Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
I nodded. “So… What else should I know about? Chase got me an account and showed me how to access the email servers.”
Paisley appeared at the desk. Her red hair was braided on one side today and she looked adorable in a green high cut open coat with big yellow buttons. She had on a fitted gray dress beneath that showed off her figure. “New girl! I was worried we’d lost you yesterday.”
“You look amazing,” I said.
Paisley gave a little sway of her hips and tilted her chin, smiling. “I know. I have a date after work today.”
Cassie groaned. “You always have a date after work.”
“What are you implying, Cass?” Paisley asked.
“I’m implying you might be playing for the wrong team if you still haven’t found the right guy after all these dates.”
Paisley snorted. “Trust me. I’m a huge fan of men. I just haven’t found the right one yet.” She seemed to notice how off Cassie looked for the first time and folded her arms. “You aren’t doing that beef only diet again, are you?”
“Raw fish,” I said with a conspiratorial smile for Paisley.
Paisley pulled a face. “Like sushi?”
“Cooking the fish strips away some of the nutrients,” Cassie said, but even saying the word ‘fish’ seemed to turn her stomach. She paused, wincing, and then got up. “I’ll be back. Sorry, Lola.” She rushed off toward the restrooms.
“So what happened in his office yesterday?” Paisley asked. Her blue eyes were wide and sparkling with curiosity.
I considered telling her everything from the things I wasn’t supposed to about Max to his creepily hot attempts to control me. For some reason, my usually loose lips felt tight, though. “Um, well. It was mostly normal, I guess?” I felt bad lying, but I really did want this job to work out. I already liked Cassie and Paisley and even Chase. I liked my weird landlord and the little girls I’d met who were going to look after Termite. I liked Old Mr. Ashford and the cute Ashford Inn along with all the cheery, colorful buildings in Fairhope. Hell, I especially liked the fact that I was going to earn twenty freaking grand every month I survived this job. That sort of money could change my life.
Paisley frowned. “Normal? You mean he didn’t threaten to bend you over his desk and spank you if you talked to Chase again or something? After that email I got yesterday, I was almost wondering if he had the hots for you.”
I felt my cheeks go red but forced a shrug. “Nope. Just that I was supposed to show up early today and make sure I learned the ropes from you guys.”
“Huh.” Paisley looked skeptical for a moment, but it seemed to pass. “Well, do you have any questions?”
“Actually, I was wondering if it’s okay to take a break and have a coffee or something in the break room.”
“Girl,” Paisley said with a grin. “Mr. Stone may be a hardass, but you have to really fuck up to get his attention. Well, except in your case, I guess. For most of us mortals, we just have to keep that guy happy.” She pointed, drawing my eyes to a tall man with dark, slicked back hair, a square chin, and heavy eyebrows. He was handsome, but not really my type. He looked a little too much like the prototypical high school football captain slash prom king. “That’s Griffin. He’s the floor manager, and he’s the main one who will rat you out to Mr. Stone if you fuck up. But Griffin is actually pretty easy to please. Just make sure your work is done at the end of the day and he won’t care how you spend your time.”
I nodded slowly. “So… coffee?”
Paisley grabbed my hand and led me through the office towards a little box of frosted glass that enclosed the breakroom. I noticed people were looking up at us and whispering as I passed.
“Why does it seem like everybody is talking about us?” I asked.
Paisley opened the door to the empty breakroom and gestured for me to enter. “You. They are whispering about you. And it’s because you’ve met Mr. Stone face to face and word already spread about how he has been personally escorting you from the lobby to his office in the morning. They want to grill you for information just as bad as I do.”
I smiled a little sheepishly and used the coffee machine as an excuse to stall. I fiddled with the buttons and then found all the supplies before I responded. “Well, they’d be disappointed because there’s not much to tell.”
“Mhm,” Paisley said.
The door opened while the water was heating and three women hurried in. “You’re his new assistant, right?” One asked. All three were maybe in their mid to late twenties. They all had similar black hair, similar ponytails, and similar styles with pencil skirts in bright colors and flowy blouses that showed a healthy amount of cleavage.