Page 19 of Bidding on Her Orc Boss

Caro looks fit to burst with curiosity but reluctantly nods. “Fine. But I want a full report, missy! Now let’s get this show on the road.”

I grin impishly and follow her into the adjoining conference room, swaying my hips a little more than necessary. The incredulous snort behind me sets off a fit of giggles. Oh yeah, it’s going to be an interesting day.

Caro and I fall into our well-practiced routine, setting up the conference room for the big meeting. I’m humming under my breath as I fiddle with the projector, my mind still replaying choice snippets from last night’s X-rated adventures.

“Earth to Zana!” Caro’s amused voice jolts me out of a particularly steamy memory. “I know you’re riding the orgasm train to happy town, but I need you to focus, babe.”

“Sorry, sorry!” I flash her a sheepish grin. “Okay, I’m all yours. Let’s do this.”

I force myself to concentrate on the task at hand, running through our pre-meeting checklist with single-minded determination. Microphones? Check. Handouts? Check. Coffee and water? Check and check. I’m just pulling up the presentation slides when a familiar username catches my eye.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I groan, glaring at the screen. “XSonagh718? Seriously? Of all the people...”

Caro peers over my shoulder, her brows shooting up. “Wait, isn’t that your message board nemesis? The one you’re always ranting about?”

“The one and only,” I mutter darkly. “Arrogant, condescending, know-it-all prick. And now he’s wormed his way into our meeting. Fantastic.”

I’m still stewing in righteous indignation when the first attendees start trickling in. Caro slips effortlessly into manager mode, all warm smiles and confident handshakes. I hover uncertainly in the background, trying to school my features into something resembling professional detachment.

And then he walks in.

For a moment, I’m sure I’m hallucinating. Because there’s no way, no possible way, that the green-skinned titan ducking through the doorway is my X. My brain short-circuits, desperately trying to reconcile the impossible sight before me.

But it is him. And from the stunned recognition dawning in his golden eyes, he’s just had the same earth-shattering realization.

Holy shit. XSonagh718 is X. X is XSonagh718.

My arch-nemesis is my one-night stand. And my one-night stand is a freakin’ executive at Vormugh Enterprises.

I think I’m going to be sick.

Caro’s eyes dart between us, her mouth hanging open in a perfect ‘o’ of shock. Behind X, his cousin Urul looks positively gleeful, like he’s just stumbled upon the juiciest gossip of the century.

I want to sink through the floor and disappear. I want to pinch myself and wake up from this surreal nightmare. But all I can do is stand there, frozen, as the reality of the situation crashes over me in nauseating waves.

“Right, well,” Caro says, clearing her throat. “Let’s, um, let’s get started, shall we?”

She shoots me a pointed look, and I scramble to finish setting up, my fingers trembling on the keyboard. I feel X’s gaze boring into me, but I refuse to meet his eyes. I don’t think I can handle seeing the smug satisfaction there, the confirmation that he’s witnessed my ultimate humiliation.

The meeting passes in a haze of mortification. I stumble through my presentation, my voice sounding hollow and distant to my own ears. Every time X speaks, I flinch, his familiar rumble sending unwelcome shivers down my spine.

And then, just when I think it can’t possibly get any worse, a private message pops up on my screen.

“You smell even more delicious than you did on my fingers this morning.”

I choke on my own spit, my face flaming. I jab at the delete button like my life depends on it, praying to every deity I can think of that no one else saw. But as I risk a glance around the room, I could swear I catch the CEO’s knowing smirk.

The second the meeting ends, I’m out of my seat and bolting for the door. I barely register Caro’s concerned call or X’s startled expression as I brush past him. All I know is that I need to get out of here, need to put as much distance between myself and this unmitigated disaster as humanly possible.

I don’t stop running until I reach my hotel room. With shaking hands, I pull up the transfer request form and start typing. I don’t even wait for Caro’s response before hitting send.

Then I crawl into bed, bury my face in my pillow, and scream.

Chapter Ten

Xnaurl

I raisemy fist to knock on Zana’s hotel room door, pausing for a moment to straighten my shirt. With a deep breath, I rap my knuckles against the wood.

---