Page 16 of Unleashed

“Of course,” he replied easily. “But I’ll need your contact info so I can nag you if you try to say no.”

With a smile, I pulled out my own card and handed it to him. Michael took it, studying it briefly before looking back at me.

“No title?” he asked, arching a brow.

“I have one,” I said dryly. “Engineering Associate.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Let me guess. They keep promising promotions, but those promises are always unfulfilled. Other kiss-asses get the positions you’ve earned, and they use your looks as an excuse to hold you back. Their loss is my gain.”

“Is this really happening?” I muttered, still half in disbelief.

“Yes, it is,” Michael said, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin. “Call it fate that I met your lovely friend here.”

“Thank you,” Erika chimed in with a wink. “Now, can we eat?”

We all laughed as the waiter approached, Michael gesturing to the menu. “Absolutely. And it’s cause for celebration. Order anything you want.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I glanced down at the menu, the weight of Michael’s offer settling in my chest. Maybe things were about to change after all.

“I can’t believethis is happening,” I said, my voice still tinged with disbelief as Erika and I sank into the backseat of the cab, the city lights flickering through the window.

“Believe it,” she replied, a grin tugging at her lips.

I turned to her, suspicion creeping into my voice. “Did you set that up?”

Erika scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Like I know who Michael Elliot is? I had no clue. I was just looking for a guy who could pay for my drinks.”

I laughed, still processing the whirlwind of the evening. “That was incredible.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So, are you taking it?”

“I think so,” I admitted, my thoughts racing. “I like the idea of working in a big, open space. It feels more collaborative, like being part of a team.”

Erika smirked. “That’s all you like about it? What about the salary?”

I smiled, glancing out the window. “That too. I can help my parents more.”

Her tone softened. “How are they?”

I sighed, the weight of it all settling back on my shoulders. “Not good. Dad’s been rationing his arthritis meds because he can’t afford them. I sent them money, but it’s not enough. I can’t let that happen.”

Erika’s eyes filled with sympathy. “Well, this will definitely help.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, my thoughts turning to the next hurdle. “Now I just have to figure out how to word my resignation. I don’t know how they’ll take it.”

“Who cares?” Erika said sharply, her face hardening. “They’ve done you wrong so many times. The harassment, the passed-over promotions—it’s not your problem how they take it.”

I bit my lip, the familiar guilt gnawing at me. “I let the harassment go on because I didn’t report it. It was the same thing at Webster. Out of a class of 114 engineering students, only eight of us were women. By senior year, there were just four of us left. We dealt with so much crap.”

Erika shook her head, her voice filled with frustration. “Who says engineering is a male-dominated career? If a woman wants to be an engineer, she should be able to without all that nonsense.”

“It still happens,” I said quietly. “And it’ll probably keep happening. But... I think it’ll be different at Elliot.”

The cab pulled up to Erika’s apartment, and she reached into her purse, shoving a crumpled twenty into my hand before I could even protest.

“Erika, you don’t?—”

Before I could finish, she leaned in and planted a wet, playful kiss on my cheek. “Don’t argue. This is my good deed for the day.”

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