Read Online Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark) by Gena Showalter - Free Book Online
Authors: Gena Showalter
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battled an upset stomach, paced a thousand miles without ever leaving her chair and frayed the edges of her nerves until her limbs began to shake uncontrollably. Now...
“I’m not listening to you.” Or herself. Whatever! She had hope for the first time in years, and she wasn’t letting go. She leaned back in the chair at her desk. “He’ll keep his word. He’ll turn up, and he’ll answer all of my questions.”
The depressing thoughts stopped, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Are you Nicola Lane?” a hard, biting voice asked.
Nicola blinked rapidly and focused on the beautiful woman in the open doorway. She was tall, slender and black, with a fall of jet-black curls. Shadows consumed eyes the color of chocolate. Koldo’s were lighter, like caramel, and— Wow, Nicola must be hungry.
The woman wore a black-and-white tailored jacket, a pencil skirt and mile-high stilettos that perfectly complemented toenails painted black-and-white. Everything about her screamed style, sophistication and cold-blooded calm. So, what was she doing here, at the middle-class stress capital of the world?
“I’m Nicola, yes.”
“Well, congratulations. I’m now part of your department.”
Sarcasm on the first day. Wonderful. “Are you Jamila Engill or Sirena Kegan?”
Frowning, the girl said, “Jamila Engill.”
“Pretty name.” She wondered what Jamila meant. No doubt Koldo would have known.
“You have two new hires?”
“Yes.” Nicola tugged the lapels of her sweater closer together to ward off the chill blasting from Jamila’s attitude. Okay, fine. It was from the overhead vent. “Please, have a seat and we’ll get to know each other.”
Jamila marched into the office and slammed onto the far chair. Chin high in the air, she twined her hands in her lap and kept her gaze narrowed on Nicola, her back ramrod straight.
They were gonna have fun together, she could tell.
Five days ago, her very jittery, very irritable boss told her that he’d decided to hire two more accountants. Shock had nearly drilled Nicola to her knees. She’d been begging for a new hire for months, and every time she had been told to “make do.”
Currently, she was doing the work of five people. At first, she had managed. After Laila’s hospitalization, she’d begun to fall behind.
“So...what will be expected of me?” Jamila asked tightly.
Nicola explained a little about the operating system, and even though she hated sharing personal information with a stranger, she added, “I’ll be as much a help as possible as you learn, but the truth is, my sister is...dying—” even voicing the word was difficult “—and she... Well, I’m being pulled away from the office more and more.” Sooner or later, Jamila would have found out anyway. Phone calls would have come in, paperwork would have blasted through, or coworkers would have mentioned it.
This way, it was out in the open from the start.
Jamila leaned back in a pose that should have relaxed her. Instead, she appeared more rigid. “I’m sorry.”
People always said that. Nicola wondered what Koldo the Honest would have said.
Just the thought of him caused her heart to flutter. She cleared her throat. “Sometimes we have to confront employees who haven’t turned in their books. They’ll make excuses, but you’ll have to stay on them.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
No flinching, and no paling.
“Good, then you should do fine.” Unless you keep glaring at me like that.
“Hey, y’all. I’m Sirena, and I’m reporting for duty.”
Nicola’s attention shifted to the girl now standing in the doorway. She was taller than Nicola by an inch, maybe two, and wore an ill-fitting black jacket and matching pair of slacks, with a pink button-up top breaking up the darkness. Her hair was long and blond and as straight as a board. Her eyes were as wide as a doll’s, a mix of brown and blue; a pair of horn-rimmed glasses perched on her
“I’m not listening to you.” Or herself. Whatever! She had hope for the first time in years, and she wasn’t letting go. She leaned back in the chair at her desk. “He’ll keep his word. He’ll turn up, and he’ll answer all of my questions.”
The depressing thoughts stopped, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Are you Nicola Lane?” a hard, biting voice asked.
Nicola blinked rapidly and focused on the beautiful woman in the open doorway. She was tall, slender and black, with a fall of jet-black curls. Shadows consumed eyes the color of chocolate. Koldo’s were lighter, like caramel, and— Wow, Nicola must be hungry.
The woman wore a black-and-white tailored jacket, a pencil skirt and mile-high stilettos that perfectly complemented toenails painted black-and-white. Everything about her screamed style, sophistication and cold-blooded calm. So, what was she doing here, at the middle-class stress capital of the world?
“I’m Nicola, yes.”
“Well, congratulations. I’m now part of your department.”
Sarcasm on the first day. Wonderful. “Are you Jamila Engill or Sirena Kegan?”
Frowning, the girl said, “Jamila Engill.”
“Pretty name.” She wondered what Jamila meant. No doubt Koldo would have known.
“You have two new hires?”
“Yes.” Nicola tugged the lapels of her sweater closer together to ward off the chill blasting from Jamila’s attitude. Okay, fine. It was from the overhead vent. “Please, have a seat and we’ll get to know each other.”
Jamila marched into the office and slammed onto the far chair. Chin high in the air, she twined her hands in her lap and kept her gaze narrowed on Nicola, her back ramrod straight.
They were gonna have fun together, she could tell.
Five days ago, her very jittery, very irritable boss told her that he’d decided to hire two more accountants. Shock had nearly drilled Nicola to her knees. She’d been begging for a new hire for months, and every time she had been told to “make do.”
Currently, she was doing the work of five people. At first, she had managed. After Laila’s hospitalization, she’d begun to fall behind.
“So...what will be expected of me?” Jamila asked tightly.
Nicola explained a little about the operating system, and even though she hated sharing personal information with a stranger, she added, “I’ll be as much a help as possible as you learn, but the truth is, my sister is...dying—” even voicing the word was difficult “—and she... Well, I’m being pulled away from the office more and more.” Sooner or later, Jamila would have found out anyway. Phone calls would have come in, paperwork would have blasted through, or coworkers would have mentioned it.
This way, it was out in the open from the start.
Jamila leaned back in a pose that should have relaxed her. Instead, she appeared more rigid. “I’m sorry.”
People always said that. Nicola wondered what Koldo the Honest would have said.
Just the thought of him caused her heart to flutter. She cleared her throat. “Sometimes we have to confront employees who haven’t turned in their books. They’ll make excuses, but you’ll have to stay on them.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
No flinching, and no paling.
“Good, then you should do fine.” Unless you keep glaring at me like that.
“Hey, y’all. I’m Sirena, and I’m reporting for duty.”
Nicola’s attention shifted to the girl now standing in the doorway. She was taller than Nicola by an inch, maybe two, and wore an ill-fitting black jacket and matching pair of slacks, with a pink button-up top breaking up the darkness. Her hair was long and blond and as straight as a board. Her eyes were as wide as a doll’s, a mix of brown and blue; a pair of horn-rimmed glasses perched on her
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