Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Riven
I told myself it was stupid to cry this much.
Myself didn’t listen.
It had been a week since Abydos had flown to Colorado; a week since that disastrous meeting in his office.
Meeting, ha! As if such a tame word could be applied to something so life-altering.
He licked me until I came, he called me his good girl, he fucked me standing upright, I screamed his name… and then he fired me.
He made love to you upright.
Oh, yes, excuse me. Made love. Scowling, I spooned another big bite of mint chocolate chip ice cream into my mouth.
And he didn’t exactly fire you.
Right.
He just paid off my debt, my reason for working for him, and then said he didn’t want me working for him.
“Fuuuuck,” I moaned as the brain freeze set in.
I threw the spoon into the sink and pressed my tongue to the top of my mouth to stop the pain as I fumbled for the lid to the ice cream container. I couldn’t even wallow in misery properly, huh?
You’re doing a pretty good job of it.
Swell. A vote of confidence from my stupid subconscious.
Outside the kitchen’s bay window, a gorgeous autumn sunset was painting the sky a disgustingly unrealistic shade of pinky purple. Maybe it would be considered pretty if I were in a better mood, but I couldn’t help but feel a good thunderstorm would have been more fitting.
Thunderstorms remind you of Abydos.
Yeah. For the rest of my life, I’d think of him whenever I saw lightning—oh God, there go my tears again.
I dropped my forehead against the door of the large freezer.
Everything hurt—my chest, my eyes, my head.
Yesterday, Sami had asked if I would make side dishes for the Kap’paral—the Thanksgiving-slash-harvest-festival-meal was going to be even bigger this year than last—and I stupidly agreed.
But I wasn’t going to be able to accomplish anything, feeling like this.
And how was I supposed to go hang out with a bunch of orcs and their Mates and pretend like my heart wasn’t breaking?
The limbo was the hardest part.
No it’s not.
I snorted and straightened, pushing away from the freezer.
No, I’d chosen the limbo thing. Each morning I woke up and wondered if I should just go ahead and resign.
Would that be easier than waiting for an official letter terminating my job?
Maybe, but I hadn’t done it yet, hadn’t started packing my things, hadn’t mentioned to Mom I might be moving back in.
Why? Because I’m stubborn.
If Abydos wanted me gone, he was going to have to tell me himself. Look me in the eye and fire me. Or at least, type it out in an official letter and sign it.
Just acknowledge me.
With a sigh, I began to rinse the dishes and load them into the dishwasher.
It had been a week without hearing anything from him, a week without any acknowledgement. This couldn’t go on forever; I might be living in this house to get around the coding regulations, but eventually Abydos was going to return. He’d have to see me again.
And when that happened, I wasn’t sure how I could handle it.
A tear dropped into the water that filled the pot I was scrubbing too vigorously.
Because if I did have to look him in the eye and hear him say he didn’t want me anymore, I wasn’t sure I could be strong.
I missed Abydos; I missed feeling him here in the house, I missed talking with him, and yeah, of course I missed touching him.
I missed cooking for him—hells, I’d been eating mac and cheese for five days straight.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Mac and cheese was a wonderful comfort food, and I needed all the comfort I could get. I wondered if I could get donuts delivered too. Hmmm.
“Hello?”
Sylvik’s call from the mudroom startled me, and I dropped the pot into the sink with a bang as I hurried to swipe the back of my hands across my eyes. Maybe they weren’t too red?
“Hey, Riven,” he announced as he hurried in from the garage and through the kitchen on his way toward Abydos’s office. “Just have to pick up the flight itinerary from the printer!”
It wasn’t the first time he’d dropped in unexpectedly in the last week.
The morning after I was-or-wasn’t fired, I realized he’d moved out.
Of course, since Abydos was also gone, I’d been a little distracted in my wallowing to notice, and I’m not sure where Sylvik had moved to—maybe the bed-and-breakfast in town.
A part of me would’ve liked the company, but a bigger part was glad I didn’t have to pretend everything was okay all the time.
Knowing he was in the house, and I’d have to pretend politeness, I hurried to wipe my hands on the dish rag, then opened the freezer to stick my face inside it, hoping that would cool the redness in my face and skin. Maybe he wouldn’t notice I’d been crying for a week straight.
“Whew! Okay, everything’s set!” I heard Sylvik stomp back into the kitchen. “Are you smelling the freezer, Riven? Do you need help?”
“No,” I called, moving a few things around as if I was doing something relevant. “Just looking for…ingredients. For tomorrow. Using up the frozen stuff.”
“Huh. I wouldn’t have thought Abydos liked pre-frozen food.”
“He doesn’t,” I announced overly brightly as I slammed the freezer door and turned a forced smile on him. “That’s why I eat it when he’s not here.”
Sylvik was flipping through the papers in his hands. “Don’t defrost it yet, then, because we’re all set for tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
Without looking up, he asked, “Can you be ready to leave by tomorrow morning?”
Oh God. My knees went weak, and my palm slammed down onto the counter to hold me upright. He was kicking me out tomorrow morning? Abydos had sent his assistant to fire me?
And why the hell was Sylvik so blasé about this? I thought we were friends.
“Are you kidding?” I mumbled, disappointed all around.
Sylvik finally glanced up and seemed to notice my distress. “What’s wrong? This is huge.” He grinned. “Abydos is going to make a big announcement and wants us both there.”
An announcement? He was going to fire me in front of everyone? “How incredibly humiliating.”
Sylvik cocked his head to one side, his expression uncertain. What was there to be uncertain about? Didn’t he realize this was crappy news?
“Do…uh, do you want me to send a car for you?”
I frowned. “What?”
“Or do you want to drive yourself to the airport? The plane leaves at nine tomorrow morning, but you don’t have to get there much before then.” Sylvik beamed. “We’re heading to Colorado!”
Colorado? So he can fire you in person.
Great, just like I was hoping for. I sighed and scrubbed a hand down my face. At least I’ll get to see the Rockies.
Yay, me.
I spent the night packing up my stuff, including a few days’ worth of stuff in my carryon. I mean, I probably only needed a day bag—surely I could get on a plane at nine, be fired by early afternoon, and be back here by tomorrow evening…
I did get some sleep, but it wasn’t particularly restful. And I was up early to stack my stuff by my door since I didn’t know the logistics of getting it out of here.
Even the coffee I grabbed on the way to Eastshore Isle’s tiny airport didn’t help perk me up, and Sylvik met me with a concerned look. “Climb on board and make yourself comfortable. Shaden can get you anything you need, but you might want to consider napping. There’s a bed in the back.”
A bed on Abydos’s plane? The pillows probably smelled of him. No thanks, I already had enough memories of time in his bed.
I settled into a comfortable chair by the window, found an eye mask, and tried to nap. I was marginally successful.
When I woke up, the view out the window was stunning.
As much as I needed that nap, I was kinda irritated at myself for not staying awake to enjoy what might be my only time on a private plane.
Sylvik was sitting across the aisle and a little behind me, murmuring quietly into a phone and typing away on his computer.
Apparently he hadn’t lied; Abydos did have big plans for something today.
With a sigh, I pressed my forehead against the window and wished for a breath mint. Or a whole new tongue.
The mountains were growing closer by the time Sylvik snapped his laptop closed and stood. I glanced up as he settled across from me, wearing a thoughtful expression. “Everything’s set for a one p.m. press conference. We’ll arrive just in time and should be landing soon.”
Press conference? I felt tears well in my eyes before I could stop them. Abydos really was making a big thing out of this, wasn’t he?
But another part of me whispered: Press conference, really? The guy is a recluse. This is a lot to go through just to fire you.
And I mean, that made sense, but I didn’t seem to be thinking straight.
Sylvik’s expression clouded, and he frowned as he studied me.
“Riven, can I ask you something? It’s pretty personal, and I’m not sure how to word it.”
I snorted. “Sure.” If he wanted to know about my personal business, fine. I’d thought we were friends, after all. But it made sense that his loyalty was to his boss.
He took a deep breath and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands as he studied me.
“Riven, Eastshore is amazing, and most of the guys we’re going to see today are already interested in transferring there.
Abydos and I talked it up, of course, about how the humans there aren’t prejudiced or full of hate.
And that’s what I thought about you, too. ”
I scowled, recognizing the past tense there. “I’m not.”
“What changed?” he asked gently. “Why is this so bad?”
I sniffed and looked away. “I can’t believe you have to ask me that.” Soon I’d be losing the male I loved.
But Sylvik had stiffened. “How could I not? I’m protecting him!”
Protecting Abydos? “From me?” I frowned at the window.