Once Upon A Grump, page 6
I took a few deep breaths and talked to myself to try to find some calm. “So you don’t like your boss. Big deal. Most people hate their bosses. Yours may be an egotistical jerkwad, but at least he’s fun to look at.” I smiled to myself, fiddled with my hair, and then pressed the button for the fifty-fourth floor.
* * *
“Does that make sense?” Chase asked.
I nodded. I’d spent the last hour getting a one-on-one rundown of the basics of working for Stone Financial by the person Mr. Stone had specifically asked me to avoid. In my defense, Paisley had been busy on a call, Cassie looked like she had a hangover or maybe a bad cold, and Chase seemed to be scared to death of me after my first day. All the easy smiles and friendliness had been replaced with an aggressive, business-only attitude.
So I let him lean over my shoulder as I got my account set up and logged into the system on one of the communal computers.
“It seems pretty similar to the system at my old job,” I said.
“Where’d you work before?” Chase asked.
It was the first question that veered out of his careful mask of disinterest, and I felt an annoying pang of fear. I also had to avoid my temptation to glance up at the cameras. Surely Mr. Stone had better things to do than obsessively watch me on the cameras all day, but I still couldn’t shake the slight tingle on the back of my neck. I also hated that I felt just a little turned on by the idea of his attention being so focused on me. It should’ve only creeped me out and annoyed me, but I’d never met a guy who seemed to want to control me so badly. It was like he thought I belonged to him just because I worked for him, and some deep, subconscious part of me liked that a little, even if I’d never admit it to another living person.
“You alright?” Chase asked.
I jumped a little and realized I’d zoned out. “Sorry. I worked in Manhattan at a firm called Bower’s Financial Group. My boyfriend’s father actually owned the place.”
“Ahh, okay,” Chase said. “But you’re here now. Does that mean things didn’t go well in New York?”
“That is an understatement,” I said, laughing a little.
Chase smiled, then held up his palms. “Sorry. I’m not trying to pry. Your business is your business.” He leaned a little closer, and I could see he’d either forgotten to be cautious around me or no longer cared. There was a twinkle in his eye. “But… If you wanted to meet up after work for coffee sometime, I’ll be happy to listen. If you need someone to talk to, that is.”
I smiled, biting my lip. He really was cute. Nice, too. But I could tell his invitation was for more than casual friendship. The idea of dating already or even a little flirtation made my stomach turn. It was like that time I had bad chicken from a takeout place and couldn’t even drive by their sign without getting aggressively nauseous for months. “That’s really nice, but–”
Cassie was suddenly beside me. She was leaning a little crookedly with a palm on my desk and her eyes were half-lidded. She was glaring slightly as she rubbed at one of her temples. “Hey,” she said. “I need to show you something at my desk.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Thank you for helping me get all this set up, Chase.”
Chase looked more pale than he had as he nodded. “Sure.” He rushed off to an unoccupied desk before I could even get up from my chair.
“Is everything okay?” I asked Cassie as I got up.
“My head is about to explode, I’ve got the shits, and I really don’t want to be here. But other than that, no. I got one of those scary emails from Mr. Stone asking me to help you get set up immediately if I didn’t want to be fired. So,” she said tightly. “Get your pretty little ass to my desk and prepare to get set up.”
“But Chase just helped me get set up. I’m already in the system and–”
Cassie took my arm in her grip. Even if she wasn’t feeling well, she was still frighteningly strong. “Let’s go.”
“Wow,” I said. “You’re really strong. What kind of workouts do you do?”
“Crossfit and rock climbing,” she said. “On the weekends I do long distance rowing.”
I laughed. “Sometimes I put on shoes to go for a run but when a good song comes on I end up walking so I can enjoy it. Then I convince myself that walking is better than sitting, so I just kind of enjoy the walk.”
Cassie gave me a look. “Walking is better than sitting. But you should really aim for an hour a day of exercise. At least five days a week.”
I smiled. “Maybe you can let me tag along with you and show me how it's done some time.”
She finally seemed to forget whatever was bothering her long enough to give me a genuine smile. “Yeah? I could show you the ropes if you wanted.” She seemed to stand a little taller.
“Great. Do you want some Midol or something? I always have an assortment of pills in my purse. It looks like you have a headache.”
“No,” she shook her head. “I’m trying this raw fish nutrition thing I read about. I think it isn’t agreeing with my stomach. And I don’t take any supplements.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s okay to take medicine if your head hurts.”
“I’m very particular about what I put in my body,” she said in a tone that told me the topic was closed.
I nodded. “So… What else should I know about? Chase got me an account and showed me how to access the email servers.”
Paisley appeared at the desk. Her red hair was braided on one side today and she looked adorable in a green high cut open coat with big yellow buttons. She had on a fitted gray dress beneath that showed off her figure. “New girl! I was worried we’d lost you yesterday.”
“You look amazing,” I said.
Paisley gave a little sway of her hips and tilted her chin, smiling. “I know. I have a date after work today.”
Cassie groaned. “You always have a date after work.”
“What are you implying, Cass?” Paisley asked.
“I’m implying you might be playing for the wrong team if you still haven’t found the right guy after all these dates.”
Paisley snorted. “Trust me. I’m a huge fan of men. I just haven’t found the right one yet.” She seemed to notice how off Cassie looked for the first time and folded her arms. “You aren’t doing that beef only diet again, are you?”
“Raw fish,” I said with a conspiratorial smile for Paisley.
Paisley pulled a face. “Like sushi?”
“Cooking the fish strips away some of the nutrients,” Cassie said, but even saying the word ‘fish’ seemed to turn her stomach. She paused, wincing, and then got up. “I’ll be back. Sorry, Lola.” She rushed off toward the restrooms.
“So what happened in his office yesterday?” Paisley asked. Her blue eyes were wide and sparkling with curiosity.
I considered telling her everything from the things I wasn’t supposed to about Max to his creepily hot attempts to control me. For some reason, my usually loose lips felt tight, though. “Um, well. It was mostly normal, I guess?” I felt bad lying, but I really did want this job to work out. I already liked Cassie and Paisley and even Chase. I liked my weird landlord and the little girls I’d met who were going to look after Termite. I liked Old Mr. Ashford and the cute Ashford Inn along with all the cheery, colorful buildings in Fairhope. Hell, I especially liked the fact that I was going to earn twenty freaking grand every month I survived this job. That sort of money could change my life.
Paisley frowned. “Normal? You mean he didn’t threaten to bend you over his desk and spank you if you talked to Chase again or something? After that email I got yesterday, I was almost wondering if he had the hots for you.”
I felt my cheeks go red but forced a shrug. “Nope. Just that I was supposed to show up early today and make sure I learned the ropes from you guys.”
“Huh.” Paisley looked skeptical for a moment, but it seemed to pass. “Well, do you have any questions?”
“Actually, I was wondering if it’s okay to take a break and have a coffee or something in the break room.”
“Girl,” Paisley said with a grin. “Mr. Stone may be a hardass, but you have to really fuck up to get his attention. Well, except in your case, I guess. For most of us mortals, we just have to keep that guy happy.” She pointed, drawing my eyes to a tall man with dark, slicked back hair, a square chin, and heavy eyebrows. He was handsome, but not really my type. He looked a little too much like the prototypical high school football captain slash prom king. “That’s Griffin. He’s the floor manager, and he’s the main one who will rat you out to Mr. Stone if you fuck up. But Griffin is actually pretty easy to please. Just make sure your work is done at the end of the day and he won’t care how you spend your time.”
I nodded slowly. “So… coffee?”
Paisley grabbed my hand and led me through the office towards a little box of frosted glass that enclosed the breakroom. I noticed people were looking up at us and whispering as I passed.
“Why does it seem like everybody is talking about us?” I asked.
Paisley opened the door to the empty breakroom and gestured for me to enter. “You. They are whispering about you. And it’s because you’ve met Mr. Stone face to face and word already spread about how he has been personally escorting you from the lobby to his office in the morning. They want to grill you for information just as bad as I do.”
I smiled a little sheepishly and used the coffee machine as an excuse to stall. I fiddled with the buttons and then found all the supplies before I responded. “Well, they’d be disappointed because there’s not much to tell.”
“Mhm,” Paisley said.
The door opened while the water was heating and three women hurried in. “You’re his new assistant, right?” One asked. All three were maybe in their mid to late twenties. They all had similar black hair, similar ponytails, and similar styles with pencil skirts in bright colors and flowy blouses that showed a healthy amount of cleavage.
Paisley leaned to my ear and whispered, barely moving her lips. “We call them the triplets.”
I raised an eyebrow and looked at them again. They definitely weren’t related, but I could see why the name was fitting. “Yep,” I said. “That’s me.”
They all gushed, rushing to speak until one finally seemed to win the right to ask the first question. “Are you two sleeping together?”
“No,” I said a little too firmly. “No,” I added again. “Not at all. He just told me what my job responsibilities were.”
“Do those include cock sucking?” One asked. The other two tittered with laughter. I might’ve been offended by the question, but I could sense they hadn’t meant it in a teasing or mean way. They seemed happily jealous of me, if anything.
“No,” I said, smiling. “Unless that was in the fine print and I missed it.”
We were all laughing when the door opened and more people came in. More questions followed, and my coffee sat waiting for sugar and cream while I tried to survive the horny inquisition.
After what felt like a small eternity, Paisley finally made an excuse for me and ushered me out of the packed breakroom and back to my desk. “You did good in there,” she said. “I’m pretty sure you’re not telling us something, but I don’t think any of them picked up on it.”
“Um,” I said. “I’m not–I just don’t want to make things weird. I really need this job to work out.”
Paisley gave my arm a squeeze. “Hey, it’s all good. You can tell me how he choked you against the wall and fucked your brains out when you’re ready. Hey, Cass. You just missed Lola get grilled by half the office.”
Cassie was coming back from the bathroom looking a little green. She paused, did an about-face, and then rushed back the way she’d come from.
“This happens every few weeks with her. You’ll get used to it.”
I felt more than a little overwhelmed, deadly curious to know more about Mr. Stone, and I was already itching to have another shot at getting in Max’s good graces. But above everything else, I felt a warm pulse of belonging. In a weird way, I already felt like this was going to be good for me. Really good. I’d made friends quickly and despite a somewhat alarming level of horniness from the co-workers I’d met in the breakroom, they all seemed welcoming and friendly.
I found myself smiling until I got to my desk and opened my email to see a message from Christian Stone.
To the Social Butterfly,
My office. Now.
-Mr. Stone
Paisley was reading over my shoulder. “Wow. He gave you a cute little nickname.” She shook her head and stared as if in disbelief. “I’m so fucking jealous.”
I cleared my throat. “I guess I should go. Now,” I added in a mockingly deep and gravelly voice.
Paisley slapped me on the ass and grinned. “Yeah, your boyfriend is summoning you. Don’t keep him waiting.”
I rushed off before she could see how red my cheeks were getting. It was only when I reached the elevator that the fear started to really set in.
What was I in trouble for this time?
11
CHRISTIAN
I waited at my desk with templed fingers and an ill-advised hard-on. Despite my fresh reminder that my ass was dangling on the line at the hands of the displeased board, I’d spent all day glancing between my work and the security cameras. Lola fucking Thorn had been bouncing around the office drawing smiles and attention everywhere she went.
The lie I told myself for calling her up suddenly was my fear over her sharing information about my niece. The truth I didn’t want to admit was I felt like I needed to establish control somehow. She was blending in too well and too quickly in the office. She was too goddamn likable.
She came into the room with her chin slightly downturned and her big brown eyes raised up to mine like a puppy who knew it was about to get yelled at. I clenched my jaw and watched her arrange herself in the seat across from my desk, all long limbs and golden skin–all smooth, silky temptation wrapped in a package I should’ve been treating like a ticking bomb.
“You asked to see me?” she said when I didn’t make any move to speak.
“What were they asking you in the breakroom?”
She hesitated and ran her pink tongue over her lips, leaving a glossy sheen that made me think about how she’d taste. I shoved that thought down, pissed at myself for how easily I was letting her claim my usually perfect control.
“I’m not sure that’s your business, Mr. Stone.”
I leaned forward. Something told me this little woman with the big puppy dog eyes wasn’t usually the type to stand up to a man like me. Most people I met weren’t the type to stand up to someone like me. People saw me and they cowered. They ducked back to their desks, behind a phone call, or turned the other way. I wasn’t a person to them. I was a force to be ignored. But apparently Miss Thorn saw it otherwise.
“You are my business, Miss Thorn. This is my business,” I said, gesturing to the building around us. “While you’re here, I own you. If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave.”
She took a deep breath through her nose and suddenly looked a little less like a puppy as she glared at me. “What is it you asked me here to talk about, Mr. Stone?” Her voice was suddenly syrupy sweet. “Or was this it. You just wanted to establish that I’m your property?”
I sat back in my chair, unable to help from grinning a little. “I wanted you to stop socializing. I’m not paying you to make friends. I’m paying you to convince them you’re actually capable of being my executive assistant so nobody will suspect you’re here to tutor my niece.”
“With no due respect, Mr. Stone, I think making friends will help me seem a lot less suspicious than acting like a robot.”
Did she just say with no due respect? I stared a few moments, but decided it was wiser to pretend I hadn’t heard anything. “I’m not paying you to think.” I snapped the words and immediately regretted them. Hell, I regretted sending the email demanding that she come up here, but I wasn’t in my right mind around this woman. That much was becoming increasingly and alarmingly clear. I was being an asshole, but I couldn’t afford to apologize for it.
Her face was a mask of stony anger. “Are we done here?”
“Yes. I need you to go to the penthouse and work with Max.”
“Last time you asked me to work with her, you showed up two minutes later and kicked me out. How long will I have?”
I checked the time. “Until lunch. Then it would be best if you made your way back to the fifty-fourth to keep up appearances. And this time, I expect you to obey me and stay away from Chase. Test me again and I’ll fire him on the spot. Am I clear?”
Her eyes blazed. “Perfectly clear.”
“You’re dismissed.”
“Thank God,” she muttered under her breath as she got up and rushed from the room.
I stared after her and waited until she was gone to let my head fall into my hands. I needed to get this under control, and fast. I was hard on my employees, and I wasn’t personable. But I wasn’t spiteful and mean. So what the hell was getting into me?
I rubbed at my temples. I was operating on virtually no sleep and I’d been nursing a headache for over two days now. Maybe with some sleep and a clear head I would be handling this better–whatever this was turning into.
I thought about calling one of my brothers and immediately shot the idea down. I could call my parents, but what good would that do? I’d vent about my shitty situation here and they’d ask me for the hundredth time if there was some way I could use my influence to help bring my brothers back into the business.
No, I was in this alone. Nobody was going to swoop in and solve my fucking problems, so I needed to find a way to get my head back in the game as soon as humanly possible. A little voice whispered in the back of my mind that I knew exactly how to do that. I just needed to fire Lola Thorn and hire another tutor–one who didn’t look straight past all my walls and shields and talk to me like I was any ordinary asshole.
