CHAPTER FOUR
ELISE
“I’M GOING TO kill him if I don’t get out of this building right now.” I exclaimed as I stood inside the company’s bathroom fixing my hair in front of the mirror.
“I’ll be there in five minutes,” Kelsey assured me. “Please refrain from murdering anyone until then.”
“If you make it three minutes, drinks will be on me for the entire trip.”
“Deal,” Kelsey agreed. “See you in three minutes.” She chirped before the line went dead.
For Nathan’s sake, I hoped Kelsey got here in one.
Why was I willing to risk life in jail for murdering my boss? Maybe because he’s been on a warpath since the beginning of the week. Specifically, ever since that meeting with his friend. Whatever the two of them talked about in his office that day made Nathan an even bigger asshole than usual.
On Tuesday, he yelled at me for arriving one minute late.
On Wednesday, he nearly bit my head off for giving him a blue pen instead of a black pen so he could sign off on a document.
Today, he threatened to write me up for insubordination for wearing a hot pink dress to work because apparently, it was “too distracting” and “failed to comply with the company’s dress code”.
The end of the day couldn’t come fast enough. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that today was Friday and I had plans with my best friend tonight where I would drink to my heart’s desire until the only Nathan on my mind was the one from One Tree Hill.
Today was Kelsey’s birthday, and to celebrate, Kelsey and I were spending the weekend in St. Martin, a Caribbean island just east of Puerto Rico, with a few other friends of ours.
I just needed to get out of the building first.
It was seven-thirty, way past my clock-out time, when I finally walked out of the bathroom that happened to be on the same floor as Nathan’s office. I purposely avoided walking past his office on my way to the elevator in an attempt to avoid Nathan, who I assumed was still in his office working.
Someone needs to talk to him about his unhealthy work-life balance.
It was a Friday night in a city teeming with celebrities and supermodels, and he was held up in his office looking over contracts and listening to demos.
A man like Nathan Edge, a man of power, influence, and wealth, should be out taking advantage of everything his money and looks awarded him.
At the very least, he should be on a date.
Nevermind. I forgot who I was talking about.
Nathan Edge doesn’t date.
He does casual hookups. His current one being with actress Sadie Stevens.
No, dating would imply that Nathan was capable of having feelings for someone outside of the bedroom, which everyone knew was impossible.
Who knows, maybe he actually thought spending the night in the office with cold takeout was better than coming home to someone and cooking dinner together. He’d be wrong, but I didn’t get paid enough to meddle in his love life or lack thereof.
I could almost taste the champagne Kelsey and I would drink on Kelsey’s private jet and feel the warm St. Martin sand under my feet as I waited for the elevator doors to open.
This week had been pretty rough between Nathan’s foul behavior and the constant calls from my ex.
Birthdays were a big deal to me, so I couldn’t wait to celebrate Kelsey, but secretly this trip was also an opportunity for me to reset.
Hopefully it would also be enough time for whatever crawled up Nathan’s ass to crawl back out.
The elevator door pinged open and I took a step forward only to be forced to a halt when I saw the person coming out.
Piercing blue eyes.
Dark suit.
Jaw the stuff of arts.
“You’re still here. Good.” Nathan said as he stepped off.
“Yes, but I’m on my way out. My friend is waiting for me downstairs to go to the airport. We’re going to Saint Martin for her birthday this weekend.” I declared quickly.
His gaze flicked down to the barely-there strap of my bikini peeking from beneath the neckline of my top. His jaw ticked.
“Cancel it.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” His voice was cool, firm, and without even a hint of apology. “We need to regroup. The team is meeting first thing tomorrow to finalize our response to Dauntless poaching Bryce. And I want you there.”
I straightened, mouth falling open in disbelief. “You’re asking me to cancel my best friend’s birthday trip because you want to rehash a meeting that could happen Monday?”
“I’m not asking,” he replied smoothly. “And considering your role in missing the Dauntless news to begin with, I’d think you’d want to get ahead of it. Or has three years made you comfortable enough to start slacking off?”
My chest tightened. My fists clenched around the strap of my tote. “I’m not slacking off, I’m off the clock” I said, holding his gaze.
“No?” His eyes raked down again, lingering just a second too long at the curve of my hip where my top had shifted slightly. The unmistakable shimmer of my glittery bikini bottom string caught the hallway light. “Because from where I’m standing, you look like someone ready to party, not work.”
My face burned. “I’ve worked my ass off for three years, including nights and weekends, and you know it.”
He didn’t respond. Just stared. The silence between us thickened as he clenched his jaw tight and something unreadable flashed in his eyes.
“Is this really about Bryce Decker,” I continued, my voice quieter now, “or is this about you not having a life outside of work, so you want to make sure no one else here has one either?”
Nathan stepped closer. Not touching, but near enough that the air around us changed. “It’s about expectations. And whether or not you can still meet them.”
I felt like I’d been slapped.
“I’m not missing my best friend’s birthday,” I said evenly, trying to keep my voice from cracking. “Whatever meeting you want to have can happen Monday.”
“Unless you want me to fire you, I suggest you call up your friends and tell them you can’t make it because you need to work.”
I don’t know if it was the stress of a long week or the authoritative tone that reminded me so much of my father, but I snapped.
“You don’t have to fire me. Because I quit.”
Once the words were out my mouth I couldn’t take them back. I couldn’t tell who was more surprised by my declaration—me or Nathan. But all I knew was I instantly felt a wave of relief.
“You quit? I didn’t realize you were capable of being so dramatic.” Nathan replied.
“I’m not being dramatic and I mean it, I'm resigning.” I repeated. “But don’t worry, I remember what I agreed to in my contract and will give you the professional courtesy of a month’s notice.”
“Because I asked you to stay late?”
“No. It’s because for the past three years, all I’ve done is work overtime, cancel plans, and do everything you’ve asked, without so much as a thank you.
I’ve dedicated my life to you and the company, and in doing so, I’ve lost sight of who I am and put my dreams on hold.
I can’t do that anymore. I won’t.” I paused.
“So consider this my one month notice.” I pressed the elevator button and it opened almost immediately.
I stepped inside, leaving Nathan frozen, his face blank and unreadable. “Have a good weekend, Mr. Edge.”
The elevator doors closed, but the image of Nathan’s face lingered with me throughout the ride down, into the lobby, and even in the backseat of Kelsey’s town car.
As the SUV pulled away from the building, the weight of my decision settled in.
I expected regret and anxiety to gnaw at me, but instead, all I felt was peace.
Guess I wasn’t meant to be by Nathan’s side forever.