Page 28 of Best Kept Secret
“Hi, you must be Caroline,” I say through a rushed breath, holding out a hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Caroline looks down at me, gaze scrupulous. Instinctively I cower, feeling smaller than I’ve ever felt, while trying to remain confident.
Caroline shakes my hand quickly and turns. “Come.”
I follow her through a quiet corridor lined with glass offices, and it opens to a bustling trade floor. I take in the excitement of dealers on the phone, furiously tapping on their computers, yelling at one another across the space, tossing a football around. It’s exactly how I imagined it would be, although, as I look around, I can’t help but notice there’s a lot of… men. Literally every desk is occupied by a man. Where are all the women?
“Hey, yo, C-dog!” someone yells.
Caroline stops, turning with a smile a lot less forced than the one she’d offered me moments ago.
“Who’s the fresh meat?”
I snap my head to the side, becausewhat the fuck?
My eyes narrow on a tall, generically handsome twenty-something dressed in a too-tight shirt and tie, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the football that’d been flying around seconds ago now clasped between his big hands. He grins at me, a slightly predatory gaze assessing me with obvious appreciation. And I can’t help but balk because firstly, how dare he, and secondly,freshmeat? Gross.
“This is Millie,” Caroline says, indicating me.
“What’s up,Millie?” he says, lifting his chin in greeting with the kind of smile I’m sure makes most women weak at the knees. But I’ve only had one coffee so far this morning. My dickhead tolerance is waning. And, right now, his cocky-ass smile is giving me a serious case of the ick.
“You’ll meet her soon enough.” Caroline shakes her head, glancing at me with a wry smirk. “These boys…”
The men all chuckle between themselves, and my jaw clenches painfully as I follow Caroline down a corridor lined with offices occupied by even more men. When we reach a door that opens to a room with four desks and a window that looks out onto the trade floor, two women talking quietly between themselves glance over, eyeing me curiously.
“Good morning, ladies,” Caroline announces like a third grade school teacher.
The women stand up a little straighter, identical smiles that, yet again, don’t meet their eyes, plastered on their pretty faces.
“Good morning,” they chorus.
My brows tug together because what in theStepford Wivesis going on?
“Girls, this is Millie,” Caroline points at me while looking down at her phone. “She’s the newbie.”
“Hi, Millie.” A stunning woman with sleek black hair,dressed in a figure-hugging Fendi dress, begins toward me, holding out a hand. “I’m Steph, one of the assistants.”
“And I’m Michelle, another one of the assistants.” The gorgeous blonde, wearing a silk blouse and a pencil skirt, smiles from me to Caroline and back again, before taking a seat at one of the desks.
“Girls, if you can show Millie around.” Caroline stops at the desk next to Steph and looks at me. “This is you.”
My brow furrows as I look at the desk, sufficiently confused. “My desk is in here?”
Caroline bites back a bitter smirk. “Unless you want me to have it moved into the kitchen?”
I suppress an eyeroll. “I assumed I’d be sitting out there.” I point to the trade floor through the window.
Caroline laughs as if that’s the funniest thing she’s heard all month, her smile falling when she meets my eyes. “Oh, you’re serious?”
Steph and Michelle giggle between themselves.
“Maybe one day,” Caroline says, her tone dripping with arrogance.
I swallow the trepidation that lurks at the back of my throat and hesitate before moving to my designated desk.
“Tasks will be assigned after the morning meeting,” Caroline says to no one in particular as she walks out of the room with her chin held high.
I place my things down, scanning my desk, glancing at Steph and Michelle, and I don’t mean to appear ungrateful for the opportunity, but as I glance at the two assistants as they touch up their lipstick at the same time, I can’t help but worry that maybe this isn’t quite the opportunity I thought it was going to be.
