Page 3 of Hollow House
“Excuse me?” I asked, anger rising deep in my chest.
No fucking way. I wouldn’t blow the guy to keep my position.
“Well, you have my attention now, Sloane. The question is, will you do what it takes to stay here?”
Creative new expletives raced through my mind, and I sorted through which I wanted to use first. Was this how the womenhere moved their way up? What a fucking sick and twisted cruelty!
Did Dani get promoted like this? Was Hollow House really her ticket to another promotion?—
I stopped the thought there, a new idea forming.
“I’ll write about Hollow House,” I spat out before I could stop.
“Dani is—” he started.
“Incapable of writing and still hasn’t received an invite,” I pointed out, folding my arms.
The bitch deserved a bit of karma and I deserved the chance to rid myself of the toxic workplace I’d called a job for three years. They all deserved each other at this point.
Darren folded his hands in his lap, no longer reaching for his zipper. His attention fully settled on me.
For a moment, I thought maybe I did screw myself. Maybe quitting would’ve been easier. At least then, I could leave on my own terms without being kicked to the curb.
“Fine,” Darren answered. “If you get me an inside scoop on Hollow House, you can have the promotion I know you’ve been waiting for.”
Not quite what I was working for, but it definitely would help my plan to get out.
“I expect the article in my inbox on November 1.”
An impossible turnaround, of course.
“Fine,” I said flatly.
I turned to walk out, not willing to waste time, ready to get to work on the impossible task I just assigned myself.
“Good fucking luck,” Darren chuckled on my way out.
Chapter 2
I left work immediately.
There was less than a day until Halloween, and now, I was utterly fucked. What was I thinking?There was only a single place I could think to start, and I sighed knowing what it would cost me.
The shop was only a couple of blocks away, and a tiny bell rang when I pushed the door open. Everything from vibrators to lingerie lined the walls, and I found myself pausing to stare at a few items.
“Sloane!” Felix called out from behind the register, pulling my attention away.
I waved and hurried over to my best friend. Felix and I had known each other since kindergarten.He worked at the shop to support his dreams of becoming an author. We’d both loved writing since we were little, just in different ways. He created stories, whimsical worlds to escape into, and I reported on this world, wrote what I saw and experienced.
Luckily, he also had his partner Jeremy to support those dreams. Working at the shop gave him the flexibility to still have time for writing while Jeremy’s income helped balance the bills.
They were the perfect pair.
“You’ve starved me of my next chapter, so I’ve come to demand it,” I joked.
Felix sent me the chapters he wrote one at a time for feedback. His latest work was going to be an instant bestseller. This one would be the big break for him, I knew.
He threw his hands up dramatically.“I’ve hit a wall,” he groaned. “I can’t decide where I want things to go next.”
