Page 3 of Boss On Notice
But instead, we stood at the bend of the street corner, cars whipping by way too fast, people whipping by even faster, as he kept talking and talking,and yapping. I tuned him out as the wordsI think I hate yourepeated in my head. The guy didn’t even look at me while he talked. His eyes kept wandering to all the beautiful women who were out and about. I think he’s a sex addict or something. The guy juggles so many women and cares for none of them. That’s why I was surprised that he was so jealous when he learned his brother Achilles was engaged to Treasure Grove, who is apparently his ex-girlfriend. Last year, on top of all the important work I do for him on a daily basis, he made me befriend Achilles’s assistant, Jenn, so that I could easily track his brother and his brother’s fiancée’s whereabouts.
Finally, Achilles and Treasure are getting married in Las Vegas this weekend. They rented out an entire hotel, which costs the same amount as it does to run a small country. I think their soon-to-be nuptials is one reason why Orion has been acting so needy. I almost feel sorry for the guy, almost.
“Recycle this, Lila,” he had said, shoving both towel and bottle into my chest.
I was ready to claw his perfect face off. I almost said, “You narcissistic nitwit, do not call me Lila. How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!”
But I didn’t. Instead, I turned my back on him and stormed home, licking my wounds the whole way. However, it was on that walk when a solution to rid myself of Orion Lord for good began to spark in my brain.
Orion is still waiting for me to answer whether or not I believe that he thinks I’m great when I peer through the window of Starbucks and see a line that feels as long as the entire East Coast.
“Oops,” I say. “I dropped the coffees.” I tell him I’ll make some more once I’m back in the office.
“You never answered my question,” Orion says.
I roll my eyes. He made me lie about the coffees and now I have to lie again.Grrr…“Yes. I believe you,” I say through the fake smile I conjured just to get those words out.
I finally race into the LTI building.
“Why are you breathing so heavily, Lilly?”
I am breathing heavily. Sweat warms my forehead and trickles down the sides of my face. Our office is on the first floor. We used to be on the penthouse floor with Hercules, and his co-CEO and wife, Paisley, until Orion screwed that up. Then his job duties changed and we were moved to the sixteenth floor to join the sales team. He screwed up there too, and now we’re crunching numbers in an office with two rooms—both the same size—but still Orion insists that we share the same space while the other room be used for storing paper, pens, books, ledgers, a copier-printer-fax machine combo, and a refrigerator. He could have his own office and I could have mine. But rarely do any of Orion’s decisions make sense.
“Lilly, are you still with me?” he asks.
I scan my employee badge to enter our private hallway. “I’m breathing heavily because I want to hurry up and get to my desk.” I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head. “I mean back to my desk.”
I pull up to a stop when I notice the office door is cracked open. Oh no, did I forget to close it before leaving in a huff yesterday afternoon? I take a moment to visualize myself walking out into the hallway. I was definitely hopped up on a high dose of fuck it. But I don’t have to think about what happened yesterday anymore. I know he’s in there—I can feel him in the air.
My stomach lurches as I cross the threshold of the office. I’m now existing in slow motion as I lock eyes with Orion who’s sitting behind his desk, fingers behind his head and long legs crossed on his desk as he nails me with the cockiest grin.
He points his fingers at me as if he’s aiming a gun. “I bet you thought I’d be on my way to the wedding.”
I can feel my eyebrows hovering just above my eyes. “I didn’t.” He and Heather are supposed to board his private airplane at eight p.m. I set my bag on top of my desk, peering at my computer. “What are you doing here so early?”
Oh no.I stifle a gasp.My screen is up. The last task I worked on populates the screen. My head feels floaty as I pretend not to be bothered by the letter that’s on display and waiting for anyone and everyone to see.Has he read this?
Dear Orion Lord, (You fucking narcissist—remember to delete)
A day comes when an overqualified assistant becomes tired of picking up your laundry, managing your many girlfriends, lying to them, acting as your personal alarm clock, and a new low, even for you, Mr. Lord, bringing you a cold bottle of water at the end of your run. You run? When did you start running?
Never mind.
Oh…I almost forgot, having me stalk your brother and his fiancée was not your finest moment and is actually lower than the water thing. (Delete—maybe.)
The point is, yes, the money is excellent, but you are not (Remember to revise). I quit. This is my two weeks’ notice.
Not Even Sincerely, (Remember to delete)
Delilah O’Shay
My eyes flick up and rest on his face. He’s still grinning.
I point at my iMac. “Did you see this?” I figure I might as well just come right out and ask.
Orion’s eyebrows furrow as he promptly wipes that smug smile off his face. “Read what?”
Hmm…maybe he hasn’t read it.
