Page 7 of Room One Hundred & Twenty-One: Kiss of Fire

Never let them see you sweat, Selena. No matter how much they get to you.

“Good morning, Ms. Abernathy.”I’m hoping today is the day I’ll win her over, but I won’t hold my breath.

Her fingers hover over her keyboard when she glances up at me. “Good morning,” she replies coolly before resuming her work.

Knowing this is the most I’ll get out of her, I head over to my desk to get settled in. Yet, when I shrug off my cardigan, I feel the fine hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise. I turn to find Noah’s gaze laser-focused on me and an odd expression on his face. Once again, he pins me with a stare and I struggle to look away.

What is this hold that he has on me? That all of them have on me?

“Selena.”

I startle and snap my head in Ms. Abernathy’s direction.

“May I speak to you in the kitchen, please?”

“Oh… okay.” My heart hammers in my chest like I’ve just been called to the principal’s office.

I stand and follow behind her, ignoring Noah as he watches us go by. She pulls out two mugs from the cabinet and pours fresh coffee into each one. Then she places a caddy with sweeteners and creamer in front of me as she sips hers black.

“Thank you,” I say as I fix my beverage the way I like it. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

She pauses for a moment, and it makes me nervous. “I’ve never been good with beating around the bush so I’ll be frank. I think you are an exceptional assistant.”

I blink in surprise.What did she say?

I must be dreaming because out of all the things my mind could’ve conjured up that she’d ever say to me,thatdidn’t make the cut.

“Um… wow. Thank you so much!” I beam with shock and pride, but her expression remains neutral.

“And because I think so highly of you, I encourage you to be very careful.” Her words cut into me like a hot knife as she holds my confused gaze.

“Careful? What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?” I know my promotion was sudden, but I think I’ve been doing a good job. And to my knowledge, there wasn’t anyone before me. So surely, they aren’t comparing my work to someone else’s. Except maybe to that of Ms. Abernathy. But she’s perfect, and I know I’ll never measure up to her.

“You, my dear, are their latest… obsession.”

My stomach drops like a brick.Their latest? Obsession?

So there was someone before me. But then, how can I be their obsession when they go out of their way to avoid me like the plague?

I need some time to think. Something I can’t do when she’s staring at me. “Thank you for the warning. I’m almost positive they want nothing to do with me, but I’ll be sure to be careful.”

She doesn’t look convinced. “Just try not to get tangled up in their web. You’re a beautiful girl and you’re just their type.”They have a type?“They have a way of making you feel as though you’re drowning while somehow making you crave every second of it.”

I don’t even know what that means, but I don’t question it. I’m still reeling from the revelation that she thinks highly of me and that my bosses might like me after all.

“Watch yourself, dear. Those boys are wolves in sheep’s clothing.”I’m discovering that.“Trust me, I know far more than they think I do.”

With those parting words, she leaves and I stare after her, wondering what the hell is going on.

Did I wake up in some kind of alternate universe this morning?

“I bet they have big dicks,”my best friend teases, and we both fall into a fit of laughter.

Damn, I’ve missed her.

Lexi Tessoro and I met in college, back when we both attended Northwestern University. She had a difficult time during those days—family drama or something like that she said. But the one good thing she got out of it was meeting the loves of her life.

Loves. Plural.

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