Chapter 13
After finally tracking down the nearest bus stop, I stepped onto the bus and made my way to an empty seat. I leaned my forehead against the window and looked out. I noticed a large smear of something off-white just inches from my face and sat up quickly. I shuddered.
I hugged my purse to my chest and rested my chin on it. I had let myself get a little too carried away by this afternoon’s shopping trip. I liked that the employees thought we were a couple. I had almost felt like I was the woman he was spoiling. It was a nice feeling.
But apparently Logan’s sweet nature was reserved for his wife. A pang hit my heart at the thought. Logan’s driving off without me made me realize just how abandoned I felt. First my family and Chance, and now by my boss, who I thought I was making strides with in our professional relationship.
I pulled out my phone to message Maria. “Drinks tonight?”
“Yes please,” Maria sent back.
Later that night, after finally getting home and putting on my favorite little black dress, I walked through the doors of Chianti, a local wine bar Maria and I loved. The quiet atmosphere was much preferred to loud, normal bars. It was hard to hold a conversation in those.
I found Maria at a small table in the corner with two other friends of ours, Megan and Rachel. I waved and went to the bar to order a glass of wine.
“I’ll take a glass of merlot, please,” I asked the bartender.
Glass in hand, I walked over to my friends and hugged each of them before I sat down.
“So Hazel,” Rachel said with a grin. “Maria was just telling us about your hunky new boss.”
“Yeah,” I said glumly, the sting of his abandonment still fresh. “That hunky new boss left me stranded earlier today.”
“What?” Megan said, outraged.
I told them the whole story, from his crazy driving to the time he peeled out of the parking lot, leaving me in the dust.
“I just thought that we’d had some sort of breakthrough during that shopping trip,” I said. “He’d shown me another side of him.” I stared at my glass of wine, thinking about the sweet man I had shopped with.
“Uh oh,” Maria said, a grin beginning to form on her face. “Looks like someone is falling for him after she said she wasn’t interested.”
My cheeks burned. I covered my face with my hands.
“Oh, Hazel, I’m only teasing. It’s natural to feel something for him,” Maria said placing a hand on my arm. “You have been spending a lot of time working one on one with him. You’ve just gone through a really hard breakup. You said yourself he’s very handsome. It makes sense that you would start developing feelings for him.”
“I hate that you’re right,” I said. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to go out tonight, to start looking for someone else so I can keep things professional with Logan. I’ve never had trouble like this with any other supervisor I’ve worked for.”
Maria laughed. “That’s because none of our other supervisors looked like that. Plus they’ve all been jerks.”
“Logan can be. He’s so hard to work with sometimes. Everything has to be perfect,” I said, taking a sip of wine.
“So focus on that,” Rachel said. “We’ll find you someone else in the meantime. You are quite the catch.” She winked at me.
I laughed and placed my hands on my cheeks. “Oh, go on.”
I felt my purse begin to vibrate. I unzipped it and pulled out my phone. I almost did a double-take when I saw who was video calling: Logan. This had to be a butt dial.
I answered. “Hello?”
My friends gave me confused looks. They stood and moved in as close as they could without being spotted on Logan’s end.
Rachel gasped and Megan’s eyes bulged at the sight of Logan. I saw her mouth to Maria, “Who is this?” as she raised an eyebrow at me.
“It’s just Logan,” Maria mouthed back.
“Hazel? Where are you?” Logan asked.
That’s none of your business, I wanted to say. But instead I just said, “Chianti. It’s a wine bar.”
Rachel’s brow furrowed. “Hang up, he shouldn’t be calling you outside of work,” she whispered to me. I waved her off.
“How soon can you get back to work? I need you to do something for me,” Logan said.
All three of my friends started shaking their heads angrily at me.
“After what he did to you today? Tell him to shove it,” Megan whispered.
I hesitated. My friends were right, but this was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to lose. “I can be there in ten minutes,” I said.
My friends groaned.
“Great,” Logan said. “I wouldn’t mind some of that wine. Bring a bottle, would you?”
“Yes sir,” I said. Logan hung up as soon as the words were out of my mouth.
“Are you kidding me?” Megan said. “He has the nerve to not only ask you to come in after hours, but to also bring him some wine? After abandoning you?”
“Girl, you need to go down there and tell him you quit,” Rachel said.
“I can’t,” I said, standing to leave. “I need this job and the pay raise.”
“You are the best secretary around,” Maria said. “You could find a better job. You don’t deserve to be treated like this. You need time off too, he can’t just expect you to jump every time he asks.”
“I know…” I said. My head was spinning. “I don’t have time to think about it right now, I need to go.”
“Okay,” Maria said. “Just…don’t stay too late, if you can help it.”
I nodded, knowing full well I would stay all night if that was what it took to get this job.
I walked into work exactly ten minutes after I told Logan I would, bottle of cabernet in hand. Reading all those articles on Logan had come in handy, he had mentioned his favorite kind of wine several times.
The lights were all off except for the one in Logan’s office. I knocked once I got to his door.
“Come in,” he yelled.
“Your wine, sir,” I placed the bottle on his desk and sat in the chair in front of it. I pulled the small notebook I kept in my purse out along with a pen.
“Thank you,” he said. “Now,” he stood. “I have been here for two weeks now. Since my CEO appointment was rather rushed, I did not get the usual welcoming ceremony that past CEOs have gotten. I want you to plan it for me. To be held at the end of the week. This is your next assessment.”
I stared hard at my notebook, pen poised to write. This was why he called me in after work? This was the big emergency that couldn’t wait until morning? My pen shook in my hand. It took everything in me to not throw it at him and storm out.
“I’d like an outline of the event tonight,” he said. “Then you’re free to go.”
After several hours of drafting a plan for Logan’s welcome ceremony, he finally released me at 1:30 am.
I drove home, barely even aware that I was driving. The day had been long and brutal, and the next was going to begin in just a few hours. I could hardly keep my eyes open.
I dragged myself into my parents’ house and up the stairs to my room, careful to be as quiet as I could be. I was surprised to see a light coming through the bottom of my bedroom door. I knew I hadn’t left one on before I had left for work the day before. Had someone been in my room?
I cracked open the door and peeked in. I couldn’t see anyone from that angle. I slowly pushed open the door the rest of the way. Something on the floor near the door caught my eye. It was a pair of men’s boxer shorts. And they looked strangely familiar.
From there, a trail of pre-sex items led the way to my bed: pants, socks, shoes, condoms, and finally…
“Natalie!”
