Page 11 of Keep Your Friends Close and Your… Work Enemy Closer?

It'd maybe take the whole week, but it was still better than a solid month. And in the meantime, I'd actually get some real work done sitting in here all day.

Four

Annalise

"You're done? But—but how?" I sputtered, shocked that he'd finished this monster project I'd given him in only a week. One measly week of peace when I'd expected at least a month or maybe two.

He shrugged like it was no big deal. "I'm just that good."

I narrowed my eyes at him because there was no way this was possible. Wandering over to a box, I lifted the lid, looking at the neatly placed files, all labeled and alphabetized by the authors' last names. I checked out another, then another, and one more, even peeking inside the files to make sure, and found every single thing flawless.

The boxes were placed in perfect rows on the metal shelves, organized in order by year, nothing missing, nothing out of place, with room at the end for more. The floor had been swept clean, the trash emptied, and even all the recycling gone. There was absolutely nothing left to do, not a single thing to nitpick him about.

Damn him. How on earth had he done it?

Studying his face, I tried to figure him out. I'd barely heard a peep from him all week, and it'd been blissful. And now? I'd have to find a new way to keep him busy.

It reminded me of playing chess with my dad growing up, all the times he'd beaten me, not holding back, and this time, Jared had outwitted me, finishing me off with a checkmate. I'd just have to figure out a way to win next time.

There was a noise at my back, and I turned to see Mona. "Hey, guys," she said, her eyes roaming the spotless room. "Wow. What the heck happened in here?"

"Me," Jared said, a cocky look on his face. "I'm what happened."

While I rolled my eyes, Mona seemed impressed. "I've never, ever seen it like this, and I've worked here forever."

Jared didn't say anything, his stupid smile growing on his stupid face.

"Really well done," Mona gushed, ignoring my eyes that pleaded with her to stop. "So anyway..." She bounced up and down on her toes. "I just wanted to let you know that we've decided to carry on with Marcella's birthday celebration and go to karaoke after work. Are you in?"

I saw the way her gaze darted between Jared and me, and she couldn't possibly be invitinghim, could she?

"I'm in," Jared said.

Great. "I'm busy," I lied.

Mona stared me down. "How are you busy? We were going to happy hour anyway, so we'll just shift it over to karaoke now."

Why, Mona, why?We had a little glaring contest, until I finally decided to cave. Unless I invented some sort of emergency, which would be bad karma, there was really no way of getting out of this. "Okay. Fine."

Jared had the nerve to laugh, actually laugh. "Thanks for including me,Mona."

My traitorous friend left, and I soon followed, ignoring the twinge of guilt at her text explaining herself. "It's the right thing to do," she'd written. "I feel bad leaving out the new person."

I wished I could say the last hour of work flew by, but it didn't, because Jared was back at the desk next to me, downing chips like he hadn't eaten in a week, loudly typing away at his keyboard like it was his worst enemy and had stolen his last pringle.

Between the crunching and the jackhammering, I couldn't take it anymore. I turned to him. "Do you have to be such a loud typer?"

He looked up at me, his eyes surprised behind his glasses. "Everything I do is loud and fast. That's just me, baby."

"Don't baby me," I growled.

"I take that back. Noteverything," he amended.

Oh, God. Was he implying what I thought he was implying? I could not go there with Jared. I absolutely refused, so I did the only thing I could think of doing—put in my earbuds and tried my best to ignore him.

After an eternity, it was time to go, and I escaped to the bathroom to get ready with the intention of letting Jared find his own way to the karaoke bar. And when I returned to my desk, he was gone. Maybe he'd even had a change of plans. One could hope.

And that hope built and built as the evening went on, a huge bunch of us meeting up at the bar with no sign of Jared, thank the universe. Someone had reserved a private room, and we all gathered there, making ourselves comfortable on the plush leather couches and bean bags scattered around the room, pink and blue neon lights pulsing with the house music.

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