All I can do is roll my eyes, as if him screwing her would be such a hard thing for him to handle. That’s the last problem we need right now. No more office romances.
“No, I’ll handle her myself. No need to whore yourself out. Have you talked to Dad?”
“Yes, this morning. When was the last time you talked to him?”
“A while.” I shrug. “I haven’t had a reason to speak with him.”
Unless it’s business-related, I really don’t talk to him. Not because I don’t want to, it’s more because we have nothing to say to each other. My father wasn’t there when I was little, he was always working. Just as I am now. The relationship we have at work is the only one we have, and I don’t know how to change that. I don’t know how to interact with him outside of work.
“You should call him. Maybe you can play a round of golf together this weekend? We could all go. I could see if Thomas wants to join.”
“You think Thomas will be sober enough on a weekend to swing the club, or hit the ball?”
Our youngest brother is going through a bit of a wild phase. Partying, drinking, and probably getting every sexually transmitted disease he can find. In some ways I envy him, but then I don’t. I can’t imagine how he feels every morning when he wakes up. Then again, he probably gets more ass than a toilet seat.
“Yeah, probably not.” William taps his fingers on his desk.
We both take a sip of the whiskey. I hold the amber liquid in my mouth for a moment before swallowing, letting the alcohol burn down my throat and settle heavy in my empty stomach.
“What about the rest of the team? Everything going well with the project?”
“Great, everything is just great.”
5
Riley
Breathe, Riley, breathe. Everything is going to be just fine. You can do this.
It’s what I keep telling myself, but it still feels like nothing is fine. I should have stayed last night and talked to him, but I was too scared he was going to fire me or kick me off the project. He shouldn’t be able to do that, but let’s be realistic, he could if he wants to. He might not say the real reason out loud, but he could easily find some other one.
Walking into the boardroom for the third day in a row, I’m relieved to see Mark and John are already here and that I won’t be alone with Nicholas. Although that will come later. I need to talk to him, whether or not I want to.
As I take my seat, I pretend not to be affected by the man sitting at the head of the table. He’s commanding, arrogant, and grumpy. I pretend not to suck in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of his cologne.
And I pretend not to feel a flutter deep inside my gut every time I’m near him. Even as scared as I am of hearing what he has to say, I can’t deny the pull I have towards him.
“Morning,” I say, loud and clear this time. After another pep talk from Ross last night, I decided not to be intimidated by him. Or at the very least, not act like it. I put my big girl panties on this morning.
“If you act as though he can run all over you, he will.” Ross is usually right about these things, so I’m taking his word on it.
“Good morning,” Nicholas greets me without glancing my way.
The two other men across the table also greet me, but neither one of them is avoiding eye contact. Matter of fact, they are both gawking at me to the point that I’m wondering if I have something stuck in my teeth or a stain on my dress?
Running my tongue over my teeth, and my hands through my hair, I give myself a once over, but can’t find anything wrong with me.
A moment later, Naomi struts in like she is about to step foot onto the New York fashion week runway. I discreetly glance at my phone to check the time, 7:59 am.
I suppress a frown. I wish she would have been late again. Seeing her being put in her place was more satisfying than I’d like to admit. I barely know her, but I know of her, and I definitely know the kind of woman she is. She reminds me of every girl I hated in school. Self-absorbed, vain, thinks she can get away with everything just because of her looks. Girls like her are the reason I don’t have any girlfriends.
Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t have any friends besides Ross because I was a total nerd in school. My grades were everything to me and I had no time for friends. College was not any different, and once I took the job at Brooks enterprise, my schedule only got busier. Friends became my least priority. In fact, dating, friends, and anything outside of work got pushed onto the back burner.
“You look cute today,” Naomi compliments me.
“Huh?”
“I said you look cute today,” she chirps, flashing me her pearly white teeth with a bright smile. “The dress fits your curves nicely.”
The dress fits your curves nicely?
Why do I feel like this is a backhanded compliment?
Before I can come up with a proper response, Nicholas starts the morning meeting with a list of things he wants worked on and some changes we need to implement.
I listen to every word he says, take down notes, and make the changes in my head. I even give appropriate answers when asked something, which is a good step in the right direction. I’m feeling more like myself with each second that passes.
As the morning progresses, it becomes more and more apparent that Naomi is trying her hardest to flirt with Nicholas. It’s getting to the point of pathetic since he doesn’t show a single sign of being interested.
“I’m talking to Jonathan Berkley right now. He’s agreed to let us hold a fundraiser at his hotel. There, we’re going to announce the hospital and get as many donors as possible on board. The event is not set yet, but I’ve already picked a dress, you’re gonna love it,” she squeals, her voice making my ears bleed.
I suppress a gag.
Nicholas doesn’t answer, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing. “It has a bit of a low cut up front. If I’m not careful, a boob or two might slip out.” She giggles.
“Like they are now?”
My brain doesn’t realize I said that out loud until everybody in the room stops what they are doing to stare at me.
Shit.
John and Mike are simply staring at me, wide-eyed, while Naomi is shooting daggers at me through her eyeballs. I glance at Nicholas, who has the faintest grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
“At least I have a nice pair of tits,” Naomi sneers, and grabs her purse. “I have a lunch date with a potential donor.”
I don’t warrant her comment with a response, and I don’t look down at my boobs wondering what’s wrong with them. I just watch her stomp out of the room on her four-inch heels, hoping she breaks one and falls on her fake nose.
“Well, that was fun.” Nicholas shuts the folder in front of him. “Let’s get back to work. Riley, did you get a list of those paintings?”
“Yes, Nic…” I stop myself from saying his first name. “…Mr. Brooks.” I’m not sure what is weirder, almost saying his first name or calling him by his last name. I did have his dick in my mouth a few days ago. I think that’s grounds for first-name terms.
By now my face must be a bright red color, or at least it feels like it is. I open my mouth again, but before the words come out, I’m interrupted by the buzzing of my phone. It’s silent, but in the quiet of the room, the vibration against the table rings loudly through the air space.