Chapter 26. Brynn
brYNN
“What’s shaking, copy buddy?” Donovan hovers near my desk. “Going to blow them away with your Quotagian presentation?”
“Yep.” I steady my eyes on my blank screen. Historical romance writers are not my jam. I need more information about this app from the client. For some reason, Meredith keeps putting me off.
He places an iced Starbucks coffee in front of me.
“What’s this?”
He tilts his head with a shrug. “Some of us are going out after work. You should come.”
I look around. Monitors off, chairs pushed in. When did everyone leave? A wave of uneasiness rises in my belly. “I have a lot more to do. Besides, I’m not legal, remember?”
“So what? Mixed in with us, they won’t even card you like last time. Why don’t you have a fake ID?”
“I’m not a big drinker. Anyway, I should keep brainstorming.” I bite the skin on the side of my thumb.
“All these extra hours; you trying to show us up or something?”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m new at this.” I try to keep my tone upbeat. “Besides, the agency has better Internet connection than my apartment does.”
“Nice place, huh?” He winks. “Got any roommates?”
I shake my head. Need to shut this down; I’ve shared too much. What’s next, is he going to ask about my late parents? I can’t even look at him.
His pro-feminist T-shirt today: ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BLEEDING. Yuck.
He catches me reading his shirt and his smile grows. “We should hang out sometime.”
His tone sets off alarms bells in my head.
“Y-you should go,” I say, eyes back on my screen. “I’m sure everyone’s waiting, including Priya.”
“You could be a little friendlier, you know.”
I jerk back, my fingers freeze over the keyboard. “I’m as friendly as I want to be.”
He edges closer and plays with a strand of my hair, twirling it, his knuckles less than an inch from my breast. “You expressed an interest in staying on in the fall. I could help make that happen . . .”
I retrieve my hair from his grasp, leaning away, my tongue like sandpaper. “I don’t need your help; I’ll have your job soon enough.”
“What did you just say?” He bares his teeth, his cheeks flexed.
Micah steps out of an office. “Everything okay here?”
I gather a notepad and pen off my desk. “Thanks, Donovan. I’ll be happy to write that one down—how you’d like to help me. I’m sure HR would love to hear your suggestion.”
“Sorry, no HR here, honey.” He pats my back.
I wiggle away from his touch.
His breath heats my ear. “You’re a bitch, you know that?”
My cheeks sting like I’ve been smacked. My eyes and nose fill. I turn away—biting back a scream, denying him the satisfaction.
He hovers a moment longer before finally leaving.
Good riddance. I should be ignoring this creep, not letting him intimidate me. I knock the Starbucks coffee into the garbage.
I squeeze my eyes shut and fist up my hands.
If Cody were here, he’d have me laughing and making fun of that jerk—and helping me devise a plan to replace him. He doesn’t deserve the job he has. I do.
What Cody must think of me.
He’s only been gone seven months—and here I am, nearly kissing Micah at the Electric Room. I almost made a fool of myself the other night. He’s my boss. I can’t have these confusing feelings for him.
“Brynn?”
I jump in my chair. Shit. “I didn’t realize you were still here.” And right behind me.
Micah hesitates, looking like a thought’s stuck between his lips. But he just turns and walks away.
He’s been decent, letting me stay on through the summer as a paid intern. I can’t mess this up and become a joke. The team’s already gossiping about what they think they know about me. I don’t need to give them more to chew on.
I hear him walking out with Eunice. My scalp prickles. It’s too quiet here by myself. I gather my things and leave the office.
As I step off the elevator downstairs, I thread my keys through my fingers. Walking with vigilance, I take myself home.