Page 234 of Plaything

The door opened, and I raised my eyebrows at my guys. “See you in a bit,” I whispered, glancing at the door. They were intimidating men, and I didn’t want to scare anyone off with them being here.

Getting the hint, they smiled before heading to the door. “Text me when you’re done and on your way home, okay?” Wyatt shot me a look.

I nodded. Duh.

Hidden from everyone’s eyes, Wyatt gave me a slight tap on my ass as they passed.

“Miss Whitlock, it’s nice to meet you finally,” a man said, reaching out to shake my hand. “I’m Phineas Smith, CEO,” he introduced himself.

I shook his hand. “You can call me Odette,” I smiled while addressing the group. Despite how lovely it looked on paper, I never was a fan of the last name Whitlock.

“Excuse me?” I gently knocked on the open door of the head of HR’s office, holding the employee handbook and a few other documents. I’d spent the past few hours sitting alone in the conference room reading over everything, highlighting and making notes of outdated, demeaning policies I wanted updated.

He looked up from his desk and straightened. “Ah, finished already?” He smiled. “Hopefully, everything’s up to your standards.”

I stepped into his office, trying not to cringe. “Actually, there were a lot of concerning rules outlined. No personal decorations or belongings in the workplace?” I gave one of the many examples. “I don’t mean to come in and change the standards, but I highlighted several things that I’d like to work on updating,” I voiced.

Caught off guard by my response, he gestured to the chair before him. “May I see your notes?” He asked.

I nodded while taking a seat and pointing out a few more over-the-top rules. “Like here; women must wear a minimum of a three-inch heel to upkeep professional appearance...” I read aloud. “Or the limited and timed restroom breaks,” I shook my head.

He took a few minutes reading over all my notes, his face looking increasingly disappointed in their policies as he read. “I’ve worked here for so long, I guess I never questioned how... bad some of these policies are,” he breathed out. “We can implement these changes, of course, but it won’t happen overnight .”

“I didn’t expect it to,” I agreed. “Please keep me posted on the updates as they’re applied to the new workplace standards,” I smiled before standing to leave.

“Yes, of course. Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” he stood, shaking my hand once more before I left.

I texted Wyatt that I was headed home and began my drive. I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment at what I’d discovered and made plans to change on my first day.

For the first time, I felt confident that I could take on the responsibility of owning these companies. Rita said all I had to do was show face and attend a few events—I wanted to do more than that. If this one branch of a financial company was so bad, I knew the rest needed the same TLC. That was where I’d begin. It was a rough plan, but a plan nonetheless—more than I had this morning.

The drive home felt like forever, but soon enough, I was driving down the long gravel driveway with trees on either side. The day was rewarding, but I was ready to take off my heels and tell my guys how the rest of my day went.

My eyes darted to the tree line, where something orange, plump, and cuddly sat. I hadn’t seen him in a few days, but his food bowl in the kitchen was always empty, so we knew he’d been around.

I stopped my car and got out. “Hi, sweet boy, what have you been up to?” I cooed as I crouched next to him. I gave him a few pets he loved before I scooped him into my arms. I carried him to my car, where I was about to get in and drive us the rest of the way home, when a faint meow was heard.

Pressing my brows together, I looked into the tree line again, where the quiet noise came from. Another cat meowed again, and I stepped forward. “Did you make a friend?” I asked.

I’d only stepped a few feet into the trees when a white fluffy cat lying on the forest floor stuck out like a sore thumb. Her ears were down as I slowly approached. “Hi, kitty,” I whispered.

The closer I got, the clearer I could see the tiny calico kittens curled up next to her belly. My eyes widened as I gave Cat a squeeze. “What did you do?” I tried not to laugh. “You reproduced!” I breathed out. I thought he was fixed. He should have been, but obviously, someone dropped the ball on that.

Still moving slowly, I crouched a few feet away, where she hissed at me. “It’s okay...” I whispered. I obviously couldn’t leave her or the kittens out here. It was spring, and the nights were cold. She wasn’t wearing a collar, but she seemed too... pretty and clean to be a stray.

“Is this where you’ve been?” I shook my head down at Cat. He, of course, seemed unbothered as he nudged my hand with his head, asking for more pets. “Aiden will be so happy you’re still feral.”

Making a quick decision to try to bring the mom and her six babies inside, I went back to my car and grabbed a laundry basket I kept in the trunk (to make carrying groceries easier).

Thirty minutes, a very grumpy white kitty and a whole lot of scratches on my hands later, I sat next to the fireplace with a sleeping Cat to my left and a box full of kittens and a mom in front of me.

I’d called the local shelters, asking if anyone reported a lost white cat—no luck. I’d sent them photos of her, too, wanting her family to find her if she had one. I offered her some of Cat’s food and a bowl of water, which she was still too nervous to touch.

My guys had yet to return home, and I was more than eager for them to see what I’d stumbled upon. The kittens were adorable, and it was hard not to reach out to pet them. Still, I resisted. The mom was too stressed for that, and I didn’t want to bother them any more than I had while trying to get them all into the basket.

So, I patiently waited for them to get home. I watched the kittens stumble around and nurse as they warmed up beside the fire. I laid down on the rug with Cat cuddled up next to my torso. My eyes grew heavy as I spied on Cat’s friend and their babies, still shocked that they existed in the first place.

“What on earth?” Niko’s soft voice woke me.

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