Page 26 of Mr. Perfect

“I did, but hold tight. I’ll be there in five minutes.” I end the call, smack a new layer of lipstick on, and exit my office.

“Oh, Ellie?” Stephanie calls. “Stonewall said six o’clock is good for him.”

“Good for what?” I ask, cursing her for derailing my getaway.

“Your meeting tonight. He just left and said he’d be gone all day, but he’d be here at six for your appointment. His office, he said, not yours.”

“Fine,” I say, making a dash for the elevators.

Once the doors close and I’m alone, I let out a long breath. I just let my boss fuck me on my desk.

Heath’s desk, to be accurate. His smoking desk, because that’s what it was. A place where he entertained clients with drinks and cigars.

Gross. I’d rather be in the greasy airplane hangar than up there on the seventh floor with the executives.

It feels like the train takes forever, but I look at my phone and it’s not forever, just six minutes.

When I burst throughout the door to the hangar Adeline and Ming are laughing in my old fishbowl office.

“Hey,” the mechanics call to me. “How’s life up on the executive floor, Ellie?”

“Great, guys!” I call back, then push the doors open.

Adeline and I rush together for hugs and squeals.

“You bitch!” she says. “You got a promotion! Finally!”

“Ugggh,” I say. “Don’t remind me. It’s not what you think. Let’s go have breakfast and we’ll talk.”

Ming gives me a knowing smile as I open the door for Adeline. She knows this won’t be easy. I admit, Andrew’s call to McAllister was a surprise. We’re friends, I know that much, but I never expected him to stick up for me like that. Adeline and I are very close. She will not be happy to hear I am quitting.

“So spill, chick,” Adeline says as soon as we enter the stairs to the train station. “What’s going on? Ming kind of filled me in on the new boss. What happened to Heath?”

“Honestly,” I say, “I don’t know. I have no clue. We were pretty good friends. I mean, I thought we were dating.” I push the call button for the train.

“Ellie—”

“I didn’t say we were dating, but I think we were close. And then one day he doesn’t show up and there’s an announcement that he’s taking over some sister company in China.”

“Ming told me what you were doing. Sending him delusional messages, Ellie? What’s that about? You’re not desperate, girl. You’re smart, beautiful, and don’t need to be chasing a douchebag like him.”

“He’s not a douchebag.”

“No?” Adeline asks. “Then why does Ming think he is? She says he was stringing you along to keep you from quitting.”

Hmmm. “Well…” I don’t have an answer for that. Thankfully the train comes and it gives me a moment to get my thoughts together. “I did try to quit last year too. And it’s not that I don’t love my job. I do, actually. I just think I’ve outgrown it, you know?”

“I’m all for you quitting.”

“You are?”

“Of course. You’re meant for bigger things. And they have been taking advantage of all your talent for years. You need to break away and rise up, Ellie. And Heath’s promises were just a ploy to keep you here.”

“Well…” I sigh. “Now his brother has taken over and it seems to be playing out the same way. Only he’s much more aggressive about it.”

“The office? And promotion?”

“Yeah,” I say. And the sex. But I don’t say that part.