Page 10 of Office Affairs

SABRINA

I decided on a less ambitious dress for my first official day at Grady International, and as I hurried across the pristine lobby and into the elevator, I regretted the choice. I knew what I’d gotten into with Chase. I walked into our one time together with my eyes wide open.

His parting words still hurt my feelings. I gripped my small clutch to my stomach to quell the churning and focused on the numbers blinking as I rose higher and higher. He’d told me to meet him in his office on the seventeenth floor before he had an Uber pick me up. We hadn’t fucked again like I’d hoped. The one time really would be it. God, I was such a fool if I thought I could look him in the eye today and not remember the feel of his mouth, his hands, his cock.

He was the best lover I’d ever had, and I wanted him again.

Focus, Sabrina. I squared my shoulders and inhaled to steady my pulse when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Showtime.

A spacious lobby spread out in front of me, not unlike the one on the tenth floor where I’d interviewed with Chase. The difference here was the purely masculine tone set by the midnight blue carpet, the leather chairs in one corner, and the curved mahogany desk directly in front of me.

Chase stood at the desk, one palm splayed on the wood and the other in his pocket. His perfectly tailored gray suit matched the sprinkle of gray at his temples and brought out his blue eyes. “Good morning.” Polite and nothing else graced his tone.

My anxiety churned tighter despite the dispassionate way he looked me over. I managed a nod. “Good morning, Mr. Grady.”

Russell and Garrett stepped out of the office behind the desk, grinning at each other as they looked back and forth from me to Chase. Did they know? Surely not.

The gleam in Garrett’s eye said differently. “Shall we?” He motioned me forward. “This is a good first day for you, Sabrina. We’re conducting one of our casual weekly meetings. We’ll need you to take notes and write up a summary that you’ll email to each of us.”

“Can I record it on my phone for easier dictation later? That way I can write up a verbatim text.” I opened my purse and retrieved my phone.

Russell held open the door and let me pass. “No recordings in the office. You can jot notes using your own shorthand, but not everything that’s said in this office needs to go into a report.”

What did he mean by that? I settled in one of the rich leather chairs and crossed my ankles. The scent of leather mixed with their cologne, creating that heady mixture I’d scented yesterday.

Why did all three of them have to be so handsome? Working here would be an exercise in control over more than my libido, I realized when Chase, Russell, and Garrett took the three chairs at the far end of the table.

Russell swiveled his chair side to side, his hands in his lap and a careful but neutral smile flattening his lips. Dark hair dusted his cheeks in an intentional way. “Once we finish up here, you can begin your regular duties. Today, you’ll be at the desk out there, answering calls that ring through and catching up on Chase’s schedule.”

They dove into the conversation before I even had a chance to find a pen or even a scrap of paper. How was I supposed to take notes? Grumbling under my breath, I tapped open the note-taking app on my phone and commenced jotting down what I considered relevant information. The number of stocks sold in the last month. Where they stood on the market. How things were going with the latest security app.

I was a glorified secretary. I considered standing up and informing them that I had better things to do with my degree than take notes and answer phones. My fingers flew over the keys and I tightened my grip on the urge to march from the room. My MBA was better used looking at the company from an internal perspective. I couldn’t help them like this, but I hesitated to call them out on bullshit on my first day.

Was this payback for what I said to Chase? I eyed him over my phone. His gaze skated to me, and the corners of his eyes tightened a tiny bit before he returned to the conversation. “There’s no reason to think the new app will be a problem when compared to the old one. People who have the original can upgrade at a reduced rate, and new clients will pay full price.”

My hands stilled on the keyboard. “You’re not going to reward new members for signing up?”

Russell leaned forward, his brows lifting. “You think we should reward new clients instead of the people who have been loyal to us?”

“No.” I tucked a stray bit of hair over my shoulder and matched his pose, widening my eyes. “I’ve been trying to understand why companies do that. I’ve questioned every professor, and they tell me that the lower rate for new clients brings a competitive edge.”

“And it pisses off your loyal customers.” Garrett twirled his chair around in a full circle. He had a boyishness to him that made him appear younger though he had to be every bit of forty. “We keep our customers for years by offering them incentives like this. This way, instead of them leaving to find the next best deal, they stick around. Then they tell their friends.”

“And the cycle continues.” I nodded that I understood. “I wish more companies thought like you.”

Chase snorted. “I’m glad they don’t. Arrogant pricks think they’re doing themselves a favor by offering a new membership at a fraction of the cost. But look at the turnover rate.” He tsked and tapped the table. “We work smarter and harder than any other company. We pride ourselves on loyalty.” His jaw pulsed, and I sensed the threat left unspoken.

“Unlike Janice.” Russell sat back with a self-satisfied smirk. “Don’t be like Janice.”

I knew better than to ask, but I couldn’t help it. “Who’s Janice?”

“Chase’s last secretary.” Garrett’s eyes glittered, and he let out a bark of laughter. “Chase fired her for incompetence in the workplace.”

“More like harassment in the workplace.” Chase met my gaze and I felt it again, that threat looming over me. “She followed me into the bathroom and offered to give me a hand.”

“Yeah.” Garrett snorted. “A hand job. Pretty sure that’s not in the company policies and procedures manual.”

“It is now.” Chase pushed Garrett’s chair, sending him rolling sideways.

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