Chapter 5 #2
On the day he’d left, I’d spent the rest of my time waiting, twiddling my fingers at the desk until my shift was over and still .
. . Samuel hadn’t contacted me. I kept trying to calm myself with the idea that he must be busy, or he didn’t know my number, but he could text me on my work phone line, couldn’t he? But then that would be risky—
I groaned and stopped shy of rubbing my bleary eyes and smearing my mascara. There had to be a reason I hadn’t heard from him all weekend.
Who was I kidding, even though it felt like I knew him forever, I hadn’t. And because of that, it shouldn’t hurt so damn much. Make that make sense to my heart though. It rebelled against me, each beat slowly becoming a song shouting his name.
My phone vibrated. I fished it out of the side zip pocket of my backpack to find an unknown number.
Only my grandparents had this number.
“Hello?” I tried keeping my voice low.
“Bunny,” Samuel sighed.
I scowled, squeezing the rectangular phone. “What?”
Silence on the other end.
“What is that tone?” His voice sharpened, causing my heart to jolt. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I couldn’t help my sharp inhale. He exhaled. “Nina.”
I scrambled to hang up. Since he called on my personal phone and I hadn’t clocked in, it meant it was a personal call—which meant I didn’t have to answer.
I scowled and the phone vibrated in my hand, so I shut it off to shove it back in my bag.
My heart pounded so hard I could feel it hanging out in my throat.
I closed my eyes, breathing in and out slowly to get my heart to calm. So many emotions crowded my chest that they threatened to drown me. How had I fallen so quickly and so hard? Something had to be defective. Was having a first boyfriend always like this?
I sighed and thumped my forehead onto the top of my backpack, letting my hair curtain around me.
The bus hissed to a stop. I hugged my bag to my chest and exited.
I’d been wearing flats to work after breaking my only pair of heels, but Judy was bound to notice as soon as the deal with the advertising company closed and she wasn’t so busy.
I crossed the congested New York City streets, heading for the skyscraper I worked in.
It blocked the sun out as I reached the roundabout in front.
Multiple people walked in the same direction.
Some holding coffee, others holding briefcases, and some holding both.
I pulled my bag onto my back and headed inside where the sun spilled through the floor to ceiling windows.
The tan tile was always so perfectly polished every morning.
I hurried to catch the elevator, scurrying to slip on as it whooshed close, but my momentum pushed me to the left and my shoulder smooshed into someone.
“Sorry,” I gasped. A wide hand grabbed my side and straightened me.
“No worries.”
I found myself looking at Ray. I grinned up at him with my thanks on my lips.
A loud clearing of a throat whipped my head to the other side of him.
Mr. Astor stared at me, fire spitting at me from his gaze.
I inched back from Ray’s help, looking down to hide my scowl.
Ray looked over his shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed.
He followed Mr. Astor’s angry gaze to me and then back and the confusion grew.
Fortunately, no one else seemed attuned to the look Samuel Astor speared me with. Awkwardness mounted and I debated exiting the elevator with every stop it made.
On the next one, I wiggled my short stature to the side to let a few people through.
“I’ll see you later.” Ray tipped his coffee at me, and I waved.
Samuel’s scoff was so low I debated whether I imagined it until I peeked at him to find his glare fixed on me.
Oh gosh, now there were only four of us and we had three floors left to go.
Hopefully they went all the way up to the floor we would be dropped on.
I didn’t want to be left alone with him. It hurt too much.
Ding.
The two strangers left, leaving us alone to ride up the last two floors.
Great.
“Why did you hang up on me?”
I stiffened. He didn’t sound pleased. His voice remained even, but there seemed to be an underlying vein of contained fury. I wet my dry lips.
“Why are you riding the employee elevator?” They had one exclusively for the Astors and V.I.Ps, and if he would have stuck to using it, I never would have seen him. I slightly shook my head. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
He scoffed again, much more obvious than the last time, and grabbed my upper arm, forcing me to turn. I gritted my teeth, valiantly holding in my tears. His angry, furrowed eyebrows softened. “What’s upset you?”
Panic constricted my chest.
I lifted my arm to be able to reach where he held me, and I sank my teeth into the back of his hand. He hissed, jerking it back as the elevator doors swung open. I hurried off.
I careened around the corner, ignoring the few people already here that sat at their cubicles, not slowing until I reached my desk.
My chair rolled back with how hard I plopped on it. I dragged myself close to my desk and tapped the keyboard to wake my computer. Judy looked at me over the monitor on her desk across from me and I forced a smile. Judy shook her head and sighed.
As I clicked on my emails to see what duties I’d be doing today, Judy spoke.
“I’ll be busy catching up on a few things I couldn’t get to this weekend, let me know when you finish the list so you can photocopy a few documents for the board meeting at the end of the week. Don’t fuck it up again.”
I winced but nodded. “Yes, Ma’am.” I clicked onto my scheduler. The delivery directions I’d done taunted me from the square near today’s date, so I minimized my screen to only focus on what I had to complete today.
The clipped sound of steps thundered closer. I didn’t know footsteps could sound irritated. Mr. Astor rounded the hall and appeared.
“Sir,” Judy murmured. I mimicked Judy’s motion to stand and slightly lowered my head as he passed.
His steps halted so he stood between our desks. His body turned toward Judy, and I focused on his sleeve, glad that he wasn’t looking at me.
“Have you finished compiling the proposal documentation?”
“No sir, it’s on the intern’s to-do list for today.”
“The intern,” he snapped. I dragged my attention to his face, but he wasn’t looking at me. His cold gaze remained focused on Judy. “Does she not have a name?” Judy blinked, utter confusion flickering over her features.
My mouth parted, stunned with the turn of conversation. Judy did have a tendency to refer to me as ‘intern’ but I wasn’t bothered by it, I was sure she didn’t mean anything by it.
“Ah y-yes, si—”
“Then why do you continue to refer to her in such a way?”
“I-I—”
He put his hand up and she cut herself off, blinking. “Finish the proposal. Then make copies of the documents I emailed you about the Thailand meeting. Email a copy to all the board members and inform them we will be discussing this at the next meeting.”
I stood speechless, just gawking.
“Now.”
I dropped my eyes from staring at her stunned expression. She jumped into action, collecting her laptop and electronic pad. He strode up the couple steps to his office and slammed the door. I fell in my chair. What in the world just happened?
“I . . .” I started, but Judy didn’t look up at me as her expression settled in a thin line.
“Try to finish the work by end of day,” she said, low.
The door jerked open.
“Ms. Cervantes, in my office—now.”
I jumped to my feet, whipping my head toward Judy, but she only shrugged and went off to do his bidding. My heart rammed against my chest, but I wobblily walked up the steps and stood at the threshold of the office to find him leaning against the front of his desk. “Close the door.”
I shut the door behind me and hesitantly approached, keeping the leather seat in front of his desk between us as I wrung my hands in front of me. Standing there with his eyes on me lasted a few long seconds until he straightened. My shoulders tensed up with each step that he took closer.
His hand neared my cheek from my peripheral. I turned my head away from his touch.
“Do not avoid my touch,” he almost growled, hinting at that temper. My shoulders hiked up from his flare of dominance. My Omega instinct crawled forward, urging me to submit.
“Can I help you, Mr. Astor?” I pushed the words out past my constricting throat.
He hissed out a breath and I finally brought my gaze up to his dimple. So, it also dipped in when he was angry. He moved so fast, catching my forearm. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing.” I jerked out of his touch and turned my back to him.
“Nina,” he barked.
“What,” I shouted, whirling to glare up at him. His head jerked up and his eyebrow twitched. I shuffled from foot to foot, trying to shove down my need to lash out at my boss. Despite my valiant attempt, angry tears welled.
His lips softened. “What’s upset you?”
“None of your business,” I retorted mulishly. “And for your information, I’m not upset.” I stomped my foot like that would drive in my words.
I whirled on my toes and only managed to take one step before his palm wrapped around the back of my neck, stopping me in place. He guided me backwards until my back was flushed against his front. I peeked up at him leaning over my shoulder, so his lips were near my ear.
“Stop being a brat.” He breathed the words against my neck and a chill traveled down my neck.
“No.”