Page 76 of Hating the Boss

“And I’ve got wine. All to myself,” said Brittany, plucking a bottle of cabernet from the wine rack on the countertop. She did a little butt wag and put her fingers in the air.

Jessica held up her hand in a vulgar gesture, which I mimicked. She couldn’t have it because of her meds, and I couldn’t have it because I was pregnant.

Pregnant.

I wondered if I would get used to that word.

Two hours and four episodes of a baking competition later, Brittany was asleep on the couch with a wine-stained mouth and Jessica was yawning sleepily. I covered Brittany with a blanket as Jessica turned off the television. Before she went to her room, she looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile.

“You’re going to be okay, sis,” she said.

“Thanks, sis,” I said, hoping she was right.

After washing up for bed, I drifted off to sleep easily. My emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride and my mind was tired. But sleep was anything, but peaceful. My dreams were all over the place. My parents showed up to my apartment, carrying large fruit baskets. I hadn’t dreamed of them in a long time. The sight of them was comforting, but the dream warped and turned into something else entirely.

I was in the office, sitting at my desk, when Angela and Brad walked in. They were hand-in-hand and laughing about something. On her ring finger was a black diamond, similar to the one I wore around my neck to the gala. Brad leaned in to kiss up the length of her neck, and she watched me with a satisfied smile. When he pulled his mouth away from her skin, they both looked at me and laughed. Their laughter echoed loudly, even as the dream faded into a black abyss.

I wanted to scream the nightmare away, but then an image came into view, becoming increasingly sharper as it approached. It was Brad and he was carrying two glasses of champagne, a big grin on his face. Handing me one, he clinked his glass to mine.

“Happy anniversary, baby,” he said.

I noted the gold band on his ring finger, and watched as his hand grazed up my leg, past my inner thigh, and under the blue fabric of my dress. I whimpered as he ran his thumb over me, slick with anticipation. He knelt down before me and pushed me backward, until it felt like I was floating in midair. Pushing my legs apart, he leaned in and I could feel his breath against me. Then I felt his tongue.

I suddenly woke up, one hand clenched around the comforter and the other one in my boxer shorts. It felt wrong to get off to the man who had hurt me, but the dream was still fresh in my mind, so I shut my eyes and imagined it was Brad’s mouth moving against me.

When I woke up the next morning, I reached for Brad, but found my bed empty. It re-opened the wound I had temporarily forgotten about, and I cried into my pillow. I was not leaving my bed, or my apartment. I just needed to drown in my misery for a while.

Chapter 30 Brad

I tossed my phone on the counter defeatedly after listening to the incessant ringing I had been getting all morning and the night before from trying to reach Sarah. My hands instinctively went to my hair, where they normally did when I was frustrated, and my fingers ran through the damp strands. I let out a loud sigh and reached for the pot of coffee that sat hot in the coffeemaker.

I poured myself my second cup of the day and took a long sip as I ran through the night before. What a disaster that had been. A far cry from what I had hoped it would be, landing me in hot water with my father, Howard Knight, and Sarah. The last of them being the worst of all. And it was all because of Angela. I shook my head as my ex’s face popped into my head. The beauty I once saw in her had warped into something ugly and cruel.

What exactly had she told Sarah?

I wouldn’t give Angela the satisfaction of calling her and asking her, but I was hoping I could reach Sarah to fix this. To explain myself and to apologize. I should never have left her in that ballroom alone with my ex on a mission to stir up trouble. I should never have left her for any reason. I should have been glued to her side, proud to be there with the most beautiful woman in the room.

Last night was supposed to be our night. Our official debut in public. One I had been looking forward to, in hopes that it was all real.

That was all hindsight now, as I nursed a headache and an empty stomach. It felt like I was hungover, though I had only had one drink last night. My brain had kept me up the night before, running in circles, worry making my stomach do flips. It had been nearly impossible to sleep, and when I did doze off, I was awakened by nightmares.

Nightmares of Angela, my father, Howard Knight, the board.

The worst part was Sarah wasn’t in any of them, further fueling my worry that I had lost her.

I reached for my phone and tried calling her again, but I was met with the same rings that went unanswered. Not leaving a voicemail, I typed out a text.

Me: Sarah. Please, call me back.

I glanced at the time at the top of the screen of my phone. It was time to head into the office. The only thing making me want to go into work right now was the possibility of Sarah being there. She was still my personal assistant. It was her job to show up.

Right?

My hope of her walking into the office was what got me out the door and into my car. I weaved through morning traffic, the early autumn breeze blowing through my hair and whipping against my face. Driving with the top down was really the only thing that helped me clear my head. That, or a walk in the park, which I didn’t have time for this morning.

As the tall glass building of Stellar Enterprises came into view, the pit in my stomach grew. What if Sarah didn’t show up? What if my father was there to hash it out some more? I groaned as I turned my car and drove it down into the dim lighting of the parking garage. Once I parked, I rode the elevator up to the lobby to see if I could catch Sarah on her way in.

Once I stepped out into the large marble entryway, my wingtip shoes echoed against the polished floor. There was no sign of Sarah. No sign of anyone, besides the security guard who stood near the door. I frowned slightly, but then noticed the guard was waving me over. Curious, I strode toward him.