Chapter 37
Must not stab your co-worker
Harley
After meeting my teammates, signing a pile of papers at HR, internally freaking out about how much money Kaz is willing to pay me for this position, and touring Lindstrom Artisanal Brewery Co, located in an adjacent building to the HQ, I’m in the kitchen waiting for the fancy-schmancy espresso machine to drop the nectar of the gods into my mug.
A latte to accompany the muffin Kaz bought me is the perfect way to kick off the day.
I inhale the French vanilla scent and close my eyes on a prayer.
As I count the seconds until the magic happens, I smooth down my blush-coloured cap-sleeve dress. Everyone in the office is decked out in black or navy, so I stand out in my light-colored outfit.
Oh, well.
I selected an outfit that screamed late spring. I don’t mind black, but there are so many other colors, which is a concept so foreign to most New Yorkers.
The latte bubbles into my cup.
I grab my mug, pour some sugar in it, stir, and take a long-awaited sip.
This is amazing coffee.
“How was your meeting?” My ears perk up at a man’s voice outside the kitchen.
“Not only did it drag on, but they didn’t even have the decency of serving good coffee,” a woman says. “Don’t get me started on those monster bagels. I don’t need an injection of five thousand calories first thing in the morning.”
It must be the two supply coordinators I didn’t meet yet.
I turn around, clutching my mug.
A tall, slim woman and a man who towers over her appear at the threshold, their steps halting when they see me.
The woman’s strong fruity perfume overpowers the lovely aroma of my coffee.
I paste a bright smile on my face.
The guy with curly hair and brown eyes approaches me. You must be Harley. Pleased to meet you. I’m Pete.” He extends a hand.
I shake it. “Pleased to meet you too, Pete.”
“Welcome aboard. So, you’re the social media pimp?”
I laugh. “Something like that.”
“It’s about time we had a dedicated person. What we have now works, but the boss says you’re going to hit it out of the park.”
“No pressure.”
“I have faith in you, Harley.” He winks.
“Thanks for being team Harley.”
Pete steps aside.
Everything about the woman in front of me gives off the vibe she’s the polar opposite of Pete and everybody else I’ve met so far. Her arms are crossed and her right foot is extended in front of the left one, as she stares down her nose at me, perched on top of her platform skyscraper heels.
If she’s going to check me out, I’ll do the same.
My examination starts at her patent leather black heels, travels to what looks like designer cobalt-blue sweatpants with black detailing where the pockets are, and up to her black sleeveless top that ends with some sort of wraparound thing around her neck that makes it look like she’s wearing a BDSM choker.
I lift my gaze to her reddish-burgundy hair that’s styled as if she were a character in the Vikings series.
She cocks a brow. “You’re Harley.”
“That’s me. And you must be Maybelline.” With a name like that, does she feel like she’s cheating if she were to wear another cosmetic—
“That’s not how you pronounce my name.”
Her chastising words have the same effect as a whip.
I flinch.
Thank God hot coffee doesn’t splash over the rim of the cup and burn me.
“It’s Maybellynn.” She juts her chin up in the air. “Not Maybelline. Not May. Not Maybell. Not Belle. Not Lynn. Not Leen. May-belle-lynn.”
Crap.
Cressida did mention that I needed to tread with caution when it comes to my colleague’s name, but no need to be nasty about it.
“Got it?” The name bully adopts a defiant stance.
I do the same. “Got it.”
“Repeat my name so I know you got it.”
“I told you I did.”
“I want to hear it.”
My disbelieving gaze slides to Pete.
He gives me a ‘sorry’ shrug.
I stare up into the name bully’s brown eyes. “May-bell-lynn.”
She huffs.
Must not stab your co-worker on your first day on the job. Must. Not. Stab.
An awkward moment settles between us.
Pete heads to the coffee machine.
I take a small sip of my coffee, wishing it was laced with booze.
“You just started,” Maybellynn says. “You haven’t proven yourself yet. You don’t deserve the former CEO’s office.”
Maybellynn not Maybelline is getting on my last nerves. “And you do?”
“Yes.” If she juts that chin up in the air any more than she already is, she’ll fall backward.
Mmmm. Maybe it’ll do her some good if she were to land flat on her ass. This woman needs an attitude transplant.
“I’ve been here for two years.” She’s not done pissing all over her territory. “I’m a diligent worker. Thanks to me, Kaz always gets the best of the best and when I can, I always get him the best possible price to save him money. Without me, he’d be lost.”
Jeez, she thinks highly of herself.
Forget about landing on her ass. I wish there was a ladder somewhere so I could climb it and bitch slap her.
“I’m a damn good supply manager—”
“Supply coordinator for all three of Kaz’s restaurants.” Someone had to correct you, bitch.
She shoots daggers at me. “That’s because Kaz is blind to what I have to bring to the table.”
Do I detect a tinge of narcissism in that statement? “Right.” I nod.
She glares at me with unabashed hostility. “There are no reasons for us to work together, so stay out of my way.”
This woman doesn’t even know me, and already she’s rejecting me. Fun times ahead.
“Copy that.” I offer her a salute.
She lets out a loud exhale of exasperation and rolls her eyes.
I flip her a mental middle finger.
With that, the office barracuda turns around and stomps out of the kitchen on her ten-inch heels that don’t have red soles.
Wow. Just wow.
Pete leans into me. “She’s a lot to handle when you first meet her. A real tough nut to crack.”
Or a real nut job? “Thanks for the heads up,” I say. “But like she pointed out, it’s unlikely we’ll be working together.” Thank you, God.
“Lucky you,” Pete says under his breath.
My eyes widen.
He cringes. “You didn’t hear that.”
Oh, yes, I did.
There’s a knock at my door.
My eyes bounce up, it takes everything in me to school my expression.
It isn’t Kaz.
Cressida is hanging from the door frame. “What are you still doing here?”
“I reactivated an account with the software I used to use to manage my social media posts for my corporate floral company. The software was essential to leveraging my online presence for one company, but since I’ll be managing four different divisions of Kaz’s company, it’s going to be my lifeline. ”
Cressida approaches my desk. “Can I take a peek?”
I turn my laptop
She nods. “You didn’t slack on your first day.”
I shake my head. “I’m too eager to get started. My head is buzzing with ideas.”
“You’re the right woman for the job.”
I hope so. “I don’t want to let Kaz down.”
“With this level of organization, that’s not possible.”
“Planning is one thing, execution is another.”
She gestures at my screen. “Everything is color coordinated. You got this.”
I laugh.
“Can I close your door?”
Uh-oh. “Sure.”
She closes it and slides into a guest chair across from my desk. “A little birdie told me Maybellynn welcomed you with open arms.”
I frown and tilt my head to the side.
“I’m being facetious.”
“For a minute there, I thought we had a different definition of the word welcome.”
“I didn’t want to say anything to influence your judgment before meeting her,” Cressida says. “That would’ve been talking behind her back, and I’m not like her.”
“Gosh, she seems like a charming human being.”
“Right?” Cressida glances over her shoulder.
I crane my neck to see if anyone is in the hallway.
Nobody.
She returns her attention to me. “HR, the boss’s executive assistant, and I, know Kaz and you were dating before you started.”
Fake dating, but okay.
“He planned on telling everyone in the office this morning during a staff meeting, but since he’s dealing with this Grazie Mille crisis, he hasn’t been able to.” She checks over her shoulder again.
Whatever she’s about to tell me must be hush-hush.
She faces me. “Maybellynn was hovering over the admin pool, pretending she has a managerial role, while I was talking to the graphic design admin. One of the girls was sharing a story. She’d went across the street to buy chips and a soda.
While she was in line, she checked her favorite gossip site and saw a photo of the boss kissing the new girl. ”
I groan.
“Maybellynn’s face turned beet red. She turned on her heel, bolted to her desk, grabbed her handbag, and flew out of here like a bat out of hell.
” Cressida’s dark blue eyes hold mine. “Let’s say she doesn’t only envy you for ending up with the office…
” She arches an eyebrow. “But you didn’t hear that from me. ”
Great, just great.
After Cressida leaves my office, I put away my laptop in the safe, grab my handbag, and blow a kiss to my orchid.
I’m done.
My first day at my new job was a mixture of petty office drama, hope, and disappointment.
Every time Maybellynn strode by my office with arrogant indifference just to turn around and glower at me through the glass wall, she was steadfast in her determination to give me the evil eye.
But that wasn’t enough to damper my resolve to prove myself as worthy of Kaz’s trust and this incredible office.
I kept my head down and focused on coming up with a killer social media plan, elated by the chance of reinventing myself and getting a much-needed injection of money in my bank account.
It sucks that the situation at Grazie Mille kept Kaz away from the office, but the idea of spending the entire evening with him gives me wings. I might be his fake girlfriend, but unlike Maybellynn, I’m the lucky one who gets up close and personal with the boss.
Fingers crossed we can finish what we started yesterday.
My gaze sweeps around the office that’s become a contentious issue between me and a coworker who hates me, before heading to the elevator. As I cross the office, I wave goodbye to the few coworkers still sitting in the admin pool.
The second I step outside the building, my phone chimes with a text.
SDILF
How was your first day?
Excitement bubbles to the surface.
“Get out of the fucking way,” a woman says. “If you’re going to text, don’t block the fucking sidewalk.”
“Sorry,” I say to her retreating back.
I step to the side.
My fingers fly on the screen as I type my response.
Harley
Good. Productive. And you?
SDILF
Between Grazie Mille’s owner who’s in panic mode, texting all the restaurant’s employees to let them know the restaurant will be closed, getting the interim manager to circle back with all the reservations to let them know the news, lining up a plumber to come down and yank the toilet out so the police and the FBI can poke around, this day is kicking my ass.
Harley
But it’s over soon, right?
SDILF
I wish.
Harley
Oh, no. Are you still stuck there for a while?
SDILF
Probably another couple of hours. Then, I’m heading to Number 22, and after that to the office to get some work done.
Harley
I was just leaving, but I can go back upstairs and hang out.
SDILF
It’s your first day. Take it easy. Go back to my place and enjoy your evening. There’s a freezer full of food my chef prepared.
Harley
It’s okay, I don’t mind waiting for you.
SDILF
I’m in a shitty mood and my fuse is short. Even though I’m exhausted, I have a lot to catch up on.
SDILF
When I agreed to help Grazie Mille’s owner, I didn’t foresee this outcome.
Harley
Of course you didn’t.
SDILF
All I’m saying is I wouldn’t be great company tonight.
Harley
Oh, okay.
Three dots bounce.
Then, they disappear.
They bounce again.
SDILF
I didn’t mean to be short. I didn’t get much sleep last night and this drug mule situation is a fucking nightmare.
Harley
I get it.
SDILF
Don’t wait up for me.
A baseball-sized knot forms in my throat.