Page 12 of Office Affairs

I stilled mid-pour and ended the call with Russell. I needed to hear this. My pulse raced as a surprising surge of anger engulfed me. What did they mean, a woman like that? Like what? Smart, beautiful, sexy? Sabrina was all those things. I’d looked at her resume and spoken to her professors before Chase ever conducted the interview. Sabrina was top of her class, with a good head on her shoulders. Her professors sang her praises, and from how she spoke this morning, I understood why, and it had nothing to do with how sexy she looked in her black business suit and pumps.

I leaned into the corner and focused on the two female voices.

“She shouldn’t be in a business like Grady. We’re top of the line, not lower-class trash where anyone could walk in off the street and get a job.”

“Exactly. Who does she think she is, anyway? You and I both put in for that job. One of us, a loyal employee, should have gotten the chance to work with Mr. Grady.”

I hated the way they said Chase’s name, all saccharine sweet and fake as their eyelashes and tits. A quick look past the edge of the wall and I knew exactly why they were talking about Sabrina like she didn’t belong. Courtney and Olivia, not that I gave a flying fuck what their names were as long as they did their jobs, but I did know they were part of our marketing team and had worked for Grady for less than a year. They were good at their jobs, but shit with anything outside of marketing.

Bitches. They had no idea who they were dealing with, or talking about. My grip on the cup tightened, crumpling the material and spilling hot coffee across my hand. I ground my teeth and cursed under my breath while cleaning up the spill.

The two women continued grumbling and badmouthing Sabrina, a woman they’d never met and judged based on their own shit performances. Enough. I tossed everything into the trash bin and rounded the corner. Sabrina sat at a table not far away from Courtney and Olivia. They couldn’t see her thanks to the potted plants lining the half wall, but from the look on her face, she’d heard every word.

Fucking damn them and their bitchy insecurity. This was not going to stand, not as long as I was here. I met Sabrina’s eyes and smoothed my tie into my jacket as I marched over to the table. Both women looked up, their mouths dropping open. They snapped them shut and smiled coyly.

“Mr. Smith.” Courtney sat back and pushed out her chest.

I ignored the obvious display and leaned over the table. “It’s appreciated if complaints like this are brought to management, not discussed here. If you have a problem with our hiring process, I suggest you talk to Laura in HR. This is not high school, ladies. Act professional or get the fuck out.” I stopped there before I lost control. Anger burned hot enough to set the whole place on fire. No one deserved to be talked about like that, and I would never stand by and let it continue. It wasn’t just because Sabrina was the accused but because it was decent human behavior to keep your fucking mouth shut. I fisted my hands and pushed back from the table.

Sabrina looked up at my approach, and I swore I saw a sheen of appreciation and thanks in her brown eyes.

I hated office politics and how interoffice dynamics affected the entire business. They all needed to get their acts together. Their reaction to Chase choosing the best candidate for the job should be respect and understanding, not petty bitching and moaning. I had to get out of this place before I marched right back over there and told them to get the fuck out.

“Come on.” I held out my hand toward her and was surprised when she took it, letting me pull her upright. “Our meeting with Leon has been moved up. We need to leave now.” My phone pinged a series of text messages. I read them as I wove my way through the coffee lounge toward the front door. “Russell and Chase are waiting for us outside.”

“I can’t.” She stopped in her tracks, the sudden lack of movement yanking my arm back before I realized what had happened.

I spun to face her, taking in her pale face and the sheen of sweat on her brow.

Her free hand clenched around the hem of her jacket, and she pulled in a slow, deep breath. “I feel sick. I …” She pulled free of my grasp and took a step back. “I’m not feeling well.”

They did this to her. My gaze darted to the two women who’d made short work of leaving the lounge after my reprimand. My teeth ground together. “You can stay in my office.” I turned on my heel. “Come on. I’ll show you where it is. Can you make it?” Concern washed through me when she stood rooted to the same spot. Bright spots of color flooded her cheeks.

“Your office? What about the meeting?” She took a step to follow me, then stopped, looking beleaguered and shy all at the same time. “It’s my first day and I’m already fucking it up.”

“You’re not.” I strode back to her and cupped her elbow. “You’ll be fine once you forget about those women.”

My phone pinged again. I ignored it. Chase, Leon, and Russell could wait. Leon especially. He’d been yanking us around for a while now, trying to avoid this conversation. Then he changes it, saying it had to be right now, in the next hour? Something fishy was going on, and I wanted to find out what, but Sabrina took priority. I didn’t even want to try and figure out why when I’d just met the woman.

“What about the meeting with Mr. Adams?” She tripped over his name. The shaken look turned to one of fierce pride, but her chin quivered and her hands never released their tight grip on her hem.

“Don’t worry about it.” I led her to our private elevators and passed my keycard over the screen. “I’ll record the meeting. You can type up notes later to put in our files.”

“I thought you said no recordings?” She followed me into the elevator and crossed her arms over her stomach, hugging her elbows tight.

“Here.” I unbuttoned my jacket and slid it off, then draped it over her shoulders. She should look ridiculous wearing both our suit coats, but she pulled off the look with finesse. “You’re not allowed to record the meetings between Russell, Chase, and myself. Meetings with Leon are different. We usually have a transcriptionist there to document, but a recording works in a pinch.” I’d damned well make sure it did. Leon liked to be the one holding all the cards. It was time he learned to compromise.

I took Sabrina’s cold hand in mine as we left the elevator and emerged on the sixteenth floor. My floor.

Sabrina paused, her step faltering as she took in the space. “It’s very … colorful.”

“Eclectic,” I corrected gently. Vibrant paintings hung on every wall, the bold colors and abstract shapes drawing attention even when you tried to look away. A leather sofa took up half a wall, and my desk the opposite side.

“Compensating for something?” She lifted an eyebrow at the desk, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. It’s none of my business.”

A chuckle rolled out. I released her arm and stepped back. “It’s fine. Stay here and rest. If you get bored, I have a stack of files on my desk that need organizing, along with my calendar and the appointments I need to work in.”

She nodded and bit her lower lip. “Thank you.” Her words were so soft and sweet that I almost missed them.

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