Page 7 of Mr. Big Shot

One by one, she starts listing the partners followed by the associates assigned to their team.

“Mr. Beltran—Makayla Hammon, Dilan Phan, Ramona Dalton.”

A guy in the center of the room turns to two girls sitting beside him and they give each other surreptitious high fives.

Thaddeus Welch, Vihaan Robles, and Andy Pace land on Mr. Pruitt’s team.

My name is called next, first up for Amaya Chandra’s team. After me, she calls the name of two other girls. One of them sits over near the window by herself. She looks back at me and shrugs as if she doesn’t really care that we’ve been placed on the same team.

I’ll take it! Open apathy is better than blatant loathing.

Also, I’ve managed to evade landing on Hudson Rhodes’ team. Of all of Barrett’s advice, at least I lucked out in that regard.

She finishes assigning everyone else. The blonde girl up front—Kendra Crane, I learn—doesn’t get her name called until the very end, and I smile (internally) with glee over her assignment for two reasons. One, she’s been placed with Hudson. Two, rather than being placed with two other new associates, she only gets one other team member: the boy near me.

Makes sense. There’re only eleven new hires in this room; one team had to be one short. Oh well. Poor Kendra will have her work cut out for her, that’s for sure. I do hope Barrett wasn’t exaggerating about Hudson. It’d be such lovely karmic retribution if he was an absolute monster.

When Kendra realizes her lackluster placement, she immediately raises her hand in protest. Bold. I expected her to sit quietly and take it on the chin.

“Excuse me?”

“What is it?” Bethany asks, not even bothering to look up. She’s reviewing her memo, likely confirming she’s done everything she’s supposed to do so she can release us into the wild. We’ve already taken up too much of her time.

“I was hoping to be placed with Ms. Chandra rather than Mr. Rhodes,” Kendra says kindly. “I was on her team while I worked as a summer associate, and when interviewing for this position, I was told I would likely be working alongside her again.”

Bethany finally deigns to look up, and now she does so with a shrewd sneer. I get the impression she’s not all that impressed with Ms. Seat’s Taken. “I think the operative word in that sentence was ‘likely’. Was it stated in your contract that you would be in her service?”

Kendra rears back. “N-no—”

“And did you speak with Amaya personally beforehand about this special assignment? Surely, if you had, she would have confirmed your placement with HR.”

Kendra stays silent, only offering up a slow shake of her head.

“Right. Then there will be no switching, under any circumstances.” She looks out over us all now, likely wanting us to learn this lesson once so she won’t have to repeat herself again when the next person starts grumbling with complaints. “The team I placed you on will be your team for your entire first year here at Elwood Hoyt, if not longer. We don’t play favorites—”

For a split second her eyes cut to me, and I all but cringe down into my seat. Hey! I wasn’t the one asking for a swap. I took my assignment in stride, thank you very much.

“Assignments are at random. End of discussion,” Bethany states quickly. “Now, in a moment a member of your team will arrive to escort you and your peers to your new desks. Beyond that, HR wants each of you to go down to the fiftieth floor sometime today so they can confirm your ID badges are in working order. There were a few issues this morning, as I understand it. Also, while you’re down there, it would be an opportune time to pick up your parking badge for those of you who are—”

Powerful knuckles suddenly pound on the door, breaking through her words. She huffs under her breath at the interruption.

When she pulls the door open and looks at the person on the other side, she stands just that much taller, shifting her weight and lifting her chin, affecting an entirely new countenance on behalf of our guest. Intriguing. I can’t help my curiosity. I lean over in my chair to try to get a better look at the person.

The man’s handsomeness takes absolutely no time to register. The moment I lay eyes on him, I realize he’s a male in rare form. A gift to us all. And I’m allowed to say that even if I’m in a relationship with Jasper. It can’t be wrong to appreciate beauty like this!

And so what if this beauty happens to be 6’3” and suited to perfection? Rich brown hair, of course. Alluring brown eyes, check-check. A side profile that’s chiseled and cut…well it’s no wonder I haven’t shifted back into my seat even though my side is starting to ache. I can’t move or blink to save my life.

“Mr. Rhodes. Hi.”

His name registers impossibly slowly, as if it had to travel around the entire world before it landed in my ears.

Mr. Rhodes.

What?

That’s him?! Talk about delivering the devil in a pretty package. Not fair. He’s handsome in the same way a venomous snake is beautiful, alluring…deadly.

Don’t you worry, Barrett. I have my wits about me. I shift back into my seat having fully come to my senses. Then, to add another barrier between us, I look down and mind my business. Whatever he’s doing here has nothing to do with me. I might as well be whistling and twiddling my thumbs.

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