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Authors: Kimber White
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toll on both him and Mom. Yeah, the last
thing he needed was me adding another worry to his long list.
My mom got on the phone at the end and talked to me with her sweet,
sing-song voice that used to irritate the hell out of me when I lived with them
full time. Today though, it made me homesick. After a few minutes, we said our
goodbyes as I told them I needed to get ready for work.
Work. Aaron and work. I checked my email again. Still nothing from
either Aaron or his father. Even if Aaron’s threat to fire me hadn’t been
serious, I knew now I couldn’t stay at Vista either way. Something Jax said
replayed in my mind. Maybe not this second, but that guy is trouble.
He was right. I’d tried to downplay everything in front of him for
reasons I didn’t quite understand. Maybe because for at least a few seconds, I
really thought Jax might have ripped Aaron’s throat out. And for those same few
seconds, I think I might have enjoyed watching. It didn’t make me proud of
myself, but I’d sensed something very dark in Aaron yesterday too. He’d never
come at me like that. The way he’d turned tail and run, leaving me alone in the
woods shocked me too. I’d be damned if I’d let him or any man treat me like
shit. If it weren’t for my financial situation, I could easily have flipped him
off and never looked back. For now though, I was going to have to suck it up
and head into the office. He owed me my things back, plus some answers. I’d put
a lot of work into the calendar already. Damon Spence was going to pay me for
my time at least. Beyond that, it depended on a few things.
As much as my parents’ call made me homesick, it emboldened me. My
father had raised a proud, strong daughter who didn’t take crap from anyone.
Just like him. I put on my best black power suit, my three-inch heels because
fuck it. God gave me tall genes, and today I’d use them against that sniveling
jerk. I had an extra set of car keys in the kitchen drawer. I grabbed them and
headed out the door.
I was still fueled by adrenaline and a fair amount of rage when I
walked into the Vista Foundation offices. Aaron was nowhere to be found, but
the receptionist at the front desk turned white and wouldn’t meet my gaze when
I passed her.
Shit.
I marched up to the tenth-floor offices and to my own desk. My blood
boiled with anger at what I found. Someone had taken the liberty of packing my
things into a cardboard box, all neat and tidy for the walk of shame of the
newly fired. My purse sat perched at the top of all the other personal items
I’d accumulated like a potted plant, a few pictures of my parents, and some
pens and pencils. The laptop at my workstation was already gone.
“Where’s Aaron?” I said, trying to keep my voice even as I turned back
toward the tenth-floor secretary. Her name was Kim and she was here for an
internship. She gave me a weak smile and tucked a pencil behind her ear.
“Nor, I’m really sorry. He didn’t come in this morning. But, Mr.
Spence. For what it’s worth, Aaron is the one who packed up your things. But
remember, you don’t work for him. If I were you, I’d go see what he has to
say.”
I let out a bitter laugh and murmured some cryptic warning to her. I
felt a little like a shit. None of this was Kim’s fault and I wouldn’t be
surprised if Aaron hit on her next. Kim mouthed “sorry” to me, and I felt even
worse. I pursed my lips and gave her a quick nod.
“Good luck,” I told Kim. “And you might want to steer clear of Aaron.
Just a word of advice.” Kim’s eyes went wide, then she put her head down and
stared at her computer screen. A shadow fell over her and I realized we had an
audience.
“Miss Gentry.” Damon stood just outside his office. He gave me a stern
look and folded his arms in front of him. I straightened my back and marched
into his office.
Damon asked me to take a seat, but I told him I’d prefer to stand. In
my heels, I had an inch on him and I intended to use
thing he needed was me adding another worry to his long list.
My mom got on the phone at the end and talked to me with her sweet,
sing-song voice that used to irritate the hell out of me when I lived with them
full time. Today though, it made me homesick. After a few minutes, we said our
goodbyes as I told them I needed to get ready for work.
Work. Aaron and work. I checked my email again. Still nothing from
either Aaron or his father. Even if Aaron’s threat to fire me hadn’t been
serious, I knew now I couldn’t stay at Vista either way. Something Jax said
replayed in my mind. Maybe not this second, but that guy is trouble.
He was right. I’d tried to downplay everything in front of him for
reasons I didn’t quite understand. Maybe because for at least a few seconds, I
really thought Jax might have ripped Aaron’s throat out. And for those same few
seconds, I think I might have enjoyed watching. It didn’t make me proud of
myself, but I’d sensed something very dark in Aaron yesterday too. He’d never
come at me like that. The way he’d turned tail and run, leaving me alone in the
woods shocked me too. I’d be damned if I’d let him or any man treat me like
shit. If it weren’t for my financial situation, I could easily have flipped him
off and never looked back. For now though, I was going to have to suck it up
and head into the office. He owed me my things back, plus some answers. I’d put
a lot of work into the calendar already. Damon Spence was going to pay me for
my time at least. Beyond that, it depended on a few things.
As much as my parents’ call made me homesick, it emboldened me. My
father had raised a proud, strong daughter who didn’t take crap from anyone.
Just like him. I put on my best black power suit, my three-inch heels because
fuck it. God gave me tall genes, and today I’d use them against that sniveling
jerk. I had an extra set of car keys in the kitchen drawer. I grabbed them and
headed out the door.
I was still fueled by adrenaline and a fair amount of rage when I
walked into the Vista Foundation offices. Aaron was nowhere to be found, but
the receptionist at the front desk turned white and wouldn’t meet my gaze when
I passed her.
Shit.
I marched up to the tenth-floor offices and to my own desk. My blood
boiled with anger at what I found. Someone had taken the liberty of packing my
things into a cardboard box, all neat and tidy for the walk of shame of the
newly fired. My purse sat perched at the top of all the other personal items
I’d accumulated like a potted plant, a few pictures of my parents, and some
pens and pencils. The laptop at my workstation was already gone.
“Where’s Aaron?” I said, trying to keep my voice even as I turned back
toward the tenth-floor secretary. Her name was Kim and she was here for an
internship. She gave me a weak smile and tucked a pencil behind her ear.
“Nor, I’m really sorry. He didn’t come in this morning. But, Mr.
Spence. For what it’s worth, Aaron is the one who packed up your things. But
remember, you don’t work for him. If I were you, I’d go see what he has to
say.”
I let out a bitter laugh and murmured some cryptic warning to her. I
felt a little like a shit. None of this was Kim’s fault and I wouldn’t be
surprised if Aaron hit on her next. Kim mouthed “sorry” to me, and I felt even
worse. I pursed my lips and gave her a quick nod.
“Good luck,” I told Kim. “And you might want to steer clear of Aaron.
Just a word of advice.” Kim’s eyes went wide, then she put her head down and
stared at her computer screen. A shadow fell over her and I realized we had an
audience.
“Miss Gentry.” Damon stood just outside his office. He gave me a stern
look and folded his arms in front of him. I straightened my back and marched
into his office.
Damon asked me to take a seat, but I told him I’d prefer to stand. In
my heels, I had an inch on him and I intended to use
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