Ashlei
“Have a good Thanksgiving,” Hannah, one of the other interns, says to me as she hooks her messenger bag on her shoulder. “Can’t wait to hear about the trip!”
I smile, my stomach doing a backflip at the mention of the trip with Brandon. It’s the last Friday in the office before the holiday, though we don’t leave for Atlanta until Tuesday. The rest of the office has the entire week off until the Monday after the holiday.
“Thanks, Hannah. Enjoy your holiday, too.”
When she’s gone, Kimberly pushes her chair in under her desk and turns to me with a tight smile. “Yeah, can’t wait to hear about the trip. You must be so excited.”
She narrows her eyes, but it doesn’t take her resting bitch face for me to know how she feels about me.
She hasn’t been the least bit shy in telling everyone exactly why she thinks I got invited on the trip, along with the lead event planner position.
But the gossip she’s spreading about me “sleeping my way to the top” doesn’t faze me.
My dad prepared me for this over the summer — the way others would react to someone who was driven to succeed.
And being that I’m a woman, being successful usually means I’ll either be painted as a slut or a bitch, depending on my leadership style.
Still, I can’t help but feel a little uneasy as Brandon comes up behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder, Kimberly’s eyes glued to the spot where he’s touching my bare skin. Because the truth is that while I may not be sleeping with him on a mission, I am attracted to him. And we did cross a line.
One that seems completely nonexistent now.
“Can I speak with you before you leave, Miss Daniels?” Brandon asks, voice commanding attention as always.
Kimberly purses her lips, cocking one eyebrow at me like she has me all figured out before snatching her blazer off the back of her chair and swinging it over her arm. “Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. Church,” she says as she passes, and I close my eyes tight before turning to face him.
“Yes, Mr. Church?” I ask, looking up at him from my chair.
The corner of his mouth twitches a bit at the sound of his name as he casually puts his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “I just wanted to make sure you have the itinerary and everything else you need for our trip on Tuesday.”
I hold up the folder Mykayla left with me earlier.
“All set. I have a dress for the award ceremony and business attire for the conference. I also printed out a few copies of your speech, just in case we need it to review or anything.” His eyes widen just slightly at that. “I haven’t read it,” I assure him.
Brandon relaxes a bit, nodding. “Okay, then. Be at the hangar at four sharp on Tuesday afternoon. They’ll have light snacks and refreshments on the jet but we’ll have dinner once we’ve landed in Atlanta.”
I swallow, still a little freaked out that I’ll be riding in his private jet. “Sounds good. I won’t be late.”
Brandon just watches me then, his eyes flicking down to where my legs are crossed, exposed in the pencil skirt I’m wearing, before he lazily pulls his gaze back up to my own. “Looking forward to it.”
My skin burns from where his eyes just roamed and I squirm in my chair, uncrossing my legs just to cross them the other way. He smirks, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me, before finally turning for the elevators.
“Don’t stay all night,” he throws back behind him. “I’ve already got you working on a holiday week. At least take the full weekend off.”
I relax just a hair, smiling. “I’m out of here in ten. Promise.”
He pushes the down arrow for the elevators, tossing me a wink before the doors slide open and he steps on, leaving me and a few girls in Corporate Relations as the last ones in the office.
The tension between us since our date at the auto racing track has been like an electric wire pulled taut, threatening to break and spark a fire at the slightest contact.
Every look he’s cast in my direction during meetings, his gaze always hard and steady, seems to pull it tighter and tighter, the coils stretched to their limits.
Something tells me when those doors close on that private jet, leaving just the two of us alone again, we won’t have a chance in hell of keeping it from snapping.
***
A few hours later, Jess tries unsuccessfully to catch a kernel of popcorn in her mouth after launching it up in the air. It hits her nose and bounces to the floor next to Skyler’s freshly painted toenails and Jess eyes it for a moment before shrugging and digging into the bowl again.
“I’m so glad we decided to do this,” Skyler says, blowing on her turquoise nails.
We’re all sprawled out in the floor space between the two beds in her and Jess’s room, mountains of pillows and blankets surrounding us along with three bottles of wine we smuggled in and an ungodly amount of junk food.
“It feels like it’s been forever since we had a girls’ night. ”
“It has been,” Erin agrees. “I mean between me preparing for the election, you racking up money to pay the entry fee for that poker tournament, Ashlei spending all her time at her internship and Jess loading up her plate with extra classes since she switched her major, none of us have had a free Friday since the semester started.”
“I just wish Cassie was here, too,” I say, still clicking through the movies on the small TV in the corner near Skyler’s bed.
“I know. Poor thing, midterms have her so stressed out. She’s been at the Greek library every night for the past two weeks and her last midterm isn’t until Wednesday,” Skyler says.
“The day before Thanksgiving? What a dick professor!” Jess shakes her head. “Shouldn’t even be allowed. I’m already done with mine.”
“Is that why you’ve been in a better mood?” I ask, settling on Pretty Woman and pushing the play button on the remote. “Or did you and a certain tattooed hottie make up?”
She sighs, tucking her knees up to her chest and shoving another handful of popcorn in her mouth.
“It’s not his fault he got put on another project so soon.
Well,” she clarifies, swallowing. “I guess technically it is, because he’s so damn good at his job.
But I know he wouldn’t have cancelled unless he absolutely had to.
It’s hard right now,” she admits. “But I love him and I know he loves me, so I’m just trying to focus on that. ”
“Good girl,” Erin says.
Jess claps her hands together. “Plus, Friendsgiving! It’s going to be so much fun. Erin, you’re still getting the turkey, right?”
“Picking it up that morning from the place my mom ordered from. She said they’re the best in town.”
“Maybe Bear will actually talk to me then,” Skyler says on a sigh. “You know, being that the holiday spirit will be flowing and all.”
Erin and Jess both frown, all of us eyeing each other as Skyler keeps her gaze on her nails.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I try, knowing it’s probably useless. She hasn’t told any of us the details of why Clinton is suddenly acting like she is dead to him, which likely means it’s something personal, something only the two of them need to know.
She shakes her head. “Not tonight. I’d rather talk about happy stuff, like this awesome trip you’re taking for your internship. Jess, feed me popcorn, my nails are still wet,” she adds and Jess laughs, obliging as everyone’s attention turns to me.
“It’s not a big deal, really. It’s just this award banquet thing and Mr. Church will be giving a keynote speech. There’s a conference, too, but nothing special.”
“Lies,” Jess says, popping another popcorn puff into Skyler’s mouth. “Stop selling yourself short. You said this is the first time he’s ever invited anyone else to attend with him, and you’re an intern, Lei.”
“Oh, my God,” Skyler says around a mouthful. “Is he the smoking hot guy who dropped ten thousand bucks on you at the Alpha Sigma concert auction? I saw him pick you up a few weeks ago.”
“You didn’t tell me he bid on you.” Jess narrows her eyes.
“He was just doing it for the charity, guys. He’s a philanthropic man.”
Skyler laughs. “Mmm-hmm. Is he a God-fearing man, too? Because Lord, take me to church.” She fans herself while Erin cracks up.
“You’re shameless, Skyler.”
Jess ignores Erin’s comment, typing away on her phone. “Oh, my God, I just Googled him. Holy shit, Lei! Why didn’t you tell me how fucking hot this guy is?!”
Erin and Skyler gather around her phone while I bury my face in my hands. “Because I’m trying my hardest not to notice how bangable my CEO is.”
“Yeah,” Erin scoffs. “Good luck with that.”
They all giggle at my misfortune and I just shake my head, eventually giving in and laughing, too. “I’m screwed, huh?”
“Yup,” they all agree in sync, Jess tossing popcorn at me while we all laugh even harder.
It’s like coming home to a warm fire and hot chocolate after walking through the snow, having a girls’ night with my three best friends.
I’m reminded that no matter what happens to any of us, we always have each other, and that’s a pretty amazing thing.
We go through three movies, three bottles of wine, and at least three-thousand calories in salty snacks and chocolate by the time the night is over.
Erin is the first to pass out, followed closely by Jess and Skyler, the three of them sleeping with pillows propped up against legs and shoulders in a sort of cuddle pit on the floor.
Empty snack wrappers litter the space around them, only the soft glow from the television illuminating their peaceful faces.
I smile, pulling out my phone and snapping a picture of them before uploading it to social media with the caption, “Love my girls. #GNI.” Then, I adjust my pillow against Erin’s back and curl up, too.