will be removed.”
Fuck, I can’t stop. I’m so close! Three thousand more points, and I’ll move up to third place. Hoping that the guys can negotiate a few extra seconds, I keep playing.
The hairs on my arms go vertical, and I feel Alexander’s closeness before I even see him next to me. “You have three seconds to let go of the commands before I fire you,” he orders, his tone sinister.
It doesn’t even take half a second to make my decision. I release the game instantly and move two steps back, still looking at the screen. With a broken heart, I watch as Mario dies. One thousand more points, and I would have made it.
My score blinks for a moment, and the following screen arrives. Because there’s no input for a few seconds, the game registers my score underAAA. Now, the leaderboard isNAM-MOT-AAA-AAA.
The resentment in my eyes can’t be contained when I look at Alexander. But as I gaze at him for the first time in a week, that dreaded fantasy I allowed myself to have surges into my mind vividly. This facethat I imagined between my legs is as dashing as ever. And that mouth that I pictured eating me out might be pinched in an angry line, but I’d still give my left ovary to feel it on my clit.
Fuck, I never should have masturbated with him on my mind. And I definitely shouldn’t have done it again on Wednesday. It’s getting in the way of my good sense.
I still glower at him, refusing to let his attractiveness overtake his rudeness.
Alexander gives me one of his warning glares, daring me to say something, to fight his authority. When I don’t, he turns to the guys, his eyes dark with anger. “Everyone, back to work. Except you,” he adds, pointing at me.
They hesitantly comply, but Oliver stays, ready to defend me. “Lex, she really planned on staying late to compensate.”
“I don’t care,” our boss answers, still glaring at me. I hold his gaze fiercely, fueled by anger. Not breaking eye contact, he adds, “If it will reassure you, I won’t fire her.” But Oli is still reluctant to go, so Alexander says to me, “Tell your lover boy to go.”
My eyes narrow as I resist the urge to slap his obnoxious face. For the sake of Oliver, I hold back and turn to my friend. “It’s okay, Oli. I can handle it,” I promise. He hesitates, his eyes going from me to our boss, and when I nod, he finally complies and returns to the Lair.
Once we’re alone, I muster the courage to face Alexander again. His gray irises are dark like a stormy sky, and I worry about the hurricane coming my way.
“This will be your first and last warning, Andrea. You’re here to work, not to mingle, to make friends, to play games… From now on, no more flirting, no more playing, no more social calls during work hours…”
I frown, scandalized by the injustice of this. During my two weeks here, I’ve seen many employees waste company money more often than I have. Yes, I might not pass as the most assiduous of workers, but I’m far from being the worst. I’ve been here ten minutes early every day, so those thirty minutes onDonkey Kongare already paid for several times over.
“I can see many thoughts running through that pretty head of yours, so let me remind you, I can replace you like this,” he explains, lifting his hand and snapping his fingers. That works on me, and I bite my tongue to prevent whatever I want to tell him from spilling out. “Now that things are clear, get back to work and stop distracting your coworkers with your frivolity.”
My hands clench on their own on each side of me. This is a fit of anger like I never experienced before. He’s right, and I shouldn’t havekept playing. But anyone with some compassion would understand where I was coming from.
And I’ve read the rules; I know they aren’t this strict about our hours. We get to pick what’s best for us as long as we do the work and get the job done well and on time. It’s clear this is targeted at me specifically. He’s being a sexist prick, and I can’t stand it.
As I look into his murderous eyes, I want to rip his spine out and strangle him with it. Ever since meeting him that first day in the elevator, I’ve grown accustomed to this man making me feel ungodly things. But this anger is something entirely new to me. I’ve never felt so dangerously hateful toward anyone before.
But I can’t lose this job, so I bottle it all up. After one last loaded glare toward him, I turn around like a well-trained bitch to head back to the Lair. When I enter, the guys send me worried looks. They wait for me to sit down, anxious to ask.
“So, what did he say?” Brian asks.
“Apparently, I’m too frivolous and need to stop distracting you guys,” I explain, trying to stay calm despite my voice trembling with contained rage.
“I’ve never seen him so angry,” Steven points out. “I get that you probably shouldn’t have been playing during work hours, but this was disproportionate.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what his problem is lately,” Mason agrees.
