Chapter 5
Juliet
I slid behind my desk and shakily gripped the edge of the light wood, thankful that the rest of the accounting team hadn’t arrived yet, but one quick glance at my watch showed the workday was about to start for the rest of the office.
“Get it together,” I whispered to myself.
Not only had I just made a fool of myself in front of my new boss, the freaking CEO of the company, but he had seen this morning’s livestream.
To think that was his first impression of me made my cheeks burn like I had been lying out at the beach all day without SPF.
Not only that, but my stomach churned with unease, expecting this to be my first and last day here.
I doubted after the little peep show I had accidentally given the internet, that I would be able to keep my job here.
It had been too good to be true anyway. The fancy office, the higher salary, the boss who made it difficult to look away from his chiseled chin and deep brown eyes.
It was probably for the best. I sighed and looked around the office, as if it would be the last time I would ever set foot in some place this luxe.
It was then that the rest of the accounting team strolled through the door with talk about their weekends and the day ahead with the merger.
I kept waiting for any of them to react to seeing me, “shower girl,” sitting in their office, but none of them seemed to recognize me.
I breathed a small sigh of relief as they began making their introductions.
They either didn’t see the livestream or they were respectfully keeping quiet about it.
Either way, I was grateful as they each came up to introduce themselves before starting the workday.
There was one girl who took me by surprise, with her dark, purple hair that hung straight down her back, the glint of her nose ring catching under the fluorescent lights.
She approached with a warm smile that seemed to juxtapose her rebellious look.
Not quite what I expected for an accountant in this type of office setting in one of the nicest high rises in the city.
“You’re new!” she said brightly, placing her hand on my desk, her black manicure drumming against the wood.
“I am,” I nodded. “Juliet.” I smiled up at her.
“Sarah,” she answered back, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. “Where did you come from?”
“A nonprofit. Much smaller than this one,” I said, feeling my imposter syndrome taking over.
“You’ll do just fine,” said Sarah with a smile. “Although, with this merger, who knows what the new CEO will do…”
“I wonder why he decided to merge with a nonprofit…” I said thoughtfully, thinking back to him standing in the doorway not long ago. I tried to shake his sly smirk from my head.
“Regulations, I’m sure. It’s everything to these big CEOs. Anything to make them look like saints,” said Sarah with a roll of her eyes.
“Makes sense.” I nodded, though there was a pang in me that wished he actually cared about the work.
“Have you met him yet?” I asked, looking around as if he might be wandering the floor.
“Not yet. I think everyone is on their toes.”
I nodded worriedly.
“Let me show you around the office,” she said, rapping her knuckles loudly on the desk.
“S-sure,” I said hesitantly, not sure I wanted to run into the CEO or really anyone else who might have seen the video. I knew I couldn’t hole up in this office forever, though. I stood up and adjusted my blazer before following Sarah out of the accounting office and onto the floor.
She introduced me to a few more people, showed me where the breakroom was, and pointed out a few select people she deemed as “cool,” as she put it.
I felt comfortable with her. She had an ease about her that most everyone seemed to like.
She definitely wasn’t like the usual stuffy, number-crunching accountants I had come into contact with.
When the mini office tour was over, we walked back toward the accounting office, and I was thankful I hadn’t seen Chester.
Based on our tour, he didn’t work on this floor and I found myself relieved by the fact his presence wouldn’t be consuming me day in and day out.
I wasn’t sure I would be able to work in such close proximity, knowing he had seen me naked and that part of me wanted to see him out of his well-fitted suit.
“So, accounting, huh?” I asked Sarah, my curiosity getting the better of me, wanting to get to know her more.
She laughed softly. “I don’t look the part?” she asked, putting her hand to her heart in mock offense.
“You just seem a lot cooler than most accountants,” I said, thankful I hadn’t offended her.
“Thanks,” she said with a confident toss of her hair as we walked. “The truth is, I’m really trying to save up for culinary school.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise. It was refreshing to meet someone who hadn’t quite figured their life out just yet.
“Mhmm.” She nodded. “I love cooking. Baking. Creating. When I’m not here, I’m in my kitchen experimenting and feeding my friends.”
“Lucky friends.” I smiled at her.
“Come over anytime,” she said as we approached the door to our office.
As we entered, the room fell silent and I suddenly felt eyes on me, like we had just interrupted something.
My stomach did a turn of unease as I sat down at my desk, Sarah sitting at the desk to my left.
It was that feeling like you had just walked in on a roomful of people talking about you, and I was reminded of the video that was surely viral by now.
I glanced around the room and caught eyes with a petite woman with raven black hair cut into a pixie cut.
She looked so sleek in her gray linen pantsuit, her pointed chin up as if she knew how good she looked.
Her green eyes quickly darted away when she saw me.
“Who is that?” I whispered to Sarah, nodding toward the woman who seemed to already not like me.
Sarah quietly groaned. “That’s Mia,” she said, emphasizing the name with distaste.
“Oh,” I replied, as if that answered my question.
“Just watch out for her. That’s all,” warned Sarah.
I nodded and went back to looking at my computer screen, reminded that I couldn’t log in still.
As if hearing my quiet cry for help, my new boss, Mike, walked in with a big grin on his face.
I stifled a laugh, thinking about how I had mistaken Chester for him when they were so vastly different.
Mike’s hair was thinning above his circular glasses, and he was far more friendly than Chester.
I was relieved to find him helpful, warm, and unintimidating.
The rest of the day went on smoothly. Once I was able to log into my computer, the day actually seemed to go by fast. We were all so busy with everything that came with the merger, that I almost forgot about that morning’s livestream.
I welcomed any distraction from that, but something about Mia had it lingering in the corner of my mind.
The way she side-eyed me had me internally squirming.
She had to know. Either that, or she didn’t like newcomers.
So much so that, I could have sworn she had poked a hole in the bottom of my coffee cup when I had gone to the restroom.
When I returned to my desk, my caramel-colored coffee was seeping out the bottom and onto my desk, dangerously close to my computer.
I frantically wiped it up, and as I did, I caught her smirking from the corner of my eye.
I realized I would have to keep a close eye on her. How did I make an enemy my first day?
By the end of the workday, my head hurt from all the numbers and information that came with a new job.
I was already craving a glass of prosecco by four.
When there was a lull in the late afternoon, I texted Gabriella.
I hadn’t heard from her since this morning, so either she was respectfully letting me work or she had no headway in getting my video scrubbed from the internet.
Me: Hey. Drinks tonight? I could use it after today…
Gabriella: Uh-oh. Is it the new job? Does it suck?
Me: No. It’s actually okay. I just have some stories to tell.
Gabriella: Like?
Me: My hot CEO boss and some chick who has it out for me.
Gabriella: Oh man. As much as I need to know more, I’m heading upstate with Chandler and Melodie.
Me: Aww. Good. You guys deserve some family time. We can catch up when you get back.
Gabriella: Definitely. XO.
I placed my phone on my desk and ran a hand through my hair, leaning back in my chair. I was really hoping to see my best friend tonight, but she had her adorable family to be with. I loved them all, even though sometimes I felt a pang of longing for what Gabriella had.
“You okay?” asked Sarah from her desk.
“I’m fine.” I waved her off, putting on a smile. “Just was hoping to go out tonight, but my friend’s busy.”
“Are you into the music scene at all? I’m going to a show tonight. You should come.”
“Really? Sure. I’d like that,” I said with a nod, surprising myself by saying yes. I normally didn’t go out on a weeknight, especially when I had just started a new job. But Sarah was putting in the effort, and it would be nice to have a friend at work.
Sarah clapped her hands excitedly. “I’ll text you the info now.”
I smiled and picked up my phone again to text Sadie to invite her too, passing along the flier of the time and place Sarah had just texted me.
Me: Busy tonight?
Sadie: Oh my gosh. I’m actually going to that.
Me: Wait. Really?
Sadie: Yeah. Jeremiah likes the guy who’s playing.
Me: Oh, I don’t want to intrude on date night.
Sadie: You’re not! It will be fun! Besides, I don’t really like the music that much anyway. It will be nice to have you there with me. Jeremiah’s friends are coming too! Maybe there will be a hot, single one…
Me: Slow. I’m coming with a friend from work.
Sadie: Making friends already!
Me: Trying to ?
Sadie: See you tonight!
I set down my phone, thankful to have a night with friends ahead to decompress after the day I had.
Honestly, it could have been a lot worse, despite the mortifying start to the day with Chester.
I found myself occasionally peeking out the office door for a glimpse of him, but he never showed.
I probably would be able to feel his presence, the air thickening with tension.
I didn’t need that distraction. It was probably for the better.
I stretched my arms overhead and tilted my head to each side for an afternoon stretch.
The workday was winding down and I just had to plow through a few more numbers for new accounts.
As I began typing, I heard a trickle of laughter from across the room that perked my ears up.
I glanced up and saw Mia leaning over another accountant’s desk and whispering, her hand covering her mouth to not be heard or read.
I had a creeping feeling that whatever words she was saying were about me, but I tried to ignore it.
Then Mia laughed again, more loudly and callously this time, bringing my attention once again to her.
The accountant she was talking to didn’t seem to share her same humor and kept his mouth pressed in a firm line, his eyes on the computer in front of them.
I had met him earlier, and he was nice enough.
I was glad to see he wasn’t partaking in whatever Mia was up to.
I didn’t trust her, and that was instilled even further when she caught me looking and gave me a little wave, her fingers wiggling as she smiled snidely.
What is her problem?
A few minutes later, Sarah strode in the office with a fresh cup of coffee. She set it on my desk firmly and sat with her back turned to Mia. The coffee steam rose up next to her and I could tell she was upset about something.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, tilting my head curiously.
“That bitch Mia is talking shit about you. I told you she was bad news.” She shook her head.
“I figured. She’s been whispering and eyeing me all day. I think she put holes in my coffee cup too.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” said Sarah with a shake of her head. “She’s a real piece of work. You’re brand new. What did you ever do to her?”
I shrugged, thinking she must have seen the video and was forming her own conclusions about me, sharing them with others. It made my stomach sink to the bottom floor of the lobby.
“Well, I don’t want to cause any trouble…” said Sarah, looking over her shoulder for a glance at Mia, before turning back to me. “But I’m about to knock her the fuck out.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Sarah was quickly becoming my favorite person in the office.
“That won’t be necessary.” I put my hand up. “Thanks for telling me though.”
Sarah lifted herself off my desk and shrugged.
“Of course. Girls have to be better than that…” She shot me a smile and walked back to her desk, sipping on her coffee and giving Mia the death stare.