Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Sebastian really was a god among men. I was sure Lily already knew that, but I didn’t realize it until he landed me an interview within a week at Leviathan.
Of course, I didn’t have an outfit, which meant I had to scour Lily’s closet for something that would work. She didn’t have anything professional either, but she had more regular-length tops than crop tops, making her closet a far better choice. I wound up with a pair of her slacks and a nicer-looking blouse. I didn’t look like myself when I walked through the doors, but I highly doubted they’d want to employ the real me.
“Stay calm,” Sebastian said. “The person who’s interviewing you is nice, from what I’ve heard. Just mention your successes and strengths and find one weakness that is accurate but not too bad.”
He was repeating all the things he’d already told me a few days before. I hated to admit it, but I needed the reminder.
“Right. I can do all of those things.”
I definitely could not . Had I done anything good at my last job? Sure, I got things done and never missed a deadline, but the most I could remember was getting an entire book read in a meeting.
“And take a few deep breaths. There’s no need to panic.”
“It’s not like the future of my homeownership counts on this or anything.” I still tried to listen. I got a few breaths in before we exited the elevator. “Out of curiosity, you won’t get fired or anything if I bomb this, right?”
“How bad are we talking?”
That didn’t make me feel better. “You know what? I’ll just sit and wait, and everything will be okay.”
Sebastian nodded, but his brows pinched together. I had a feeling he didn’t have any more confidence than I did about this situation. “I’ll wait with you and give you an introduction,” he said.
“I’ll tell Lily you were extra nice to me.” I gave him what I hoped was a warm smile and pulled out my phone to message V.
Okay. I’m about to try and fix all of my problems here in a bit. Hopefully, I don’t mess it up.
V
You couldn’t mess up anything you tried to do.
HA. I appreciate the kindness, but I need to be realistic.
Then we’ll be realistic. You’re smart, Amy. Even if you mess this up, you’ll figure out a way to make someone laugh about it and still get whatever you need.
And before you ask me how I know how smart you are, I’m going to direct you to the notes of the last five-book series we read where you caught plot holes I didn’t even think to see.
You know my follow-up questions too well.
I do. And if we’re sticking to being realistic, then you need to know there’s a difference between realism and pessimism.
Fine. I’ll give you that one. But there’s also a difference between realism and optimism.
We’re two sides of the same coin.
I locked my phone and tried to calm down, but V’s kind words did more for me than I wanted to admit. My entire body felt warm, like it was glowing under the compliments he’d just fed me. I’d never met the guy in person, but if he could do this to me through a phone, what could he do if he were in front of me?
“I-is there somewhere I can get some water?”
“In the break room, but don’t be too long,” he replied. “Sally will want to meet you any second.”
I wasted no time following Sebastian’s quick directions to the break room. I asked him to hang behind in case he needed to make an excuse for my temporary absence.
“Okay, Amy,” I said to myself, pacing in front of the sink. “There’s a lot riding on this, so you have to lock it in. No being weird. You need to land this job. This is not the time to talk about dicks, romance books, or anything in between. Be professional .”
I was about to take a breath when I heard something fall. I yelped and turned, hoping whoever was in here was wearing headphones and laughing at a video on their phone, which they’d just dropped on the table.
But I quickly realized things were much worse.
I had done my best not to think of Levi Hensen ever since I’d discovered he’d used me to piss off Calvin. It didn’t always work, especially the nights when I would lie awake and think of him. Still, after college, I doubted I would ever see him again.
Yet, here I was, staring into his blue-green eyes while I gaped like a fish.
Levi had the same Adonis-like face, but now his hair reached past the nape of his neck. It was effortlessly brushed back on his head.
But what was he doing here? He had his own company, right?
That was when it hit me.
Levi.
Leviathan.
Shit.
Levi was taking a break from running a huge company by watching something on his phone, which was now in front of him on the table. He was staring at me as if he wasn’t sure I was real. His eyes were wide, his jaw ticked. I didn’t even blame him. He’d just caught me talking to myself like a weirdo, after all.
“U-uh, wow. Nice company you have here.” I tucked a curl behind my ear. “Really impressive. I bet you’re really good at pretending you didn’t hear things. Like what I just said. A-anyway, I should get going before I make this worse for myself.”
I went to make a run for it and hoped that I hadn’t ruined my chances, but his hand clamped down on my wrist.
“Amy Willard.”
This felt charged in a way I didn’t know how to explain. His eyes were intense like he was trying to gauge my entire life story from one look alone.
Or maybe he was trying to work out how he could use me again.
I might have read a lot of romance novels, but I wasn’t going to get bamboozled by Levi’s pretty face again.
Still, if he were here and this was his company, I couldn’t be as mean as I wanted to be.
I laughed awkwardly. “That’s me. Here for a job interview.”
“A job interview,” he repeated.
“Yes. I hear the company has good benefits, probably because of your leadership.”
“You’re being very nice considering how we left things.”
My eyes narrowed. Why bring it up? Plenty of people lived long lives running from their problems. I could too, if I got enough money to pay my bills while doing so.
“That’s all in the past,” I said slowly. It didn’t sound very convincing.
A tilt of Levi’s head told me he wasn’t convinced either. “Are you sure about that?”
“Very sure. I can prove it in my job interview, which I really need to be getting to.” I tried to tug my hand out of his grip, but it tightened.
“Did you know this was my company?”
I gritted my teeth. “No. A friend works here, and he got me an interview.”
“He?”
“Yes. He. I can have friends of all genders.” My eyes finally met his. “Even assholes, apparently.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Not you,” I rushed to say. “Other assholes?”
“What job are you interviewing for?”
“The receptionist position. I promise I’m much better around people who didn’t ruin my birthday.”
“I’m sure you are,” he said. “But I don’t think that listing is a good fit for you.”
Shit. “No, wait. I can prove that I’d be good at it. Levi, I seriously need this job. Please don’t kick me out before I can interview for it.”
He held up a hand and I shut my mouth, embarrassed that I’d practically begged for this already. “I wasn’t kicking you out. I have an idea of a better fit.”
“And what’s that?”
“Come to lunch with me and we can discuss it.”
“Lunch?” I repeated slowly.
“That’s what I said.”
“Why would I—” I stopped myself before I could offend him more and pushed down my annoyance.
“Why would you what?”
It was like he was testing me, and I was so close to failing.
“I don’t go to lunch with random guys.”
“I’m not a random guy. I’ve known you for years.”
“And of those ten years, there was only about an hour where you were nice to me, and it was to fuck over my brother. So pardon me if I don’t trust you.”
“You don’t trust me, yet you want to work at my company?”
Damn it. He had a point.
I didn’t want to see him more than I had to, but if I worked for him, I would be in his presence for forty hours a week.
Did I like that idea?
No.
But did I care about keeping my house?
Yes.
“I’m ... considering going with you, but let’s make one thing clear. We are not talking about the shitty thing you did on my nineteenth birthday.”
“You mean the stuff that’s in the past?”
“Yes. If we want it to stay in the past, you don’t bring it up.”
“Fine. We’ll catch up and discuss the perfect position for you.”
Of all the people to run into... why did it have to be him? Maybe whatever god was out there hated me after all. “Okay. Lunch. Where to?”