Page 29 of Hating the Boss

I chuckled. “You know I don’t go anywhere without a little business.” Turning to Sarah, I asked, “Did you bring the iPad?”

“It’s in the locker room,” she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder.

“Perfect. Let’s change and we will meet you back here, Mr. Page.”

Thirty minutes later, the contract was signed. The biggest deal of the quarter, possibly even the year. I felt triumphant as I watched Trent drive away in his gray Tesla Cybertruck, blasting rap through the speakers.

“You did it,” said Sarah, watching him go with an awed look on her face that made her lips part slightly.

“We did it,” I corrected her. “You got him talking it up. Getting him excited. Thank you.”

I realized that was a word I didn’t say very often, especially to my assistants. They had their duties. Their Post-it lists of tasks. It was what was expected of them.

I looked toward the parking lot where my driver sat in my black town car, reading a newspaper in the front seat. I remembered Sarah had arrived in a yellow taxi.

“Do you need a ride back to the city?” I asked.

She looked up at me, hesitating for a moment. There was a nervousness about her, like maybe she didn’t want to be in a car with me for two hours.

“That would be great,” she finally said. “I can’t afford another two-hour cab ride anyway,” she added quietly.

“You should be getting a card soon for you to charge all your business expenses,” I assured her, feeling a slight pang of guilt for making her come all the way out here. I often forgot that cab fare and basic necessities could be stressful. They were things I never thought about because it was mere pennies to me.

“Great.” She nodded.

We walked toward the car and my driver hopped out, rounding the car and opening the back door. Sarah slid inside and I followed in after her, keeping a careful distance by sitting close to the window.

Once the car was on the road, I took a chance and glanced at her. Now that she was out of that extra-large gray jumpsuit, I could take in the black skirt that was skimming mid-thigh and the matching sleeveless blouse that showed off her smooth shoulders. I swallowed hard, feeling the space of the backseat close in on me. Shifting in the seat, Sarah looked up and smiled slightly, the corner of her mouth pulled up by an invisible string. It was completely disarming.

I cleared my throat, looking back out the window at the large trees passing by in a blur through the tinted window. It was frustrating having a woman I barely knew have this effect on me. It bothered me. I was not one who liked being caught off-guard by a simple smile or lost in an embrace like the one we shared earlier. I liked being in control, and with Sarah, I didn’t feel like I was behind the wheel.

If I were to even entertain the idea of asking her to be my pretend girlfriend, I needed to get my head on straight. The arrangement would be professional. Simply contractual. A way for me to take over complete control of the company.

Still, I wasn’t sure I could trust myself not to be completely reckless and give in to the build-up of desires that were mounting since I had run into Sarah at the elevator in a fateful, coffee-spilled encounter. I hadn’t let myself go there since my ex-fiancée, where I had let my guard down and been fucked over for it.

The car ride back to the city would have been the perfect time to bring it up. It wasn’t like she could eject herself from a moving car when she realized how preposterous the idea was. Before I could open my mouth, she opened hers, asking questions about the company and the various apps we had worked on with Trent. Questions she probably should have googled before coming into the interview, but I was happy to answer them now. With her, I would talk about astrophysics, which I knew nothing about, if it meant hearing her voice and seeing the way her head tilted slightly when she was curious about something.

When the car pulled up to the office building, it was nearing 4 p.m. We had spent most of the day in New Jersey, but it had been worth it to secure this deal with Trent. I was sure my father had already caught wind of it. Maybe it would be the nudge he needed to finally let me take over the company fully. I had jumped out of a plane, after all.

Still, the nagging thought in the back of my mind was that I would never gain full control until I fulfilled his wishes of me finding someone to spend my life with.

Sarah reached for the door handle.

“Wait,” I said.

She stopped and looked at me curiously.

“I owe you…” I said, reaching in my jacket pocket and pulling out my wallet. I pulled out all the cash I had in the sleeve, unsure of how much it was exactly. Probably a couple grand based on the hundred-dollar bills in my hand. I held it out to Sarah who looked at me wide-eyed, her brown eyes searching mine for answers.

“Your bonus,” I said, pushing the money closer toward her.

She put her hands to her face in surprise before slowly taking the money from my hands. The look on her face said she had never been handed this much cash before. Judging by that same look, I realized she must really need it. It felt good to give her the money. Even better to see her bite back a smile, her teeth closed around her bottom lip.

“Thank you,” she said, shaking her head and letting out a breath.

“You did jump out of a plane for me…” I shrugged.

“True,” she said, shooting me a look before tucking the money carefully into her purse and zipping it closed.