Chapter 15 Anna
Chapter fifteen
Anna
“I
can’t believe you’re really leaving us,” Kristy says to me as I take a bite of my salad.
It’s been almost a month since I put in my application to Phisherman’s Cybersecurity and I will be officially starting my new position there on Monday as executive assistant to the CEO. “We’re going to miss you so much.”
I smile at her but internally roll my eyes.
Kristy is nice enough to me at work, and we enjoy lunch together on occasion, but we aren’t exactly friends.
She has never once reached out to me about doing anything outside work and the few times I’ve asked her to hang out, she’s always had something better to do than hang out with me.
“I’m really excited about it,” I tell her honestly.
“The woman who interviewed me said nothing but incredible things about the owners and I’ve already seen a sight of that.
When I explained that I couldn’t accept the job until I had housing lined up, she let me know about the guest house the CEO has and offered it for me to stay in for no charge until I can find my own place. ”
“Are you shitting me? That’s awesome! Of course, any boss would be better than Mr. Brenner. He’s always been a jerk, but he’s been on a real tirade the last couple of weeks,” Kristy says while chewing on her sandwich.
She isn’t wrong. Once I put in my two weeks’ notice, Daniel has been a complete asshole to everyone at work. His messages to me have become more frequent and while they’re typically just vile and downright gross, they’ve become slightly threatening.
Kristy lifts her water bottle up and says, “To new beginnings.” I tap my bottle to hers. I can definitely drink to that.
Packing up the last of my things from my desk, I feel his presence before he speaks.
“Anna, I need to see you in my office,” Daniel’s raspy voice has a bit of a bite to it today.
I look up at him, his dark brown eyes as muddy as the river my dad likes to take his boat on. His hair is greased back, and I know for a fact it’s filled with hair dye to try and hide the fact he’ll be sixty at the end of the year. It’s not fooling anybody.
Following him to his office, he allows me to enter and then shuts the door behind him. Immediately my shoulders tense and my mouth goes dry. Daniel has shut the door with me in his office before and I’ve never left afterward with a feeling other than pure repulsion.
“Why are you doing this to me, Anna?” he asks, coming over to stand behind me.
I scrunch my nose up in confusion because I'm not doing a damn thing to this man. His hand grabs my hip, and I flinch at his touch, only causing him to squeeze tighter. “Why are you leaving me when you know I’ve been so good to you?”
I want to yell about how he definitely has not been good to me.
When looking for other opportunities I found that my pay is abysmal in comparison.
He often keeps me past my workday and I never receive compensation for it.
Oh, and then there’s the fact that he has been sexually harassing me for a year.
I want to say all that but instead calm myself before I find my voice.
“While I’ve appreciated the opportunity to work here, Mr. Brenner, I need to explore my options.
” I’m hoping that if I keep things professional, he will too, but I should have known better.
“Your options?” He huffs out a laugh and his grip tightens to the point of pain. “Sweet, stupid Anna. What other fucking options do you think you have?”
His hand slides from my hip and he cups my ass over the gray pencil skirt I chose to wear today.
I try to pull away, but his other hand is on my stomach, and he grips that pesky roll of fat that won’t seem to leave there no matter what I try.
“You think any other man wants this? You think any other boss is going to be sweet to you like I am when you look like this? You're lucky I like a girl with meat on her bones, sweet girl.” His hand manages to find its way underneath my blouse and again I try to pull away, but he clamps down on my breast so hard there’s no doubt I’ll have a bruise tomorrow.
“Though these fucking tits could easily bring any man to his knees.”
There have been a few instances where Daniel has pressed himself into me, or touched me, but never like this. Sure, those were inappropriate, but this is something else entirely and I have to fight it.
“Daniel, stop,” I demand as he pulls the cup of my bra down to fully expose me to him. “Daniel this is too far, let go of me. Now.”
“You think you can fucking leave me, Anna?” He doesn’t yell, but his menacing tone has me cowering all the same. “You’re mine,” he claims, pinching my nipple so hard tears spring to my eyes.
“Stop! Now! Let me go and I’ll walk away. I won’t tell anyone what happened, I promise.”
He laughs, channeling every evil villain in movie history.
“You think anyone is going to believe you? Poor, pitiful, Anna. I will ruin you. I’ll make sure that the only one that will get sympathy is the boss who eventually had to let you go after your advances became too strong and you wouldn’t take no for an answer.
My, my, Anna. Your father is going to be so disappointed in you. ”
Daniel hits where he knows it hurts. My whole life I’ve tried proving myself to my dad, and every time I disappoint him is like an ice pick to my heart. Unfortunately, it’s been pretty often in my life. If it’s Daniel’s word versus mine, I have no doubt my father will side with his best friend.
“Please let me go. I don’t want this, please.”
“Stop lying to yourself, sweet girl. I bet your pussy is drenched thinking about all the things I could do to it. Let me check.”
I buck against him, trying like hell to push him off me, but his hand on my ass pulls up my skirt, and his fingers manage to skim underneath my panties.
I’m screaming and shouting for someone, anyone to help, but it’s too late.
He dips his finger inside me, completely violating a piece of me I would never willingly give to him.
Tears fall down my cheeks, shuttering my cries for help, as he continues pressing into my back and probing me.
A knock at the door stalls his actions, and I have never been so grateful to hear Kristy’s sweet voice behind that door. “Anna? Mr. Brenner? Is everything okay? I thought I heard screaming.”
Daniel leans into my ear, tugging my hair so that my scalp screams in pain.
“You don’t say a fucking word.” He pulls his fingers out of me and makes an obscene spectacle of tasting them, then pulls my skirt back down over my ass.
I adjust my shirt as he walks away from me but continue facing his desk, so my back is to the door that he cracks open.
“Hi, Kristy. Thanks for checking, but we’re all good. Miss Keith just tripped over the chair and was shouting for help, but thankfully for her I was there, and she fell right into my arms. We’re all good here.”
I can’t see Kristy’s reaction and I’m too scared to turn around. She must be satisfied with his answer because I hear footsteps retreating. My body shivers as I stand there knowing my saving grace has walked away.
“That will be all Miss Keith. I hope your new place of employment brings you as much satisfaction as I know this one has.” I slowly walk past him, but he grabs my wrist and yanks me to his chest before I cross the threshold. “And sweet girl, I will never let you go.”
Something about Daniel’s words sound ominous, but I keep my mouth shut and shoulders back as I walk out of his office and pick up the box with my things from my desk. I hold my head high as I walk to the elevator bank and then get the hell out of Brenner & Associates.