Page 3 of Bear Boss's Mate
Except show up late for her first day.
Marcy wanted to roll her eyes, but she looked at the floor instead, letting out a sigh.
Bern had told her in the interview that the work environment there was relaxed, and office staff were easy-going.
The handsome stranger she had just encountered did not seem easy-goingorrelaxed. Even his attire was more businesslike. Unlike Bern, he’d been wearing a pair of nice beige trousers and a button-down shirt with a chic tie.
She gritted her teeth and glanced at Bern, who gave her an apologetic look, but said nothing. He headed down the hallway behind tall, dark, and surly. Marcy followed.
Her belly churned at the thought of sitting in the same room as the man, who looked so impatient and frustrated.
This wasn’t what she had expected at all on her first day at a new job.
MOMENTS LATER, THEYstepped into a meeting room where a broad wooden table ringed by a dozen chairs sat in the middle of the room. Several of the staff members had mugs of coffee in front of them. The rich aroma reminded her she’d not eaten. Her stomach growled and she blushed.
Marcy took a spot next to Bern when he held the chair out for her. Pulling the chair closer to the table, she then searched her bag for a pen and notepaper, just in case she needed to take notes.
Because they were already late for the meeting, her anxiety level was through the roof. She released a breath and chewed on her cheek, then caught herself doing it.Calm yourself down,the voice in her mind admonished.
When she dared to make eye contact with the other individuals around the table, she saw several friendly faces. However, a wiry, bleached-blond woman looking older than Marcy gave her a stare that she interpreted as disdain.
“This is Marcy, our new accounting manager,” Bern announced.
“Welcome,” several male and female voices spoke in unison. The blond woman said nothing and turned her gaze elsewhere at last.
Marcy greeted the others; one by one, all those gathered in the room introduced themselves. Her hands trembled. She put them on her lap so no one would notice, glad she didn’t have to shake hands with anyone at the moment.
Marcy tried to pretend there wasn’t a hole burning into her right side as the man at the end of the table fixed his gaze on her. Thankfully, Bern was sitting between the handsome man and Marcy.
When the introductions were finished, she looked to her right, dreading what he might say and hoping he wouldn’t ask her questions.
Perhaps it was because they were sitting closer to one another than they’d been in the hall, but he appeared less intimidating than he did minutes earlier. In fact, she couldn’t help gawking at him. He was, by far, the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
She moistened her lips while eyeing his square jaw and his sensuous, full lips. There was an intensity to him that left her feeling warm all over. His amber colored eyes drifted over her face with a look of pure heat, causing her to tense and let out a gentle sigh.
Was she drooling over a guy?
“I’m Austin,” the impressive man smirked, with a tone as smooth as silk.
In her peripheral vision, she saw the blond woman across from her, squirming in her chair.
Marcy glanced at her and caught the woman glaring back with narrowed eyes.
She turned her attention back to Austin. “Nice to meet you.” She pushed a few curls off her forehead and looked down at the notepaper in front of her. She knew her face was glowing several shades of red.
He began the meeting, updating everyone on new and ongoing projects. A couple of minutes in, he announced meetings were held every Monday at nine a.m. sharp. He didn’t sound angry or accusatory. It came out as more of a statement, but she knew it was directed at her.
If she wasn’t feeling self-conscious before, she was now.
She wished she could hide her emotions better, but her cheeks and neck flushed even deeper. She forced herself to look down at the notepad in front of her. Bern cleared his throat, and she glanced over in time to see him give Austin a questioning look. Marcy pressed her lips afraid she might not still have a job.
She listened throughout the meeting as she took a few notes on things that pertained to her new department.
Every time she tried to steal a glance at Austin, he was looking back at her with a knowing grin and a puzzled look on his face.
She wondered what he thought of her gaping at him. Marcy decided it was safer to avert her eyes to the dark wood grain of the table. She admonished herself for ogling Austin. She also couldn’t help but notice the blond woman sending her daggers with her eyes.
Cringing, Marcy hoped Austin wouldn’t override Bern’s decision and fire her before the end of her first day of work for making such a fool of herself.
