Sam turns the laptop to me. “Another password, please, for your user account.”
I type in another password and turn the machine back.
Sam promptly restarts the laptop, then turns it over to grab some numbers from the bottom, which she types into her computer.
“Am I ordering you a cell phone?” she asks, turning to me again.
“I took the stipend to use my own.”
“Good plan.” She laughs. “You’ll be able to upgrade at your pace then, rather than deal with our upgrade cycle.”
I grin. “I’d rather not have to carry around two phones.”
“There’s that, too.”
She passes over the laptop and power cord sitting on top, then hands me the bag. “You’re all set here. If you need password resets, you’ll need to come to me.”
“Got it.”
She stands, and I mirror her stance.
“Nice to meet you, Harper.”
I smile. “You too.”
For a few minutes, it feels like the day is getting back on track, despite my discomfort in the hot jacket. Then, I’m once more subjected to the stares of my new coworkers, and my day goes downhill again.
It reminds me of the final few months in college. The stares from complete strangers, some sympathetic, others mocking. I was the girl who found her boyfriend fucking some other girl in the middle of a party, and my less-than-spectacular exit meant that everybody knew about it within a couple of weeks.
That’s another reason why I’d moved home. Halfway across the country seems to be enough distance between me and my ex. Getting to spend more time with my dad is an added bonus, even if my new stepmom and sister don’t seem to know I’m alive most days.
I would prefer it if Lauren and Katherine paid more attention to me. I’ve missed having a mother to talk to, and I’d always wanted a sister. But Katherine is too busy being the perfect daughter for Lauren to bother with me.
Okay, Harper, time to work.
I turn on the laptop, log in, and start on the assignments Declan emailed. If I can get some work done and ignore that I’m sweltering, I might be able to salvage my first day.
3
Axel
“You know, we’re going to have to throw the bachelor party to end all bachelor parties,” I tease, shoulder-bumping my twin brother, Maddox. “Give you one hell of a send-off to married life.”
“I’m down for that,” Declan chimes in with a grin. “Strippers, alcohol, and gambling should all be on the agenda.”
“Vegas?” I offer.
“Hell yeah,” Declan replies.
“Excuse me. I’m the groom,” Maddox cuts in.
“Exactly,” I retort. “You’re the groom. But it’s up to the best men to plan the bachelor party, so let us plan.”
“Ass,” Maddox says, rolling his eyes.
Maddox’s fiancée Madison walks over with what looks like a Cosmo in hand.
“Hi,” Maddox says, giving her the goofy smile of a man who’s completely head-over-heels.
She gives him the same look back, and I decide to get their attention before they get lost in each other.
“So, Maddie,” I say, nudging her with my elbow, “how do you feel about a boys-only trip to Vegas for the bachelor party?”
Madison rolls her eyes. “It’s Madison. How many times do I have to tell you?”
I laugh and turn toward her, ready to tease her about family and nicknames.
Then I see her.
My mouth goes dry, and my field of vision narrows until all I can see is the blonde across the room. She’s tiny, with delicate, pixieish features. Even the way she moves and talks to the others in her group is soft and feminine.
I can’t look away, fear settling in my mind—if I take my eyes off her, she’ll disappear.
“Who’s that?” Maddox asks.
I shake my head, unable to speak. I know I’ve never seen her before.
“New girl,” Declan replies.
“She’s gorgeous,” Madison says.
I agree but still can’t seem to speak. Then somebody walks across the space between us, momentarily blocking the stunning woman from my sight, and the spell breaks. I clear my throat, once again noticing how dry my mouth is. I need a drink.
I cast one more look at the woman, grunt to acknowledge whatever question I’m sure Maddox has asked, then turn towards the drink table.
“Sparkling orange,” I say to the person manning the drinks. I take my cup filled with a sparkling orange juice, and I carry it over to a quiet corner where I can observe the room.
A few minutes ago, all I could think about was how big a deal this new client is and what I would need to do to make Maddox’s bachelor party as epic as possible. Now, the only thing that matters is the gorgeous blonde. She looks so sweet and innocent, nothing like the sultry vixens I normally play with. But the image of her on her knees bound with lengths of blue satin crosses my mind, and I can’t rid myself of it.
I take another look at her in an attempt to convince myself that she’s off-limits and that she wouldn’t fit into my lifestyle of bondage and sex clubs. Instead, my cock twitches when the thought once again flits through my mind. I want to see her submitting to me.
She turns, and our eyes meet. An electric magnetism shoots between us.
“Axel!”
I turn and plaster on a smile as one of my salesmen walks over, grinning.
“Quite the party, boss.”
I nod. “You all deserve it. Everybody worked hard to land the new account.”
“Don’t mind me, but I hope this becomes a regular occurrence.”
I laugh, shifting slightly to see if I can determine where the blond went. “We’ll have to land an even bigger account next time.”
“I think I can live with that.”
I can’t see her anywhere, and finding her again is like an itch under my skin. I need to get some air, and I need to try and get the woman off my mind.
“If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to head outside for a few minutes,” I say, interrupting whatever the salesman was talking about.
“Oh, um…sure,” he replies.
I’ll have to come up with an excuse and an apology on Monday, but for now, the last thing I want to talk about is work. I head towards the elevator. A few minutes outside should help me clear my head and refocus.
4
Harper
I have no business being at this party. While I am an employee, I had no part in the large contract that was just secured. I’ve only been at the company for a week, and barely know the names of the people at the desks closest to my own.
There’s nothing to trigger a case of imposter syndrome quite like all the stares of people who know I wasn’t even around to help with the contract, yet I am now celebrating with them anyway. I’d tried to get out of the party, saying it should be for the people who had worked to land the contract, but Declan insisted I come. Apparently, it was supposed to be a good, low-stress opportunity to meet other people.
Low-stress. Right.
As soon as I arrived, I noticed the obligatory cliques. Friends or people who had worked together through projects ended up in clusters, leaving me to bounce between them all like a pinball. Parties are no fun when you have no one to talk to.