Page 15 of Addicted

Lucian started walking without looking back. I jumped up and speed walked forward, catching him entering Hugh’s office.

My heart thudded in my chest, but I followed him in.

Lucian sat on the couch and gestured for me to close the door. I placed a suddenly sweaty palm against the door. Lucian had said three words to me the whole time I had worked for him. He hadn’t even called me into his office when I got my promotion, he’d emailed me asking me to update my email signature.

This was either very good or awful.

Hugh moved to stand beside me. I couldn’t look at him. I took a deep breath. If this was about us, the HR rep would be here. I tried to calm my racing heart by taking a deep breath.

Lucian pulled out his phone and started typing away with long fingers. We stood silently, waiting for him to speak.

I repeatedthis is fineover and over in my head, but that didn’t stop the familiar shivering from flowing through my body. I was starting to feel like I couldn’t catch my breath.

No, not now.

“Denise, you’ve been doing an amazing job with the interns. I know you’ve only been a Principal for a year, but I want to see if you have what it takes to be a Partner. I am emailing you both this quarter’s strongest pitches. Pick one and run it—start to finish.”

Hugh’s computer pinged as Lucian stood and looked at me. Partner work? I didn’t even have my own team yet and I was being considered for Partner? I felt like my body was underwater.

“Any questions?”

I shook my head as my neck started to heat underneath my collar. Hugh made a quiet noise next to me and I spoke, “No, sir. Thank you for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to finding the perfect enterprise organization worthy of Foxx.”

Lucian nodded and turned his attention to Hugh, “I’ll let the team know at our meeting later.” He strolled out of the room and shut the door behind him.

I took a short breath and then another, staring at the door. The flush crept up into my scalp and I felt like I was going to combust.

“Denny,” Hugh said. He sounded far away, too far away.

I waved him off and walked over to his couch and fell on it. I was already emotionally raw, and the idea of being reprimanded tipped me over the edge.

I don’t do this.

I don’t make decisions on a whim.

And Curtis. Curtis scared the shit out of me last night.

Was I really going to call the cops on him if he didn’t leave? Was it even worth it to file a report against him for grabbing me? Cleo was there, but she was also my friend.

What if no one believed me…

Everything was falling apart. Each piece of my life was slipping through my fingers, and I couldn’t hold everything together and take on more work on top of it all. My head was swimming. I started to feel lightheaded.

“Denny?”

I barely heard him, my attention was on the view. My breaths started to come faster. It dawned on me that I really did want this job. Extravagance aside, I was helping people’s dreams come true. I was. But my dreams were all shattered, fragmented and broken. What did I want? Who was I trying to be?

Hugh leaned down next to me, his face coming into view.

“Breathe with me.”

Was I not breathing? I felt like I was breathing. I was breathing a lot. Too much. My chest was heavy and things were blurring.

My hands were placed on something warm, but my gaze was still on the skyline. It was foggy and gray today.

“Denise.” Hugh snapped at me.

His tone caught my attention, dragging me back to the fact that my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. My lungs were seizing. I felt my vision starting to dim.

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