Page 30 of Buck ’Em Cowgirl

I walked straight to my desk. Harleigh was across from me, and the moment she saw my face, hers dropped.

“We’re not going to make a scene. I want you to pack whatever you need in a bag and then walk out of here.”

“I-I don’t understand.” Her brows furrowed.

“We’re fired.” My voice shook as I shoved my things into my bag. “John wanted to fuck me, but I didn’t put out, so he said the project was over and canned us.”

Harleigh’s jaw dropped, her face a mixture of disbelief and fury. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

I shook my head, guilt twisting in my chest. “It’s my fault, Harls. I shouldn’t have put you in⁠—”

“Absolutely not.” Harleigh stood and rolled up the satin sleeves of her dress like she was gearing up for a fight. “Do not apologize. We should be hiring attorneys to investigate this shit. Fuck this company. I don’t want to work for pieces of shit like them anyway.”

I sniffed, fighting back tears. My hands moved swiftly, stuffing whatever I could into my bag, trying to focus on the motion instead of the burn in my eyes.

Harleigh stepped closer, squeezing my shoulder firmly, grounding me. “We’ll figure this out. We don’t need them. And we sure as hell don’t let them win.”

“I’m so sorry I put you in this position. Truly.”

She grabbed the last of my things. “You’re the best thing that came out of all of this. Plus, I have an idea.”

I narrowed my eyes at her as she grabbed my laptop and tucked it under her arm.

“Come on,” she said, her voice firm. “Let’s get out of this disgusting place, and I’ll tell you everything.”

I nodded, my body feeling heavy with exhaustion.

She gestured toward the bathroom. “Want to wash up before we go?”

I glanced down at my hands, the skin red and raw from my endless need to scrub away everything. The urge was there, buzzing faintly. “Nah. I’m good.”

The corner of her lips curled into a knowing smirk as we turned toward the elevators. There was no need to say goodbye to anyone. I needed to leave, to breathe fresh air, to shake this place off me.

“Between Mike and this shit show,” I muttered as we stepped inside, the doors closing behind us, sealing us in.

Harleigh pressed the button, her face unreadable as she glanced at me. “It’s time we take back control. No more playing by their rules, Fable. We write the story now.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat as the elevator descended. She was right. It was time to stop letting everyone else dictate the narrative. It was time to start over.

My mind swirled with everything that had just happened—getting fired, John’s disgusting audacity, and how my life seemed to be unraveling piece by piece. Somewhere in the chaos, my thoughts wandered to Beaudreau Banks. I tried to push it down, shove it away, but it lingered.

Harleigh glanced at me. “Really, the new story started when you fucked Beau.”

I groaned, rubbing my temples. “Please don’t remind me. I already regret telling you.”

“You didn’t have a choice,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t show up at my apartment. I thought you bailed because it was too dirty in the arena. Turns out you were just out getting laid, and some bull rider was spitting your cum back inside your mouth.”

“It was so not like me,” I muttered, the shame creeping back in.

“It was exactly like you.” She countered. “You’ve just suppressed that part of yourself.”

I groaned again, leaning against the elevator wall. “Tell me something good, Harleigh. Please. I need a win. I don’t want to talk about my entire weekend of regrets.”

That mischievous glint in her eyes that always made me nervous made an appearance. “I have the perfect solution to all this, babe. Seriously. The timing couldn’t be better.”

I eyed her suspiciously as we stepped out of the elevator. “What are you talking about?”

“We’re going home, honey.”