“Yes.”
I want to ask about her life, her family and where she’s from. But it’s getting late, and I don’t want Adrian to be on her ass when we get back. So instead, I pay the check and guide us back toward the office.
Halfway up the block, she says, “Thanks. I haven’t… I don’t usually feel comfortable with new people. Especially at work.”
“You can blame the fries,” I say.
She grins. “I might.”
I chuckle and try to focus on what I have going on the rest of the day. However, my brain won’t shut off. Maddy is the first executive assistant I’veevertaken out to lunch.
And I know it’s all just business.
But my gut is already telling me otherwise.
And that could land me in some serious trouble.
Chapter 8
Maddy
“Please submit your rental payment at your earliest convenience,” an automated voice chimes in my ear. I hang up before the message is complete, and set my phone down on my desk. I’ll get my first paycheck at the end of this week…
And it’s all going to rent. But at least I won’t be homeless.
I get up to go to the ladies’ when I hear someone behind me.
“…she won’t last three months,” says a sharp female voice.
I stop for a minute, listening.
“None of them ever do,” says a second voice, bursting into a not-so-quiet fit of laughter. “No one survives Adrian. He’s a fucking shark.”
I know I should just keep walking but I literally can’t move.
“Wasn’t there a guy who made it to four months once?” says the first voice.
A snort. “Yeah, but he got caught embezzling office supplies. Who needs three hundred gel pens? He was probably selling them on eBay for extra cash.”
I feel sick to my stomach.
“Well, this one’s different,” says the first in a mocking tone. “She’s got good references and she’speppy.”
The second voice laughs. “They’re always peppy at first.”
The two women drift out of the Wellness Room, hands full of herbal tea, not noticing me, the subject of their conversation, standing five feet away.
I can’t control what other people say about me,I remind myself, trying to recall the months of therapy I had years ago.
I use the restroom and return to my desk. I can’t get those voices out of my head.
They’re always peppy at first.
“Fuck that,” I mutter, and set my jaw so hard I wince.
I work hard through the morning, using anger as a motivator. The to-do list shrinks, then swells again as Adrian finds anotherurgentpresentation for me to proof. I respond to every email as quickly as possible, triple-check every calendar invite, and only get up to pee two times. The second time, I notice that my eyes are a little bloodshot.
But it’s fine. Everything is fine. I can do this.
