Page 30 of Hate Notes

"Twenty says she's gone by the end of the week," Moira replied.

"Haven't you two ever watched a princess movie?" Julian asked. "It's pretty obvious what's going on here. Mr. Foster is Beauty, and this new girl is The Beast. Duh."

I slammed the door behind me, their words echoing uncomfortably in my head. Ember's presence was already disrupting my carefully maintained order. The smart thing would be to fire her immediately.

Instead, I found myself walking toward her workspace, drawn there like a moth to a particularly irritating flame.

Heads popped up briefly at the sounds of my footsteps across the office. When people saw it was me, their eyes widened before they immediately ducked back down behind computer monitors or scurried to desks like frightened mice.

I ignored them all, tearing a path straight toward Ember's desk.

I stopped in the doorway and found her lifting the last bite of her chocolate bar to her lips. She froze when she saw me, smiled, and then popped it into her mouth and licked her finger clean. "Hello, Mr. Foster," she said with feigned innocence.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I know," she said. "The sugar isn't good for my body, but it's good for my mental health. And at some point, you've got to consider the balance, right?"

"I don't mean about the goddamn chocolate. You've been staring at the camera like?—"

"Oh, that thing?" Ember asked, leaning back in her chair and batting her eyelashes. "Were you watching me? Out of all the cameras in here and with all the important things you must have going on in your day?"

"I wasn't just watching you. No."

"Oh, good," Ember said. "Because that would give me the wrong idea. I'd wonder if you only hired me because you had some sort of inappropriate attraction to me. Like you wanted the power fantasy of having me under your thumb. You know, the whole perverted boss calling his secretary into his office after hours and..." she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"You're not my secretary," I snapped. The damn woman had me reeling. I could hardly form a complete thought, let alone remember why I thought coming here in person was a good idea. "And I'm not?—"

"Oh," she said, lifting a greasy bag toward me and giving it a little shake. "Did you want some fries?”

"I don't—no."

"Okay," Ember shrugged. "Was there something else you wanted? Or should I get back to work? I was working really hard before you interrupted me, by the way. You'd know that if you had been watching me on the cameras closely."

I had watched her do nothing but slowly and defiantly eat her lunch, and the woman knew it. She was teasing me. She wanted me to admit Ihadbeen watching her closely enough, and if I called her lie about working, she’d have her proof.

"Wow," Ember said, biting back a smile.

"What?" I grated.

"I just thought steam coming out of people's ears was a cartoon thing. Today I learned it's real. That, or you're actually a robot and something is about to blow up inside you..."

"Get back to work," I said.

"I was planning on it before my boss came in and began distracting me. This office space is great, by the way. I love the privacy. Makes me feel so... special."

I paused mid-step with my back to Ember. Just walk away, Orion. Every word you say is only fuel to this infuriating woman.

"Was there something else?" she asked sweetly.

"No," I said, then slammed her door behind me as I left.

I heard her laugh echo through the door as I walked away, and I realized with growing horror that the sound made something in my chest flutter.

This woman was going to be the death of me.

14

EMBER

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