“Mia!” Joanne scolded.
I was used to Mia’s bluntness, but the thought of Ryan with anyone else made my blood boil. Obviously, Mia wasn’t serious, but the ping of jealousy confirmed how far I had fallen for him.
“All right, all right,” I said, putting my hands in the air in surrender. “Yes, it’s the guy from the interview, but…” My voice trailed off.
I hadn’t decided until then I was going to tell them the full story, but since they were a part of my team they would likely find out in the future, anyway, so I bit the bullet.
“I have to come clean. That guy used a fake name for the interview. I already knew him, but I didn’t know what he looked like. He was playing a prank on me.”
“Did you meet him on a dating app?” Cassie chimed in.
I looked at my feet, a hint of shame settling over me. I knew they wouldn’t judge, but I was still anxious. “No. That guy…he’s our client. The voice actor, Ryan Mitchell.’
Mia squealed; Cassie looked confused; and Joanne’s mouth fell open in shock.
“Wait. You have a thing with the voice actor?” Mia asked after she stopped the banshee noises.
I nodded my head as the reception area phone rang, giving me an out. Joanne hurried to answer it, but not before giving me a look that said she would be paying me a visit later.
I helped Mia and Cassie clean up, and five minutes after I sat back down at my desk, Joanne slipped into my office and closed the door. She dropped into a chair and studied me as I typed an email.
Once I finished, I swiveled toward her. “Go ahead. Scold me for fraternizing with a client.” I looked down at the documents stacked neatly on my desk while I waited for her to tell me I was making a mistake.
Instead, she laughed. I jerked my head up in bewilderment.
“Raven, I’m not here to criticize. I’ve known you for years and I know you would never do anything to jeopardize this company. I know you have a plan for the situation, which I’m assuming is to let Mia handle his account and put a firewall in place.”
I gaped at her. “How did you?—”
Her lips pulled into a warm smile. “Honey, I know you. I also know that shit like this happens, and you aren’t the first to sleep with a client. You are sleeping with him, right?”
Heat surged to my cheeks again, a frequent occurrence as of late. “Yes.” My voice was so small I wondered if she heard me.
“Good,” she replied.
“Good? What do you mean good?” I asked.
She sat forward in the chair and pierced me with her intense eyes. “You needed to get laid.”
“You’re not wrong.” I laughed. “I was going to tell everyoneonce I established what the relationship looks like with him. At first it was just playing around, but now, I’ve fallen for him.”
“Fallen for him as in you love him?”
I chewed on her words before nodding. I hadn’t admitted it to myself, but hearing them aloud, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind.
“It all happened quickly, but I do. It started when he contacted us to handle his assets a few months ago.”
“I’m happy for you, dear. This is from a friend, not an employee. You deserve happiness in this part of life in addition to your successful career. It doesn’t have to always be about work, you know.”
I glanced out the windows to the city beyond where people were beginning their evening commutes, a sense of determination settling over me. “I’m starting to realize that. I haven’t allowed myself anything else. After shitty experiences, I shifted my focus to college and my career, determined to give Mom and Dad everything they could ever want after what they got me through. I wasn’t going to be a woman who fell and stayed down so I picked myself up and did whatever it took to have the future I wanted. Maybe it’s time for something more.”
Joanne stood, placing her hand on the doorknob. “I’m proud of you, Raven. You’re one of the strongest people I know.”
She slipped from the room, and I grabbed my phone, tapping the call button by Ryan’s name.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ryan
