Page 124 of Sexting the Boss

My cheeks are still hot, my hair probably a disaster from being shoved against those dusty shelves, but I can’t bring myself to care. I slide into my chair with a small, secretive smile tugging at my lips, ignoring the curious looks from my coworkers. Let them whisper.

Just as I’m about to pretend to re-immerse myself in Excel, a familiar, high-pitched voice cuts through the air.

“Sasha.”

I look up to see Brittany, arms folded across her chest, her manicured nails tapping in annoyance.

Here we go.

She glances around, making sure we’re somewhat alone, then leans in with a theatrical whisper. “What the hell was that?”

I blink, forcing a calm expression. “Excuse me?”

She lowers her voice, but it’s still shrill enough to attract a few stares. “Don’t play dumb. Everyone saw Damien Zaitsev—our very intense, very unattainable CEO—dragging you off like you were…what, his new favorite toy?”

Heat flares in my cheeks. “It’s complicated,” I manage.

She narrows her eyes, undeterred. “I’ll bet. Also, I saw you at that charity ball.” Her voice goes an octave higher, dripping with forced surprise. “You left with him, didn’t you?”

My blood runs cold.She saw us at the ball?My mind snaps back to the swirling dance floor, Damien’s firm grip on my waist, the faint glow of camera flashes.

My heart pounds in my chest.

“Brittany…” I attempt to stall, flustered. “I—It’s not what you think.”

She snorts. “Oh sure,thatold line. So what do I think, exactly? That you’re fucking the boss and hoping no one notices?”

My stomach churns, and my hand tightens around the mouse in a death grip. “It’s not like that,” I whisper, trying to maintain some semblance of composure.

Brittany tilts her head, eyes gleaming. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“Brittany, please,” I say, looking around.

This is a nightmare.

“You know, I really didn’t think you’d actually reel him in. When I gave you that text dare weeks ago, I was just messing around.”

I freeze. “What?”

The second the words leave her mouth, Brittany’s expression falters, like she realizes she’s said too much.

“You…wait. What do you mean?”

Her face hardens. “That wasn’t a random number. I knew exactly who it belonged to. I told you I had connections. I never expected that…” She laughs without mirth. “But of course, guys just fall madly in love with you, don’t they? Like Ryan.”

I blink. “Ryan? What does he?—”

She lifts her chin, eyes glittering with anger. “You know he was into you, right? And I was jealous. It pissed me off how he’d always hover around your desk, offering to help you, flirting with you.”

I gape at her. “You…did all this because you were jealous of Ryan?”

She doesn’t say anything at first, but then she cracks. “I thought you’d just send something weird, get in trouble. I didn’t think you’d, you know, actually hook up with him.”

My head spins, fury and betrayal crashing over me in waves. “You—you did that on purpose? I trusted you when you said you didn’t know whose number that was!”

“I wanted you gone, or at least humiliated. So I fed you that number. You took the bait.”

My blood feels like it’s boiling. “I—do you realize how insane that is?”

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