Chapter 5
LYRA
Istep out of the cab and stand on the sidewalk for a minute, trying to catch my breath. My legs feel like rubber, my heart is still pounding, and I can’t stop replaying every second of that meeting in my head.
I’m hired. I got the job. I should be dancing in the street right now, but instead I feel like I just stumbled off a dangerous roller coaster.
I finally force my legs to move and take the stairs up to my apartment. My keys are slippery in my sweaty palm, but I manage to get the door unlocked without dropping them.
I’m prepared to sneak in quietly, maybe crash on the couch and let the adrenaline drain out, but the second I open the door, I know I’m screwed. Becca is sitting on the couch, cradling a giant mug of coffee in both hands. Her eyes are locked on the door before I’m even halfway inside.
“Well?” she demands.
I blink at her in surprise. “How are you even awake?”
She narrows her eyes. “Spill it, Taylor.”
I groan and shut the door behind me, tossing my bag onto the small dining table.
“You’re like a bloodhound.”
She doesn’t deny it. She just takes a sip of coffee and raises one eyebrow. I blow out a breath and kick off my sensible heels, wiggling my sore toes.
“Okay. Fine. You want the headline?”
Becca leans forward. “Yes. Please.”
I press my lips together, trying to contain the grin that’s been threatening to escape ever since I left his office. “I got the job.”
Her eyes go wide. She slams her mug onto the coffee table so hard coffee sloshes over the side. “Shut up!” she screams, giddy.
I let the grin finally break free. “I’m serious. He hired me on the spot.”
She lets out an unholy shriek and I wince.
“Becca—”
But it’s too late. She leaps off the couch and slams into me in a hug that nearly knocks me off balance.
“Oh, my God!” she screeches in my ear. “Oh, my God, Lyra! You did it! You actually did it!”
I laugh helplessly, wrapping my arms around her. “Yeah. I did.”
She pulls back just enough to stare at me, eyes shining. “Tell me everything. Every. Single. Thing.”
“It was so awkward.”
She cackles. “That’s exactly the hot gossip I want to hear.”
I sigh. “He asked me all these questions about my resumé and my senior project and why I was waitressing instead of coding.”
She nods, eyes wide. “And what did you say?”
“I told him the truth,” I say, shrugging. “That I needed to wait tables to pay the bills.”
Becca whistles low.
“He respected it,” I admit. “I think.”
She grins. “Of course he did. That’s you. Blunt and honest to a fault.”
I squirm a little. “Yeah, well. He pushed. He asked about my experience with different programs, my research, why I wanted to work at Integrated Solutions.”
“And you answered flawlessly, I assume,” she says with a flourish. “So how much is the pay? Tell me it’s worth the embarrassment of working for your new crush.”
“High six figures,” I say, unable to help bragging a little.
Becca gasps. “Holy shit, Lyra. That’s insane. That’s more than both of us make in a year combined. That’s more than what the both of us make in five years!”
I grin helplessly. “Yeah. It’s a lot of money.”
She punches my arm. “Tell me you accepted the offer.”
“I did!”
Becca squeals again, bouncing. “We’re rich, we’re rich!”
“We’re not rich!” I argue.
“Fine,” she groans. “You are going to be rich and graciously be my Sugar Mama.”
“For what in return?” I giggle.
“My undying devotion?”
I roll my eyes.
Her smile turns shark-like. “How was he?”
My cheeks flame. “Becca.”
She leans closer. “How was Mr. Sexy Russian CEO in the cold light of day?”
I sigh and slump. “He was sexier,” I admit.
Her eyes go wide. “Sexier?”
I nod miserably. “It made being professional almost impossible. His suit looked spray-painted on. His hair was so perfectly in place, all I could think about was running my fingers through it and messing it up. And his voice is like sin. And the office was so intimidating. It was all glass and dark wood and this giant desk that I swear was made for…”
I stop.
Becca’s eyes light up. “Made for what, Lyra?”
“Nothing!”
She howls with laughter again.
I grab a pillow and smack her repeatedly until she wheezes for mercy.
Finally, she subsides into giggles.
“God, I love this. So you’re saying you’re gonna be professional and not think about him at all from now on, right?”
I clear my throat.
She gives me a wicked grin. “Right?”
I scowl. “I have to. He’s my boss now.”
Becca snorts. “Yeah, because that’s gonna stop you.”
“It has to!”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “Just try not to moan his name in your sleep, okay? Thin walls.”
I throw the pillow at her head one more time. Finally, she groans that she’s dead on her feet and stops teasing me mercilessly. She heads to bed, and I go to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge to find something to heat up for lunch.
I eat the reheated spaghetti slowly as I consider what this job is going to look like.
Maybe, over time, it will be easier to be around him.
Maybe I won’t want to jump his bones every time I see him, and I’ll prove what a great asset I am to the team.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I don’t want to blow it over some hot man.
Monday morning hits me like a freight train, but I’m ready when it comes. I’ve spent the whole weekend preparing, buying some new clothes on my overused credit card, and putting in my notice at the restaurant. That was the sweetest part of all of this.
Outside of Integrated Solutions, I straighten my skirt and lift my chin. I’m finally starting my dream job.
When I get inside, a security guard hands me a temporary badge and gives me a packet of instructions for my first day. I take the elevator up to my designated floor, watching the numbers tick by, my heart rate rising with every ding.
When the doors open, a woman with perfectly coiffed hair greets me with a polite smile.
“Lyra Taylor?”
I nod, swallowing.
“Welcome. You’ll be with Mark today. He’ll get you settled.”
She gestures to a tall, balding man who appears out of nowhere, holding a clipboard.
“Lyra,” he says warmly. “Glad to have you on board. Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be working.”
I follow him down a long hallway, past glass-walled offices where important-looking people tap at keyboards or talk into headsets.
He opens a door and waves me through. The room is large and bright, lined with tall windows overlooking the city.
Desks sit in neat rows, each with dual monitors and ergonomic chairs.
It buzzes with quiet conversation and the clack of keyboards. Programmers. My people.
Mark gestures to an empty desk near the windows. “That’ll be you. We’ll get your login set up today. I’ll introduce you around.”
He goes through a long list of procedures: who to talk to for HR questions, where the bathroom is, the break room stocked with terrible coffee.
I try to pay attention, but it’s hard. I can’t stop wondering where Damien is, or what he’s doing right now.
Of course he wouldn’t be here to walk me through my orientation. He’s much too busy for that.
Mark finishes by handing me a small stack of paperwork. “Sign those when you get a chance. Welcome to Integrated Solutions.”
He claps me on the shoulder like I’m an old friend and strides away. I sink into my chair, blowing out a breath. It’s so strange. After so long behind a bar, faking smiles for guys who think they’re charming, I’m in an office where people nod politely and leave me alone.
I glance around. Everyone’s busy and focused. Except for one guy across the aisle.
He’s got to be in his early thirties, with dark hair pulled back in a small ponytail. He has a thin frame, and his black hoodie is slung over his chair like it lives there.
He catches me looking and stands.
Shit.
He strolls over, and I can’t help comparing him to the sleazeballs at the restaurant. He has the same air of entitlement.
“Hey. New girl.”
I swallow. “Hi.”
He extends a hand. “I’m Rick.”
I take it briefly. “Lyra.”
“Cool,” he says, leaning against my desk. Too close. “So, welcome to the dungeon. Hope you don’t mind working your ass off.”
I stare back at him, trying desperately not to roll my eyes.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I deadpan.
He smirks. “We’ll see.”
His eyes travel down to my blouse, lingering a second too long. My skin crawls.
I keep my voice even. “Can I help you with something?”
He blinks back at me, surprised.
Then he chuckles.
“Nah. I’m just being friendly.”
I force a tight smile. “Great. Well, I’d love to get started here, so if you don’t mind.” I gesture for him to leave.
He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “Sure. Sure. Don’t let me distract you.”
He wanders back to his desk, shooting me a grin over his shoulder. Asshole. I exhale slowly.
It’s fine. I’ve dealt with worse. At least he left without much fuss. I pull the keyboard toward me and start reading through the orientation documents on the screen. It’s dense but familiar.
This is what I’m here for. This is what I’m good at.
I get lost in it for a while, highlighting key sections, making notes about procedures, trying to memorize login credentials. The spell breaks when the door at the end of the room opens.
Two broad men in black suits walk in with stony expressions.
They don’t look like they belong here, and they don’t even pretend to blend in. They talk to each other in low voices, in what sounds like Russian. My heart rate spikes.
I feel the air in the room shift. Everyone is still working, but there’s a tension about them now, like they’re purposely trying to avoid the two men walking through. The kind of men who look like they belong in a mob movie.
One of them shifts, and I see the glint of a silver gun in his waistband. I swallow hard and try to remember how to breathe. They’re talking, but their eyes sweep the room constantly.
I’m not the only one who notices. The tension ratchets up instantly. Even Rick sits up straighter, his smirk gone. I force myself to keep my eyes on my screen, but my pulse is pounding in my ears. What the hell is this?
Security guards at the far end of the room are watching carefully but not moving, like they’re used to this. Like this is business as usual.
What the hell did I just sign up for?