Page 8 of Romance with Mr. Bossy Pants

“No.”

She looks uneasy. She has to, especially after she just ruined important documents for a critical meeting.

“I’ll redo these as soon as possible.”

“Shoot. I’ll have to postpone today’s meeting. Reach out to Nexus and reschedule the meeting to first thing tomorrow morning. You’ll need to redo the proposals by the end of the day. If it takes you longer than office hours, you’ll have to drop it off at my place. I need them in hand by tonight.”

“Your place?” She questions. “I don’t know where you live.”

“I’m the CEO of this company, Ms. Summers. Surely, you can be resourceful enough to find that out.”

Her jaw tightens at my words. She takes the papers and walks to the door, a few sheets dropping at the entryway of my office. I watch her gather them.

“I’ll get someone from facilities to clean up in here and I’ll try to have these in your hand before the end of the day.”

“You bet you will,” I repeat. “Your job depends on it.”

3

Chloe

The clock on the wall mocks me with its relentless ticking. 5:36 PM. The fluorescent lights overhead buzz with an irritating intensity, making my eyes gritty and my head throb. I massage my temples and take deep breaths.

Who needs waterboarding when you have annoying office lights?

My fingers are stiff from hours of typing, and the remains of a stale vending machine granola bar sit forgotten in the corner of my desk. This isn’t how I envisioned my first day at work. I’m supposed to be the life of the office, breezing through every single task I’m handed. I should be mingling with colleagues on my first day, not bent over sheets of paper, trying to figure out words smudged by coffee.

I stop for a second to stretch and glance at the clock again. 5:42 PM. Enough thinking. Time to get back to work. I push through the remaining files, double-checking every detail.

I can’t help but notice that the fluorescent lights are getting eerily louder. Maybe they’re on a cruel timer for those that stay late in the office. Or maybe they’re just trying to talk to me. That’s it…they’re buzzing out Morse code messages of encouragement. Or torture. At this point, it’s all a little hazy.

My phone vibrates on the table. It’s Amber calling.

“Sunshine and rainbows, sunshine and rainbows,” I mutter to myself as I pick up my phone.

“Hey, Chloe,” Amber says. “Let me guess, your first day has been so great you decided to work late. Or better yet, grab drinks with colleagues?”

“I wish,” I sigh. “I’m still hunched over the darn proposals, making sure everything is perfect before the end of the night. If it isn’t, I lose my job.”

Amber chuckles. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I wish I was. I’m still at my desk trying to salvage these files.”

“All this after you already had to get new clothes in the morning?”

“Yeah.”

“I told you Daniel is the worst.”

I look around the office. There’s no one around.

“Well, it’s not exactly his fault,” I say. “I’m the one who spilled the coffee over something really important. It was so embarrassing, Amber. And then, there’s his impossible attitude…like no matter what.”

“Yep, sounds about right.”

“You have no idea. I just want to get home already.”

“I can come get you.”

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