Chapter 33 #2
Joanne laughed and moved to sift through the remaining decorations. “You all are young enough to be my daughters. Who's really the old one?”
“Fair point.” I sighed.
Our banter continued until all the decorations were hung.
Once the coffin sat for an hour, the main attraction was ready to be put into place.
Mia and I hauled it into an upright position and set it in the corner amongst two tables.
The black lace tablecloths added the perfect touch to the various goblets and decanters of liquid I had dyed to look like blood sitting atop them.
After draping cobwebs in the corner of the coffin, I tacked purple fairy lights along the top of the inside. The coffin was as tall as I was, and as I dimmed the lights, Mia powered on the flickering candelabras. The room was transformed into a vampire’s dungeon.
“It’s perfect!” I said, clapping my hands and twirling in a circle. “Thank you all for helping. This is going to be a fun week.”
My watch buzzed, signaling an incoming text. I plucked it from my pocket and saw a message from Ryan.
“How’s the decorating going? I can’t wait to fuck you senseless in Dracula’s lair.”
A blush crept over my cheeks, and I couldn’t help smiling as I typed a response.
“That doesn’t seem like a business text. You never smile when typing emails on your phone.”
I jumped as Mia’s voice sounded closer than I thought, and I shielded my phone from her eyes, her expression morphing into one of suspicion.
“Raven! Are you texting a guy? Your cheeks are so red!”
I stammered, and Joanne smirked from behind the desk. “Uh oh. I thought I heard something before I left during the last day of interviews. When you were meeting with that young, handsome guy.” She waggled her eyebrows, while Mia and Cassie gasped.
“Joanne!’ I exclaimed. “That would be extremely unprofessional.”
She crossed her arms, suspicion painting her features. I blew out a breath. “Fine. You all win. Yes, I’m texting a guy.”
Mia looked like she was going to burst from excitement. “Is it the hot one? The one that I ran back to your office about? Oh my god, I would lick him from head to toe.”
“Mia!” Joanne scolded.
I was used to Mia’s bluntness, but the thought of Ryan with anyone else made my blood boil. Obviously, Mia wasn’t serious, but the ping of jealousy confirmed how far I had fallen for him.
“All right, all right,” I said, putting my hands in the air in surrender. “Yes, it’s the guy from the interview, but…” My voice trailed off.
I hadn’t decided until then I was going to tell them the full story, but since they were a part of my team they would likely find out in the future, anyway, so I bit the bullet.
“I have to come clean. That guy used a fake name for the interview. I already knew him, but I didn’t know what he looked like. He was playing a prank on me.”
“Did you meet him on a dating app?” Cassie chimed in.
I looked at my feet, a hint of shame settling over me. I knew they wouldn’t judge, but I was still anxious. “No. That guy…he’s our client. The voice actor, Ryan Mitchell.’
Mia squealed; Cassie looked confused; and Joanne’s mouth fell open in shock.
“Wait. You have a thing with the voice actor?” Mia asked after she stopped the banshee noises.
I nodded my head as the reception area phone rang, giving me an out. Joanne hurried to answer it, but not before giving me a look that said she would be paying me a visit later.
I helped Mia and Cassie clean up, and five minutes after I sat back down at my desk, Joanne slipped into my office and closed the door. She dropped into a chair and studied me as I typed an email.
Once I finished, I swiveled toward her. “Go ahead. Scold me for fraternizing with a client.” I looked down at the documents stacked neatly on my desk while I waited for her to tell me I was making a mistake.
Instead, she laughed. I jerked my head up in bewilderment.
“Raven, I’m not here to criticize. I’ve known you for years and I know you would never do anything to jeopardize this company. I know you have a plan for the situation, which I’m assuming is to let Mia handle his account and put a firewall in place.”
I gaped at her. “How did you—”
Her lips pulled into a warm smile. “Honey, I know you. I also know that shit like this happens, and you aren’t the first to sleep with a client. You are sleeping with him, right?”
Heat surged to my cheeks again, a frequent occurrence as of late. “Yes.” My voice was so small I wondered if she heard me.
“Good,” she replied.
“Good? What do you mean good?” I asked.
She sat forward in the chair and pierced me with her intense eyes. “You needed to get laid.”
“You’re not wrong.” I laughed. “I was going to tell everyone once I established what the relationship looks like with him. At first it was just playing around, but now, I’ve fallen for him.”
“Fallen for him as in you love him?”
I chewed on her words before nodding. I hadn’t admitted it to myself, but hearing them aloud, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind.
“It all happened quickly, but I do. It started when he contacted us to handle his assets a few months ago.”
“I’m happy for you, dear. This is from a friend, not an employee. You deserve happiness in this part of life in addition to your successful career. It doesn’t have to always be about work, you know.”
I glanced out the windows to the city beyond where people were beginning their evening commutes, a sense of determination settling over me.
“I’m starting to realize that. I haven’t allowed myself anything else.
After shitty experiences, I shifted my focus to college and my career, determined to give Mom and Dad everything they could ever want after what they got me through.
I wasn’t going to be a woman who fell and stayed down so I picked myself up and did whatever it took to have the future I wanted. Maybe it’s time for something more.”
Joanne stood, placing her hand on the doorknob. “I’m proud of you, Raven. You’re one of the strongest people I know.”
She slipped from the room, and I grabbed my phone, tapping the call button by Ryan’s name.