Page 85 of Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze

Not that I think any of them would demand a favor that would harm me, but I really don’t like owing people favors.

“This was a bad idea,” I finally admit with another deep sigh, my shoulders sagging in dejection, causing the two of them to burst into laughter.

“You’re way too honorable, really,” Kayla says with a wide smile and shakes her head at me. “Did you really think we were going to say no?”

“No, of course I didn’t,” I admit, feeling a wave of relief. “Well, that’s a lie. It was something I considered, but I’m very glad you just said yes.”

“One condition though,” Millie says quickly, narrowing her eyes at me. “Don’t fuck it up, please.”

“Then again,” Felix adds, “even if he does, it’s only going to fuel Lily.” I’m torn between wanting to hug and strangle him. “Come on, Lily operates on spite.”

“Just imagine what she could do if he decides to fuck it up,” Millie agrees, her frown turning into a wide grin. “Okay, how about you pick her up at the office today?”

“Maybe I’ll do that,” I say. “When does her workday usually end?”

Lily

I close my office door behind me with a deep sigh and lean my back against it. It’s been a day full of meetings and I’m just ready to go home, kick back and sit in silence.

My last meeting of the day was with our marketing department about a possible timeline for the live event idea we had and I’m not sure why, but whenever I meet with them, the meetings seem to drag on forever and drain all my energy.

Glancing at the clock right over my desk, I sigh and bump the back of my head against the door. No wonder.

It’s already an hour past the time I usually end my day, but there’s still work to be done. There might be no fires to put out after spending two weeks in Tokyo, but I absolutely have work to catch up on.

So, after taking a deep breath, I sit down behind my desk and plug my laptop back in to at least answer some e-mails when I hear a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” I say loudly, not looking up from the e-mail I’m in the middle of reading.

Felix pops his head in and grins when he sees me. “Hi.”

“What are you still doing here?” I ask, shaking my head at him disapprovingly. As much as I know it’s expected of me to work longer hours, I’ll be damned if that extends to him. He deserves his rest.

“You know, just finishing up a few things,” he says inconspicuously and opens the door further to come inside. “I got something here you need to sign.”

“Okay.” I hold out my hand look at him, confused. Why is he making such an issue of this?

“What is it? Your time off request?” But before I can get an answer out of him, he’s already out the door, shouting a quick goodbye over his shoulder as he heads into his well-deserved time off.

I look at the stack of papers in my hands curiously.

“What the—?” I flip through the pages quickly and jump up, pacing my office as anxious bile rises in my throat. “What the fuck?”

“Oh, great. Felix made it,” Kayla’s voice comes from the door, and I stop in my tracks, my head shooting up at her.

“Why are you asking me to sign my own contract again?” I ask, frowning and even more confused when Millie suddenly appears next to her with a giddy grin on her face.

“Oh, we’ve added a clause. You know, page twelve, section eighteen.”

“It’s somewhere around the middle,” Kayla adds, her grin so wide that I can tell something’s up. Millie is the giddy one of the two, not Kayla.

What the hell?

“What’s going on?” I ask them, but quickly flip to the page, my eyes flying over the page.

“What the—?” Right between the clause outlining the non-disclosure agreement and the section on my compensation, there’s a two-sentence paragraph added:

“CEO Lily is permitted to engage in personal relationships with CEOs of other companies, provided that she strictly refrains from disclosing any proprietary or confidential information related to the company. Additionally, she is prohibited from attempting to acquire any sensitive or proprietary information from her partner.”

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