Chapter 36
Rilla
“I’ve got a lot of ideas for different social media posts as well.”
Alix’s eyes flit nervously to Bryce before settling back on me. I’ve exchanged a few polite emails with her over the last couple of months, but this is the first time we’ve met in person. When she arrived in the small waiting room outside Bryce’s office, I thought she was a model who got lost on her way to a shoot before she gave me a timid smile and introduced herself.
“It all sounds great,” I assure her. She’s spent the last thirty minutes talking about sales and marketing campaigns and what I’ve understood sounds great. I mean, she’s the marketing manager and I assume she knows what she’s doing.
She brightens at my praise, her relief obvious. For a woman significantly taller than me, she looks like she’s purposely trying to take up less space. “I’m so glad. I’m really looking forward to working with you.”
“Likewise. Thank you so much for walking me through everything today.” Not only do I think I can learn a lot from her, Alix seems really nice. A bit reserved, to be sure, but hopefully she’ll come out of her shell more as we get to know one another better.
“Yes, thanks Lexy,” Bryce says, his sleazy perma-leer plastered on his face. Alix almost shudders at the nickname and I suspect that it’s not me who’s put her on edge for the entirety of the meeting. “Be an angel and close the door when you leave?”
She looks at me with a look that can only be interpreted as sympathy before hurriedly walking out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
“Alone at last,” Bryce winks and I’m grateful for my lack of a gag reflex. “How are things coming with book two?” He asks, looking down at me.
To be clear, I don’t mean that he’s looking at me with disdain or contempt. I mean he’s literally looking down at me. In this huge corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows, Bryce’s desk sits on a platform that’s raised about eight inches off the rest of the glossy tile floor.
Is it a style choice? Perhaps. But my gut instinct tells me he just likes feeling superior to every person unfortunate enough to walk through his door.
But back to his question. I’ve decided that until I see how things go with Of Cinder And Sand’s launch that I am not disclosing that the rest of them are finished.
“Really well, thank you. I’ve already started sending the parts I’ve written to Logan for his thoughts.”
Bryce appears to be surprised by this information. “You know, Logan was not my first pick to edit your book, Rilla. He managed to use the clout he’s built at the company to call dibs on it. I know that you never wanted to work with him, so just say the word and I’ll assign someone else.”
“You’re not wrong. We didn’t get off on the best foot, and that was partially my fault. But once we worked out the kinks, we found that we work really well as a team. There is no one I’d rather have as my editor.” There is no one I’d rather have, period.
They say time makes fools of us all and I bite back a grin thinking how true the sentiment is. In less than a year, Logan has gone from the bane of my existence to my favorite part of every day. My mind flashes to how he looked this morning, waking up next to him. The tousled hair and sleepy grin when his eyes crept open and found me, lying next to him. Right where he left me.
I pull myself out of my daydream, cheeks feeling flushed. It’s only been a few hours since I saw him and already I can’t wait to meet him in his office when my meeting is over.
I look up to find Bryce staring at me with an unfathomable expression. Eyes narrowed, mouth flat. It’s as though he’s put the final puzzle piece in place, but the image still doesn’t make sense to him.
“I want you to come to an event with me this weekend.” It’s an abrupt statement, not an invitation.
Uneasiness starts to build inside me. “An event? But Alix just said that those are months away.”
“It’s not for your book. It’s a charity event that I’ve been invited to.”
I wait for him to continue, to give me a reason, a purpose I would serve in going with him. He doesn’t. “Why exactly do you want me to go?”
“These events are a bore, Rilla,” he says smoothly, standing, taking a step down from that ridiculous riser, and walking around his desk until he’s directly in front of me. “If you come, at least I’ll have something nice to look at.”
“Bryce, I’m not interested in going on a date with you. And you should know that I’m in a relationship.” Not that my answer would have changed if I were single.
“With who? Carmichael?” He’s still smiling, only now it’s more of a sneer. “I thought that I made myself clear before. This is a cutthroat industry, Rilla. When it comes to the man responsible for making and breaking your deals, you’d do well to make sure you’re not skipping the customary…niceties.” His eyes rake over me as he leans forward, hand extended and creeping toward my crossed legs.
I push his hand away forcefully before he touches me and stand, making sure to stay as far away from him as possible as I head for the door. I open the door an inch only to have him press it shut again.
He’s right behind me. Not actually touching me, but crowding my personal space. I can smell the remnants of his lunch on his breath as it curls around the back of my neck. I take a deep breath and turn around, ready to knee him square in the balls if he attempts to touch me again.
“I make an amazing ally, Rilla. But you don’t want to cross me. We don’t want anything to jeopardize your book launch, do we?”
“At the moment, all I care about is leaving this office.” Fuck the book and fuck Bryce.
“What about your boyfriend’s job? Hmm? Do you care about that?”
The fire of hatred in my belly is extinguished by an icy dread. My eyes start to sting, but I refuse to cry in front of him. “You can’t…”
“My name is on the fucking building, Rilla.” His lip curls as he glares down at me. “That means I can do whatever the fuck I want. How do you think Carmichael will feel about you? After you’ve destroyed his career? The spotless reputation he’s worked so hard to build?” I don’t need to look at him to know he’s enjoying this. I can hear it in his voice. “Do you think he’ll still want you? After you’ve taken that away from him?”
My heart aches so much in my chest it almost cripples me. I need to keep moving. Like a wounded animal, my very survival depends on it.
“Let me leave, Bryce.”
He leers over me one last time before stepping back. The friendly facade is back in place. “Of course you can leave. No one’s keeping you here. I can see I’ve given you a lot to think about. Give yourself a day or two to mull it over.” He turns away, walking back to his desk. “In the meantime, I’ll send you the info on the gala.”
I don’t remember the walk to the elevator. I couldn’t tell you about the ride down to the lobby or if I met anyone along the way. I put my focus on placing one foot in front of the other.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
I must have a factory setting with autopilot because I find myself standing in front of my apartment with no memory of how I got here. It’s a miracle I didn’t walk into moving traffic.
It isn’t until I find myself in the safety of the familiar halls of my building that the static in my brain quiets.
I let myself into my apartment. Without bothering to turn on the lights, I kick off my shoes but leave my spring coat on. I feel my way down the dark hall to my bedroom and crawl onto the bed.
I’m shaking. Not very noticeably, but my body is trembling in a subtle way like someone who’s had one too many espressos. I feel nauseated and light headed. Should I eat something? No. I don’t think I could physically keep anything down. When was the last time I ate? I had dinner plans with Logan after the meeting.
Logan.
I pull my phone from my coat pocket. It takes me three tries to type in my passcode correctly and when I finally manage to, the screen blinds me when it lights up. There are several unread messages from Logan.
Logan: Good luck at your meeting.
Logan: I just got through the second battle scene. Absolutely brilliant
Logan: How did you come up with Duncal’s monologue? Deadly
Logan:My girlfriend is an evil mastermind
Logan: I meant evil in the best possible way
Logan:Are you playing Bryce Bingo? Are you winning?
Logan:Kidding. There are no winners in Bryce Bingo.
Logan: I can’t wait to see you
What if Bryce wasn’t bluffing? What if he fires Logan because of me? What if he loses everything he’s worked so hard for and it’s my fault?
The tears come then, hot droplets cooling instantly as they run down my cold cheeks.
With blurry eyes, I tap out a quick text to Logan. Then I turn off my phone, crawl under the covers and turn my head into my pillow; I let the sobs come.